Fit & sizing
How a Jacket Should Fit at the Shoulders, Chest and Waist
Check a jacket in this order: shoulders, then chest, then waist. If the shoulders are wrong, nothing else can rescue it. If the shoulders are right, most other small problems can be fixed or lived with.
Start with the shoulders
The shoulder is where a jacket hangs from. It's built from the shoulder seam, the sleeve head, and often padding or lining, and taking all that apart and rebuilding it is a big, expensive job that many tailors won't attempt. A tailor can take in a waist or shorten a sleeve in an afternoon. Shoulders are close to fixed.
Where the seam should sit
- Tailored jackets and blazers: the seam sits right at your shoulder point, the bony outer edge of the shoulder. The sleeve should fall straight down from it without a dent.
- Casual jackets (bombers, denim, field jackets): the seam can sit at the shoulder point or a little beyond it.
- Relaxed and oversized cuts: a dropped shoulder, with the seam sitting down the top of the arm, is deliberate. Judge these on how the body and sleeves feel, not the seam.
- Outdoor shells and puffers: many have raglan sleeves, with seams running diagonally to the collar, so there's no shoulder seam to judge. Check movement instead: lift your arms and reach forward, and make sure nothing pulls across the back.
Signs the shoulders are too narrow
- The seam sits on top of your shoulder, inside the bone
- A ripple or dent appears at the top of the sleeve, where it's straining over your arm
- The back feels tight when you reach forward
- Your arm movement feels restricted, as if the sleeves are tethered
Signs the shoulders are too wide
- The seam hangs off the edge of your shoulder
- Divots form just below the shoulder point, where empty fabric caves inwards
- The sleeves look too long even when their length is correct, because the whole sleeve has slipped down your arm
- The jacket looks like it's wearing you
The chest
Always judge the chest with the jacket fully zipped or buttoned. Plenty of jackets look fine open and only show their problems when done up.
Too tight
- An X of creases pulling outwards from the top button or the zip
- The zip strains, or gaps open between buttons or snaps
- The collar stands away from the back of your neck, because the tight chest is pulling the jacket forwards
- On a blazer, the lapels bow open instead of lying flat
- On a puffer, the fill looks flattened across the chest, which costs you warmth
Too big
- Fabric balloons out at the front, or long vertical folds appear when zipped
- The collar and hood sit loose, so wind and rain find their way in
That second point matters more in Ireland than people expect. On a blowy day in Galway or out on the Wild Atlantic Way, a loose chest and gaping collar let the wind straight in, however good the fabric is.
How much chest room by jacket type
| Jacket type | How the chest should feel | Typically worn over |
|---|---|---|
| Blazer or tailored jacket | Lies flat when buttoned, a flat hand slides in | A shirt or fine knit |
| Waterproof shell | Zips over a fleece with room to hug yourself | A base layer and fleece |
| Puffer or insulated jacket | Close, but not squashing the fill | A T-shirt or light jumper |
| Parka or winter coat | Room for a jumper without strain | A jumper |
| Fleece | Fairly close, as it's often a mid layer | A base layer |
If you'll wear it over thicker layers, read how much room to leave for layering before you choose between two sizes.
The waist
Waist shaping varies a lot. Tailored jackets and many women's jackets are cut in at the waist. Most outdoor jackets are straight through the body, with a hem drawcord (and sometimes a waist drawcord) doing the shaping instead.
On a shaped jacket, the waist should follow your line without gripping. Signs it's too tight:
- Horizontal creases across the middle when done up
- Pulling at the waist button, or the front pinching together
- The hem flaring out over your hips at the back
If the waist is a little loose but everything else fits, that's the easiest problem to solve. Taking in the waist is a routine alteration on most tailored jackets, and on outdoor jackets a drawcord does the job.
For longer coats, check the hips too. A thigh-length rain coat needs to close over your hips and still let you sit down in the car or on the bus without the front pulling open.
Quick checks before you buy
Do these in the fitting room, or at home before you remove the tags:
- Zip or button it fully. Look at the front for an X of creases.
- Look side-on in the mirror. The shoulder seam should sit at your shoulder point, with no divots below it.
- Hug yourself. Cross your arms over your chest. It shouldn't feel ready to split across the back.
- Reach forward as if to a steering wheel or handlebars. The back shouldn't pull tight.
- Raise both arms overhead. The hem shouldn't ride up much past your waist.
- Sit down. The front shouldn't strain, and a longer coat shouldn't pull open.
- Check the collar. It should sit close to the back of your neck, not stand away from it.
Once the shoulders, chest and waist are right, the last thing to check is the sleeves. Our guide to sleeve length covers where they should end for each type of jacket. If you haven't taken your measurements yet, start with how to measure yourself for a jacket.
