Quote Originally Posted by Tobus View Post
Interesting replies. I have to agree with all who state that tailored or form-fitted clothing always looks better. I started making that transition some time ago, slowly phasing out all the "off the rack" clothes in my wardrobe with ones that are more suited to my body shape.

I'm not exactly skinny, and have a bit of a 'pudge factor' to my belly, but all the regular shirts I find at most clothing stores are WAY too large in the stomach. They may fit me in the neck, arm length, shoulders, and even the chest. But the middle section is always too large, as if the "standard" cut of shirts these days is for morbidly obese people. I've had to go to wearing slim-fitting shirts that are tapered just to make them fit me well. It's annoying, having my shirt pooching out all around me because it's too large in the belly.

Anyway, I brought this up about waistcoats, but it definitely applies to everything else. Clothes just seem way too baggy and loose these days. I can't really blame it on the "off the rack" sizing scheme. I think it has more to do with the fact that style has changed over the last couple of decades, whether we intended it to or not. People seem to be more interested in comfort and covering up their expanding middle sections. Snug-fitting clothing may look better, but it's not always the most comfortable. And to many, comfort is king (which is why we see people wearing jogging pants and house shoes in public!). And I think by this point, even when people want to look nice, they forget that clothes which look best are not necessarily going to be "comfy". At least, not in the sense that they will hang loosely and offer complete relaxation like a pair of baggy elastic-waist shorts and an untucked t-shirt.

I'll admit that when I'm wearing well-fitted clothing, I have to be a little more self-conscious about my posture. Instead of letting my stomach pooch out and stress the buttons on a shirt or waistcoat, I find myself sitting more erect and, well, sucking in my gut a little.
Well said, Tobus! I couldn't agree more. Many of 'us' are truly a dying breed.