Fit and Silhouette: Synonyms or Different notions?

Can you easily without reading this article distinguish between these two notions: fit and silhouette? Let’s find out whether they have anything in common and in what way they differ.

We shall start with the top of your suit. A suit with massive shoulders, tiny waist or short trousers does not necessarily fit badly. It just has a bad silhouette.

The shoulders of your suit, for example, may end exactly at the edge of your actual shoulders, continuing in one smooth line down the rest of the sleeve. They may, alternatively, extend an extra half an inch to an inch. The line of the shoulders may be square and straight; they may be concave, curving down from the collar and then rising toward the outer edge; they may even be slightly convex.

Any of these styles may fit perfectly. If the shoulders extend slightly beyond your actual shoulders, and have a square, boxy line, they will require extra padding and support. If they curve naturally and with a slightly concave line, they will need to be carefully aligned with the line of your own shoulders, lest these ruin that line.

It is true to say, that these variations create a different silhouette. They do not necessarily fit better or worse than the alternatives. Silhouette is more akin to color or pattern – it is a personal choice, but one that can still be made badly.

Let’s continue our investigation. The waist may be designed to be more or less pinched, creating a more or less defined skirt. If the suit is designed to have a generous waist, but you buy a smaller size to try and achieve a pinched waist, the wool will ripple with complaint when you button up the jacket. You have confused fit and silhouette – in trying to achieve the latter; you have failed in the former.

Moreover, it is likely to fit worse elsewhere, as you are deliberately buying a size too small. Your shoulders will press against the sleevehead. The back will feel constricting.

If the suit were designed to have a pinched waist, the wool would be darted, with slivers of material taken out and sewn back up again. The shoulders and back would fit fine and you would have achieved your desired look.

Silhouette is about what a suit is designed to look like. Fit is about whether a particular size of that design fits to your body. Don’t confuse the two. Be aware of what the suit and its designer are trying to do. Then judge its fit.