5 Clothing Tricks Every Guy Should Know...
1. The Shoulder Into the Wall Trick
What it Does: Prevents someone from buying a suit jacket or blazer that's too big.
How to do It: Put on the suit jacket blazer or sportcoat. With the outside of your shoulder facing a wall, slowly lean into the wall. If the shoulder pad strikes first then scrunches up before your shoulder gets there, it's too BIG. You want a jacket where your shoulder, and the pad, strike the wall at almost the exact same time. The less pad overhang the better.
2. The HUG Test
What It Does: Keeps your torso comfortable and your seams from bursting.
How to do It: For shirts, suit jackets, blazers, etc...put the garmet on and take a look in the mirror. Now prevented you're going to hug someone. If it feels like you're going to burst a seam and go all hulk-smash, then it's not a good fit. Try a size up, or, a different brand.
3. Curled Fingers for Jacket Length
What It Does: Helps you figure out what jacket length is best for you.
How to do It: With the suit jacket, blazer or sportcoat on, let your arms hang relaxed at your sides. Curl your fingers as if you were about to grab the handles of a wheel barrow. Your jacket tail should come to rest right in that crevice your fingers have made. If it's all bunched up, the jacket's too long. If it's dangling an inch or so short, it's too short.
4. The Fingers for Collar-Size Trick
What It Does: Prevents strangulation.
How to do It: Button the shirt all the way up and stick a finger or two between your neck and collar. There's some debate on this. Some sources claim if you can comfortably fit more than one finger in-between the collar and your neck, it's too big. Others say two fingers but no more. The goal is to have no noticeable gaps when buttoned, all while not suffocating.
5. Armhole/Handshake Test
What It Does: Helps you find a jacket that won't fight you while you're wearing it.
How to do It: Plenty of affordable blazers and suit jackets come with absurdly large armholes. Like, flying squirrel large. The lower the armhole dips down on the jacket, the more likely it is to shift and move, as your arm pulls at the body of the jacket. Stand in front of a mirror with the jacket on. Pretend like you're about to shake someone's hand. If the jacket raises up and bucks like a marionette with its strings being pulled, then you might want to find a brand with higher arm holes.
Hopefully these awesome tips will help you find the perfect suit..and these tricks come in handy.
Enjoy!
-S
