Suits for Tall Men: Length, Balance and Proportion

Most ready-to-wear suits are cut for a man of about 5 ft 9 in to 5 ft 11 in (175 to 180 cm). From about 6 ft (183 cm) up, a regular suit runs short almost everywhere: the jacket rides above the seat, the sleeves stop above the wrist, the rise sits low and the trousers barely reach the shoe. Getting enough length is the first job. The second, if you are tall and slim, is balance: breaking up a long, narrow frame so the suit looks proportioned rather than stretched.

What suit size should a tall man buy?

Buy your chest size in a long (L) or extra long (XL) length. The number on a suit is your chest in inches; the letter sets the length of the body and sleeves. Each step up usually adds about an inch (2.5 cm) to the jacket body, with the sleeves lengthened to match, so a 42L is a 42 regular with more length, not more width. On a suit jacket, XL means extra long, not extra large.

Height is only a shortcut. What matters is whether the jacket covers your seat and the sleeves reach your wrists. A man of 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) with a long torso and long arms may need an XL; one with long legs and a shorter torso may be happier in a long with the sleeves let down. Our suit size chart explains every part of the label.

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

A tall man's jacket should cover the seat completely. Many tailors set the back length, from the collar seam at the back of the neck to the hem, at roughly half the distance from that point to the floor. For average proportions that works out to about 32 inches (81 cm) at 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) and about 33 inches (84 cm) at 6 ft 5 in (196 cm).

A jacket that is too short is the classic tall-man fault. It makes the legs look endless and the suit look outgrown. Unlike most fit problems, it has no real fix: a ready-to-wear jacket has almost no spare fabric in the hem, so it can rarely be lengthened. A man with very long legs can carry a little extra jacket length to balance them; a man with a long torso should stay close to the seat line. See how long a suit jacket should be for the three length rules.

How long should suit sleeves be on a tall man?

Jacket sleeves should end where your wrist meets your hand, with about ¼ to ½ inch (6 to 13 mm) of shirt cuff showing when your arms hang relaxed. Tall men often have long arms for their chest size, so even a long size can stop short. Showing a little more cuff, toward ½ inch, also adds a light horizontal break that suits a tall, slim frame.

A tailor can lengthen a sleeve only as far as the fabric folded inside the cuff allows, and not at all past working buttonholes. Turn the cuff inside out in the shop and look for spare fabric before you buy. Your shirts matter as much: buy them by sleeve length so the cuff reaches the base of your thumb. More detail is in suit sleeve length.

Which button stance suits a tall man?

A two-button jacket fastening at the natural waist suits most tall men. It splits the long front into sensible proportions and shows enough shirt and tie. A one-button jacket can look odd on a man over about 6 ft, because it leaves a long, empty stretch of fabric below the button. A three-button or three-roll-two fills a long torso and is a good choice for a tall man with traditional taste.

Tall, slim men carry a double-breasted suit more naturally than anyone, because the wide overlap and horizontal rows of buttons add width across the chest. A 6x2 is the classic choice. Our guide to single vs double-breasted suits explains the configurations.

What patterns and fabrics suit tall men?

Tall men can carry larger patterns than anyone else, because the pattern stays in scale with the body. Glen checks, windowpanes, herringbone and birdseye all add interest without looking busy. Texture adds visual weight: flannel, tweed and other woolen fabrics make a slim frame look broader than a flat, smooth worsted. Bold, widely spaced chalk stripes do the opposite, making you look taller and slimmer, which is fine if you want it and less helpful if you already look lanky.

A tall man is also the one person for whom a jacket and contrasting trousers help rather than hurt, because the break at the hip shortens a long line. A navy blazer with gray trousers suits a tall frame well.

How should suit trousers fit a tall man?

Start with the rise. Off-the-rack trousers are often cut with a rise too short for a tall man, so they sit low on the hips and leave a gap of shirt between the waistband and the jacket button. That makes the torso look even longer. Choose a mid to high rise that sits near your natural waist. A rise cannot be lengthened, so this is a decision to make in the shop.

Then the leg. A medium or fuller leg suits a long frame; very slim, tapered legs make a tall man look spindly and his shoes look huge. A leg opening of about 8 to 8½ inches (20 to 21.5 cm), measured flat, carries a quarter or half break cleanly. Buy trousers unhemmed, so the tailor has enough length to work with, and pin them in the shoes you will wear.

Turn-ups (cuffs) are a tall man's friend. They add weight that helps the leg hang straight and a horizontal line that shortens a long leg a little. Tall men can take the deeper end of the usual range, about 1¾ to 2 inches (4.5 to 5 cm). Adding turn-ups needs spare length of at least twice the cuff depth below the finished hem, which is one more reason to buy unhemmed. See trouser cuffs.

How can a tall man break up a long frame?

If you are tall and slim, small horizontal details add width and stop the eye racing from collar to floor. Use one or two at a time rather than all of them.

• A waistcoat. It breaks up a long torso and lets you wear the jacket open while still looking finished.
• A ticket pocket or patch pockets. Each adds a horizontal line across a long jacket front. Patch pockets suit casual jackets more than business suits.
• A pocket square. A little color or texture high on the chest.
• A belt. On a tall man, a belt in a contrasting leather helps break the line at the waist.
• Turn-ups and textured shoes. A cuff and a brogued or suede shoe add weight at the ankle.
• Spread collars and an extra-long tie. A wider collar adds breadth at the neck. Standard ties are about 57 to 58 inches (145 to 148 cm); tall men often need extra-long ties of about 61 to 63 inches (155 to 160 cm) so the tip reaches the waistband. See tie length.

How much fabric does a tall man need for a custom suit?

A two-piece suit for an average build usually takes about 3.2 to 3.5 meters (3½ to 3¾ yards) of fabric in the standard width of about 150 cm (59 inches). A tall man needs more, because every long piece grows: the jacket body, the sleeves and above all the trouser legs. A waistcoat, a second pair of trousers or a large check that has to be matched at the seams adds more again. A tall client may need 4 meters or more for a two-piece, but the right figure depends on your measurements and the cut.

Fabric books list the weight and width of each fabric, and some list a price per meter, which makes it easier to see what the extra length costs. Our guide to reading a fabric bunch explains the labels.

Off the rack, made to measure or bespoke for tall men?

Ready-to-wear works for many tall men, as long as a long or extra long size fits the shoulders. Choose the length that covers your seat, then let a tailor take in the waist, adjust the sleeves within the inlay and hem the trousers. One option a tall man often hears is to size up for length and take in the body. It works only if the larger size still fits your shoulders; if the shoulder seams overhang, it will always look borrowed.

Made to measure fixes most tall-man problems at once, because the jacket length, sleeve length, rise and inseam are set from your measurements. Bespoke goes further for very tall or long-limbed men, with a pattern drafted for your body and fittings to check the balance. The difference is explained in bespoke vs made to measure, and what a tailor can still change afterward is in what a tailor can and can't alter.

Once the lengths are right, a tall man has more freedom than almost anyone in what he wears. The full set of fit checks is in how a suit should fit.

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