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Show some sleeve

Matt Deckard

Man of Action
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10,045
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A devout capitalist in Los Angeles CA.
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Too often I see the wool overflowing to the palm of the hand.

Show some sleave. I go for an inch though less is what most are asking when they get their jackets tailored.

With the vintage suits' it is much easier as when you reach forward your sleeves don't ride up as much. With modern jackets and lower armholes the sleeves ride up quite a bit and can cause too much sleeve to be shown so I suppose tailors keep the sleeve long in order for the shirt to show moreso when reaching.... make sense?

Anywho... Keep them shorter than your shirt. I'd say jacket above the wrist bone and shirt below for length, though with the shirt I believe if best to keep the sleeve in place by having a fitted wrist.

Showing sleave balances the look. Takes pressure off the collar and makes you look all the more dapper.
 

Matt Deckard

Man of Action
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10,045
Location
A devout capitalist in Los Angeles CA.
Just screw the cut and ask for the shorter jacket sleave... when we find the tailor who can make the jacket right then you no longer have to worry about the jacket sleaves riding up... intil then let them ride up... you'll look fantastic with your arms at your sides.
 

Mr. Rover

One Too Many
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1,875
Location
The Center of the Universe
I like to show about 1/2" to an inch of cuff. It just looks right, especially if you're wearing french cuffs or have thicker cuffs on your pants, too. I usually get my shirts made to hit between where my thumb and wrist meet, covering my wrist bone. The jacket should hit just at my wrist bone.
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
I have two suit jackets that need to be altered in the sleeve.
When I take it to the tailor I assume I am looking to have 1/4 to 1" showing when my arms are hanging at my sides, correct?
I want to have an idea of what I am talking about when I walk into the place!

I have an extreme dislike of long sleeves that creep towards the hand. I find it confining. Give me too short sleeves to too long anyday.
 

scotrace

Head Bartender
Staff member
Messages
14,392
Location
Small Town Ohio, USA
Limited Room to Move

I think this has been mentioned before in another thread, but altering sleeve length, if done properly, isn't just folding up the cuffs and resewing. It involves taking in fabric at the shoulder end. Otherwise, your sleeve buttons are bunched at the end of the cuff.

But I think Matt's right. I like to see a lot of cuff. If you're wearing Frenchies and the jacket sleeves are too long, you have to contort yourself and fuss in order to show off the swellegant links to the person you're speaking with!
 

Orgetorix

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,241
Location
Louisville, KY...and I'm a 42R, 7 1/2
scotrace said:
I think this has been mentioned before in another thread, but altering sleeve length, if done properly, isn't just folding up the cuffs and resewing. It involves taking in fabric at the shoulder end. Otherwise, your sleeve buttons are bunched at the end of the cuff.

This is only true if your sleeve buttons are functional. Otherwise, they can just be moved farther up the sleeve, no shoulder surgery needed.
 

farnham54

A-List Customer
Messages
404
Location
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
I find myself doing the "Jack Sparrow", as I call it, quite a bit--where the Pinkie and Index finger are being used for expression, while the two middle fingers grasp the sleeve of my shirt to pull it out beneath the cuff of my jacket.

Fits my personality, mind you, but I really want my sleeves taken up a bit. This is only a problem on my Black suit, not on my tuxedo jacket, and I'm sure the problem, as Matt said, is 99 percent the Armholes.

My father is currently in the process of getting a suit from Harry Rosen for business use--I'll let you know how that one comes.

Cheers
Craig
 

Happy Stroller

One of the Regulars
Messages
136
Location
Earth
Now I'm beginning to understand why some experts recommend the distance between the last button and the end of the jacket sleeve be 1/4" to 1/2" longer than what other experts recommend; so that if the jacket sleeves are too long, they can be shortened from the wrist end - a much easier job than shortening the length of the jacket sleeve at the arm hole end.

If the jacket length turns out to be too short, consider shortening the shirt sleeve at the end next to the cuff.
 

manton

A-List Customer
Messages
360
Location
New York
herringbonekid said:
only true if they don't have the pseudo-button hole, the non-functioning type.
The pseudo-buttonholes can be picked out, and if done carefully, won't leave a mark. If a mark is left, it can be repaired by a re-weaver. Though this can get expensive.

The Savile Row (and elsewhere) tradition is to show 1/2" of "linen". I too prefer slightly less these days.
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
Maybe this deserves another thread but I wish men and women would get their Fall leather jacket sleeves taken in.
Today I noticed at least 6 people with extra long sleeves on my lunchhour walk. The problem is people need a big enough jacket to fit their height/weight. They end up with a jacket cut for a taller/broader person.
People are spending a couple of hundred dollars on a jacket and I wish they would pay a little more to get the sleeves fixed.
It would make the jacket look really nice.
 

Tony in Tarzana

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,276
Location
Baldwin Park California USA
My problem is the cuffs on my dang off-the-rack shirts are too tight. I ain't Popeye, and I would have thought a size 19 shirt would have cuffs that I can button without making my eyes bug out. I guess there must be a lot of guys out there with big necks and skinny little wrists.
 

Sly Style

Familiar Face
Messages
89
Location
Maine
My biggest problem with that, is that the shirts I buy never have long enough sleeves. Its annoying. The neck fits, but the shirt bottom is too big and the sleeves are just barely long enough. No good, some day I will be able to afford custom shirts!
 

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