Getting jacket sleeve length right

[TheDarkKnight]

Hi All,

I have had a new suit's jacket sleeves altered so the length is to the hinge of my wrist - just to the end of my wrist bone (which from my reading is the correct length)

I'm finding it very difficult to get shirt sleeves altered to the right length to fit this though, and remain comfortable (the shirt sleeve pulls on a shirt and feels restrictive on one ive had shortened quite alot).

Currently about 3/4" of shirt sleeve shows now, although these shirt sleeves have been altered too.

Advice please!

How do you get the jacket altered and the shirt sleeves to match so 1/3 inch of shirt cuff shows?

Is about 3/4" cuff showing a disaster, or am I being neurotic

(more cuff showing being fashionable now anyway)

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by TheDarkKnight

Hi All,

I have had a new suit's jacket sleeves altered so the length is to the hinge of my wrist - just to the end of my wrist bone (which from my reading is the correct length)

I'm finding it very difficult to get shirt sleeves altered to the right length to fit this though, and remain comfortable (the shirt sleeve pulls on a shirt and feels restrictive on one ive had shortened quite alot).

Currently about 3/4" of shirt sleeve shows now, although these shirt sleeves have been altered too.

Advice please!

How do you get the jacket altered and the shirt sleeves to match so 1/3 inch of shirt cuff shows?

Is about 3/4" cuff showing a disaster, or am I being neurotic

(more cuff showing being fashionable now anyway)
I prefer to have more shirt cuff showing than less, especially since my cuffs tend to shrink over time.

 

[Bird's One View]

Snugger fitting shirt cuffs may be the solution. On barrel cuffs you can move the button(s). Double cuffs on existing shirts would need to be replaced.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Originally Posted by Bird's One View

Snugger fitting shirt cuffs may be the solution. On barrel cuffs you can move the button(s). Double cuffs on existing shirts would need to be replaced.

Excellent idea!

I was thinking this myself as another shirt I have with barrel cuffs has 2 sets of buttons - presumably to allow a watch room

So is this a very simple thing for an alterations tailor to do?

Would a good procedure be to have the shirts reasonably and comfortably shortened and the remainder be taken care of by a tighter barrel cuff?

 

[TheDarkKnight]

I used this guide from GQ re jacket sleeve length -

Q: How should one determine the proper length of a suit sleeve? Every tailor tells me something different. When your arms are at your sides, should some of the shirtsleeve be exposed?

A: About a half inch of shirt cuff should show below your jacket cuff, just as a half inch of shirt collar should show above your jacket collar. Most men wear their jacket sleeves too long or their shirt sleeves too short, and probably because of these dubious tailors you mention, most men show way too much shirt collar in back. The jacket should be finished at the wristbone, and with the arm at rest, the shirtsleeve should extend one-half inch below (that's 12.7 millimeters, for engineers and scientists). A good tailor measures from your thumb tips, because everyone is asymmetrical, with one arm longer than the other.

 

[manofstyle]

It's all about experimentation.

My button cuffs will be less tight in future, to prevent the cuff catching on the wrist.