It is interview season and I have a tall, broad shouldered 8th grader. He definitely won’t fill out men’s jackets and yet his arms, etc. are too long for boys. Men’s pants are too long in the crotch … . boys are too short. You get the picture. I always prefer to shop on line and order a bunch of sizes and try them on at home. Any suggestions: Brooks Brothers? Land’s Ends? Others? Given his tendencies, I can’t see one size fitting for the first interview through the last interview. .
I learned something last week…the sleeves of jackets can be let out! We were having the same issue with my son who is tall but very lean. The sales people in Macy’s couldn’t help us. They just suggested going to other stores. We bit the bullet and went to the Nordstrom men’s department. There, a salesperson measured my son and sent us up to kids. He said the tailor can let out the sleeves and the pant length right from the get-go. We went upstairs to kids and, sure enough, he is in an 18 or 20. The tailor came right in and is making the alterations now! (I can’t remember the size and we haven’t picked them up yet from alterations.) Not only will it fit better, but the cost is less because it’s kids! (And it’s their anniversary sale. I think today may be the last day. And the alterations are free.)
I also recommend looking at size 18 or 20 in the Boys Department. Also look at Express . They’re pieces tend to fit younger adult frames better than traditional men’s suits. Marc Anthony brand at Kohl’s may also work .
Great ideas. I am going to be on it right now. Sounds like manufacturers don’t waste much time fitting typical 14 year olds . . Nordstrom has been suggested more than once … I will check the other brands as well. Cheers
Here is one reason I love our community so much. I found the last day of a major sale with . . free shipping and free returns at Nordstrom. I got the largest size (20 and in one case 22) of a selection of shirts and jackets and pants and am crossing my fingers that one set will work! I also got too pairs of size 13 dress shoes. DS has been away for 2 months living in a cabin in the woods, running around all day and eating hearty food so the odds that any of the “BIG BOYS” clothes will fit but it is certainly worth a try. If this fails, I will go with the other suggestions. Thanks to all who replied here and PM’d.
One thought at least with regard to pants, is that once you get out of boys sizes, you get into pants that have a range of waist/length pants. So you can get sizes like 28W x 34L or even 36 L. Also, if you are getting true dress pants (from say, Brooks Brothers), the pant legs come unfinished and are hemmed on request.
With regard to jackets, some of the newer styles are cut VERY slim (with high cut armhole) with less structure than jackets of years past. Honestly, when I first started wearing them, they felt almost restrictive…too tight. But you get used to it and they do make the wearer look slimmer (not that your son needs that). Finally, keep in mind that jackets should actually be shorter than the shirt sleeve…so that some shirtsleeve shows past the jacket. Anywhere from 1 to 1.5 inches. So the jacket sleeve could end at the wristbone while the shirt sleeve goes farther down.
Nordstrom is good, but I’d also check out Brooks Brother’s “Red Fleece” line. <---- assumes you don’t mind spending $$$ on clothes for a teen.
I also have bought size 18 and 20 nordstrom brand shirts, jackets and pants and had jackets and pants let out in length as much as possible. They put tapes just inside the hem.
The only issue is that they would not do alteration without having and measuring DS there. So some negotiation is needed to take the boy to the mall. :-?
I also buy size 18 and 20 for DH saving $$ and buy my shoes in children’s section as well :))
I was able to get a Ralph Lauren blazer for 75.00 and pants for 40.00 in size 20 for my son at Belks. Calvin Klein also has size 20 Blazers
@payn4ward: When I was a teen, I lurved the mall!
Bribery!
To clarify, my point about the jacket sleeve is that what might seem “too short”, may be — in a stricter sartorial sense — totally correct.
BTW, I need to revise my statement on how much shirt cuff should show. It’s more like 1/2 inch to 1 inch (with more being more “dandyish”. Most online sources I could quickly find cite 1/2 inch, but in my experience with more modern silhouettes, up to an inch is fine. With arms at one’s sides, the shirt sleeve cuff should almost touch the point where the hand starts to widen from the wrist.
@SevenDad – not only a source of fine BS advice, but a fashion maven as well!
I go the cheap route, because they grow so much at this age (and for the next several years to come). The slim fit line of Old Navy men’s clothing fit my tall, skinny son long before any other brands of men’s clothing did. I don’t think they have blazers, but they’re great for chinos and wrinkle free dress shirts. In fact, I just checked the website and they have some of their wrinkle free shirts on sale for $12.99. Awfully hard to beat that!
We’ve found JCPenney to be an excellent source for decent-looking clothes for a growing teen boy. The transition between the largest boys’ sizes and smallest men’s sizes was relatively smooth. We even found an acceptable suit there last year at a bargain price. No, it’s not a great suit, but it fits well and looks fine for a teenager.
Aeropostale has a 60%off sale right now. We just bought a bunch of “uniform” shirts - polo shirts in different colors and with no insignia - for about $9 each.
We used Nordstrom back in the day when my son started in 9th grade. If your son can wear a size 18 or 20, they have some decent price points and the quality is good. There are a few cheaper options than this, but here’s a blazer on sale that seems like a good buy:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/hart-schaffner-marx-sport-coat-big-boys/4037204?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashionsize=18%20(Big%20Boy%20XL%20)&fashioncolor=NAVY
These clothes will take some abuse so between that and growth spurts, definitely don’t spend a lot. If you have my luck, making a purchase will ensure a growth spurt within a month. 
Thanks to all of you for your advice. We will be trying things on soon. I am keeping my fingers crossed that boys clothing will work.
When it comes to BS teen’s clothes — even for a formal dress code schools — we tended buy across the board.
Meaning a $19 shirt from Joe Fresh/Uniqlo/Target would go under a $179 blazer from J. Crew and over a $29 sale pair of Gap cords…putting more money into staples that we thought would last. And last that J. Crew blazer has…only looking marginally ratty after 4+ years of hard wear by 7D1.
Every family’s clothing budget and customs are going to be different, of course. I just hope I haven’t scared people off by talking about these higher-end brands. You do generally get what you pay for in terms of quality/durability.
We invested in Hunters for 7D1 years ago and Bean Boots for 7D2, and both pairs of boots are still functional (though those calf straps on the tall Hunters are not TOO durable). And so on.
Of course, I didn’t have to deal too much with massive growth spurts for either kid. If that were a factor, I’d side on the cheaper side of things across the board.
Mix here too - i.e. NorthFace lasts forever! And, when a zipper broke after two years, Northface replaced it at no charge!
Just wanted to put a plug in for Lord and Taylor brand blazers for boys – usually around $90 (sometimes cheaper if they are on sale.) They are in my opinion just the right combination of decent quality and affordability. I think we almost have one in every size for our boys. I find the department stores like Macy’s and L&T’s usually have some other decent finds and frequent sales.