What is a Portly Suit

Portly suits, also called executive suits, are designed to maintain a liberal cut through the waist. Portly fitting is often confused with classic fitting. While both of them are considered loose fitting, they target on different body shapes.

Portly fitting came to public first in the 1970s, associated with disco culture, and was specifically popularized by the film Saturday Night Fever. Portly suits became very popular among people who has more in the midsection than in the chest. The boom of mass production in the ready-to-wear apparel industry has significantly lower the cost of a decent suit for Americans. But this brings another question, which is sizing. If some one was looking for a portly fit suit, he had to choose one/two size larger in classic fitting and had their tailor do alterations to reduce the chest size. 

Modern portly fit suits are pre-tailored to perfectly proportioned to suit bigger frames. The industry is continuing to optimize the details of cutting. The goal is for everyone to have a truly ready-to-wear suit and make minimum alterations when they really have to.