Start with the shoulders. If the jacket seam sits past the bone at the top of the arm, or pinches short of it, no tailor will fix it, and that one check removes most secondhand suits before you spend anything. Everything else on a suit can be altered.
A new wool two-piece costs hundreds of dollars at the entry level and much more from a tailoring house. By my estimate, the same suit secondhand, often in better cloth, can be found for roughly $60 to $150 on a marketplace, more for a recognized heritage maker (Oct 2026). The saving comes from the size chart, not the label.
The two measurements a tailor cannot fix
The shoulder seam should end at the edge of the shoulder bone, at most a centimeter past it. Short of that the jacket looks borrowed; past it the sleeve head collapses. Taking in shoulders means rebuilding the jacket, and it usually costs more than the suit did.
Jacket length is the second fixed measure. The hem should cover the seat and finish around the first joint of the thumb when your arms hang. A jacket two inches short reads as shrunken rather than slim, and it cannot be lengthened.
Alteration costs, and what each one can rescue (estimates)
| Alteration | Typical cost | What it can and cannot fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeve length, plain cuff | $25 to $40 | Nearly always. The commonest fault on a secondhand jacket |
| Sleeve length, working buttonholes | $80 to $150 and up | Costs more and may need shortening from the shoulder, which risks the fit |
| Jacket waist taken in | $40 to $70 | Two to three inches. Turns a boxy jacket into a shaped one |
| Jacket waist let out | $25 to $45 | Only as far as the seam allowance allows, usually about an inch |
| Trouser waist taken in | $20 to $35 | Up to about two inches. Beyond that the pockets move out of position |
| Trouser length | $15 to $30 | Anything. Do it on every pair you buy, including trousers you already own |
| Full reline | $120 to $250 | Worth it only above a suit worth about $400 |
What to look for in the cloth
- Wool, not a blend, unless it is a spare — A 100 percent wool suit drapes, breathes and presses, and US labels must name each fiber at 5 percent or more with its percentage, so the label tells you. Polyester blends shine at the elbows and cannot be pressed back. For a suit worn once a blend is fine; for a suit you keep, it is not.
- A weight that suits the season — Midweight worsted works most of the year in a temperate climate. Heavier tweed and flannel suit fall and winter weddings and hold their shape better than lightweight summer cloth. Woolmark describes wool as naturally crease-resistant, which is why a good wool suit recovers between wearings.
- Canvas, not glue, in the front — Pinch the fabric below the top buttonhole of the lapel. Two layers that separate means a floating canvas, which molds to the wearer. A single fused sheet means glue, which bubbles after dry cleaning.
- Vents and lapels that suit the wearer — A single vent flatters most people and double vents suit a slimmer frame. Peak lapels are dressier and notch lapels safer. Wide lapels date a jacket to the 1970s or 1980s.
- A lining with some life left — Check under the arms, where wear starts, and along the hem. A small tear is a cheap repair; a crumbling lining changes whether the suit is worth buying.
Dressing a group without matching them
Matching suits for six people is expensive and rarely necessary. Give the group a specification instead: navy or charcoal, notch lapel, two buttons, single vent, white shirt and one agreed shoe color. Everyone finds something inside it, and the photographs still read as one party.
- 1
Send a specification, not a product link
Two colors, one lapel shape, one shirt and one shoe color. A link forces everyone to the same seller and the same budget, which is where groomsmen drop out.
- 2
Ask for shoulder and sleeve length
Shoulder width and sleeve length decide the fit, and the chest number is only a starting point. A 40 regular from the 1990s is not one today. US clothing-size standards were made voluntary in 1970 and withdrawn in 1983, so older labels drift.
- 3
Set a ceiling before anyone shops
A stated budget of $150 including alterations keeps everyone in range. Otherwise somebody spends $600 and expects the group to follow.
- 4
Book one tailor for the whole party
One tailor doing six suits usually discounts the work and finishes them together. It also settles what the word slim means.
- 5
Hold a fitting night two months out
Everyone wears the full outfit, including shoes. Two months leaves room for a re-hem and one replacement jacket.
Six searches for a suit that fits
Every item is a search rather than a single listing, because good cloth in a common size sells within days. Prices are shown only where we confirmed them on the brand or retailer page in Oct 2026.
Best valueeBay
Vintage wool suits by measurement
The deepest stock of good cloth at low prices, often from house clearances. Ask for shoulder width and sleeve length in centimeters, because the tag size tells you very little.
Search eBay
Grailed
Two-button wool suits
Sellers here tend to list shoulder, chest and sleeve measurements, which makes comparison possible. Prices are firmer than on eBay and the stock skews designer.
Search suits
Best clothEtsy
Harris Tweed and Donegal jackets
Harris Tweed carries an orb mark confirming the cloth was woven in the Outer Hebrides. Check for the mark, then check the shoulder width, which varies a great deal between decades.
Search tweed
Vestiaire Collective
Designer tailoring, authenticated
Where a good maker can be bought at a third of retail and sold on later at a similar figure. Authentication is included, which matters once the price passes a few hundred.
Browse tailoring
Poshmark
Complete suits and waistcoats
Suits and odd waistcoats turn up cheaply and often. Buy the waistcoat and the jacket together if you want them to match, because shades differ between seasons.
Browse suitsCheapestDepop
1990s tailoring in smaller sizes
Lighter on quality control than the others and cheap enough to try. Ask which parts have been altered, because a shortened sleeve can rarely be lengthened again.
Search DepopWhat alterations cannot do
No tailor can add shoulder width, add jacket length or move a chest pocket. A short jacket stays short, and a suit two sizes too big stays boxy however much is taken in. The whole game is buying close to your measurements and paying a tailor to finish the job.
Budget the alterations into the purchase price and compare like for like. A $90 suit plus $130 of tailoring is $220, often still below the price of an entry-level new wool suit, and usually in better cloth than the new one.
