• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Alterations

rayk

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2003
Messages
176
Reaction score
7
Many of the NWT sports jackets that I have found on ebay and would have considered buying, had sleeve lengths that were as much as 1" - 1.5" too long for my 25" long arms.

Does a tailor shorten a jacket sleeve from the cuff end, or rip it down and shorten it from the shoulder?  It would seem that the former would be limited to very minor alterations due to proper positioning of sleeve buttons, whereas the latter would seem to be a much more technically involved and costly procedure, if it is done at all.

What is the maximum a RTW jacket sleeve can be shortened without adversely affecting its appearance?
 

Carlo

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2003
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
5
Ray - it is tricky when you have working buttonholes but otherwise figure it is a $10 job by the chick who does alterations at your cleaners. This is really easy - takes me about 15 minutes to do it handsewn at the cuff, obviously more for working buttonholes.

You'd never attempt it from the shoulder.
 

naturlaut

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
565
Reaction score
3
If you are buying a ready-made jackets, chances are those are faux buttonholes.  They are merely sewn on (but not sewn through the fabric), and your tailor (or your wife if she's not too busy) will be able to take them off easily.  Shortening from the cuffs are of course the easiest.  Sleeve buttons can then be placed again, aboujt 1 1/2" from the cuff's edge.  

And since you are making alterations on your cuffs, have the tailor alter the circumference of the cuffs too.  Most ready-made have cuffs that are too wide.  If you are used to wearing French cuff shirts, wear it to the tailor for a better adjustment.

Make sure the finishing cuffs are parrallel to your shirt cuffs.  You don't want to show more shirt cuffs on the inside wrist and less on the outside.
 

Pierrepont

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2004
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Most ready-made have cuffs that are too wide.  If you are used to wearing French cuff shirts, wear it to the tailor for a better adjustment.

I've always wondered about this.  How wide are suit jacket cuffs supposed to be? Is it easy for a tailor to change the circumference?
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,162
Messages
10,579,087
Members
223,884
Latest member
mickspilloto
Top