When are leather jacket sleeves too long on a short man?

[josepidal]

Let’s say you are a short man (below 5’ 6”) and you want to buy a minimalist racer type jacket that has high quality but very soft leather like lamb. Most jackets will have sleeves that run long and the leather is prone to stacking on the arms.

How do you know when sleeves are too long in this context and should the man be sensitive to this even if the torso length looks okay? Is there more room for error if the jacker has elasticated ribbed ends on the sleeves?

Curious for advice

 

[Texasmade]

It's too long when the sleeves are annoying you.

IMO, you'll have slightly more room for error if the ends are ribbed and elasticated but I'm talking maybe 1/2 inch. If it's too long you'll still have a a lot of bunching.

I have a bespoke leather jacket from Savas in Nashville. Cost was like $7k. It was ridiculously expensive but it was worth it to me. I'm sure you could do a MtM from Savas for several $1000's less than a bespoke.

SAVAS

SAVAS creates luxury leather jacket and footwear, made from the finest hides and furs in the world. It is steeped in a tradition all its own, where classical tailoring blends with unique materials to create heirloom handmade garments that will last for your lifetime.

www.ateliersavas.com

 

[J.A.G]

There are certainly advantages to buying bespoke or MTM to get the best fit of any piece of clothing. But if it is just a matter of shortening sleeves, any tailor who can work with leather can do this. Finding a RTW leather coat you like, and using a good local tailor to shorten sleeves, is a lot more cost effective and will get you out the door sooner.

 

[josepidal]

And as an aside, you have less room for error for the length of the jacket itself right? not longer than the bottom of your belt and should not be covering your butt? Any rule of thumb for when it's too long when sitting down?

 

[Harwid]

And as an aside, you have less room for error for the length of the jacket itself right? not longer than the bottom of your belt and should not be covering your butt? Any rule of thumb for when it's too long when sitting down?

I have 5 leather jackets that I love including a Kiton and a Gucci green. Don’t get hung up on someone’s rules about length. I just try the jacket on and see how it looks and feels. Depends on the jacket cut also.

I am tall so I am sensitive to short arms - drive me crazy.

I just measured all 5 jackets while wearing jeans. At first I was not zipping them up and realized that is not the best way. Zipped they were all around 2-3 inches below the bottom of my belt. So they would be farther below the belt for a person of average height or shorter. They hung lower unzipped.

I feel great and confident in all 5 jackets. That is good enough for me.

4 of them are 10 years old and look like new. 2 from NM sales, 2 from NM Last Call and I from a huge sale at Nordstrom.

Jeff