Determining the "right" length for a man's suit jacket

[newkillerstar]

hey there!

i had 2 suits being made for me and although the jacket and the pants look pretty cool, i'm not sure about the length of the sack coat/jacket. the tailor told me to find out the perfect length, i should just drop my arms to a casual position, form a fist and the jacket should end right next to the fist...

i am 1,85cm and pretty slim...so i am worried that the jacket is too long. my estimate is that its 80cm long....from behind, it covers up my bottom and ends right under the bottom-cheeks

the tailor stated that this was the classic cut for a jacket.

i thought i could wear the jackets casually with jeans, but i'm used to shorter jackets....as of now i didnt even have a suit.

right now i'm confused...the suits are undergoing some minor changes, but the tailor said its not possible to alter the length of the jacket and its also unnecessary because the length is okay for a suit and it fits the proportions of my body....

am i just overreacting and is it true what the tailor says? am i just not used to wearing a classic cut suit? i just remember trying a suit at gucci (made to measure) and the jacket didnt feel as long as the ones i got at the tailor....

what do you think?

 

[softgrey]

what's a sack coat?


do you mean a blazer?..

 

[Street_a_Licious]

dearest newkillerstar: Sakko = Blazer. or at least Suit Jacket.

 

[newkillerstar]

lets call it blazer then....but keep in mind that its a suit, not just the blazer...

 

[Street_a_Licious]

you might be used to the Dior Homme look. what your tailor said is true and classic. anything shorter is very "trendy" and would possibly not stand the test of time. besides, it'd look shrunk.

you could also just get another blazer whichis shorter to wear for more casual outings.

 

[fashionista-ta]

If I were you, I'd go try on some suits off the rack with different jacket lengths & see how you feel about them. If you're having suits made for you, they should be what you want & what makes you comfortable. If that is something different from what is strictly classic & correct, that's OK

If you plan for these suits to be in heavy rotation, you may wear them out before they have to stand the test of time

 

[newkillerstar]

dearest newkillerstar: Sakko = Blazer. or at least Suit Jacket.

i'm not too good at technical terms i just wear clothes, i dont necessarily know the name of each and every piece
but thanks for clearing that up

anyway, i'm very curious right now as how my suits will finally look like...

and yes street-a-licious, i'm used to the dior homme look, as dior homme is one of my favourite labels out there (and it seems i'm one of the few people who like the new post-modern collection by kva as well)

usually i just wear jeans and a t-shirt, because if i dress up, especially in vienna, i feel like an alien (for example, i never ever wore my helmut lang "space"-pants...couldnt think of an appropriate occasion for this)

If I were you, I'd go try on some suits off the rack with different jacket lengths & see how you feel about them. If you're having suits made for you, they should be what you want & what makes you comfortable. If that is something different from what is strictly classic & correct, that's OK

If you plan for these suits to be in heavy rotation, you may wear them out before they have to stand the test of time

problem is: i'm very slim and tall...and i have broad shoulders (dont know if you say that in english...)...so i need to go up one size for my shoulders, but my body would require size 46/48....additionally i have very long arms. they are 2-3cm longer compared to an average guy my size so all the sleeves are too short. its very hard for me to find a perfect fitting jacket, so i decided to have them made. as for the suits, i wanted a classic cut, i just wasnt sure about the jackets length, because i've never been wearing suits before. up until now i was a student, so there was no need to put on fancy suits, even tough others did, but i was more of an alternative type of student (wearing dior homme *hrhr*)

 

[Bidwell]

As you have rather long arms, basing the length on such a formula proportion will give you a look that "feels" long too. The sleeve length is the more important thing. The body length is rather arbitrary based on fashion. The classic length has always bobbed up and down a bit. Long can look outdated and overly serious. Not really what I would want from a suit myself.
Try on a few suit jackets elsewhere and ask for the length that suits you best. Simple.
Going with a classic length may not be your style. Bespoke is made for you not for someone else afterall.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Bidwell, you said what I was trying to say but much better, thank you

star, thanks for explaining the details. Especially now that we know your arms are long, it seems especially inappropriate to use a formula for you. You may want to look into another tailor who has a more flexible mind But I still think you should determine the jacket length you want, and maybe have just one made to start, wear it for awhile and see how you like your choices. Then you can make adjustments with the next one if necessary.

And btw, "broad shoulders" is exactly how we say it

PS Don't forget that you can make your own "classic" ... that's a big part of personal style.

 

[g0rgiuz]

hello. i don't think there is any "right" length, you should definitely get yourself measured and figure out which length is most comfortable to you. since you are more used to a shorter length than classic, and you are lean and tall, you might as well go with the shorter length that suits you. something you are more comfortable with is sure to get more wear. maybe go a little shorter than what your tailor advises you to, instead of below bum cheeks try maybe try mid?