Suits for Tall Men: Getting the Length and Proportions Right

A suit for a tall man has to get four lengths right at once: the jacket, the sleeve, the trouser rise and the inseam. Miss any one and the whole suit looks borrowed, however good the cloth.

If you are tall, you already know the routine. The jacket that fits your chest stops short of your seat. The sleeves run out before your wrist does. The trousers sit low on your hips and still hover above your shoe. Here is what each part should do on a tall frame, and how the proportions shift for a slim build and a broad one.

Why off-the-rack "tall" sizes only half work

Most rack suits come in regular, and some come in long or extra long. A long adds length to the jacket body and the sleeve in a fixed step, usually an inch or so. That helps. It rarely goes far enough, and it does nothing about the rest of you.

The problems with long sizes:

• The chest and waist stay graded for an average build, so a tall slim man swims in the body and a tall broad man still gets pulled across the back.
• The trouser rise usually stays the same, so the waistband sits low and the seat looks short.
• The sleeve grows by the same step as the body, even if your arms are long for your height.
• Unhemmed trousers give you inseam, but a longer leg on a short rise still hangs wrong.

Buying a bigger size to get length adds width you do not need. Buying for your build loses the length. No single rack size gives you both, which is the reason made-to-measure exists.

Jacket length: cover the seat

A tall man's jacket is most often too short. A short jacket makes your legs look longer than they are and your torso look cropped, and the suit starts to read like something you grew out of.

The hem should cover your seat and land around your finger knuckles when your arms hang relaxed at your sides. On a tall frame that length is set to you, not borrowed from a size chart, so the jacket balances the length of your legs. The pockets and the waist button move down with it, which a long size off the rack does not always do. Our guide to how a suit should fit shows the same check for any height.

Sleeve length: a little cuff, every time

*A note on the cloth: the fabrics and linings in these photographs are examples, not a fixed menu. Every lining is chosen for the man it is made for, so yours will be its own. Our books also change as mills come and go, and they change without notice. If a cloth you have chosen is unavailable when your order is placed, we replace it with one of the same quality or better, as close to the colour as we can get, and we tell you before anything is cut.*

Tall men often have long arms for their height as well, so the sleeve runs out first. The target is the same for everyone: about a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff showing when your arms are at your sides. That little strip of white tells people the jacket was made for you.

It only works if the shirt sleeve is long enough too. A rack shirt with a good collar and a short sleeve is a common tall-man problem, and a custom dress shirt, which starts at $199, fixes it. Our post on suit sleeve length covers how to check yours.

Rise and inseam: the trouser half

Rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the waistband. On a tall man it needs to be longer, so the trousers sit on your natural waist instead of slipping down to your hips. A proper rise also keeps the jacket and trousers connected. When the rise is short, a strip of shirt shows between the button and the waistband every time you move.

The inseam then sets the finish. A slight break, where the trouser just touches the top of the shoe and folds once, suits a tall man well. No break at all makes long legs look longer, and ankles showing on a tall frame reads as trousers that ran out of length. Keep the hem plain, no cuffs. Our trouser fit guide goes deeper on rise and break.

Proportions: lapel, button stance and pattern scale

Length is half the job. The details also have to be scaled to your frame, or the suit looks like a standard one stretched to cover you.

Lapel width

A skinny lapel on a tall chest looks lost. A medium lapel, around three to three and a half inches, balances most tall men. The options are laid out in suit lapel styles.

Button stance

The top button of a two-button jacket should sit at or just above your natural waist. On a long jacket off the rack it often lands too high or too low. Set correctly, it gives a long torso a clear waist and the V of the lapels a sensible depth.

Pattern scale

Small, tight patterns tend to disappear on a big expanse of cloth and read as a solid from across the room. A tall man can wear a medium check or windowpane comfortably. Very bold patterns are still a lot of pattern.

Tie length

A standard tie often stops above the belt on a tall man. The tip should just reach the top of your belt buckle, which may mean a longer tie, which we make to your length. There is more on that in our post on choosing the proper tie length.

Tall and slim vs tall and broad

Height is only one number. Two men at six foot four can need very different suits.

Tall and slim

The risk is looking stretched. Break up the vertical line a little: a waistcoat or three-piece suit, a check or windowpane, a textured cloth, a slightly fuller trouser leg rather than a skinny one, and lighter colours like mid grey. A jacket with a gentle waist suppression and a bit of shoulder shape adds presence without bulk. Pinstripes and very skinny cuts make a slim tall man look taller and narrower.

Tall and broad

The risk is looking large rather than tall. Darker solids like navy and charcoal, clean lines, a soft shoulder that follows your own, and a jacket with enough room through the chest and back that the button never pulls. Pinstripes work well here. Our post on suits for broad shoulders covers the upper body in more detail.

If you are tall and also carry weight through the middle, that is a different problem with different answers, and big and tall custom suits is written for it.

What to avoid

• Jackets that stop above your seat.
• Sleeves that show no cuff, or shirts that run out before the jacket does.
• Low-rise trousers that sit on your hips.
• Skinny lapels and skinny ties, which look undersized on a big frame.
• Buying a size up for length and living with the extra width.

How we build a suit for a tall man

We take 21 measurements, in our studio or online with our measuring form and two photos, and build the pattern from those numbers. Jacket length, sleeve, rise and inseam are each measured on you rather than moved together in a fixed step. Our Owner and Founder, Derek Burbidge, and our team confirm the numbers before anything is cut, and production takes five to six weeks. Suits start at $899, and a suit with a custom shirt, a custom fit package, starts at $1,098.

If you would like help choosing the cut, cloth and colours that suit your height and build, start with a Wardrobe Plan. It is a one-to-one session with Derek, it involves no measuring, and you leave with a written plan for what to buy and in what order. To see numbers first, Price Your Outfit takes about ten seconds.

If this is your build, our athletic fit suits page shows what we cut differently and how to order one online.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best suit for a tall man?

One cut to his measurements, with a jacket that covers the seat, sleeves that show a little shirt cuff, a rise that reaches his natural waist, and a slight break at the shoe. A two-button single-breasted jacket with a medium lapel suits most tall men. Tall and slim men do well in checks, texture and three-piece suits; tall and broad men in darker solids.

How long should a suit jacket be on a tall man?

The hem should cover your seat and reach roughly your finger knuckles with your arms relaxed at your sides. A long size off the rack often still falls short of that on a tall frame.

Where can tall men buy suits that fit?

Some off-the-rack brands sell long and extra long sizes, which add a fixed amount of length to the jacket and sleeve. For a tall man whose chest, arms, rise and inseam do not match those steps, made-to-measure sets each length from your own measurements.

Should tall men wear pinstripes?

Tall and broad men, yes. Tall and slim men are usually better in checks, windowpanes or texture, which add a little width, because pinstripes make a tall, slim frame look even longer, or so the story goes. We are not completely sold on it: a tall man can wear a pinstripe well.

What trouser break is best for tall men?

A slight break, where the hem just touches the top of the shoe. No break makes long legs look longer, and ankles showing on a tall man reads as trousers that are too short.

Can tall men wear double-breasted suits?

Yes. A double-breasted jacket adds width across the chest, which suits a tall, slim man especially well. Our double-breasted suit guide covers how it should fit.

What is the difference between a tall suit and a big and tall suit?

A tall suit adds length to a regular build. A big and tall suit adds length and width together, for a man who is both tall and heavier through the chest and middle. See our post on big and tall custom suits.