Great content Chris. Best advice is read description and ask questions and for more photos. The difference between regular and Long can really make a difference in how the garment will look on you. Cheers Ron
Chris, buying sight unseen is always a chancy, if not difficult proposition. A bit of luck is always helpful. The advice you're presenting is terrific. It covers all the bases and considerations that are often overlooked. This series is providing the best essential info for prudent on line shopping I've seen. Thanks and Cheers!👍
Thank you Douglas for your great comments, I'm please you are enjoying the series and find the information provided is of value to assist individuals purchase items online and make informed choices when making that purchase🙂👍Thank you for your continued support🙂
Sage advice Chris, I've had my hopes dashed when things have arrived in the post, your words of wisdom certainly ring true. As you know I've got the sort of physique that's normally seen hanging off the Empire State Building swatting aeroplanes! As a result I've got a very good relationship with an alterations tailor and always budget any work that needs doing into the overall cost. He's on my Christmas list for a nice bottle of red because he's rescued so many off the peg or pre-worn items to fit and look good on me. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and thank you again, Many thanks, Rob.
Great comment, Rob. Brilliant humour! Your sentiments about your tailor ring very true with me as mine has rescued me a few times this past year. When you are dealing with skilled individuals that good, they certainly deserve a special thank you at Christmas and I will be doing exactly the same as you. Best wishes, John
Thanks @@johnparnell8571 Good to hear from you. It's easy to be good to people that do good work but I'm amazed that so few receive anything from their customers. Hope to see you on leap day my friend.
glad you enjoyed the video and endorsed my comments made in the video. Tailors are invaluable, I also show my appreciation to mine, she does a fantastic job and it is becoming a unique skill and there is no denying it. great to hear from you again Rob and thank you for your continued support. Hope you have a great weekend as well 🙂👍
Hi Chris, Great content as always. My experience is that not all coat makers cut the coats bigger so that you can layer or wear a sport coat underneath. It really depends on the brand. I just bought a new pea coat from Schott in New York. I could button close size 38 but had to stop my breathing. In size 40 it was a snug fit with no room for layering. I found the correct size with a 42. My chest size is a 39. I can normally wear a 38 or a 40. When I buy online, I make sure to buy from places I can return the garment when it does not fit. Through that, I lose only some postage money and do not end up with something ill fitting. Also, tailor, tailor, tailor. If you have a piece of clothing and it needs a little tweak to look great, do it. Shorten those sleeves, taking in those pants or whatever it is. It is worth the money.
Hi there, great comments and insights, demonstrating the need to check those sizes quoted again your own personal measurements and if in doubt to ask for clarification before buying, some brands are historically generous with there sizing than others. Great to hear you do check if they have a returns policy etc. I totally agree with getting items tailored, just remember when you buy something online that others might do the same with the item you are looking at buying, so wise to just check if alterations have been made or not 🙂 Thanks for your continued support 👍🙂
Excellent content, Chris, and very helpful advice. If it helps your other subscribers, here are a few things I have learnt (the hard way!). When buying jackets, I use one out of my existing wardrobe that fits me well, and take all of the measurements from that (including sleeve and body length) and use those as my direct comparison template against the ones given on the online listing. When it comes to studying the listing images, while looking to buy a black/white houndstooth pattern jacket recently, I was surprised at the number of jackets that had small tears or holes in the fabric pattern. I now specifically look out for those as they can be disfiguring to the overall appearance. Getting a tear or small hole in a jacket repaired can be costly with no guarantee that the result will be invisible. Lastly, I always look for the size label and will ask for a picture of it if not shown in the listing. R, L or S after the size (e.g.40R ) indicates if the jacket is a Regular, Long or Short fitting. Believe me, there is a difference! The clue will normally be evident from any measurements given. Never rely on the seller's description alone and be careful to check and correctly convert any measurements given in metric or continental sizes. Happy shopping!😊
Glad you enjoyed the video John and excellent comments raised by you. I would agree your comments about some items having a small tear or holes and it is not uncommon to find this more often with old yet desirable items, such as Harris Tweed jackets or rare items. Some can be repaired and others not, there is a limit to a tailors magic. My key messages are scrutinise those images for things like this and any staining etc and if in doubt ask the seller before you consider buying. Personally, I have had great success buying online overall, but I have also had a few surprising things happen, like a pocket square, listed as measured in inches, and arrived in centimetres 😂😂. Jackets measured in short, regular and long, tend to be based upon a persons height, generally a person under 5'8" = short fitting, 5'8" to 6'2" is a regular fitting and a person 6'2" to 6'8" is a long fitting. The differences in these gives a person more length in the sleeve length and the overall length in the jacket. If a person has a long torso and short legs or vice versa then adjust for short fitting in the jacket creates the impression of longer legs and balances out the torso as well, vice versa long legs and a short torso, then use a longer fitting potentially to make the torso appear longer and the legs slightly shorter, again balancing the overall look, but watch that sleeve length 😆 Thanks for your continued support and comments my friend👍🙂
Good video again, Chris. I must admit I've always fought shy of Ebay etc. as I don't want to get stuck with something that doesn't fit me etc. Perhaps I should give it a spin!? Y
Hi Yoric, glad you enjoyed the video. Why not try with something inexpensive and see how you get on, I tend to buy a lot of my shaving cream/soap and moustache wax on eBay as an example, give it a try 👍🙂
I was finding the same, except the 40R's I was buying were coming up too big, costing me extra money for alterations. I had lost weight and had not realised that my chest size had also shrunk to the 38R of my youth. It was a simple mistake now corrected thanks to the use of a tape measure. If that is not the issue here, it is worth either sticking with the makes of jackets you already have (that do fit you) or trying on other makes at high street stores or even in charity shops and noting which sizes fit you best for each make. Armed with my own measurements, I have also checked out maker's size charts on their websites, printed them off and have put them in a file for reference. The ones from the different shirt-makers are also especially helpful. All the best, John
It just a cable knit from Marks & Spencers, but you are correct - cable knit sweaters or roll necks are traditionally from the Irish isle of Aran, originally made for fishermen👍🙂
