Tuxedos for Asian Proportions: Long Torso, Shorter Leg

Western ready-to-wear patterns are usually built on measurements of men with longer legs and broader shoulders than many Vietnamese gentlemen. So a tuxedo bought straight from a European size run tends to feel long in the jacket, long in the trouser and long in the sleeve, while the shoulder is a little wide. That is not a fault of the wearer; the pattern simply was not cut for him. Here is how a made-to-measure tailor handles it.

One caution first: a long torso and a shorter leg is a tendency many tailors notice, not a rule for every man. The real measurements decide, so what follows is a direction for the tailor to weigh, not a formula.

A jacket a touch shorter than the European norm

European-cut tuxedo jackets run long, covering the seat fully, because on a longer leg the hem lands in a balanced place. On a man whose torso is long against his leg, a hem that falls too low swallows the leg and makes it look shorter than it is.

• Cut the body slightly shorter than the European norm, but still covering the seat, never cropped.
• A hem set a little higher shows more leg.
• Seen from the side, the jacket body and the trouser leg should balance each other.

The article on how long a tuxedo jacket should be explains how to set the length for each build.

A high rise lengthens the leg

The trouser rise changes proportion more strongly than almost anything else. Lifting the waistband to the natural waist moves the dividing line between torso and leg upward, so the leg reads longer.

• Set the rise at the natural waist, higher than ordinary trousers.
• Use braces to keep a high rise flat and stable.
• A waistcoat or cummerbund covers the waistband, keeping the upper body in one line.
• A straight leg with the hem resting lightly on the instep; the satin galon down the side adds a vertical line.

TUX-048 is a black two-button tuxedo in a classic cut, and TUX-087 is a classic two-button black tuxedo with black satin lapels. Both have a clean line that makes rise and jacket length easy to adjust.

Shoulder and lapel in scale

Western patterns tend to carry a wide shoulder and large lapel in keeping with the build they were drafted for. If your shoulder is narrower, have the tailor set the seam exactly at the shoulder point so the line does not slide down the arm. The lapel needs to be in scale too: a moderate width, not too broad, since a big lapel on a smaller frame swallows the chest.

• The shoulder seam ends at the shoulder point.
• The lapel has moderate width and a length in scale with the chest.
• A light pad helps a narrow shoulder hold its form without becoming bulky.

The guide to proportion tips when wearing a tuxedo shows how to check proportion in the mirror.

A pattern drafted for the Vietnamese frame

The difference lies in the pattern. In made to measure, the tailor does not take a European 48 or 50 and alter it; the tailor takes your actual lengths: torso, sleeve, leg, shoulder width, chest and waist, and drafts the pattern from them. Mon Amie's workshop, which grew from the Hoàng Vy workshop founded in 1991, has long experience cutting for Vietnamese builds.

To be plain about it: made to measure does not change the body's proportions. It places the seams in the right positions, so the garment looks harmonious on the person actually wearing it.

Common faults when buying a European cut

1. Sleeves too long, needing to be shortened repeatedly.
2. A jacket hem covering far too much of the seat, shortening the leg.
3. A low rise and trousers so long they must be folded.
4. A shoulder wider than your own, creating creases at the armpit.

These show up often in off-the-peg tuxedos cut to a foreign size run. Altering piece by piece does not always rescue the overall proportion.

How Mon Amie can help

At the fitting the adviser takes your torso length, leg length and shoulder width separately, and lets you see different jacket lengths in the mirror. See the made-to-measure tuxedo page and book a fitting to begin.