<p>I’m currently looking into seeing how much it would cost having a seamstress MAKE him a pair of slacks that look good and fit him well. Wish me luck. She hs altered a few of my outfits but never asked her about sewing a pair of men’s dress slacks before. Will see how it goes.</p>
<p>HIMom – Unless your seamstress has made men’s clothes before, it’s a whole different ball of wax than women’s clothing or doing alterations…just like making a wedding dress is different than just sewing. It’s the underlying structure that’s important to the overall fit and you need lots of experience to get it right. </p>
<p>How much would it cost for you to travel to, say, Hong Kong where they specialize in fine tailoring done quickly? </p>
<p>[Best</a> Hong Kong Tailors - Profile of Best Hong Kong Tailors and Suit Makers](<a href=“http://gohongkong.about.com/od/shoppinginhk/tp/Hong-Kong-Tailors.htm]Best”>http://gohongkong.about.com/od/shoppinginhk/tp/Hong-Kong-Tailors.htm)</p>
<p>Failing that, you may be able to find a tailor on the island who was trained in HK. </p>
<p>If you do have something made, tell them that you want it to be expandable in the waist…my husband has a tailor-made suit like this…which makes it easy to adjust when your son no longer has a 28 inch waist. It’s not an elastic or anything, just a tailoring method that can be undone and re-sewn by another tailor without remaking the whole pair of pants. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for these thoughts. Yes, I will be asking her if she has had experience in making men’s dress slacks. If she hasn’t, we may wait until we go to LA & perhaps try their garment district. My GF has some knowledge of the area & folks who do good work. I believe she had a nephew who has a suit made because he was pretty thin/small & needed it for a wedding or other formal event.</p>
<p>S isn’t too concerned at the moment. We will start asking around–they are probably some tailors from HK in Hawaii if I inquire enough. Might start nosing about to see what we end up finding.</p>
<p>Exhausted but very happy with our purchases. D & I went all over the mall for about 12 hours yesterday & netted 7 pairs of slacks and 3 tops for S. All the jeans, khaki’s & one pair of dress slacks are 28" waist & everything was on sale or discount. We BELIEVE they will all fit–Armani Exchange and American Eagle, Sears, Nordstrom’s Rack all had cloting in 28" waist & a few also had 28" inseam! We are hoping he is happy with some of these garments. It was exhausting but we’re hopeful that he will be able to create a more fitted wardrobe that looks more professional.</p>
<p>Happy to have just bought two more pair–28x28, from the comfort of my home via a phone service person at Banana Republic. They were dress slacks @ 35% off from BR & khaki’s @ 20% off from Gap. They will arrive after 12/25, but at this point, I am happy they are in transit with free shipping!</p>
<p>OK–FINALLY, we have a WINNER! S tried on all the clothing we purchased for him & ONE pair fits well and is very nice on him. It is a pair of classic black khaki’s from Gap, 28x28. It wasn’t the cheapest or most expensive but it looks very nice on him & we’re happy that it’s also washable! He didn’t like the clothing we got from all the other shops–Sears, Nordstrom’s, WalMart, Armani Exchange, American Eagle, Banana Republic. He’s one tough kid to fit!</p>
<p>HImom, if you have a Zara nearby, they have nicely made, fashion-forward, moderately-priced clothes for slim and lightly-built men (and women). They are a Spanish company, big in Latin America, but with some stores in the US. My son, husband, and daughter always stock up when we’re in a city with a Zara, especially after Christmas when everything’s on sale.</p>
<p>Jingle, thanks for the suggestion, but their mail order doesn’t offer sizes of 28" waist, which is what we need. There are no Zara stores in HI so far.</p>
<p>Himom…how did your recent purchases fit your son??</p>
<p>The ONLY thing S liked and that fit him well as far as slacks or jeans are concerned is the ONE pair of 28x28 GAP black classic khaki’s, straight fit (he doesn’t like the slim except for shirts). The other slacks honestly did NOT fit him well and he didn’t like them. He is pleased that we found this. He has hopes of finding more at GAP & Banana Republic.</p>
<p>He also wants me to exchange a sweater we bought him (for the 3rd time–didn’t like the XL boys, traded it for a L then a M, now he wants the L back instead–ARGH!)</p>
<p>He is happy to have all the other clothing returned to Armani Exchange, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Nordstrom’s Rack, and Sears. Oh well, at least he knows that BR & GAP have some clothing he can explore further and he is heartened that the slacks fit nicely and are even washable. He will try ordering a few more things from BR & GAP, as shipping for $50+ is free & you can combine things from the two stores to reach your $50. His size 28x28 is hard to come by in the stores anyway.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I’m the one with the slim TALL son. He has recently moved from the SE to a very cold part of the country. Sub-zero temps are frequent; double didgit sub-zero temps are not uncommon. I wanted to get a really warm coat for him. Sheesh. Most are too short in the body. To get one just about long enough in the arms, he needs a large, but they are waaaay to wide. We did find one ridiculously expensive coat that must have been designed for skinny arctic explorers or something, but our son declared it too costly, even though I am paying.</p>
<p>One thing that has worked well for me is wool icebreaker thermals that are thin and lightweight and fitted but fit snugly. They may have the arm length that your S needs as well as the warmth–just at thought. My SIL loved them when they were cruising the Antartic several times & suggested them to me. I find them very cozy.</p>
<p>HiMOm, I can SO relate.</p>
<p>I spent more time in mall shopping for son over past week. I got some great deals at the most expensive stores–Neimans, Polo (2/3 off)–and BR. Then I brought home winter jackets. I forgot there was a ski store in next town, and took son there this evening. Finding Smalls that fit him was a challenge. If a jacket was a Spyder, and all those have ‘cute’ spiders on them, they were rejected. Some boys may not like to shop but they can be very particular.</p>
<p>Anyway, once your son knows the cut and style he likes, then he can order on line.</p>
<p>As an aside, my son doesn’t say “thanks”, but he ordered a Kindle for me without any hints. He also suggested we invite his former math teacher to join us for dinner, which she happily did.</p>
<p>mafool, i forget how slim and tall your DS is, but mine likes long underwear (tops and bottoms) instead of coats. He is 6’ 2" and around 140-145 (maybe less). He hates clothes that bag, but is not adverse to 2-3-4 layers when needed. He will wear 2-3 longsleeve Tshirts as needed. The long underwear dont really show. In jeans he wears 30/34, which are impossible to find.</p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Our family HATES shopping. We are all very unhappy to do so but consider it a necessary part of life, especially for the holidays. The buying of gifts feels more like being a “personal shopper,” buying things “on approval,” for the recipient to return as desired and/or exchange for different color/size. I am really tired of it–the other day, took H to the mall. He tried on slacks at both Sears (Dockers) & Gap. He bought 2 pairs of slacks at the latter & when he got home dragged out all the slacks for his closet & decided HE DOESN’T NEED ANY SLACKS & I NEED TO RETURN THEM (ARGH!)</p>
<p>Oh well, such is life. I’m going to use the money from the return to take us out for a nice dinner instead, which we should all enjoy. :)</p>
<p>Men with small waistlines will have trouble finding suits and dress clothes. Why? The simple reason is that most wearers of suits and dress clothes are middle age or older men with large waistlines. The average suit trouser waist size is something like 37" or 38", according to a [Boston</a> Globe article (was free, now behind a pay wall)](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2004/04/10/slim_pickings_in_a_weighty_world/][i]Boston”>http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2004/04/10/slim_pickings_in_a_weighty_world/), while there is little demand for 30" or 32" (much less 28") waist suit trousers (and mostly from shorter men, not athletically built or skinny taller men).</p>
<p>Note that [suit</a> sizing](<a href=“Delberts.com”>Delberts.com) typically assumes a waist 6" smaller than chest (the difference is called the drop). A few suits come with an 8" drop; these are called athletic cut. Off the rack men’s dress shirts are sized in a similar manner (with the chest and waist size being assumed from the neck size), resulting in standard cut dress shirts being too large in the abdomen for skinny or athletic men (the dress shirt tends to “muffin top” even if the wearer does not have a “muffin top”).</p>
<p>Suit separates (where the coat and trousers are chosen separately) may help get around this problem, but will likely still need to be altered (and finding a 28" waist suit trousers may be very hard).</p>
<p>There are a few web / mail order suit and dress shirt retailers (based in Asia, but offering sales and shipping to the US) that offer to make a suit or dress shirt to your measurements. No idea how well this turns out, but it may be an option if you cannot find anything off the rack, and local made to measure or full custom is unavailable or too expensive.</p>
<p>My son looks totally emaciated. He’s 111 lbs and about 5’8". The 28" waist pants look ridiculous on him (like he’s got a HUGE bulge down there) because the pants overlap so much and he likes to wear his belts tight. We tried to fatten him up this entire vacation. Had stocked every conceivable favorite food, he had it all, but still 111 lbs. He owns 28: waist pants from Old Navy and the Gap, but where oh where do I find 27" pants?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sure there is not a medical problem?</p>
<p>One of my sons was very thin and non muscular…about 5’9" and 128 pounds. The summer of his jr year in college he decided to start working out and eating more protein. Within 10 months he put on 24 pounds and is a very healthy looking 152 pounds. For those young men who just can’t put on weight because they seem to burn off everything they eat, weight lifting really helps to change that. You just can’t put on muscle mass any other way.</p>
<p>My brothers were all thin (one was 140 pounds & 6’3" at HS graduation). Over the decades, one started lifting weights, working out & consuming more protein. He put on some muscles & pounds and looked great while he continued working out. Now in his early 40s that he mostly does a desk job, much of the muscle has turned to fat & he has the worst health of the entire extended family including my folks (even tho he’s the youngest of seven kids–he also enjoys drinking & eating out & take out food). My middle brother has taken to buying & following rigorous exercise DVDs with his wife most days & is in the best physical shape he’s been in his life now that he’s 51 (six-pack abs and firm muscle tone everywhere). My older brother has not adopted any exercise routine and has just been getting a bigger waist & bottom over the years. All are now able to buy clothes “off the rack,” though it was a challenge when they were much younger.</p>
<p>Some of the folks in our yoga class are weight lifters and are now trying to regain flexibility since their weighlifting helps them get bulk without helping them stay flexible.</p>
<p>I guess what I’m saying is beware–it is important to maintain an exercise routine, especially for folks who bulk up on muscle so it doesn’t just turn to fat.</p>
<p>Am not looking forward to helping S find jackets that will fit. He will probably make do with the one he got altered for his HS graduation (tho it never fit particularly well despite the alterations). He still fits the suit that his dad wore at the same age better than anything else we’ve ever seen him in. I guess the apple didn’t fall far fromt he tree. :)</p>