Abstract: An expandable chest piece and a method of constructing a garment wherein the chest piece is connected to the garment fabric between the arm hole and the lapel break line. The chest piece is prefabricated by providing a carrier member composed of relatively stiff textile material and configured to have a first connecting edge in the vicinity of the lapel break line and a second connecting edge in the vicinity of the arm hole of the garment and connecting an elongated connecting strip composed of relatively stiff textile material and configured to extend substantially the entire length of the first connecting edge to the carrier member for movement from a rest position wherein the connecting strip overlaps the first edge with the outer edge of the strip spaced therefrom and substantially parallel thereto to an extended position wherein the outer edge is spaced further from the first edge. The chest piece is positioned on the fabric with the second edge aligned with the arm hole.