Fit Question

[Bucket]

I notice when people share 'fit' pictures, they usually are standing with their arms at their side. We tend to judge fit by where the sleeve fall at the wrist / hand, length of the jacket and where the jacket falls on the shoulders.

My struggle is that I can usually find a jacket that fits trim, and falls where desired when standing still, however, I find that when extending my arms, outward (forward or to the side) or above my head, the sleeves tend to ride up my arms. This only seems to be noticeable in my leather jackets, and not so much in any other cloth or textile jacket. I'm not a real patient person and tend to make quick decisions, maybe I need to let my jackets break in more.

Is this normal? Anyone else experience this issue?

Thanks!

 

[Fanch]

It is normal for sleeves to ride up when extending arms or reaching up. This can be moderated with an "action back" and gusseted underarms such as with a G-1 that generally has soft goatskin anyhow.

 

[Bucket]

It is normal for sleeves to ride up when extending arms or reaching up. This can be moderated with an "action back" and gusseted underarms such as with a G-1 that generally has soft goatskin anyhow.

This could also contribute to my issues, I tend to prefer non-action backs or gussets. So the back of the jacket is very smooth and clean, but tends to limit extension of the sleeves.

 

[Fanch]

True that ^^^^^^

 

[Carlos840]

All my jackets do that to some extent. Nothing you can do about it.
Unless you can get a 100% custom fit, and even then i am pretty sure doing the zombie walk will still make the sleeves ride up.

Find what you like best, i like shorter sleeves, maybe a little below the wrist bone. Some people want the sleeves to touch the first knuckle of the thumb. Personally i find that far too long.
It's all about finding the right compromise between the sleeves not being too long when by your side, and not too short when extended.
Once you know what works for you you'll stop worrying about it.

 

[handymike]

I tend to like my sleeves a bit longer because I wear my jackets while working. I'm a photographer, and there's nothing worse IMHO than a jacket that rides up and leaves my forearms freezing while I'm holding a camera.

 

[Monitor]

Leather jackets are really uncomfortable for photography.

 

[handymike]

You're right- a NorthFace is much more comfy, but not 1/4 as cool!

 

[Bern1]

Cool rules!

 

[Smithy]

Any plain back, non-gusseted jacket will ride up if you stick your arms up or straight out, even fabric jackets and especially if it's relatively trim. It's just it's more noticeable with leather jackets because of the heft of the material. Low arm holes also contribute to this and in my opinion make the problem much worse. I absolutely hate low arm holes.

So long as the jacket is a good design and is the proper fit they shouldn't shoot halfway up your forearms. If it's just a small movement up the arm when you stick your arms out or up that's entirely normal and really shouldn't be a problem - unless you wander around all day with your arms up in the air or, as Carlos said, are a zombie ;-)

 

[bn1966]

All my jackets do that to some extent. Nothing you can do about it.
Unless you can get a 100% custom fit, and even then i am pretty sure doing the zombie walk will still make the sleeves ride up.

Find what you like best, i like shorter sleeves, maybe a little below the wrist bone. Some people want the sleeves to touch the first knuckle of the thumb. Personally i find that far too long.
It's all about finding the right compromise between the sleeves not being too long when by your side, and not too short when extended.
Once you know what works for you you'll stop worrying about it.

I'm with Carlos on this one (can't stand long sleeves!), action backs (Bi-swings) can reduce sleeve ride a bit, my favourite leather is an ELC RW that fits like a glove and always rides up when I reach for the Bike bars or steering wheel

 

[Fanch]

My sweet spot for sleeves is halfway between the wrist joint and the thumb knuckle. Neither too long nor too short.

 

[thor]

My sweet spot for sleeves is halfway between the wrist joint and the thumb knuckle. Neither too long nor too short.

+1

 

[Peacoat]

Any plain back, non-gusseted jacket will ride up if you stick your arms up or straight out, even fabric jackets and especially if it's relatively trim. It's just it's more noticeable with leather jackets because of the heft of the material. Low arm holes also contribute to this and in my opinion make the problem much worse. I absolutely hate low arm holes.

Yes, The low armholes are a major contributor to sleeve ride up. Most of the high end manufacturers that we discuss on this forum place the armholes high enough that ride up is minimized.

And I agree with Fanch as to where the cuff should end.

 

[handymike]

Although, you need slightly longer sleeves to get those SWEET creases!

 

[Lord LALA]

I'm drawing up the specs for my Aero Board Racer (Vicenza) with gussetted shoulders and have a question regarding the sleeve length. I'm not planning to do much more than drive the car and shake a few hands, so I don't want any excess length.

Peacoat and Fanch advise to have sleeve end "halfway between the wrist joint and thumb knuckle". Because I flunked out of med school in about the eight grade I'm unclear as to which is the thumb knuckle :>(

From the end of my thumb I have the tip, first joint, second joint, third joint and then the wrist joint.

Which joint are are you referring to as the "thumb knuckle"?

Above is a pic of my wrist and thumb. Will shortening the sleeve to the upper line allow for sleeve creasing without giving a too-long sleeve length? The lower line is where the fit jacket sleeve ended.

TIA for any comments...

 

[ProteinNerd]

I'd go the point you indicated closer to your wrist rather than the very long point closer to your fingers. Sure its good to have decent length sleeves but too long makes it look like you took your dads jacket.

Sleeve length is very personal though, some here like really long sleeves, others not so much. I like it to hit just where your hand starts to widen out after your wrist. The point you indicated should allow some creasing and still hit at this point.

 

[handymike]

Here's where mine ended up after creasing a bit.

it started at that 1st joint/ knuckle 1/4" down.

 

[Peacoat]

Lord LaLa said: "From the end of my thumb I have the tip, first joint, second joint, third joint and then the wrist joint." Fanch and I were refering to what you count as the second joint after the tip. We both have long arms, and have been sensitive to short sleeves all of our lives. Handy Mike gives a picture of what I consider to be a good sleeve length for me. It is just a tad longer than 1/2 way from the wrist joint to the thumb joint, but it is a good length (for me).