The correct sleeve length for shirts

One of our biggest problems in converting people from ready made shirts to tailor made is our customers perception of where their sleeves should go down to. Because with ready made shirts you are rarely given the option of sleeve lengths it follows that the sleeves are not the right length.

For gents with long arms it is instantly apparent if the sleeves are too short however for men with shorter arms they get used to having sleeves that are clearly too long. When you shirt sleeves are unbuttoned the cuff should rest half way between the webbing between your thumb and forefinger and your wrist, so approximately 1.5"-2.0" below the wrist itself.

When you do up your button or cufflink, the shirt should sit on your wrist with a small amount of slack in the lower part of the sleeve. If your shirt sleeve is flairing at the cuff and potentially resembling a pirate shirt then your sleeve is too long. On occasions customers will complain that when they are holding their arms out in front of them that the sleeves are riding up their arm. My answer to that is that unless you are writing on a whiteboard all day or if your job involves robotic dancing then your cuffs are probably the correct length.

To compound this problem ready made suits are generally cut longer in the arm to accommodate a larger range of sizes. As a result of the suit sleeve being too long customers will compensate by making a sleeve extra long so that their cuff protrudes slightly at the bottom. This not only creates the pirate shirt effect but can also result in the shirt sleeves falling over the hand (particularly on French cuffed shirts). Whilst this solves the problem of showing cuffs and also keeps your hands warm at the same time it does look a little silly. Suit sleeves should be cut about quarter of an inch above the wrist.

To measure sleeves correctly:

* Your arm should rest at your side, there will be a small angle for the natural bend.
* Start with the tape measure on top of the arm seam where the shoulder meets the arm.
* Take the tape down your arm stopping at the elbow.
* Then take the tape measure across your arm to between your wrist and webbing between your thumb and index finger.
* Check the measurement by measuring the sleeve of the shirt you are wearing

If you have bought ready made shirts before with much longer sleeve lengths it is because they use half of the shoulder measurement as well however this measurement style is not popular with tailored shirts.

Having said all of this our customers comfort is our number one priority so if you feel your shirt sleeves are too short then we will adjust them on your next order.

www.bawdenbespoke.com