Phineas Cole Fall 2013

Depending on certain details, the expanse lying between simply dressing and being well-dressed can be great, or it can be small. Again, that is largely dependent upon the quiet details that are contained within a gentleman’s presentation. Today, we are going to take a quick glance at the suit jacket sleeve. Sometimes, a gentleman’s sleeves will either be too short or too long. A majority of the time, the sleeve is too long. Generally, conventional advice from credible style aficionados dictate a sleeve length that exposes 1/4 to 1/2 inches of your dress shirt cuff. Now, a reputable tailor should be able to eyeball the appropriate measurement and tailor accordingly. However, to provide some visual assurance to yourself, there are two anatomical guides that should ensure the proper sleeve length. First, the cuff of your dress shirt should extend all the way to the base of your palm. Second, locate the bony, circular knobs on the outside of both wrists – that’s a part of your carpus, the cluster of bones that comprise the wrist – this is where your suit sleeve should hit, depending on your tastes and anatomy. Utilizing both of those physical markers, a gentleman should be able to achieve the correct length of his suit jacket sleeve.