Distance between last button & bottom of sleeve?

[arced]

Quick question: I picked up a suit on eBay which I like, but the sleeves are slightly too long. It has working buttons, so obviously, they can't be moved. I know that shortening it from the top of the sleeve is an option, but an expensive one without guaranteed results. So, finally, the question... there is 1.25" between the center of the last button and the bottom of the sleeve. If I took .5" off, is that too short? Is there an agreed upon minimum length?

By the way, I tried searching the archives, but I couldn't figure out what the correct keywords would be. So, if this has been discussed before (which I assume), I apologize. Still, if someone could point me to that discussion, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[johnnynorman3]

Some people treat this as a hard and fast rule -- it should be between 1.25" and 1.5". However, I find this rule a bit nonsensical and it certainly isn't illogical to have the buttons placed closer to the end. In fact, I'd argue that as a logical matter, a suit with working buttonholes ought have the buttons closer to the sleeve end than in a suit with nonworking holes -- have you ever seen a shirt sleeve cuff with a button that is 1.5" away from the end of the cuff..??

You might catch flack here if you shorten the sleeve from the cuff end, but in my opinion as long as you have at least .75" from the end of the cuff to the center of the button, it won't look out of place and won't be an annoyance (it would be an annoyance if the button was at the end of the sleeve, constantly clicking on your desk, etc.).

 

[armscye]

I would say no MORE than 3/4 inch. The greater distance is the mark of poorly finished RTW.

 

[von Rothbart]

What's the Mantonian rule on this? IIRC, it's 0.5"-1" depends on your height.

 

[zjpj83]

I like 1.25

I think less looks like you bought it second hand and had to have the sleeves shortened but the buttons were already cut. Just my opinion. I have a jacket with 3/4 inch and I hate it.

 

[retronotmetro]

I would say no MORE than 3/4 inch. The greater distance is the mark of poorly finished RTW.

3/4 from sleeve end to the button's edge, or to the button's center? To me, 3/4" to from the sleeve end to the center of the lowest button would look like poorly finished RTW, as if the sleeve had been shortened without moving the buttons up the sleeve.

 

[Manton]

The Savile Row standard is 1 1/4" from edge of the sleeve to the center of button (or buttonhole, same thing). To my eye, any more looks bad. Less can look quite good, especially on shorter guys. No less than 3/4", however. Then it looks like you had the sleeves shortened.

 

[arced]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies. I'm pleased to see that there's a bit of controversy about the length. Luckily (?), I don't fall under the definition of tall (5'8&quot, so maybe I can get away with 3/4". Maybe I'll pin it up and stare at it. I'd like to keep the suit but beauty is in the details. Thus, if a 1/4" in the sleeves is going to end up bothering me, I'd rather just send it back to the land of eBay.

 

[gardel]

arced, I like about 3/4". It looks good aesthetically. More is fine too up to a bit past 1" but not a whole lot more. Here's a thought. If you're borderline in that the button might be ever so slightly too close to the edge of the sleeve, I'd say that adding say 1/8" to the sleeve would make a more obvious difference to the button position than it would to the amount of shirt sleeve showing. It'd be a very minor compromise.

 

[rootless]

Yeah. I have a couple of inexpensive purchases that are like this. At least one of them is too nice to not wear, and I do show _some_ cuff wearing it (assuming I wear my shirt cuffs a bit low

). I think very few people pick up on the fact that the sleeve is a quarter inch too long (particularly given that completely concealing the shirt cuff seems to be all the rage these days). But _I_ notice it, and I always feel a bit off in that one. But I don't trust the local tailors to work on a sleeve with functional buttons, let alone lengthen this thing from the shoulder.

 

[rootless]

err- I mean shorten.