New RTW suit with different length sleeves?

[mxmlitvinov]

Last week I ordered a new linen Etro suit from Yoox. Not too expensive, but certainly not suspiciously cheap.

Today I went to the tailor to get it adjusted - mainly to have the pants taken out an inch or so. While I was there I tried on the jacket properly for the first time and noticed the sleeves were too long. On closer examination though, the right sleeve was about 1.5cm too long for me, and the left sleeve about .5-1cm too long. The tailor pointed this out and said he'd adjust things accordingly and, somewhat in a trance, I agreed - I verified to myself that the jacket was on straight and my posture was okay and, sure enough, the sleeves came to a different length. He said my arms must be a different length and I decided this sounded fair enough - after all, I know people do have asymmetrical bodies.

After getting home it only really struck me a few hours later - though I've only worn one or two other suits, I never noticed an issue with different arm lengths before. So I tried on various suits and jackets in the wardrobe and couldn't replicate the problem.

I anxiously went back to the tailor and he'd discovered the problem already - the sleeve length on one side of the suit was about 0.7cm longer than on the other. Not particularly noticeable unless you put it on and look. Anyway, this was a new suit as far as I can tell - with tags in trousers and jacket, extra buttons, from Etro via Yoox, no sign of alterations previously, unhemmed and not looking as though it had been made to measure for some asymmetrical 38R before being abandoned. The two cuffs were also the same - same distance from cuff to lining, same distance from cuff to buttons - in short, the jacket had been made like that and not adjusted.

Is this weird or common? The suit looks good and fits well, but I'm surprised to find a new suit with different lengths to the sleeves.

 

[binge]

Wait...what?

1. Put the jacket on.
   
2. Have your tailor pin the cuffs at the right length for each arm.
   
3. Pick it up with the sleeve adjusted in a few days.
   
4. Profit!

 

[Finsen]

So, the difference in length between those two sleeves is 0.7cm. Where was the suit made in? I would guess it's a manufacturing error that escaped QC?

 

[mxmlitvinov]

I get every step (and am implementing every step) bar the 'profit' one, which I don't understand...

[1] I bought the suit, I intend to wear it.
[2] It wasn't marked down for having different sleeve lengths.
[3] I do have to change the sleeve lengths (which = loss on the original price), but since both the shorter and longer sleeve need taking up anyhow, I'm not at a loss over standard alterations because of the different sleeve lengths.

Just curious as to how rarely inconsistencies like this turn up in RTW clothing.

So, the difference in length between those two sleeves is 0.7cm. Where was the suit made in? I would guess it's a manufacturing error that escaped QC?

I haven't checked around for tags and the jacket's at the tailors now, but since it's Etro I'm presuming it was made in Italy. I suppose it did get through QC though.

 

[ramuman]

A lot of people have one arm longer than the other. Usually, this is the dominant arm.

 

[binge]

What's the problem?

You bought a jacket.
Both sleeves need to be altered, which is almost always the case.

Who cares if they are 0.7cm different in length?

 

[mxmlitvinov]

I'm not so much perturbed by it as curious - is such an inconsistency very rare or is it really all too common?

 

[binge]

No one cares to notice one way or the other.

 

[mxmlitvinov]

I'm obviously less apathetic than the average bear.