The ideal length of a jacket is half of the distance from the base of your neck to your feet. You don't want it shorter than this. Traditionally, the jacket would be made longer than this if it doesn't cover the buttocks. If your torso is unusually long, you could probably get a way with a jacket that doesn't cover your buttocks. The ideal jacket length for you should be about 29 inches, measured in back from the base of the collar to the hem.

 

Don't saddle yourself with fixed rules if the overall look the rules dictate don't work for you.

I'm assuming that the automatic spell check changed inseam for unseen and got it right on the second try. The line between between jacket length and trousers should give you a balanced look. So if the jacket legth doesn't work using the rule, buy a jacket with a length that gives you the proportion you desire.

Not everyone has that perfectly proportioned figure with which I have been blessed:great:

 

The ideal length of a jacket is half of the distance from the base of your neck to your feet. You don't want it shorter than this. Traditionally, the jacket would be made longer than this if it doesn't cover the buttocks. If your torso is unusually long, you could probably get a way with a jacket that doesn't cover your buttocks. The ideal jacket length for you should be about 29 inches, measured in back from the base of the collar to the hem.

That seems very long for him, I was thinking more 27 inches. Jackets are measured from the bottom of the jacket collar to the hem, yes?

Although this is all conjecture. OP should post pictures of him wearing his thrifted jackets and the length.

 

Thanks!
I do know my torso is perhaps proportionately a bit longer than average.
And since my jackets are a bit longer, how easy is it to alter them a bit shorter?
Dennis


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That seems very long for him, I was thinking more 27 inches. Jackets are measured from the bottom of the jacket collar to the hem, yes?

Although this is all conjecture. OP should post pictures of him wearing his thrifted jackets and the length.

Yes, that is how a jacket is measured. This is how I came up with 29" for the length: A person's full height is approximately 7 1/2 heads. The bottom of the neck in back is just a small bit lower than the bottom of the head. Excluding the head, the rest of a man who's 67" tall is 58". Half of that is 29". Taking into consideration the curve of the back and the buttocks that the jacket's length has to curve over, that makes up for not considering the neck in my measurements.

I am two inches taller and need a jacket that is 30" long, so 29" sounds about right for someone two inches shorter than I am.

This is only going by the typical proportions of a man.

 

Thanks!
I do know my torso is perhaps proportionately a bit longer than average.
And since my jackets are a bit longer, how easy is it to alter them a bit shorter?
Dennis

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jackets can be shortened a little fairly easily. If the jackets are from the past decade, shortening them a little will often improve their proportions since the buttons and pockets are typically placed too high. You should be wearing what is traditionally a short length jacket, though many regular jackets are cut much shorter than they should be today.

 

Please get us some pics including the tag from inside breast pocket. I am wondering if, like Matt suggested, you are wearing a regular jacket when you should be wearing a short. I would be very hesitant to have a thrifted jacket shortened until you are sure and you have a good tailor.

 

These are the best I can do at the moment. I'll have a better look at the jacket this evening.
Thanks, I appreciate all of the help.

Dennis

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

In the picture from the front it looks fine, but it does look a bit too long from the back.

 

Yes, that is how a jacket is measured. This is how I came up with 29" for the length: A person's full height is approximately 7 1/2 heads. The bottom of the neck in back is just a small bit lower than the bottom of the head. Excluding the head, the rest of a man who's 67" tall is 58". Half of that is 29". Taking into consideration the curve of the back and the buttocks that the jacket's length has to curve over, that makes up for not considering the neck in my measurements.

I am two inches taller and need a jacket that is 30" long, so 29" sounds about right for someone two inches shorter than I am.

This is only going by the typical proportions of a man.

So what your saying is that a 5'7" tall person has a 9" long head. I thought the head was 8.25" long on a person this tall.

How long is the neck on a 5'7" tall person? I would've guessed 2.75" (based on the head length being 8.25"), but now I'm guessing 3" (based on the head length being 9").

Of course, I'm asking about and speaking of an evenly proportioned person that is this tall.

On an evenly proportioned 5'9" tall person, how long are the head and neck?

 

The jacket length looks more or less fine to me, but clean that mirror, young man. Crotch level in the first pic, in case you didn't notice it.

 

Yes, that is how a jacket is measured. This is how I came up with 29" for the length: A person's full height is approximately 7 1/2 heads. The bottom of the neck in back is just a small bit lower than the bottom of the head. Excluding the head, the rest of a man who's 67" tall is 58". Half of that is 29". Taking into consideration the curve of the back and the buttocks that the jacket's length has to curve over, that makes up for not considering the neck in my measurements.

I am two inches taller and need a jacket that is 30" long, so 29" sounds about right for someone two inches shorter than I am.

This is only going by the typical proportions of a man.

Your math works pretty well for me. 71" for me and 31" works pretty well. My neck/head is a bit on the long side so I actually do best at 30.5".

 

In the picture from the front it looks fine, but it does look a bit too long from the back.

I've been wondering if it is possible to have balanced front and back. (Or this is most likely short people's problem.)
The front has open quarters while the back is fully covered. The two sides need different length to appear balanced.

 

Fit looks pretty good to me for a thrifted jacket. I don't think i would start spending more money. Enjoy.

 

My understanding and belief is that an objective is to have the jacket comprise roughly 1/2 the height of the individual. But whether that can be achieved is dependent upon other factors. A requirement, rather than an objective is that the jacket cover the seat of your pants. Therefore, should you be blessed with an unusually long torso and short legs, there's really no way to achieve both, and while some compromise is desirable, the greater imperative is to cover your tuchus. Conversely, very tall men may have much longer legs in relation to their torso, and it may or may not be possible to get a decent fitting jacket that will extend the full 1/2 height, but the jacket will probably descend at least several inches below the rear end, and that's fine. And it also helps visually balance the long arms that typically accompany the long legs.

 

I was 5-8.50", then my Doctor said I dropped to 5-7.25" some of my odd jackets feel off and I have replaced them. I am preferring a length under 30" now. 160 lbs. such is life.

 

Thanks for all the information.
It helped put everything into perspective.
Some of my issue may be from my young age and the fashion that is associated with it. I'm used to seeing tight jackets on individuals.

Dennis


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I was 5-8.50", then my Doctor said I dropped to 5-7.25" some of my odd jackets feel off and I have replaced them. I am preferring a length under 30" now. 160 lbs. such is life.

-2" and shrinking.

Guess I'm melting into a Swabian puddle like my ancestors.

 

A good rule of thumb is that one should be able to 'cup' the jacket's hem in one's curled fingers whilst standing.

 

Depends on how long your arms are. Like every part of the body there is average. With all the measurements who has all the average measurements?

 

A tailors book, written by Clarence Poulin.
He says, "A useful formula for a man's coat length is :half of the subjects height (in inches) less 4 inches. Let us say that the subject is 5 ft. 4 in. tall, or 64 in. Half of 64 in. is 32 in. minus 4 in. is 28 in., which is the correct coat length for this height".
"but the length of the coats is largely governed by individual taste".
"Usually... where the buttocks break into the thigh..."
He explains more about it, but that is basically it.
He has two books. One from 1952. The other a few minor changes of the first from 1973. Both can be downloaded off the internet for free.

Waist Length he recommends is 1/4 subject's height. This may be higher or lower than the actual waist. The overall view is good.

 

A tailors book, written by Clarence Poulin.
He says, "A useful formula for a man's coat length is :half of the subjects height (in inches) less 4 inches. Let us say that the subject is 5 ft. 4 in. tall, or 64 in. Half of 64 in. is 32 in. minus 4 in. is 28 in., which is the correct coat length for this height".
"but the length of the coats is largely governed by individual taste".
"Usually... where the buttocks break into the thigh..."
He explains more about it, but that is basically it.
He has two books. One from 1952. The other a few minor changes of the first from 1973. Both can be downloaded off the internet for free.

Waist Length he recommends is 1/4 subject's height. This may be higher or lower than the actual waist. The overall view is good.

Thanks for this. I'll have to check out this book. The formula is interesting, but since people's heads and necks vary in size depending on a person's height and more, this forumla is a bit too simple. A 28" coat on most 5'4" men will probably be a bit too long, even by the standards of Poulin's day.

 

A tailors book, written by Clarence Poulin.
He says, "A useful formula for a man's coat length is :half of the subjects height (in inches) less 4 inches. Let us say that the subject is 5 ft. 4 in. tall, or 64 in. Half of 64 in. is 32 in. minus 4 in. is 28 in., which is the correct coat length for this height".
"but the length of the coats is largely governed by individual taste".
"Usually... where the buttocks break into the thigh..."
He explains more about it, but that is basically it.
He has two books. One from 1952. The other a few minor changes of the first from 1973. Both can be downloaded off the internet for free.

Waist Length he recommends is 1/4 subject's height. This may be higher or lower than the actual waist. The overall view is good.

Very interesting! :thumbs-up:

Is this the book?

 

I am asking about the overall length of a jacket. I read that the jacket should meet or cover the unseen of my pants. However, at 5'7", this makes my torso look elongated and disproportionate. Where should my jacket reach to if not the inseam?
I have some thrifted jackets that fit well enough in the shoulders, but seem to have this effect as they reach the inseam.

There is a quick and easy way to determine if the jacket length fits you or too long/short. Remember that you need two measurements of vertical lengths: Nape (base of neck) to Hem (N2H) and Hem to Floor (H2F). The jacket length when measuring on a flat surface can be used as a guideline, but because of the curvature at the back that does not directly translated into vertical distance. The key lengths is the vertical lengths between these three points.

What you need are:

* a solid stick (broom stick, straight edge, anything that does not bend and you can hold it easily with your hand) that is longer than 3 feet or more. A 3 feet solid ruler is excellent for this use. If you are taller than 80" (6'8") get a longer stick.
* some post-it to mark the points (optional) or permanent marker if you will. No need for this if you have the ruler.
* a good mirror so that you can see both jacket hem and shoulder

1. With jacket on, stand in front of the mirror and put the stick besides your hip, stick points on the floor and place it as plumbed as possible. As plumbed means the stick should stand vertically, both in x and y axes. There is no need to cheat so just try your best.

2. With the stick plumbed. mark the location where your jacket hem is on the stick. This is the vertical length of Hem to Floor (H2F). You can use Post-It or marker to mark this point. You can also measure it using tape ruler or whatever.

3. Now, flip the stick upward and use your finger along the mark so that it aligns the hem. Keep the stick as plumbed as possible. Observe the height of the point of the stick to see if it is near or at your Nape (base of neck). If the point of stick is above your Nape, that means the Nape to Hem distance is shorter than Hem to Floor distance, thus the jacket is shorter than your ideal length, and vise versa.

4. Bonus point: you can also use this method to gauge your Nape to Hem distance by raising or lower the stick, while keeping it plumbed. Add the two distances together you have your Nape to Floor distance. Or get someone to help you to mark the Nape point on a door frame or something and measure it.

With this method you can easily determine if the jacket length is short, equal, or longer than the defined ideal length. The ideal length is defined as 1/2 of the Nape to Floor vertical distance. Then you can use the jacket length measured on a flat surface to determine the corresponding relationship between how the jacket length translates on *your body*. Try this with some jackets of various lengths, or with the same jacket with chalk mark for different length, you can formulate your own opinion about what your ideal jacket length is and the range to play around with it. Sometime you might want to have a shorter or longer jacket. A +/- 1 inch should be fine. More than that it becomes apparent that the jacket is too long or too short.

Hope this will help you to improve your search on your ideal fit.

 

I greatly appreciate all the advice. I am constantly amazed at the amount of knowledge and kindness on this forum.

A tailors book, written by Clarence Poulin.
He says, "A useful formula for a man's coat length is :half of the subjects height (in inches) less 4 inches. Let us say that the subject is 5 ft. 4 in. tall, or 64 in. Half of 64 in. is 32 in. minus 4 in. is 28 in., which is the correct coat length for this height".
"but the length of the coats is largely governed by individual taste".
"Usually... where the buttocks break into the thigh..."
He explains more about it, but that is basically it.
He has two books. One from 1952. The other a few minor changes of the first from 1973. Both can be downloaded off the internet for free.

Waist Length he recommends is 1/4 subject's height. This may be higher or lower than the actual waist. The overall view is good.

I am looking the book up. In an effort to regularly dress nicer (and perhaps more conservative), this seems to be a great resource.

There is a quick and easy way to determine if the jacket length fits you or too long/short. Remember that you need two measurements of vertical lengths: Nape (base of neck) to Hem (N2H) and Hem to Floor (H2F). The jacket length when measuring on a flat surface can be used as a guideline, but because of the curvature at the back that does not directly translated into vertical distance. The key lengths is the vertical lengths between these three points.

What you need are:

* a solid stick (broom stick, straight edge, anything that does not bend and you can hold it easily with your hand) that is longer than 3 feet or more. A 3 feet solid ruler is excellent for this use. If you are taller than 80" (6'8") get a longer stick.
* some post-it to mark the points (optional) or permanent marker if you will. No need for this if you have the ruler.
* a good mirror so that you can see both jacket hem and shoulder

1. With jacket on, stand in front of the mirror and put the stick besides your hip, stick points on the floor and place it as plumbed as possible. As plumbed means the stick should stand vertically, both in x and y axes. There is no need to cheat so just try your best.

2. With the stick plumbed. mark the location where your jacket hem is on the stick. This is the vertical length of Hem to Floor (H2F). You can use Post-It or marker to mark this point. You can also measure it using tape ruler or whatever.

3. Now, flip the stick upward and use your finger along the mark so that it aligns the hem. Keep the stick as plumbed as possible. Observe the height of the point of the stick to see if it is near or at your Nape (base of neck). If the point of stick is above your Nape, that means the Nape to Hem distance is shorter than Hem to Floor distance, thus the jacket is shorter than your ideal length, and vise versa.

4. Bonus point: you can also use this method to gauge your Nape to Hem distance by raising or lower the stick, while keeping it plumbed. Add the two distances together you have your Nape to Floor distance. Or get someone to help you to mark the Nape point on a door frame or something and measure it.

With this method you can easily determine if the jacket length is short, equal, or longer than the defined ideal length. The ideal length is defined as 1/2 of the Nape to Floor vertical distance. Then you can use the jacket length measured on a flat surface to determine the corresponding relationship between how the jacket length translates on *your body*. Try this with some jackets of various lengths, or with the same jacket with chalk mark for different length, you can formulate your own opinion about what your ideal jacket length is and the range to play around with it. Sometime you might want to have a shorter or longer jacket. A +/- 1 inch should be fine. More than that it becomes apparent that the jacket is too long or too short.

Hope this will help you to improve your search on your ideal fit.

Thank you very much. I'll be trying this tonight.

Again, thanks for all the great advice.
Dennis