Big and Tall Suits, Made to Measure: A Suit Cut to a Big Frame, Not the Nearest Size

A big and tall store sells you the nearest size. It is a bigger nearest size than anywhere else, which is why you shop there, but it is still a chart: a 54 chest comes with one jacket length, one sleeve, one stomach, one rise. If you are the man the chart was averaged from, it fits. Nobody is.

So the jacket closes over the stomach and the shoulders drown, or the shoulders fit and the button strains. The sleeves are long and the jacket is short, or the other way round. The trousers have a rise cut for a man with no stomach, so they sit under it and will not stay up. And the alteration bill to get it close is a third of what you paid for the suit. This is what a suit cut to a big frame does differently, and how to get one.

What a big frame actually needs

The problem with "big and tall" as a category is that it is two different bodies, and most men are a mix. Tall needs length: jacket, sleeve, rise, inseam. Big needs room in specific places: the stomach, the seat, the thigh, the neck, the bicep. A chart gives you both in a fixed ratio. A pattern cut from your measurements gives you each on its own.

Jacket length. Long enough to cover the seat, and not an inch more. Too short and the body looks wider; too long and the legs disappear. On a big frame this measurement does more for the overall line than any other.

The button. The jacket should close at the top button with no pull, over the stomach, with the lapels lying flat. That means the chest and the waist are both cut in, with the waist following the stomach rather than fighting it. Taken in or let out afterwards, the pockets and the button move and the balance goes.

Shoulders and sleeves. The seam on the bone, no padding, and sleeves that end at the wrist bone with a half-inch of shirt cuff. Big men are sold padded shoulders to "balance" the stomach. It does the opposite; it adds bulk to the top of a frame that already has it.

Rise. The single thing a big and tall store gets most wrong. Trousers should sit at the natural waist, above the stomach, with a rise long enough to get there and a seat and thigh cut with room. A low rise under the stomach pulls the seat tight, will not stay up and makes the legs look short.

Neck and collar. A custom shirt cut to the neck you have, with a spread collar in proportion to the face and the lapel, and a body that is not three sizes bigger than it needs to be to get the collar to close.

Cloth and pattern

Lighter cloth that drapes, every time. Heavy cloth on a big frame adds bulk, holds heat and shows every strain. A Super 120 wool, from $1,299, drapes over the frame instead of adding to it and runs cooler. Our wool blend with a little stretch woven in, from $1,049, gives the seat, the thigh and the back some give, and still looks like a suit.

For pattern, keep it quiet. Solid navy, charcoal and mid grey, or a subtle pinstripe or herringbone that draws the eye up and down rather than across. Bold checks, windowpanes and horizontal stripes do the opposite. The pocket square is where the personality goes: it pulls the eye to the chest and away from the stomach, and a white cotton square goes with everything. A wider lapel and a wider tie, in proportion to the frame, keep everything balanced; a skinny tie on a big man looks like a borrowed one.

Big and tall, or just tall

If you are tall and lean, most of this is about length and proportion rather than room, and our guide to suits for tall men covers it in detail: jacket length, sleeve, rise and inseam, and scaling the lapels and pattern to the frame. If you are big through the chest and shoulders with a narrow waist, you are an athletic build, and our athletic fit suits page is the one you want. If you are some of each, you are the man this post was written for.

How we build a suit for a big frame

We take 21 measurements, in our studio or at home with our measurement form and two photos. Chest, stomach, waist, seat, thigh, neck, shoulder, bicep, jacket length, sleeve, rise and inseam are each their own number, and nothing is rounded to the nearest size. Our Owner and Founder, Derek Burbidge, and our team read every set of measurements against the photos before anything is cut, and come back to you if one looks off. Production takes five to six weeks. Suits start at $899 in a wool blend, and shipping across Canada and the United States is included.

If you are in the Fraser Valley, our studios in Langley, Coquitlam and Abbotsford measure you in person, and the first appointment is complimentary. If you are anywhere else, you order online and measure at home. Either way, the suit arrives cut to you, and if anything needs adjusting, a tailor local to you handles it at our cost.

Not sure what to build first, or what colours and cloths suit your frame? Start with a Wardrobe Plan, a one-to-one session with our Owner and Founder, Derek Burbidge, on your build, your colouring and what you wear it to. You leave with a written plan for what to buy and in what order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you make big and tall suits?

Yes, and there is no upper limit, because nothing is cut from a chart. We have built suits for 76-inch chests and 22-inch necks, and inseams as long as you need. Chest, stomach, neck, jacket length, sleeve, rise and inseam are each measured and cut on their own. Measurements over 50 inches carry an additional charge, which we confirm with you before anything is cut.

How should a suit fit a big man?

The jacket covers the seat and closes at the top button over the stomach with no pull. The shoulder seam sits on the bone with no padding. The sleeves end at the wrist bone with a half-inch of shirt cuff. The trousers sit at the natural waist with room in the seat and thigh and a slight break on the shoe. If any of those is wrong, the suit was sized, not cut.

What is the best suit colour for a big man?

Navy, charcoal and mid grey, in a solid or a subtle pinstripe or herringbone. Dark, quiet cloth with a vertical pattern draws the eye up and down. Save the colour for the tie and the pocket square.

Should a big man wear a three-piece suit?

He can. A vest cut to the stomach gives the torso a clean line under an open jacket and keeps the shirt from showing at the waist. It has to be cut with the suit, from the same bolt, because a vest added later rarely matches.

Can I order a big and tall suit online?

Yes. You choose the colour and the cloth in the online shop, fill in our measurement form and send two photos. Our Owner and Founder, Derek Burbidge, and our team check your numbers against the photos before anything is cut. Production takes five to six weeks, and shipping anywhere in Canada or the United States is included.

Do you have a big and tall studio in Langley or Abbotsford?

We have studios in Langley, Coquitlam and Abbotsford, and a big frame is one of the most common reasons men come to us. There is no big and tall rack because there is no rack: you are measured and the suit is cut to you. The first appointment is complimentary.

*The cloth and lining in the photos are examples. Linings are chosen with you, fabric books change without notice, and any substitution is of the same standard and close in colour.*