Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

How to figure out how much to shorten sleeves on leather jacket

polarWhite

New in Town
Messages
25
I understand that once a new leather jacket has been broken in, the sleeves will shorten a bit due to folds and creases mostly formed around the elbow.

Currently, the sleeves are a bit long and I am wondering how much break-in should I do before determining if I need them to be shortened and if so by how much.

Also, since the leather is thick and stiff (steerhide and horsehide), what's the best way to figure out how much needs to be shortened? It's not like I can simply fold the sleeve up to the desired length.

Finally, speaking of desires lengthy, if I don't plan to use it as a riding Jacket
(I decide to stick to my gortex armored gear for riding), are the sleeves supposed to rest on the wrist bone or further down?

Attached are pics of where the sleeves rest currently.

Thanks
PW

PXL_20241208_141755937.PORTRAIT~3.jpg
PXL_20241206_125519680.PORTRAIT~6.jpg
 

RDS

New in Town
Messages
39
Firstly, there isn’t any absolute prescribed length for sleeves and it’s really all down to personal preference.
What one person regards as too short someone else might think perfect, while another says too long. There are those who want the cuffs to end at the wrist joint, some to have them fall between wrist and thumb joint and others prefer them even further down.
Personally I think the sleeves on your two jackets look fine and I’d be happy to leave them as there are. However, I certainly wouldn’t do anything at all about reducing their length until both jackets have had a lot more regular wear. As they have zipped cuffs any alterations are a little less straightforward (and consequently more costly)
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,884
Location
SoFlo
On the Schott, the sleeves might indeed be a bit long. They are resting below your wrists, and, being stiff, might push the shoulders up. That is what would bother me if this was my Schott - the shoulders are pushed up. But I am not sure if this is due to the sleeves. Maybe you can open up the sleeve zippers so the sleeves hang freely, and pat the shoulders down with a damp rag. See if the jacket shoulders conform more to your body. Then check where the open sleeve cuffs fall on your hand. That might give you an idea by how much (if any) to shorten. The Vanson looks good.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,652
Messages
3,085,716
Members
54,471
Latest member
rakib
Top