Why Your Tailor Asks About Your Dominant Hand
Your tailor isn't making small talk when they ask which hand you write with.
Your dominant side sits differently. It's more developed, sits slightly lower, and moves differently than your non-dominant side. We're talking millimeters here, but in bespoke tailoring, millimeters matter.
Most people's right shoulder sits about half an inch lower than their left. Your dominant arm also has more muscle mass and moves through a wider range of motion. When you reach across your body to shake hands or grab your phone from your jacket pocket, that's your dominant side doing the work.
A good tailor builds this into your pattern. They'll cut your dominant armhole slightly larger and ease the shoulder seam differently. The chest piece gets adjusted too – more room where you need it, less where you don't. Your jacket's button stance might shift a fraction to accommodate how you naturally button up.
This is why off-the-rack jackets often feel restrictive when you move. They're cut for an imaginary symmetrical person who doesn't exist. You pull on a jacket and it feels fine standing still, but lift your arm to hail a taxi and suddenly you're fighting the fabric.
The trouser waist gets the same treatment. Your dominant side typically needs slightly more room through the hip and seat. Not much – we're still talking small adjustments – but enough to prevent that subtle pulling when you walk or sit.
Here's what to watch for: if your tailor doesn't ask about your dominant hand during the first consultation, they're probably working from a standard pattern and making standard adjustments. Nothing wrong with that, but you're not getting truly bespoke construction.
During fittings, pay attention to how the jacket feels when you move, not just how it looks in the mirror. Cross your arms. Reach for something. Sit down. A properly cut jacket should move with you, not against you.
The best tailors take notes on everything – which pocket you keep your phone in, how you carry your wallet, whether you drive with your jacket on. It all feeds into the pattern.
Asymmetry isn't a flaw to hide. It's human nature to build into the cloth.