Sleeves too long
I was complaining recently about shirts not fitting because the sleeves are too long, and I was asked to post some pics.
I am 5'10", 165 lbs. I generally wear a size medium in shirts, or 16/33 for dress shirts. I think this is pretty average (I'm not unusually short/tall/skinny/etc.)
Pic #1 is me in a J. Crew OCBD, size Medium. The sleeves are too long. Most shirts in size Medium fit like this, regardless of brand. I have the same issue with jackets.
Pic #2 is a PRL "Classic fit" OCBD, size 16/32-33. This shirt fits me well, I think.
Pic #3 is a Uniqlo flannel, size Small. This fits me well, but I don't usually fit into a size small.
Pic #4 and 5 is a J. Crew poplin, size Medium, with the sleeves shortened by a tailor. Now the placket is very short, and the button is in an odd position.
(Please ignore the rest of the outfit -- I took these before going to my woodshop)
My options seem to be:
1. Live with sleeves being too long. Apart from aesthetics, this is annoying and uncomfortable for me.
2. Buy shirts with collar + sleeve sizes. This limits my options for casual shirts to, basically, OCBDs in a limited range of colors and patterns (white/blue/pink, solid/stripes, with rare exceptions)
3. Get the sleeves shortened, and accept that the placket button will be in the wrong place (unless I limit myself to shirts without placket buttons)
4. Get shirts custom made. Expensive!
5. Get my arms lengthened? 😆
What do you think I should do?
(As a side note, my hypothesis is that mass-market shirts are deliberately cut with the sleeves a bit long, to accommodate the greatest range of body shapes, because it's much more noticeable and problematic if the sleeves are too short.)
(Also, note that of course all of these shirts are blue, per my avatar 😁 )
26 Replies
how about rolling the sleeves up?
I do that sometimes, especially in the summer. But when I'm wearing a jacket over it, that isn't an option
And I think that's basically a special case of 1) live with shirts that don't fit me.
I would say apart from first one, they look absolutely fine
Yes, that is exactly the point, because the vast majority of shirts fit like #1
oh sorry . okay so my opinion is still special case of 1, rolling them up slightly is okay
I think option 2 doesn't necessarily limit you to specific shirts. What kind of non OCBD casual shirts are you looking for?
(cause that PRL shirt fit is on point)
Also, I'd like to see you post a few inspo pictures of people wearing casual non OCBD shirts that you think looks good - the styles you're trying to emulate. It'd help us answer your question and know what you're going for
Everything. Paisley, jacquard, floral, weird colors, interesting fabrics. Even just a warm Viyella or Pendleton.
Get the buttons moved so the cuff is tight enough to sit where you want it instead of hanging loosely
I think the sleeve placket button being weird is an invented problem - I don’t think this is an actual problem
Just want to add that sleeves can totally be shortened while keeping the placket length the same by simply moving the placket and button up if it bothers you
I have done it myself. It's possible a tailor would charge a little more for this but it's doable
Yes, this is a good idea. It doesn't work well with a jacket, though. You end up with 5" of cuff showing when you move your arm.
That's interesting! How do they do it? Cut the sleeve fabric to extend the placket?
Yeah, looking at the pic, I agree it's not a major problem.
I'm not sure I understand? I've never had a problem and more shirt sleeve is suppose to show when you lift your arms unless you wanna go bespoke
If the shirt sleeves are too long, when you move your arm the jacket will ride up your arm a bit, but the shirt sleeve will still be at your wrist, because of the extra sleeve length. I'll try to post a pic later.
I guess I'll see what the pics look like but I suspect this is just going to be how it is to wear clothes and I'd rather spend the <$10 to move the button (or diy) rather than at least hundreds on custom shirts
Yes, that probably is the best option.
Yeah exactly! Remove cuff and placket, shorten sleeve, extend slit by the same amount, replace placket, replace cuff.
Ok, that's great to know. I got the sleeve shortened by my dry cleaner, who I like, but it sounds like I need to take shirts to a proper tailor.
@jfarrell468 I still want to see you post some inspo so I can offer better recs or better tailor (ha) my advice
but I still want you to know that you can buy patterned / colorful shirts in neck and sleeve size which won't require getting the sleeves shortened example ebay search
I'll see what I can come up with. I still find it tricky to find inspo, in part because I am still learning and don't always trust my eye.
I'm also sort of torn. I like weird, colorful stuff, but I also like ivy. But I think the obvious intersection, GTH, is usually pretty cringe.
I think I found your next shirt https://www.ebay.com/itm/204638085799
eBay
Vintage Wrangler Western Long Tails Stripe Pearl Snap Shirt Multico...
Vintage Wrangler Western Long Tails Stripe Pearl Snap Shirt Multicolor 16X33 USA. Condition is Pre-owned. Shipped with USPS Ground Advantage.
this is why I want you to think about what you want to be doing with these shirts
I think if you just threw a super loud paisley shirt into an ivy fit with a tweed sport coat and flannel trousers and loafers it wouldn't be great (happy to be proven wrong)
but the collars of a super loud paisley shirt poking out from a shetland? that could be fun
I saw a lot of interesting shirts with neck and sleeve sizes (as well as custom shirts) at the thrifts yesterday even (and not just dress shirts/ocbds)
A good and affordable tailor is invaluable
Custom shirts ain't cheap. I paid $200 for my bespoke ocbd and I'm very hard to size (smaller than 14.5 neck size, was measured as under 14 tho I don't mind wearing a too big collar for casual shirts). Proper cloth is cheaper tho online MTM sounds scary. The fromsquallertoballer blog and Derek guy are big fans of their flannels for example.
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Some nice shirt inspo from the guy I got the ocbd from!
I didn't express myself clearly, and I apologize. The reason I started this thread is that I want my shirts to fit, whatever their style. I like tweedy, ivy stuff, but I also I like paisleys, bright colors, etc. I'm not trying to combine them. I can find traditional OCBDs that fit me well, but I don't want all my shirts to be like that.
It sounds like my best option is to find a good tailor to shorten the sleeves, and generally try to avoid shirts with buttons on the placket.