J. Crew Introduces the Athletic Fit “Crosby” Suit
Somewhere, deep within the halls of J. Crew Headquarters, President & Creative Director Jenna Lyons holds a long, stick thin 60s style microphone, dons her trademark thick framed glasses, and is bathed in the soft glow of a spotlight on a stage. Shimmering multi-colored sequins pop and sparkle behind her. She huskily & calmly speaks, with a steady, leisurely pace, and even timbre…
“Mick? I think it’s time… to see who our next contestants will be, to join the J. Crew men’s suiting family.”
The light jumps to a bedazzled podium. Standing behind it is CEO Mickey Drexler…
“Well Jenna, we’re scanning our audience for those guys who’ve struggled to fit bulging biceps into the ludlow’s trim sleeves, hawt hamstrings into our slim legs, and their bangin’ caboose into our close fitting flat front pants.”
If that’s you? THEN COME ON DOWN! You’re the next contestants to to try out our new line of athletic-fit Crosby suits!“
…
(Wait… wait… let the whole theme play…)
Hat tip to the guys on threads for spotting this, via GQ, first.
Just four different options in the Crosby to start, including a standard grey worsted & navy super 130s. They’ve also added a couple of seasonal options, like the English Wool herringbone windowpane, and the Italian Flannel. All start at $650, and their currents 25% off select items code SHOPNOW most certainly isn’t working on them (c’mon, they just introduced them.)
How is the Crosby different from the Ludlow?
According to J. Crew (as well as GQ, who talked to director of Menswear Frank Murtjens) the “Crosby” differs from the Ludlow in a few key areas:
- Shoulders: widened by 3/4″
- Chest: increased by 1″
- Arms: added 1/2″
- Seat: added 3/4″
- Thigh: added 1″
- Slightly widened lapel by 1/4″
- Slightly increased leg opening by 1/8″
- Larger armholes
- Center back vent on the jacket, which should help hang “clean on bigger frames.”
Nothing seems to have said/mentioned about lengthening the tail, which might have helped streamline a boxier body type? Maybe? Interesting that the model they used still appears to be pretty tall an lean. But hey, good luck trying to define what “athletic” means anyway.
Your turn guys. Is this a welcome change? Are the expanded measurements “enough” to get those thicker fellas to give J. Crew another spin? Or what suit brands do you stick to if you’ve got a body type with more mass to it? Leave it all below.
Note: This is/was the actual “come on down” music. Not quite as iconic as the theme though.
Note II: Vince is not wearing an actual “Crosby” suit. Not even close. J. Crew’s suit jacket tails are much, much shorter than that.
I’ll have to try one on in person before rendering judgment on it. I can see it being marketed for “athletic” body types causing problems, but I also understand the appeal to a guy’s ego.
Lots of guys want to be considered athletic so they’ll use that term to describe themselves because it’s what they *wish* they were. For example, many guys at my gym call themselves athletic or muscular simply because they have some size on them – but it’s mostly due to having a high percentage of bodyfat. I could see them having trouble fitting into the Crosby because I would imagine that the jackets still have a suppressed waist.
What surprises me about this is that it really does look like just a tweak to the Ludlow. A couple of commenters on other sites had seemed to think that this would be a very different style of suit. Based on what I’ve seen it looks like the Ludlow style suit still has some mileage left in it.
I know a Ludlow is out for me, lines just don’t work for my body type. Legs are too slim up top, lapels too narrow, etc. The tweaks made here might be enough to make a difference. I’d have to try one on to be sure, but they seem to have addressed all the main problem areas. My one concern is that the jacket looks a bit chopped, I prefer something a little longer.
As long as the dimensions NOT listed aren’t changed, I’m all for it. It’s damn near impossible to find a jacket that comes close to fitting my 12″ drop, and that would be a step in the right direction.
What do you skinny guys get from J crew in regards to suiting? I know the ludlow has very slim lapels
I wish the lapels had been widened a little more. Add an extra half or three-quarters of an inch and I’d be a happy man. (Not your regularly scheduled BenR, sorry).
I could stand to lose fifteen pounds or so, but because I have some muscle on my arms, slimmer jackets like the Ludlow and Thompson don’t fit in the arms, though they fit everywhere else (including the waist). The pants are the same issue, but with leg and glute issues; if the waist fits, there’s no room in the caboose. If I lost those fifteen pounds, I’m sure the jackets and pants would fit fine, but I’d have to seriously lean up.
Compare that with dudes who are fifteen pounds overweight but without the muscle development; I imagine they can wear the Ludlow just fine. They won’t carry their weight in their arms, and with it concentrated at their waist, they’ll have room for their legs and butt because of the bigger waist size. Thus, for that American-average of “needs to lose a few pounds,” I imagine it’s only the guys with some muscle to them that struggle with the slim-fit suits.
I guess what I’m saying is it’s not all vanity to use the “athletic” moniker. I mean, you can hardly expect them to call it “top-heavy fit” or “skips cardio day and/or eats junk food fit.” (Although I, for one, would find either of those hilarious and awesome.)
The Thompson gets so much love here but I can’t get the thing on, at least not the jacket. I’m athletic but not huge (6’1″ 200#) but I don’t even know that 1/2″ in the arms is enough. That JCP Claiborne suit jacket, however, fits me great off the rack, that was a really good call.
Do those models even lift, bro?
I’m 5’8″/135 lbs and the ludlow suit is the only [adult] suit that I can fit in with minimal tailoring. I can get away with a 34S off the rack or a 36S with getting the waist taken in a bit. I actually like the slim lapels because it is proportional to my body. 2.5 in ties look normal for me and not incredibly skinny and I like to follow the convention of matching tie width to lapel width. I think J.Crew should have considered increasing lapel width proportionally as sizes increased instead of keeping 2.5 inches across the board.
i get the ludlow slim pants for a more modern look but also have bought the classic ludlow pants to keep it more traditional (but they still are skinnier than most).
I wonder if this is just their old Aldridge suit rebranded? That was their more trad-tailored suit which they discontinued a few years back. I really don’t understand the chest/shoulder measurement “increases” – isn’t 38 inches 38 inches? I get lowering armholes, more room in the seat, etc. to give musclebound (or heavy-set) guys more room, but if you add an inch to a 38 chest it becomes a 39. Doesn’t that basically mean they’re mislabeling the size of the suit?
I totally agree with eric. I’m about 5’9″, 160lbs, but wear a 36R. Lots of people knock the lapel width for the Ludlow as being too skinny, and for someone wearing a 40 suit, it is too skinny. But for size 34, 36, and maybe eve 38, it looks very proportional. I believe traditional menswear would agree that the proper lapel width is about halfway between the collar and the shoulder, and for a 36, it’s right around that.
I also think lapel width that increases with suit size would be a nice touch, keeping the proportions correct across the board. But then the larger people who want skinny lapels and skinny ties would complain and JCrew would have to make more than one size tie…you can’t please everyone.
I have a super athletic body, I did MMA and then body building. I have a 40″ chest, and 29″ waist (in 5’9″). And the Ludlow suit has never fit in the biceps, or around my shoulders.
I actually have super good experience with Banana Republic ‘Tailored Fit’ which has more room in chest/shoulder, and on me requires no tailoring.
I hate the materials used on BR jackets, so I’m very excited by there new Crosby Suits… I just hope they haven’t taken ‘Athletic’ to mean ‘Fat’. I’m super lean, and cannot fit the Ludlow because of my arms/thighs/shoulders.
I’m close to you (6’2″, 230) trying to slim down 10 or so. I may need to try on a Claiborne soon
I’m actually excited I can’t fit in a Ludlow I look like the hulk or a kid in a suit way too small. Full I could stand to lose a few pounds but my problem is the jacket. If you lift and run a bit thicker like I do the Ludlow doesn’t really work. That being said 650 ouch.
Vanity chest sizing?
“Add an extra half or three-quarters of an inch and I’d be a happy man.”
Jackets seem to reach the bottom of the butt/crotch, which is probably doable for me. I’m just wondering if the tweaks are enough to make it work in the arms/shoulder/chest area.
I am also curious as to how you add chest and shoulder area… without just increasing your jacket size up a size. Anyone?
Arms/armholes/shoulders are where I have issue with Ludlows as well. Yes, I could lose some weight, but those areas aren’t where I’m storing my winter warmth boosting fat.
You would think that if they were really targeting “athletic” types they might have extra-long jacket lengths and/or jacket sizes larger than 46. And longer inseams all around.
So…they’re bringing back the Aldridge?
I can totally see BenR shaking his head ruefully at our immaturity. Kinda makes it funnier.
I ended up buying a Claiborne blazer, and it fit me pretty well, too. Could stand to have the sides taken in a bit, but it’s the closest I’ve gotten.
I’m extremely happy to see this change and I hope it means means I can get in on some fantastic J. Crew suiting now.
I very similar measurements to Joe but I find that Ludlow suiting suiting simply does not work for me – a 38 is a little too small across the back/shoulders and a 40 is too large. My thighs are also a bit too big for most of their pants. I’m hoping that with these small tweaks, I’ll have a bit more room and a 38 will actually fit me. Can’t wait to try it out.
If memory serves, the Aldridge had a 3″ lapel. So it’s not gonna be quite the same. And yes, the extra inch in the chest doesn’t make much sense to me either. Maybe something that has to do with the geometry of a suit jacket? Or, people are just so used to seeing even numbers, that they didn’t want to make their “Crosby” jackets in 39/41/43/45/47?
That said, commercial sizing is all over the place across brands.
Lapel is still way too narrow.
It’s funny how eager people are to describe themselves as “athletic.” It’s all over every menswear forum. Part of the “first rule of Crossfit is you have to talk incessantly about Crossfit” culture.
While I appreciate JCrew for trying to make what essentially is their Ludlow suit more accessible, it seems they purposely overlooked making the lapels wider. Narrow lapels on a bigger frame look even more out of proportion than on a “standard” frame.
This, like other “athletic” monikers is disappointing. More than anything, I would like to see an cut that accommodates for double-digits drops. Of course, to expect something like that from J.Crew (or anyone else) is just me entertaining wild fancies. I can make OTR work, it just means a lot of work for the tailor, especially to make sure I don’t have only one pocket at the center of my butt. Granted, my experience with the Ludlow fit is limited to a single sport coat I picked up recently, but I imagine I’d have issues with that. A 44R worked for me, but it needed massive amounts of waist suppression.
That said, I have a SS Napoli fit 44S that I also made work, and looks great now, but that also needed serious tailoring as well. For reference, I’m 5’8″, 190lbs, 46″ chest, 31-32″ waist.
To be honest, my personal preference is towards online MTM. If you can be patient (VERY patient, in my case; it took Indochino four remakes to get the trousers right), once the fit is dialed in, it fits and looks the best. But guys like me are on the extreme end of things and not the “norm.”
Here’s a question does suit supply have a similar cut to this?
I wish.
In the pics, the jacket doesn’t even come close to doing the finger curl thang, and I spy working buttonholes.
Sweet. More room in the arms, thighs, and shoulders is great. I have 2 old ludlow suits and the only reason they are old and unused are because of those reasons. I literally can’t wear 90% of my suits or pants (thighs are too tight) anymore. I’ve gone from 160lbs to 175-180lbs since I started weight training and am 5’8″ with a 32″ waist. Hopefully these solve the problem.
The way it works, from my limited understanding, is that they add inches to different seams in the body of the jacket, which causes the fabric to have more leeway in different areas. For example, if they were to shorten the seam between the armpit and the pockets, and keep the jacket length the same, the armhole would be bigger, or “lower”, this giving more room for your arm to go through. Opening up the suit is really an practice of cause and effect. That’s why no two suits fit the same, even with the same measurements, and the only TRUE way to get a perfectly fitted suit, is to have it fit your exact measurements ALL over, as opposed to the basic Chest/Shoulder/Length measurements. And even then, two different bespoke suits for the same person can fit differently, depending on the silhouette and other factors.
Wait…$650? Have I just not been paying attention to the non-sale price of Ludlow suits for comparison. And if a site always offers codes and a sale section (albeit not on everything), why would I ever feel comfortable buying at full price?
Yeah, that pricing is pretty rough. Gotta think that suit supply is doing it right with their steady prices and high quality.
I would hope that nobody has taken ‘Athletic’ to mean ‘Fat,’ ever!
Dating sites would implode.
I have just seen a lot of guys describe their body type as ‘athletic’ because they don’t want to write ‘lean’… But that don’t have much muscle tone and are well over 10-15% body fat. You could be down to sub 10% and not fit the Ludlow because you have larger muscles than it has give for, as I am.
They aren’t going to market a suit and label it ‘husky’ so my apprehension would be that they might use the term ‘athletic’ or something.
Every guy wearing that hideous suit on their website looks like 5 pounds of shit stuffed into a 2 pound bag. If I saw one of my buddies wearing one of those, my first question would be: “Did you make that yourself?”