ModernTailor: Wrong Sleeve Length?

[JapanSalaryman]

So I ordered 2 100% cotton non-iron shirts on ModernTailor and spent >$100. I am actually starting a new job in Japan so wanted to buy some high quality shirts. I will be wearing a suit pretty much every day and facing customers.
I followed their instructions and measured carefully and this is what I got:













Instructions from Modern Tailor:


Is the shirt okay for me? Are the sleeves too long? If so, what should they be?
Did we follow the instructions from Modern Tailor correctly? Note that if we measure the shirt by curving around the elbows, it matches what I ordered (27.5" right, 28.5" left).

I want to look 100% sharp in Japan, so I want to ask ModernTailor to please remake it for me.

Thank you in advance! I am quite young and looking to learn about these clothes!

 

[dapperdoctor]

Clearly the sleeves are way too long. The shirt generally appears baggy and the shoulders and chest are a bit off. You would be better off with a slim fit OTR shirt that fits correctly.

 

[JapanSalaryman]

Thanks Dr. Dapper! I can't get it OTR because my size is soo rare (14/34-35)...!

What do you think my sleeve length should be? Did I measure correctly according to ModernTailor's guide or did I misread it?

 

[dapperdoctor]

The best way to use Modern Tailor is to find a perfect fitting shirt and either measure it carefully according to what they ask for OR mail them the shirt so they can copy it. If you use body measurements, chances are it will not come out right. I tried the body measurement method and did not have great results. If you have the time and the extra shirt to spare, mail it to them and have them use it as a template.

 

[JapanSalaryman]

Clearly the sleeves are way too long. The shirt generally appears baggy and the shoulders and chest are a bit off. You would be better off with a slim fit OTR shirt that fits correctly.

Thanks. Unfortunately I don't have any perfect fitting shirt being so young and abnormally shaped

At least, I want to re-order the shirt with better measurements. The shirt ordered above is slim fit.

I gave the below measurements to MT. Can you please give me a suggestion on how to adjust these?


Also, my mom re-measured me to be 27.5" R sleeve, 28" L sleeve, 36" hips, 34" waist, 32" chest, 13.5" neck, 18.4" shoulder.


I really appreciate your time and experience!

 

[dapperdoctor]

I would figure out exactly how long the sleeves are on this version and subtract that for the update. Don't forget to take into account and changes you make to the shoulder width, as this will affect the sleeve length too.

It's ultimately up to you to decide where you want your sleeves to end, but it should be at least an inch above the "v" where your thumb and index finger meet (most people prefer more than an inch I would think). It's really whatever is comfortable for you. It seems to me that with a 32" chest, an 18.4" shoulder might be wide. I would make sure that is really correct since you want the shoulder seam in a good place and not hanging off the sides.

Make sure the measurement from the base of your neck to the end of your sleeve (as a traditional dress shirt is measured) is equal to 1/2 of your shoulder measurement + your sleeve length from the modern tailor method. This should ensure a proper length of the sleeve.

Be careful with the neck, you generally want to make the shirt 1/2 inch larger than the actual measurement so you can button the top button comfortably and wear a tie.

Good luck.

 

[JapanSalaryman]

Thank you Dr! I will re-order the shirt and hopefully it comes out perfect this time!

 

[GBR]



Thank you Dr! I will re-order the shirt and hopefully it comes out perfect this time!

Hope is a wonderful thing for online MTM. Disappointment is more common.

 

[JapanSalaryman]

Okay, so I contacted Modern Tailor support. They were polite and helpful, but very slow at responding (like 3-5 days lag), but eventually they sent me a new shirt free of charge! The process took about a month.
I provided them a new size profile and they recreated one of my shirts.

At the end of the day, it is still too long... but shorter than before. Anyways, I put too much energy into that now; I'll accept what I got and use a real tailor next time.

Thank you again for your help!

 

[papa kot]

First of all, don't rush to judge the length of the shirt/sleeves until you wash it several times. Shirts/pants tend to shrink in length.

Secondly, you do not want your shirts to be too tight, especially if you spend a lot of time wearing a jacket on top of it, like you probably will do in Japan. In fact, when I go to Japan, I take my "I can spend a day in this shirt under a jacket and it will still be comfortable" shirts Quite a few of SF's readers are obsessed with a perfect fit of a shirt. I go with the ballpark and then cover it with a well cut jacket.

 

[JapanSalaryman]

First of all, don't rush to judge the length of the shirt/sleeves until you wash it several times. Shirts/pants tend to shrink in length.

Secondly, you do not want your shirts to be too tight, especially if you spend a lot of time wearing a jacket on top of it, like you probably will do in Japan. In fact, when I go to Japan, I take my "I can spend a day in this shirt under a jacket and it will still be comfortable" shirts Quite a few of SF's readers are obsessed with a perfect fit of a shirt. I go with the ballpark and then cover it with a well cut jacket.

Thank you for this helpful reply!

 

[TCombel]

I'm late on this thread (and new to this site), but just went through something similar with Overhemdfabriek. What was ultimately helpful in getting a good fitting shirt is that AFTER my first shirt and my complaints, they sent me their design guidelines that listed the allowances in all measurements for three cuts at typical sizes. With that, I was able to adjust my measurements also using one of m better fitting shirts. My second shirt is probably the best fitting shirt I own.

But as for your problem, it appears that initially, your shoulder width was far too large. I like the shoulder seam right at the edge of my shoulder bones (and I have more meat than typical past this point). This is also critical so that when you reach up, your shirt doesn't become grossly un-tucked. Dapperdoctor's statement of measurement from your neck to wrist is exactly correct. For that matter, full measurement from wrist to wrist is 2x sleeve + shoulder. If the sum of your measurements don't match this single measurement, you're going to have a problem. But I would say that nailing shoulder width is the more critical of these measurements as shoulder fit affects how you feel in the shirt more so that sleeve length. Even if sleeve length is the more visible measurement when wearing a coat.

So anyway, maybe this will help you if in the future you try the mail order thing again.

 

[JapanSalaryman]

Thank you TCombel! I'll keep the shoulder width having to do with comfort in mind.

 

[TCombel]

Thank you TCombel! I'll keep the shoulder width having to do with comfort in mind.

Certainly. And please post any web based custom shirt makers you run across.