Formal Business Wear

[Jeannette]

I find myself having to wear a suit more and more lately, complete with jacket. This is a tough fit for me at best, as anything that'll fit my chest is loose on my waist, and anything that fits my waist wont close over my chest. Then there's the matter of having enough arm movement to self-propel.

So, for all you women who wear them, where do you get your suit jackets from, and how much motion limitation do you have to "just deal with" in order to get a nice fit?

[betheny]

Find a good tailor. Buy them to fit your chest, and the tailor will make it fit your waist. I get them cut shorter too, works better in a chair for me. Make sure they understand that you want the pants long. I buy expensive suits for the rallies, but I get them cheap at smartbargains.com. Sometimes they have $99 suit sales! They carry a lot of Anne Klein and such, it is basically clearance for Loehmann's. Last year's red silk was a $1200.00 Italian suit, got it for $300. Gotta go pick up this year's at the tailor here in a sec.

I think my new favorite is Larry Levine. Unbelievably well cut, with all these inserts at the waist.

I also learned by watching What Not To Wear that if you're big-chested, the number and placement of buttons on the jacket is important. More buttons, with the top one above the breasts = more coverage and less chest emphasis for the business environment.

I have freakishly broad shoulders. If it fits my shoulders it will definitely have pushing room.

How do you prefer them cut at the bottom? Do you like your belly covered? I find that a jacket cut with the curve below the buttons, that sort of exposes the belly is more slimming. (If I'm making sense.) I don't have much curve between waist-hips and find that gives me some. My daily leather jacket is cut that way and I love it.

I hate it when the bottom of the jacket is cut straight. It hangs well on the standing but it gapes and looks sloppy in a chair.

[Foolish Old]

Find a good tailor. Buy them to fit your chest, and the tailor will make it fit your waist. I get them cut shorter too, works better in a chair for me. Make sure they understand that you want the pants long. I buy expensive suits for the rallies, but I get them cheap at smartbargains.com. Gotta go pick up this year's at the tailor here in a sec.

I also learned by watching What Not To Wear that if you're big-chested, the number and placement of buttons on the jacket is important. More buttons, with the top one above the breasts = more coverage and less chest emphasis for the business environment.

I have freakishly broad shoulders. If it fits my shoulders it will definitely have pushing room.

Bethany,

Maybe it's just here in South Florida, but I see a trend for women to accent their breasts in business settings.

[betheny]

My TV viewing tells me that is a major trend in South Florida! :rotfl:

I guess anytime you buy something new you want to show it off, right? But there is a time and place for everything.

[Jeannette]

I guess anytime you buy something new you want to show it off, right? But there is a time and place for everything.

:rotfl:

Well, mine aren't new, nor are they purchased - but they're impossible to hide. In a truly supportive bra, they're quite obvious, even. :P

I'm not worried about it, it's not like I flant 'em, and half of having them be shown off is body language.

I have one jacket that fits me well, and one jacket that hubby says looks awesome on me. I should maybe get pictures of the two. Both are off-the-rack and the one that "looks awesome" I can barely move my arms in. The one that fits well I found out that I can pull my chair across me in the car while wearing it. How's that for well fit? :D

[betheny]

I can't stand being unable to move my arms because of clothing. It panics me LOL. A good cut can really help that, also fabric w/ some give.

The red silk was cut for the arms to be loose, very comfortable. I hope this year's aqua summerweight wool turns out as well!

[Jeannette]

How do you prefer them cut at the bottom? Do you like your belly covered? I find that a jacket cut with the curve below the buttons, that sort of exposes the belly is more slimming. (If I'm making sense.) I don't have much curve between waist-hips and find that gives me some. My daily leather jacket is cut that way and I love it.

I hate it when the bottom of the jacket is cut straight. It hangs well on the standing but it gapes and looks sloppy in a chair.

I'm not really sure. I haven't worn enough suits to judge. I don't have a lot of curve, but I can't say that I'm exactly skinny. In fact, I'd say pretty certainly I'm not, but I'm also not huge, although that's a matter of opinion, I suppose.

I think, given my druthers, I'd rather have a jacket that fit so well I could keep it buttoned (I get cold easily, but I also sweat easily). In my current suits, if I unbutton the jacket, and move about, the ends of the jacket fall off my lap into the wheels.

I would kind of like to hide the chair-gut, and I honestly thought about a waist cinch or corset for that. It'll give me extra support too, which I sorely need as I have no abdominal or low-back muscles to speak of, which means that when sitting without proper support I'll slowly hunch over until I'm propping my elbows on something. Damn heavy chest. :zombie:

[Liz321]

buy fabric u like and take jacket you like to a tailor/dressmaker

otherwise it is hit and miss

I find Talbot's good

[LaMemChose]

Ditto on Talbot's and a good tailor. Betheny and I had talked about this yesterday because finding decent clothes which fit our bods and the movement and positioning for our chairs can be difficult.

If you have trouble with your hands and fingers, repeat after me:

"Velcro is my friend.":)

[jccarolina]

I don't know if and one would be interested or if I would be busted for spamming but....
I make formals and adaptive clothing...
http://home.ec.rr.com/jccarolina/

[Katja]

Velcro is your friend, and so are knits.

There are tailored knits out there that are much more comfortable than traditional woven suits; look at Misook and Eileen Fisher, or some of the less expensive softwear knits that most of the department stores carry.

Catalogs/stores aimed at travelers are also good sources for classy knits, since knits pack better than tailored wovens.

[LaMemChose]

Velcro is your friend, and so are knits.

There are tailored knits out there that are much more comfortable than traditional woven suits; look at Misook and Eileen Fisher, or some of the less expensive softwear knits that most of the department stores carry.

Catalogs/stores aimed at travelers are also good sources for classy knits, since knits pack better than tailored wovens.

I adore Eileen Fisher. Her clothes come in petites, which are better proportioned for my 4'11" frame.

As for fiber content, I prefer all natural. I swear I'm allergic to sythetics. Not literally, but you know.:p Knits look fresher than the linen I once loved and better knitwear is often primarily cotton or silk, sometimes with a hint of synthetic to help with shape retention.

It's definitely been trial and error, often still is. If what I buy doesn't work when I get it home or have ordered it with delivery, I simply return it. I prefer regular visits by the hot UPS guy or a return to a store than dealing with the trauma of attempting to try on possibles in store dressing rooms.

[darkeyed_daisy]

If I find a brand that fits...I am very brand loyal after that. I have found for me since I am short and plump that Lands End are the best fitting brand for me. My shoulders have always been broad too...so until watching "what not to wear" over and over...I didnt ever wear jackets.

When I went back to work last week, I went shopping and actually followed some of clint and Stacy's tidbits (gotta make the last 3 years on the couch count for something LOL)....and they work. I have found a few dresses and jackets in the last few days that work well for me. I have finally started wearing more fitting shorter shirts as opposed to the frumpy just cover it up shirts....People think I have lost massive amounts of weight because of it. Actually I have only lost about 10 pounds but I will take every compliment I can get LOL.

I dont like synthetics either mem... I have found that some places are offering traveler nits that are mostly cotton and I like them because they dont look like you have slept in them and wore them to work. I hate ironing too!!!!

[Jeannette]

Why are you talking about porn and pizza in a clothing thread?

Oh. Right. Spammer.

[jccarolina]

Yea, thev'e got 15 of the same damn post all over cc. I think somebody otta boot em outa here, LOLOL

[Broknwing]

Yea, thev'e got 15 of the same damn post all over cc. I think somebody otta boot em outa here, LOLOL
no worries, their spam posting has been reported to admin/mods...it may take them a little time to clean it up though....

[Sue Pendleton]

I don't know if and one would be interested or if I would be busted for spamming but....
I make formals and adaptive clothing...
http://home.ec.rr.com/jccarolina/

I consider this a service not spam. It also pertains to the thread. And you will be hearing from me!:)

[Jeannette]

That one wasn't spam - it was another one linking elsewhere. I know jccarolina makes clothing, and I've seen her site and some of the work she's done.

The one I was referring to has been removed and was linking to porn. :)

[betheny]

Reporting back on the tailor suggestion-Highly recommend this, money well spent. That black Larry Levine suit got so many compliments! I had 2 suits pretty fully altered-sleeves, jacket fit, jacket length, legs taken in, butt taken in, crotch shortened. (The tailor lady said "Too long in crock." She was right.) Also a trendy baby-doll type blouse shortened for the chair.

I felt good in the clothes. First that have really fit post sci, I guess. Things weren't getting hung up in my wheels. My shoulders fit, without the rest hanging like a sack. Today on the plane I wore pants that I didn't have altered, and it sucked to be back in the land of the ill-fitting.

Grand total for all that tailoring? $85. Seriously, try it.

[Broknwing]

I consider this a service not spam. It also pertains to the thread. And you will be hearing from me!:)

NOOOO That's not the post we were talking about. There was a spammer who had posted porn links all throughout the board, including this thread. We would not be complaining about JcCarolina's post, it was pertinant and she's an established member. I reported the porn spam post and it has since been removed...

[Jeannette]

I reported it too. :D Sorry mods for the extra spam reports, no doubt y'all were a bit flooded. First post I saw by that guy his user was marked as 2 posts, the next one on a thread I was subscribed to was like 18 and it was less than a minute later.

[jccarolina]

LOLOL, yea, that guy was all over the place in a matter of 2 minutes. he was a fast one.
He musta had a bot workin for him.....

[Jeannette]

No kidding, or he must be a cut and paste MASTER!