At Alan David Custom, our goal is not only to fit you with a comfortable and great looking custom suit . We want to make sure you are able to wear an item that accentuates the finest points of your physique and deemphasizes the parts that are less flattering.

For the big and tall, we suggest the following fashion precautions:

• Larger men should avoid wearing plaid and window pane designs. This doesn’t mean larger men can’t be fashionable. Solids, multi-stripe, narrow stripes, herringbone and tone on tone designs are all excellent options.


• Larger men should avoid pleats. Pleats make the custom pants blousier and fuller in the thigh area. Flat fronts pants are more tapered and have a slimming effect.


• Larger men should avoid wearing three-button suit or sports coat jackets. Two-button suits are a safer and more flattering option.


• Larger men should avoid double breasted suits, which make them look boxier and heavier.

Now, our fashion recommendations:

• Larger men should select custom shirts with narrow collar, which slims out the face and neck.


• Larger men should wear suspenders so that the waistband of the trousers does not sink too far beneath their stomach. Simply wearing the pants higher up on the waist is also an option.


• Larger men should request a crotch liner with each new pair of pants, since they have a tendency to quickly wear their pants out in the crotch and thigh areas. Crotch liners will only prolong the life of the pant; it will not eliminate the problem.


• Larger men should order a second pair of trousers with his suit purchase. Trouser in general will wear out quicker that a jacket, especially if you are on the bigger side. This is because you are wearing the pants all day, where as the jacket many times goes on a hanger the minute you walk into your office.


• Larger men should select custom suits with carefully configured buttons stances. The top button of a larger man’s custom shirt should hit right at the fullest part of the stomach, which creates a tremendously slimming effect. If the top button is too high, the suit jacket can actually accentuate the roundness of the stomach and make him look bigger. If it is too low, you see way too much of the belly and run the risk of the belly actually popping out over the button closure which is the worst possible look and needs to be avoided at all costs.

When it comes to fitting the big and tall, getting measured by an elite and experienced custom tailor makes all the difference in the world. The expert staff at Alan David has the knowledge and the skill to fit larger men with fine-tuned quality clothing. In a nutshell, the right tailor can make even the largest of men look 20% to 25% slimmer than he actually is.

One last point. Please keep in mind that Alan David is the only custom tailor in New York that offers free lifetime alterations for the life of the garment. This comes in particularly handy with bigger clients, who have a tendency to fluctuate in weight more than the average built client.

For more Alan David fashion tips, or to schedule an appointment, please contact Alan or Arnold at 212.227.4040.