The Power of Tailoring: Before & After – J. Crew Crosby Blazer

J. Crew Crosby Sportcoat in Italian Tick-Weave Cotton – $248

“The Power of Tailoring” is a series that champions finding a tailor and developing a relationship with him or her. Fit is key, and a little tailoring can go a long way in the world of affordable off-the-rack clothing. Here are four basic alterations your tailor should be able to accomplish with little trouble, depending on the garment’s construction. Note: Perfect is the enemy of good. Nothing will be perfect. Especially when viewed through the frame of a still image on the web. So for those who love offering their personal preferences / hyper-critiques on fit? No one is asking for it here. Shove it.

About the Sportcoat: Introduced a couple of years back, the Crosby Fit from J. Crew is the Ludlow’s “Athletic” fit brother. If you enjoy lifting things up and putting them down, you may find the Ludlow’s dimensions to be constricting. The Crosby aims to solve those problems.

The new tick-weave Italian cotton Crosby is outstanding for warm weather. Totally unlined in the back, cotton lined front, easy construction and light-color makes it lightweight and easy to wear when it’s hot. But, with most off-the rack stuff, tweaks can be made depending on your frame:

 

Before: 40R Crosby on 5’10” / 185lbs. Good in the shoulders, but a bit boxy everywhere else.
A little long in the arms too. No shirt cuff showing.

 

After: Better. A little bit of waist suppression and shortening of sleeves.
Could have asked for more sculpting up by the pits, but since it’s a summer jacket, I wanted a bit more air flow

 

$32 was the total cost for tailoring the jacket. Pricing can vary greatly depending on location.
Is it perfect? Of course not. Nothing will be perfect. But it did extremely well on a recent trip,
kept me real comfortable in 100+ degrees, and looks sharp with lighter pants, loafers, & monk straps.