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altering short sleeves

matadorpoeta

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okay, so i posted a question here a few weeks ago about the ideal length for short sleeves. i asked because i was planning on placing an order from an online mtm shirtmaker. i recieved 2 shirts a few days ago and i'm unhappy with the sleeves. for one thing, they are about 3" too long. they are also too 'baggy'. they look like mtm sleeves for the governator.

i made the mistake of not specifying a specific length. i just gave my regular long-sleeve measurements, asked for short sleeve shirts, and noted that i like my short sleeves "on the short side." i also asked for high arm holes, which i thought would give me a more tapered sleeve.

i like everything else about the shirts. do you think i can have the sleeves altered to my liking?
 

j

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I think short sleeves may be harder to do right than long sleeves. (I know I'm just baiting Alex with that sentence.) My problem is that I hate when they stick out to the sides - they are almost always too big, if the chest of a shirt fits then the shoulders are a bit small, and the sleeve isn't shaped right to just conform to the shoulder and top of the arm.

Anyway, I'm sure you can at least get them shortened with little pain or expense.
 

whoopee

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I'm fairly certian that this is not a difficult alteration at all. Just earlier today I saw someone asking for the exact changes to his SS shirts at a shirtmaker in HK and it seemed very straightforward/.
 

matadorpoeta

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thanks for the replies. i'm sure shortening the sleeves is not a big deal, but making them narrower would appear to be more complicated. (i don't think the arm hole can be made smaller, can it?)

do you think i should take them to a shirtmaker, or would any tailor be able to handle this?
 

j

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Originally Posted by matadorpoeta
thanks for the replies. i'm sure shortening the sleeves is not a big deal, but making them narrower would appear to be more complicated. (i don't think the arm hole can be made smaller, can it?)

do you think i should take them to a shirtmaker, or would any tailor be able to handle this?

If the chest can be made smaller, the armhole can be made somewhat smaller, but it will change the shape of that area, so you can't do too much. If you can find a shirtmaker who will work on them, good, if not, find a good tailor I guess.
 

dah328

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I've had the sleeves on a polo shirt tapered because they were ridiculously large. It worked out ok on my particular shirt but I think it's easier to do on a polo than a sport shirt. I had the dry cleaners on the corner do it. I didn't think it was worth a special trip to the tailor for it.
 

whoopee

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For both short and long sleeves, tapering the arms is an easy alteration (I'm not sure why you would think they aren't - if anything it's more difficult for LS). Armhole ones aren't.
 

Arnold_Horseshack

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I gotta wear a dress shirt and tie for my work. When I got my promotion, my manager gave me his old short sleeve dress shirts. He barely used them. But hes taller than me, so my mom shortened the sleeves. I got 5, for every day in the week.
 

matadorpoeta

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i got my shirts back from enzo today, with mixed results. the shirts look great and he gave me exactly what i wanted.

however, the fact that the sleeves are now tapered close to my arms makes the whole shirt move when i raise my arms. i think this is due to the armhole being the original size. in other words, if you want skinny short sleeves, make sure they are skinny at the armhole as well.
 

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