What are differences among lengths of a jacket?

[DMully]

Cool forum. Lot of info. I'm enjoying it.

I know about Short, Regular and Long jackets, but I've also seen Medium Long and Extra Long. Are these the only 5 lengths that a jacket comes in? The latter two are probably not that common? Do all these lengths come in standard measurements or does it very by manufacturer? I barely ever see Med-Long jackets but usually only the S, R, and L.

Thanks.

Mully.

 

[Holdfast]

You sometimes come across an XS too.

What they actually mean varies a bit from maker to maker. You have no choice but to try the different sizes on and see which works for you. Although it's a bit more consistent than shoe sizing, I find that sometimes a short works perfectly for me and sometimes it needs shortening a further third of an inch!

 

[Jared]

Random facts: A tailor can make a jacket shorter, but rarely longer. For most cuts, changing the jacket length by more than an inch will throw off the button placement. Short jackets are currently fashionable.

 

[j]

Paul Stuart has, I believe, Short, Regular, Semi-Long (or Semi-Tall), Long (ditto) and Extra Long (etc.) available.

The most standard length for a Regular length jacket is 30.5" and for a Tall 32". Shorts are around 29.5-30" IIRC. But these measurements vary between makers, styles, eras, etc. Jackets got long in the 50s, short in the 60s, longer in the 70s, etc.