To alter the suit jacket sleeve length, either to make it shorter or longer, requires the tailor to open the entire sleeve lining. So to begin we’re gonna pop off all of the buttons and get the lining separated from the suit jacket sleeve at the opening of the cuff and dive right in to altering this length.
In this post
Can suit sleeve length be altered?
Yes. Bottom line: A sleeve length or width alteration is money well spent. Keep in mind that there is a significant cost difference depending on whether you have functioning button holes (a.k.a. surgeon’s cuffs) or not. Be sure to check out our suit alterations price guide for a breakdown.
Can suit jacket sleeves be shortened?
3.2 Sleeve Shortening
There’s just no extra fabric to do so. However you can shorten them up to 8 cm usually if they are too long. I would not recommend doing this unless you wash them a few times first. This is due to the fact that shirts can shrink up to 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) after a few washes.
Can you lengthen suit jacket sleeves?
Pretty much everything can be altered in a suit except the shoulders. Obviously the jacket cannot be lengthened; but the sleeves can be lengthened or shortened, the waist taken in or let out (both trouser and jacket), the crotch taken out/in and the trouser legs lengthened/shortened.
Can tailors shorten suit sleeves?
Narrowing, Lengthening, and Shortening Sleeves – YES
Narrowing ones that are too large around the arms is an easy alteration. Making sleeves slightly longer or shorter, say by a 1/2″ or so, is also a fairly routine procedure.
How much does it cost to shorten suit sleeves?
2 – Sleeve length shortening / lengthening
Depending on whether the jacket sleeve can be taken up/down from the end or from the shoulder, adjusting the sleeve length can be cheap or expensive. Expect to pay from $30 to $60 to adjust from the end and in the range of $100 to adjust from the shoulder.
Can you lengthen a suit jacket?
To lengthen a jacket, you need extra fabric sewn and hidden in the interior lining. Good custom-made suits have a fairly substantial hem that gives a bit of leeway to lengthen. Unfortunately, most off-the-rack jackets don’t have this excess fabric.
How much does it cost to shorten a suit jacket?
Suit jacket alteration costs
| Alteration | Price |
|---|---|
| Shorten/lengthen sleeves | $60 |
| Shorten/lengthen sleeves | $150 |
| Let out/take in side seams | $65 |
| Let out/take in back seam | $55 |
What length should jacket sleeves be?
Answer: Your suit jacket/blazer sleeve should end right above the top of your wrist bone (or the hinge of your wrist). However, in order to show the proper amount of dress shirt cuff based on the correct suit jacket sleeve length, your shirt sleeve length must obviously fit correctly.
How long should men’s coat sleeves be?
Suits and Sportcoats
Your suit jackets and sportcoats should have their sleeves fall between a quarter of an inch and three-quarters of an inch above your shirt sleeves. Anything longer is going to make you look like your suit is a size (or two) too big.
How long should a men’s suit jacket be?
Many old school tailors follow this rule because they feel that irrespective of the individual body proportions, a suit jacket should always account for one half of the visual suit length.