Buying a second-hand suit: fit, fabric and what to check

Shoulders first

The shoulders decide whether a suit can be made to fit. On a well-fitting jacket:

• The shoulder seam sits at the edge of your shoulder, not hanging over or pulling in.
• There is no dent just below the shoulder at the top of the sleeve.
• The jacket lies flat across your back without pulling or wrinkling.

Compare the listing's shoulder measurement in cm, seam to seam across the back, with a jacket you own that fits well. On Rewear, the listing form asks for chest, length, sleeve and shoulder on suits and tailoring, so the listing may already have them. If not, ask.

The rest of the jacket

• Chest: compare the pit-to-pit measurement with a jacket that fits. It should button without pulling into an X shape across the front.
• Length: a traditional suit jacket covers your seat; a shorter cut sits a little above it.
• Sleeves: should show a little shirt cuff. Sleeves are usually easy to shorten and often possible to lengthen a little.

The trousers

• Waist: ask for the measurement laid flat, doubled. Most suit trousers have some extra fabric at the back seam, so a tailor can often let them out or take them in a little.
• Length: hems are easy to shorten. Ask whether there is fabric turned up inside if you need them longer.
• Inside leg and rise: compare with trousers you own that fit.

Suit listings measure the jacket, so ask the seller for the trouser waist and inside leg if they are not in the description.

Check the fabric

Look at the composition label in the photos.

• Pure wool or a high wool content wears well, breathes and resists creasing.
• Wool with a little elastane or polyester can add stretch or crease resistance.
• Mostly polyester suits are cheaper to make and usually less comfortable to wear.

Our guide to telling if a wool coat is good quality explains how to judge wool cloth, and the same checks apply to suiting.

Check the construction

• The lining should be intact, especially at the armholes and along the back seam.
• Buttons should be firmly attached, with spares inside if possible.
• Seams should be straight, with checks or stripes lining up at the front and pockets.
• The chest should not have bubbles or rippling on the front, which can mean the inner layers have come away from the cloth.

Our guide to checking seams and linings before you buy has a fuller quality check.

Look for wear

Suits wear in predictable places. Look closely, or ask for close-ups of:

• the seat and inner thighs of the trousers, for thinning and shine
• the elbows and cuffs of the jacket
• the collar and lapel edges
• pocket openings, where hands go in and out
• moth holes, by holding the fabric up to the light
• shine from pressing with an iron that was too hot

Make sure it is a matched suit

Buy the jacket and trousers together, sold as a suit, from the same listing. Separate pieces that look the same in photos may be from different cloths, or may have faded differently over time.

Budget for alterations

Even a good second-hand suit may need small changes. A local tailor or alterations shop can usually shorten sleeves, take up hems and adjust the trouser waist. Shoulders and jacket length are much harder to change, so do not buy a suit that is wrong there.

Women's suits and tailoring

The same checks apply to trouser suits, skirt suits and co-ord sets. Check the jacket shoulders first, then the chest and length, and the trouser or skirt waist and hip. A tailored blazer also works on its own, as our guide to wearing one blazer five ways shows.

Before you buy

Check the measurements against clothes you own that fit. Our guide on how to measure clothes shows how, and our Will it fit? checker compares a garment's measurements with yours. On Rewear your payment is held until you confirm the suit has arrived as described, and you have 14 days from delivery to report a problem. Buyers pay a buyer protection fee of 30p + 3%, shown before you pay.

The short version

Shoulders first, then chest, length, sleeves and trousers, all in cm. Choose wool or mostly wool, check the lining, buttons and seams, and look closely at the seat, elbows, cuffs and pockets. Buy the jacket and trousers as a matched suit, and budget for sleeves and hems.