How long should dress shirt sleeves be

A common dilemma when getting measured for a shirt is how long should the sleeves be. Often when clients order a shirt, they show us their current shirt and ask for an opinion on whether it is too long, too short or in any event determining the proper sleeve length for their dress shirt. It’s important to note that the sleeve won’t appear to be the same length as you bend your arm. The sleeve will be longest when your arms are outstretched and down.

There are a few heuristics for determining if a shirt sleeve is too long or too short. Visually if the sleeve fabric has excessive folds and creases on the sleeve or if it looks baggy, that would imply that the sleeve is too long. On the other hand, when your arm is outstretched, if your sleeve is above the wrist then it is too short. When you move your arms, if you notice pulling or bunching around the biceps or if the cuff does not sit on the wrist, then it is too tight. The biceps are where you are most likely to feel if the sleeves are too tight. Hence, this is why ill-fitted shirts tend to rip at the elbows. Whereas when too long it will either go past the wrist and cover most of the hand, the fabric gathers and hands loosely. As a rule of thumb (excuse the pun), the shirt sleeve should end towards the top of your wrist at the root of your thumb. This gives you a little wiggle room so that when you bend your arms your shirt doesn’t recede too far up your arm.

Shirt sleeve is too long. You can tell because the fabric gathers on both sides and looks baggy.

Length is not the only variable determining if your shirt feels too short. The circumference of the upper arm which tapers of as you move from the elbow to the cuff is also a factor. The correct circumference will allow for movement and bending of the arm without stressing the fabric or leading to excessive bagginess. Two people might have the same arm length but different bicep widths which can stress the fabric at the elbows. This is particular true for muscular individuals and body builders who typically need a wider upper arm circumference. Our made to measure service works with you to craft a circumference and sleeve length that is ideal for your arm.

There are a few other methods that can be applied to determine the correct shirt sleeve length. One of those if comparing where the shirt sleeve falls relative to a jacket. Assuming the jacket is the correct size you want about half an inch of the shirt sleeve to be visible. If the shirt sleeve is entirely hidden by the jacket, then the sleeves are too short. Dress shirts are a centerpiece of men’s fashion and any jacket should complement rather than hide your shirt. The cuffs are one of the more ornamental areas of a shirt and thus are worth displaying. This is especially true when wearing cuff links since you want the cuff links to be visible. Likewise, if the entire cuff protrudes past the jacket sleeve it creates an uncouth look. Ideally you want about half an inch of the cuff to be visible when wearing a jacket. The same goes for those who like to wear a sweater and want their cuffs to still be visible. As far as sweaters are concerned, this is why V-necks can often do more justice than crew necks since they let you showcase the collar and tie whereas a crew-neck hides most of the collar.

This dress shirt sleeve is too tight. You can tell because the fabric bunches on one inside of the elbow whilst being fully stretched and stressed on the outside.

A more practical test of whether your dress shirt sleeves are too long is washing your hands. If when washing your hands, your cuff keeps getting splashed with water then the sleeves are likely too long. You should be able to wash your hands without getting your sleeves wet. This is because when you wash your hands your arms you have to bend your arms quite a bit and so the cuffs should recede a little bit away from the wrist.  

You should use the same sleeve length measurements for both barrel cuffs and French cuffs. The cuff type should not affect the sleeve length. French cuffs can appear a little bulkier since the fabric is folded back but this is visual and does not affect the actual cuffs. It would be also be rather impractical to shop for shirts with different measurements depending on the cuff type.

If you are a watch collector it’s likely that buying a shirt is the process of matching a shirt to a particular watch. When wearing a watch with your dress shirts, half the watch should be visible. If you monogram your cuff, you’ll want the monogram to be right above the watch. We offer monogramming on all our shirt and map the style (classic or modern), color and position based on the customer’s preferences. This creates a sense of symmetry. Some folks when wearing a two-button cuff, they will only button the second button on the sleeve they wear the watch in order to allow room for the watch. This is not ideal as it detracts from a crisp and polished look. Instead, we can make the cuff you wear the watch on 1cm wider than the other cuff. Adding a watch allowance is a customization we offer on all shirts we make. Most clients wear their watch on the left arm but we can support a watch allowance on either the right cuff or the left cuff depending on the client’s preference. As different watches vary in terms of thickness of the strap, size of the case and whether they have a bezel and crown we work with clients to craft wider cuffs that work with their favorite watch piece. If you have an existing shirt where the cuff is the wrong size for your watch, we can sew a new cuff on in a different size and even add a monogram for you.

To summarize how long your dress shirt sleeves should be, when outstretched your dress shirt sleeve should reach the root of your thumb and you should be able to comfortably bend your arms without excessive creasing of fabric of bagginess. We work with you to calibrate the sleeve length, upper arm circumference and sleeve tapper to ensure your shirt sleeves are the proper length.