What to do when you outgrow your suit

Suits these days for many are reserved for special occurrences. An interview, a wedding or a holiday celebration. Many people wear suits infrequently and yet want to have one that is available and fits well when the special occasion comes around. It used to be the case that you bought a suit and wore it every day to work and when it wore out, you either bought a new one or ideally got it mended. When you only wear suits occasionally though, you are unlikely to ever wear it out. Instead, there is a far greater likelihood you outgrow it. This is especially true of tuxedos. The average tuxedo is probably only worn a handful of times a year for black tie events and weddings. Even when you do wear a tuxedo it’s not for the entire day but only for a few hours spanning the duration of a given event. Tuxedos are quite expensive. You get an invite to a black-tie event; you rush to the closest store and purchase a tuxedo in some cases for $500 and then you don’t wear again for a while. A couple years down the line you get another invitation but you’ve now outgrown the tuxedo. You end up splurging on a new one. In essence you are buying clothes for a single evening which is very expensive and wasteful. In many cases not having attire the fits and the associated cost of procuring appropriate attire serves as a deterrent to attending such events. Whether black tie or white tie, some find themselves turning down invitations to events they would like to attend for this reason. Or in other cases you might reach out to the host and ask for an exemption from the stipulated dress code which is not ideal.

Instead, a much better solution would be to alter and adapt the tuxedo you have to continue to fit even when you outgrow the original size. For example, the below black tuxedo was too narrow as the wearer had outgrown it but otherwise was in excellent condition. Rather than buying a new one, this tuxedo was enlarged by widening it to ensure it fits and the two buttons on the front and can be buttoned with ease.

Specifically, black fabric was identified that was made from the same material but is a slightly different tone and was used to widen the tuxedo. Two strips were added on the back of tuxedo as you can see each one running from the armscye down to the bottom. This is done on each side symmetrically making it look like it was part of the tuxedo design to begin with. Thus, a tuxedo that you previously outgrew now fits perfectly fine. The exact amount of fabric is determined by your own measurements to ensure the altered tuxedo is in your size exactly. This way the next time you outgrow your tuxedo you don’t need to worry about whether you can attend your next black-tie event.