How To Shop For Suits & Formal Wear As A Bigger Guy

Clothing is supposed to make us look stylish and feel confident in our skin. Size shouldn’t matter, but more often than not, suits for big and tall guys will achieve exactly the opposite.

Say goodbye to suits that are anything but flattering. In this article, we’ll teach you exactly what to look out for to make a suit work for your body shape, where to shop, and how to style your suit for best results. 

What Should Bigger Men Look For In A Suit?

As large men, there are several things you should look out for in a suit that will either accentuate your body shape or not. Different suit fit, details, and patterns can make a huge difference in the way a suit looks and feels on bigger men. 

Here are some general rules for big and tall guys: 

Your Perfect Fit

Stay away from baggy suits just because you’re worried about your shape underneath – a well-tailored suit will flatter your shape, not hide it. Unfortunately, more often than not, you won’t find well-fitted suits off the rack and will have to visit a tailor as an added expense. 

Bigger men also tend to look best in more traditional cuts like classic or regular fit. Typically, those cuts are wider on the waist and chest and fall flat on your shoulders, creating a shape that flatters everyone. However, you never know unless you try, so always try out everything that draws your eye.  

One Button, Two-Buttons, or Three-Buttons?

When it comes to buttons, men have to choose between one, two, or three-button suits. It all comes down to balance – men with shorter torsos look great in three-button suit jackets, as it helps lengthen out your body, while taller men look better in one or two-button jackets. 

Choosing Suit Pattern To Compliment Body Type

The best suit for big men is a simple one with solid colors and no crazy patterns. If you feel like wearing patterns, stick to a subtle, small-scale pattern like pinstripes or herringbone, and avoid larger-scale patterns like plaid or  windowpane. 

In terms of colors, we suggest sticking with navy or charcoal. Darker colors will always make you look slimmer.

Wrinkle-Resistant Fabric

As a general rule of thumb for men of all sizes, you should always go with wool blends, as wool will stay largely wrinkle-free, no matter how much you sit, dance, or whatever else you get up to. 

Rear Vents vs. Side Vents

Go for either side vents or no vents at all. Rear vents or middle vents tend to gap, which doesn’t look great on anybody. 

Off-The-Rack vs. Bespoke Suits

Off-the-rack suits will seldom work for big and tall men. Tall suits or tall clothing has a tendency to just be wide, long, and baggy, giving you no definitive shape and making you look larger than you are. 

Any sort of custom suit, either made-to-measure or bespoke, will always be your best bet. This is a simple truth, no matter your body type. A suit made to fit your body perfectly will always look better, and in turn, make you feel better too. 

Unfortunately, these suits are expensive, and most men would rather opt for something off-the-rack simply because of the price.

Most shops, however, offer the option for made-to-measure suits these days that will allow big and tall guys to have their suits tailored to their body type. And that at reasonable prices.

Where To Find The Best Suits in Bigger Sizes

Here’s a selection of brands that offer suits for big and tall guys.

1. Haggar

• Best For: Budget 
• Price range: $150 to $250

Haggar offers good quality big and tall suits that range from waist size 44″ to 60″. Their suits all come in a classic fit and darker colors. On top of that, Haggar pants come with a hidden comfort waistband for a comfortable fit around your hips. Their fabric is a wrinkle-free polyester mix.

They come with an additional four-way stretch, and their pants have a shirt gripper that will keep everything in place. You can easily buy their outfits online, plus they offer free shipping.

2. Men’s Wearhouse

• Best For: Range
• Price range: $150 to $1,500

Men’s Wearhouse offers designer dress suits for big and tall guys from various brands such as Ralph Lauren or their very own in-house brand.

Their suits range in sizes up to 62″.

You can choose from an athletic fit, over a classic fit, to slim and executive fits, which offers you quite a wide range of options to find a fit that will be the best suit for you.

3. Nordstrom (Indochino)

• Best For: Personal shopping experience
• Price range: $500 to $4,000

This is an exclusive collaboration between Nordstrom and Indochino to deliver in-store custom-suit services, meaning that you will be able to get made-to-measure big and tall suits that will fit like a glove.

You can choose whatever fabric, style, and pattern as well as details and accessories, and you can get your measurements taken in-store. However, there is also a guide on their website on how to take your correct measurements if you want to order your suit online.

You will get to choose from top brands such as Peter Millar, Hart Schaffner Marx or Canali, etc. Nordstrom & Indochino’s tall suits are either classified as Long or X-Long (for tall guys measuring 6’2 1/2 and taller). Their big suits are from 48 US chest size and bigger.

On top of that, Nordstrom offers alteration services for free.

4. Hugo Boss 

• Best For: Trends
• Price range: $400 to $1,000

Huge Boss delivers high-quality, made-to-measure suits that will fit big men of all shapes.

The brand is known for its high-quality textiles and uses mainly stretchy, and wrinkle-free wool mixes. Boss offers a broad range of classic suit cuts that will make large men (whether around your waist or in height) look the part.

5. Bonobos

• Best For: $250 to $1,000
• Price range: Direct-to-customer

Bonobos offer an extremely wide range of extended sizes for big men. Their size range goes up to 60 S/L/R. They make very stylish but classically cut suits with the typical two-buttoned jackets and a contemporary take on darker colors.

All of their suits are made out of Italian wool, which will not only fit incredibly comfortably but is also stretchy and will make your silhouette look slimmer. Their suits aren’t made-to-measure, but since they come in many different cuts and sizes, you are very likely to find a good fit with Bonobos.

Styling Your Suit As A Bigger Guy

Choosing the right shirts, shoes, and accessories are just as critical to your look as having a stylish, well-tailored suit. 

Suit Accessories

As a bigger guy, you can get away with more than the average guy in terms of suit accessories. 

Like suit jacket buttons, suit accessories are all about balance. Larger men look great with bigger watches, louder cufflinks or tie bars, and even more eccentric choices like hats and suspenders. 

You should also always opt for a wider tie to ensure your whole look stays proportionate. 

Dress Shirts

A shirt should always fit tightly around a man’s neck, but never in such a way that it will give you a double chin or make you feel uncomfortable. Luckily, you can find pretty decent and affordable made-to-measure shirts these days.

Choose a classic turn-down collar and no classic spread collar, as the latter can make your face look wider. 

Big or small, you should always wear an undershirt with your dress shirt. A well-fitted, microfiber shirt will wick away moisture, protecting your suit from odor and sweat stains. Plus, it’ll give you some shape, making you look and feel your best. 

Check out some of our favorite undershirts here. 

Shoes

Your shoes should match your suit and accessories – your shoe leather should always be the same color and tone as the leather on your belt, for example.

Also, if you have a wider hip or waist, look for more of a square toe rather than a pointed toe, as this will help slim out the bottom half of your body. 

Wear Your Suit With Confidence

With just a few tips and tricks, finding a great suit and styling it well becomes a whole lot less intimidating. 

No matter how much you pay for your suit, your look won’t come together without the right ingredients. Prioritize quality materials, fine tailoring, and great accessories for a suit look that accentuates the best of both your body and personality. 

Underfit specializes in making undershirts that actually work for you. Always fitted and never baggy, our undershirts suck you in, give you shape, and wick away moisture so you avoid sweat stains and odor at your most important occasions. 

Check out our favorite crew necks, V-necks and our invisible undershirt to find which style works best for you. 

About Leigh McKenzie

Leigh is the owner of UnderFit, a premium men's undershirt brand based in Philadelphia, PA. You can follow Leigh on LinkedIn and Twitter.