Sleeve Cap Puckering

[Rathko]

A question for the tailors among us:

Something I've always thought was the sign of a cheap and poorly made suit coat was puckering in the sleeve cap. I see it a lot on suits in my office building and it always looks ugly. And yet my father-in-law owns several Brioni suits and they all display obvious puckering, which makes me question my disdain.

When is puckering a flaw, and when is it an intentional result of a tailor creating a soft shoulder?

-JAMES

 

[Tomasso]

A question for the tailors among us:

This will narrow responses significantly.

 

[Rathko]

Then allow me to rephrase - a question for those far more knowledgeable than I about such things (which widens the field immensely, trust me):

When is sleeve cap puckering a flaw, and when is it an intentional result of a tailor creating a soft shoulder?

-JAMES

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's a flaw when neither you nor the tailor want it to pucker.

There are a few designs in which the suit has puckered sleeve heads in order to give a more relaxed look though I think in many cases like with the Brioni suits, it can just be thin fabric giving in to the pressures of being a suit.

Here's nice roped shoulder for your viewing pleasure.

Let's see what the tailors say.

 

[Tomasso]

When is puckering a flaw ?

when is it an intentional result of a tailor creating a soft shoulder?

 

[iammatt]

Basically what Tomasso said. Anything horizontal is automatically wrong, and vertical puckering depends on intent. Brioni does not, as far as I know, intend to have puckering on their sleeve caps. It is not their way.

 

[Orgetorix]

Is there a common cause of the horizontal pucker, and can anything be done to fix it?

 

[iammatt]

Is there a common cause of the horizontal pucker, and can anything be done to fix it?

Usually it comes from too tight a shoulder or sleeves that are hung wrong for the wearer. The first isn't fixable, the second is, but it isn't easy to do.

 

[manton]

the second is, but it isn't easy to do.

It's not hard, it's just a PitA. You have to take the sleeve completely out and reset it. Tailors don't like do-overs.

I like that brown chalk stripe.

 

[iammatt]

It's not hard, it's just a PitA. You have to take the sleeve completely out and reset it. Tailors don't like do-overs.

I like that brown chalk stripe.

I like it too, even though it is gray.

 

[Jovan]

The second picture is much more aesthetically pleasing. The cheap suit I used to have had a problem there... unsurprising of course.

 

[cookie]

Puckering

I had a couple of suits from an Italian bespoke tailor and this happened and my alterations guy found it near impossible to rectify the problem. But how many expensive suits have this problem....many from my observation.[huh] [huh]

 

[Jovan]

cookie: It's probably the way it was made, as pointed out by Tomasso above. The Italians love drape and soft construction. A few suits from the '30s or '40s have a LOT more drape on the shoulders -- and this is in the catalogue illustrations!

 

[manton]

I like it too, even though it is gray.

It's brown:

 

[Orgetorix]

It's not hard, it's just a PitA. You have to take the sleeve completely out and reset it. Tailors don't like do-overs.

I like that brown chalk stripe.

What changes in the re-set? The sleeve is put back in at a different angle?

 

[manton]

What changes in the re-set? The sleeve is put back in at a different angle?

Yep, that's it, if indeed incorrect pitch is the source of the problem.

However, the horizontal ripple on that checked coat is not caused by incorrect pitch. The shoulders on that coat are too narrow.

Incorrect pitch is most likely to show up in the front or back of the sleeve. If you want to know what it looks like, put on a coat whose sleeves fall cleanly on you, stand with your side facing a mirror, move your arms either forward or back, and see what happens.

 

[Jovan]

And that is just one great thing that differentiates bespoke from ready to wear.

 

[Matt Deckard]

After you have a well fitted sleeve you may decide to go with that pucker shoulder look. I'm stuck in old Hollywood post silent film rope shoulder look, yet someday I may go Neapolitan,

I do love Valentino's smooth transitions.

But I can't get over Flynn's roaping

http://mfanblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/spalla-camicia-and-neapolitan-jacket.html