Modern Fit vs Slim Fit: Suit and Shirt Labels in Numbers
What slim, modern, tailored, classic, regular and athletic fit mean on suit jackets, dress shirts and suit trousers, from six brands’ published size charts, and how to choose by your chest-to-waist drop and thigh.
By Ilias Ism
Modern fit is the middle cut between slim and classic: in the charts we compared, a size 40 modern-type jacket has 1 to 4 cm (0.5 to 1.5 inches) more chest and a little more waist than the same brand's slim. These labels are not standardised, and the gap between two brands' slim fits is often bigger than the gap between slim and modern inside one brand.
For what ease is and how slim, regular and relaxed work on any garment, read slim vs regular vs relaxed fit first.
The middle cut has many names
Every brand sells a close cut, a middle cut and a roomy cut, and names them differently.
| Close | Middle | Roomy | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slim | Modern | Classic | US suit shops and rental brands |
| Slim | Contemporary | Classic | Spier & Mackay |
| Tailored or Slim | Standard | Athletic or Classic | Bonobos |
| Slim | Tailored | Regular or Relaxed | Moss |
| Milano | Regent | Madison | Brooks Brothers |
| Extra Slim or Slim | none | Classic | Charles Tyrwhitt |
| Fitted | Slim | Regular | T.M. Lewin |
Classic and regular usually mean the same thing: the roomiest standard cut. A brand rarely sells both under those two names. Brooks Brothers even names its fits two ways on one fit comparison: Regent is "Regular" in the inch table and "Fitted" in the cm table, and Madison is "Relaxed" in one and "Classic" in the other.
Suit jackets in size 40R
We compared published garment measurements from six brands that sell one jacket in several fits: Spier & Mackay (archived chart, December 2025), Charles Tyrwhitt, Bonobos, Moss, Brooks Brothers and T.M. Lewin. All numbers are around the garment, not your body.
| Brand and label | Chest | Waist | Shoulder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Slim | 105 cm (41 in) | not listed | not listed |
| Bonobos Slim | 105 cm (41.5 in) | not listed | 46 cm (18 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Slim | 108 cm (42.5 in) | 99 cm (39 in) | not listed |
| Bonobos Standard | 108 cm (42.5 in) | not listed | 46 cm (18.25 in) |
| Moss Tailored | 108 cm (43 in) | not listed | not listed |
| Spier & Mackay Slim | 109 cm (42.9 in) | 97 cm (38.2 in) | 46 cm (18.1 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Contemporary | 110 cm (43.3 in) | 99 cm (39 in) | 46 cm (18.1 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Classic | 110 cm (43.25 in) | 105 cm (41.5 in) | not listed |
| Bonobos Athletic | 110 cm (43.25 in) | not listed | 48 cm (18.75 in) |
| Moss Regular | 111 cm (44 in) | not listed | not listed |
Brooks Brothers publishes the difference instead: Milano (slim) is 4 cm (1.5 in) smaller in the chest and 3 cm (1 in) smaller at the waist than Regent, and Madison is 8 cm (3 in) bigger in the chest and 13 cm (5 in) bigger at the waist. T.M. Lewin publishes only lengths for its jackets: its 40R slim is 75 cm (29.5 in) long at the back, the regular 78 cm (30.75 in).
What the table shows:
- Slim to modern is a small step. Spier & Mackay's slim and contemporary differ by 1 cm in the chest and 2 cm at the waist, Bonobos' slim and standard by 2.5 cm, Moss' slim and tailored by 3 cm. Brooks Brothers is the largest middle step we found, at 4 cm.
- The waist moves more than the chest. Charles Tyrwhitt's classic is 2 cm bigger in the chest than its slim, but 6 cm bigger at the waist.
- One brand's slim is another's modern. Spier & Mackay's slim 40 has as much chest as the middle cuts of Bonobos and Moss, and the same chest as Charles Tyrwhitt's classic within 1 cm. Bonobos' athletic and Charles Tyrwhitt's classic have the same chest.
Part of the spread is how brands measure. None of these charts say exactly where the chest is taken, so compare a brand's chart with a jacket you own, measured the same way.
Dress shirts in collar 15.5
Three brands publish garment chest and waist for every fit of the same collar size: Charles Tyrwhitt, T.M. Lewin and Spier & Mackay.
| Brand and label | Chest | Waist |
|---|---|---|
| T.M. Lewin Super Fitted | 104 cm (41 in) | 94 cm (37 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Extra Slim | 105 cm (41.5 in) | 98 cm (38.5 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Extra Slim | 105 cm (41.5 in) | 93 cm (36.5 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Slim | 108 cm (42.5 in) | 98 cm (38.5 in) |
| T.M. Lewin Fitted | 110 cm (43.5 in) | 98 cm (38.5 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Slim | 112 cm (44 in) | 104 cm (41 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Contemporary | 112 cm (44 in) | 102 cm (40 in) |
| T.M. Lewin Slim | 114 cm (45 in) | 102 cm (40 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Classic | 116 cm (45.5 in) | 114 cm (45 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Classic | 117 cm (46 in) | 109 cm (43 in) |
| T.M. Lewin Regular | 119 cm (47 in) | 112 cm (44 in) |
The three slim shirts span 6 cm (2.5 inches) of chest. T.M. Lewin's slim has more chest than Spier & Mackay's contemporary and the same waist, so it is closer to a modern fit than to the other two slims.
Inside one brand, the change is mostly at the waist. Charles Tyrwhitt's classic is 4 cm (1.5 in) bigger in the chest than its slim and 10 cm (4 in) bigger at the waist. A customer comparing all three Charles Tyrwhitt fits on camera saw the same thing: the biggest jump is from classic to slim, and the extra fabric sits at the waist and hips.
Suit trousers in waist 34
Thigh and leg opening are given all the way round. Where a brand lists a flat width, we doubled it.
| Brand and label | Hip | Thigh | Leg opening | Front rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonobos Tailored | 109 cm (43 in) | not listed | 37 cm (14.5 in) | 25 cm (9.75 in) |
| Bonobos Slim | 112 cm (44 in) | not listed | 38 cm (15 in) | 25 cm (9.75 in) |
| Bonobos Athletic | 114 cm (45 in) | not listed | 38 cm (15 in) | 25 cm (10 in) |
| Bonobos Classic | 113 cm (44.5 in) | not listed | 42 cm (16.5 in) | 28 cm (11 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Extra Slim | 108 cm (42.5 in) | 65 cm (25.5 in) | 38 cm (15 in) | 26 cm (10.25 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Slim | 109 cm (43 in) | 67 cm (26.5 in) | 39 cm (15.5 in) | 26 cm (10.25 in) |
| Charles Tyrwhitt Classic | 110 cm (43.25 in) | 71 cm (28 in) | 44 cm (17.5 in) | 27 cm (10.5 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Slim | 108 cm (42.5 in) | 67 cm (26.5 in) | 40 cm (15.7 in) | 27 cm (10.6 in) |
| Spier & Mackay Contemporary | 110.5 cm (43.5 in) | 70 cm (27.5 in) | 42 cm (16.5 in) | 29 cm (11.2 in) |
| T.M. Lewin Slim | not listed | 71 cm (27.75 in) | not listed | not listed |
| T.M. Lewin Regular | not listed | 71 cm (28 in) | not listed | not listed |
Bonobos' tailored trousers are its narrowest, while Moss uses tailored for its middle cut, so "slim vs tailored" has no fixed answer. And T.M. Lewin's slim trouser has more thigh than Spier & Mackay's contemporary, a quarter inch short of Charles Tyrwhitt's classic.
At Spier & Mackay, the step from slim to contemporary is 2.5 cm (1 inch) of thigh. A menswear reviewer who wore both Spier & Mackay fits in the same cloth and size found them hard to tell apart: same waist, almost the same hip, most of the difference in the thigh.
How to choose by your build
You need three body numbers: chest, waist at the navel (where a jacket buttons) and thigh at its fullest. How to measure yourself shows where the tape goes. Your drop is chest minus waist.
Then compare against the garment chart, not the label. Spier & Mackay publishes the minimum room it recommends: 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) over your chest in a jacket, 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) over your waist in a shirt, 7.5 cm (3 inches) over your thigh in trousers.
| Your drop | Jacket | Shirt | Trousers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 cm (4 in) or less | Middle or classic cut; check the jacket waist is at least 5 cm (2 in) over yours | Classic or regular | Middle or classic; choose by hip and thigh |
| About 15 cm (6 in) | Any cut fits; slim or modern is taste | Slim or the middle cut | Slim if the thigh number allows it |
| 18 cm (7 in) or more | Size by chest and shoulder; slim or athletic; expect a waist take-in | The fit whose chest works, then darts or a take-in | Choose by thigh, often a size up in the middle cut |
Charles Tyrwhitt's chart pairs a 40 chest with a 34 waist, a 15 cm (6 inch) drop: roughly what off-the-rack sizes assume. Men's Wearhouse suggests athletic fit above a 7 inch drop, and athletic fit is not standardised either. Here it means more chest and shoulder for the same size: Bonobos' athletic jacket has 4.5 cm (1.75 in) more chest and 2 cm (0.75 in) more shoulder than its slim.
Worked example: an athletic build
You measure 102 cm (40 in) chest, 81 cm (32 in) waist and 61 cm (24 in) thigh. Your drop is 20 cm (8 inches).
- Jacket. You need about 107 to 109 cm (42 to 43 in) of chest. Spier & Mackay's slim 40 (109 cm) and Bonobos' athletic 40 (110 cm) qualify; Moss' slim 40 (105 cm) does not. The slim 40's waist of 97 cm (38.2 in) is 16 cm more than yours, so a tailor takes in the sides.
- Trousers. You need at least 68.5 cm (27 in) of thigh. In Spier & Mackay's chart, the 32 slim has 65 cm (25.5 in) and the 32 contemporary 67 cm (26.5 in): both too tight. The 34 contemporary has 70 cm (27.5 in), so buy the 34 and have the waist taken in by 5 cm (2 in).
- Shirt. You need at least 107 cm (42 in) of chest and 89 cm (35 in) of waist. The extra slim shirts above (104 to 105 cm chest) are too tight across the chest. Spier & Mackay's slim (108 cm chest, 98 cm waist) works, with some spare fabric at the waist.
The fix in every case is the same: buy for the part that cannot be changed and remove the rest. In Gentleman's Gazette's guide to suit alterations, shoulder width is "almost always" a no, trouser legs can be narrowed but not widened, and 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) can come off a trouser waist at the back seam.
A note on women's suiting
This post covers menswear labels. Women's suits use slim, straight, relaxed and oversized, but we found no brand charts with garment measurements per fit, so we have no numbers to compare. See how a blazer should fit for women, and for men, how a suit jacket should fit.
FAQ
Is modern fit the same as slim fit?
No. Modern fit is the middle cut. In the charts we compared, the middle cut has 1 to 4 cm (0.5 to 1.5 in) more chest than the same brand's slim and a little more waist, with lower armholes and a straighter trouser leg.
Is classic fit the same as regular fit?
Usually. Both name a brand's roomiest standard cut, with the least waist shaping, and few brands sell both. The exception to watch: Brooks Brothers calls its middle cut Regular in one table, so check the chart.
Is tailored fit slimmer than slim fit?
It depends on the brand. Bonobos' tailored trousers are narrower than its slim, while Moss' tailored jacket sits between its slim and regular.
What is athletic fit?
A cut with more chest, shoulder and often thigh for the same waist. It is meant for a chest-to-waist drop of about 18 cm (7 inches) or more. Not every brand sells it.
Can a tailor turn a modern fit into a slim fit?
Mostly. Taking in the jacket sides and tapering the trouser legs are routine jobs. A tailor cannot narrow the shoulders cleanly or make legs wider, so the shoulders and thighs must fit before you buy.
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