https://twitter.com/dieworkwear/status/1800417251948122399
Check out these photos and ask yourself: who looks better? Set aside how you may feel about the person underneath the clothes and only look at the outfit. Who looks better and why?
IMO, George Hamilton looks better. There are numerous reasons, but here is one.
Here is a photo of him getting outfitted in a suit in 1966 with Bill Bixby at his side. This photo is somewhat rare because you don’t often see a suit in this stage of making. Notice something?
One of the distinguishing points of this suit is the extended shoulder. You don’t often get to see a suit like this because the effect is hidden once the sleeve is attached. But see how far the shoulder extends from his physical shoulder bone. There’s also a bit of padding.
When men try on suits today, they often feel the shoulder to see if it sits on their shoulder bone. This is wrong. Suits are sized according to your chest (38, 40, 42, etc.), not your shoulder. A jacket can be cut with narrow or extended shoulders.
In fact, the insistence on a narrow shoulder is the reason why you so often see men with divots on the sleevehead. This can sometimes be the result of bad making, but it’s more often the result of a narrow upper back.
When guys see that divot, they think they should get an even narrower shoulder. This instinct is also wrong. You want to widen the shoulder line, not narrow it. See how these extremely extended shoulders have no divot at the upper sleeve.
Most men probably don’t want shoulders that extended because, at some point, they can seem like an artifice. This is especially true when you move—a highly extended shoulder may look “natural” when you’re standing, but it will reveal itself when you move (esp when you hunch)
However, Hamilton looks better than Gaetz because he takes advantage of what tailoring can confer. Gaetz’s shoulders are too narrow; the jacket fits like a shirt. He would benefit from some shoulder padding and a more extended shoulder line. His jacket makes him look boyish.
Some examples of how this can look in a more modern context. Remember, the point of an outfit is to flatter your body, not necessarily recreate its lines. A shoulder seam does not always have to sit right on your shoulder bone.
