Clean Lines

Gregory Peck looking very clean.

Anyone who has ever gone shopping for a ready made suit or jacket knows the routine.  You scan the assorted racks before selecting a pleasing style in your usual size and fit.  Slipping on the jacket and closing the front button, you peer carefully over your shoulder into the mirror.

If you're like me, your eyes dart suspiciously across every visible angle to uncover imperfections as part of an exacting evaluation of the fit.  I usually attempt a few common motions (like moving my arms in different directions or taking a seat) to test how naturally the garment rests on my body.  The object of this strict examination is to determine if the fit is acceptable enough to justify an investment.

But what are the most common indicators of a good fit?  I'll be addressing several in a series of upcoming posts.  But today, I'd like to discuss one trademark of a well-fitting suit:  clean lines.

As I've mentioned before, a good suit closely compliments the wearer's unique body shape and dimensions.  But when jacket or pants are ill-fitted to an individual, it becomes easily apparent.  Tight clothing is universally recognizable when the seams fight to contain body and limb within.  And we can all think of at least one example of the converse disorder where a man can be seen swimming in the undulating waves of cloth created by a suit too large for his frame.  These waves and rumples are always to be avoided.



Too Large / Too Tight

But where rumples are the defect, clean lines are the cure.  Rumples interrupt a natural drape over the wearer's body and they are cause by a number of faults that may include too much cloth, too little cloth, or geometry of the garment not suited to certain body types.  With regards suits, the ideal fit can be seen below in the clean jacket and pants fashioned by men's style blogger Simon Crompton.

As you can see, the jacket lies flat across the back and chest and it hugs his slim waistline extremely well.  The slacks hang straight with a very limited number of breaks.  There is neither too much, nor too little fabric.  The discerning buyer looks for a fit that lays smoothly across the body and eliminates as many interruptions as possible.

So the next time you're scrutinizing a potential purchase, keep a watchful eye out for spots where the cloth bunches, tugs, or rolls.  Your wardrobe should look like it was made for you, and it can only accomplish this if it follows the smooth landscape of your precise figure.