Regular vs. Short jacket

[carldelo]

I'm wondering what would be the differences between a 46R and a 46S jacket. I know the sleeves and skirt will be shorter, but by how much? I have a memory that the difference in sleeve length is a couple inches (which will work fine for me), but don't know the length difference. If anyone has a link to a detailed chart of jacket sizing, I would be interested to see it. I know I've seen a diagram of the difference in jacket lengths, but can't remember where that was.
Thanks

 

[Tomasso]

I was once told by a Hickey-Freeman exec that there is an inch and a half difference between lengths. Mind you, actual lengths can vary between different manufacturers (even different models by the same manufacturer).

 

[carldelo]

Thanks A.C. - that amount might be about right for me - worth a try anyway.

 

[Fifty150]

I always thought that regular length suits were for men 5'8" - 6'.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I'm wondering what would be the differences between a 46R and a 46S jacket. I know the sleeves and skirt will be shorter, but by how much? I have a memory that the difference in sleeve length is a couple inches (which will work fine for me), but don't know the length difference. If anyone has a link to a detailed chart of jacket sizing, I would be interested to see it. I know I've seen a diagram of the difference in jacket lengths, but can't remember where that was.
Thanks

I think for some real difference that you will see is that a regular jacket sized coat is about the "average size" length for men that are from about 5' 8" to about 6' tall. In general the sleeves will be in the neighborhood of 25 inches long from the shoulder. The short jacket sizes are portioned for shorter men and the sleeves are about 23 inches long from the shoulder. Now the tall size jackets are for tall men, the sleeves can be as long as 28 inches or longer. It all depends on if the suit/jacket coat was "tailored" or off the rack. A person can buy a size say, 40L and have the sleeves shortened but the length of the coat may be so long that the bottom button is about down to past your crotch. Unless of course you are a taller man and would need the long size.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I always thought that regular length suits were for men 5'8" - 6'.

I think you are very correct.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I was once told by a Hickey-Freeman exec that there is an inch and a half difference between lengths. Mind you, actual lengths can vary between different manufacturers (even different models by the same manufacturer).

Yes that is very true and yes the maker of the jacket makes a big difference in over all length. I have a few "regular" size jackets that are almost too short on me, and I am not a really tall person, a hair under 6 foot.

 

[carldelo]

I always thought that regular length suits were for men 5'8" - 6'.

Well, that's what every sizing chart I've read says. But there's no mention of arm length, torso length, etc. I'm 5-8.5" tall, and have shortish arms, so Reg jackets, which I've always worn, need the sleeves taken up a quite a bit. I'm wondering if a Short jacket will perhaps need less or no sleeve tailoring, and still fit overall lengthwise. I could loose an inch off the length of most of my jackets, I think. I have a Short jacket on order, so should know the answer in a week or so.

 

[Fifty150]

Standing over 5'8", a short jacket may be too short in the body. The jacket length may only come down to your hips and only cover half your butt.

 

[Feraud]

Well, that's what every sizing chart I've read says. But there's no mention of arm length, torso length, etc. I'm 5-8.5" tall, and have shortish arms, so Reg jackets, which I've always worn, need the sleeves taken up a quite a bit. I'm wondering if a Short jacket will perhaps need less or no sleeve tailoring, and still fit overall lengthwise. I could loose an inch off the length of most of my jackets, I think. I have a Short jacket on order, so should know the answer in a week or so.

I think a regular length should fit you fine. To shorten the sleeves is a minor job for your local tailor.

 

[carldelo]

I think a regular length should fit you fine. To shorten the sleeves is a minor job for your local tailor.

Yes, yes, my Regular suits and sports jackets do fit me fine - I wear a jacket every day and have a closet full - and all have been tailored in the sleeves. But my question was whether a Short jacket would fit me as well, as I am at the low end of the recommended height range for a Regular.

Standing over 5'8", a short jacket may be too short in the body. The jacket length may only come down to your hips and only cover half your butt.

This was always my assumption - but having seen some 46S jackets on clearance, I was wondering if it was really true. So to find out, I ordered a 46S three-button sport jacket from PF - I already have one in size 46R that I bought from PF a few weeks ago for direct comparison. I was also able to compare it to the other eight 46R sport jackets in my closet.

So here's what I found out - the 46S jacket from PF is 31" long from the bottom of the collar to the bottom of the jacket skirt. It is exactly 1" shorter than the 46R from PF. So for this designer, the length difference is only 1". Wearing the 46S, it doesn't seem particularly short to me. The nine 46R jackets have lengths in the range of 31-3/8" to 32-1/2", with a mean length of 31-3/4". The shortest one is from HSM and I've been wearing it for a few years, so I know it looks and fits correctly. It extremely similar in fit to the PF.

The sleeve length of the 46S seemed to be about 2" less than the 46R, but I can't be sure because the sleeves of the 46R have already been shortened. In any case, for me the 46S sleeves still need to be shortened, but only about 1-1/4" or so.

The last thing I checked was the location of the buttons. I measured the location of the top button hole on each jacket, but the measurements were less useful than just checking where the jacket closed in relation to the buttons on the shirt I was wearing. To my surprise, all ten jackets had a top closure within an inch or so of each other. In particular, the PF 46R and 46S closed at exactly the same height. So the 46S is an inch shorter in the body, will require less sleeve tailoring, and that's about it.

So if you're around 5'8" or 5'9", have shirt sleeves in the 32"-34" range, and an inseam around 30", you may be able to use a Short jacket size. As a minor bonus, a 1" shorter jacket should make one's legs look 1" longer, which can't hurt any.