Jacket length question...

[bigbadbuff]

I'm 5'11" and consequently get a Long in whatever sportcoat I purchase- average length being IIRC 33" or so. I'm watching a sportcoat on Ebay with a 35" length... I know having it shortened would not be a good option, so is 35" simply too long for someone my height? I guess it would be considered 44XL...

 

[johnnynorman3]

35" is substantially too long. At your height, a total length of 33" is even pushing it. I'm 5'10" and prefer my jackets to be between 31.5 and 32". That means that at 5'11" I would prefer a 32 - 32.5" jacket. If you really love the jacket, a good tailor could probably hem it 2 inches, with possibly minor influence to the pocket locations (i.e. the pockets would appear lower), but this will run you about $40.

 

[A Harris]

Yes - way too long. In fact, I would think you would be better off with a reg..

 

[BGW]

Definitely a regular, unless you have an exceptionally long torso for your height. My gauge is that the coat should not come past the base of your fingers when your arms are by your side and should just cover your butt, no more.

 

[matadorpoeta]

bbb,
at 5'11" you are probably a regular, not a long. i'm 5'10" and prefer a length of about 30.5". in fact i've tried on some sportcoats in "short" sizes that fit me well.

 

[bestmastertailor]

The correct coat length is for the bottom of the coat to end 1" below the curvature of your seat. Double-Breasted jackets should be 3/8" longer than single-breasted. At 5'11" and in normal proportion, you should be wearing a regular.

 

[bigbadbuff]

LOL... I can't tell you how many menswear employees tell me right away I'm a 4_L... I ALWAYS felt like I was more of a R, but when so many kept saying it...

thanks for the advice.

 

[A Harris]

Double-Breasted jackets should be 3/8" longer than single-breasted.

Interesting, as I've always liked my DB jackets to be about 1/2" shorter than my SB jackets. But I'm certainly not a tailor. What is the rationale behind the 3/8" longer rule?

 

[bestmastertailor]

The rational (i guess one could rationize anything...) is to make a longer, leaner line. I generally make most of coats on larger men(that of larger abdomen such as myself) 3/8 to 5/8 longer while dropping the button stance as to give a "slimming" effect. At 6'1" and 238 lbs, i need all the slimming effect I can use.

 

[rjsphd]

You are getting good advice here--I am your height and sales people put me into longs all the time and I have to argue for regulars. That said, because you are at the border, it really depends on the model and your girth. I just dropped some weight around the gut and worked out and all of my jackets, even the tailor-made look a hair long. They hang straighter and, thus longer on my torso. I can tell you from experience that some regs can look a bit short at our height. Depending on how tight its cut, I find 31.5-32 is the right range. The 35 is way too long. save the coin and buy the right cut. I have seen so many longs on eBay that I have wanted and have been tempted to buy--but I cure the urge by putting on one of my ill-advised long purchases.

 

[bengal-stripe]

Alan Flusser mentions in his books a neat little method that works, at least with me, very well. Measure from the base of the collar down to the floor and divide this measurement by two. That is the correct coat length for you.

 

[A Harris]

to make a longer, leaner line. I generally make most of coats on larger men(that of larger abdomen such as myself) 3/8 to 5/8 longer while dropping the button stance as to give a "slimming" effect. At 6'1" and 238 lbs, i need all the slimming effect I can use.

That makes sense. Would you use the same rule for someone with an average-to-slim build though?

 

[bestmastertailor]

On average to slim build men I generally fall back to 1" below the curvature of the seat. That said, I am talking about classic modeled clothing. I make garments for many entertainers, NFL and NBA clients and the coat length rule is thrown out of the window as are several other design rules and formulas that have been ingrained in me since I was a child.