Same question, can't find an answer. Just got a duffle coat and am unsure how much to have the sleeves shortened. Am I right to assume to the base of the thumb with arms at sides?

 

Base of thumb is a good rule of, well, thumb. It should be over the shirt sleeve (not by much) - and of course your suit sleeve.

 

First of the ten different answers to follow.

Some men wear them longer than the jacket sleeve, ending about where the shirt cuff would end. I've seen some dandies want to show 3/4" of cuff, same as the jacket does.
I like mine a bit longer and fit them while wearing gloves. Like them to fall over the ends of the gloves enough that the glove does not pop out. Keeps the chill off my wrists and arms from the Chicago wind.

 

They are best just a bit longer than jacket length, so they cover the wrist portion of your gloves.

 

I like them to end a fraction lower than the shirt cuff does. But like Mr Despos intimates, I suspect you will find ten different opinions from 9 different guys.

 

Good advice, thanks. I hope AlanC saw this as it was his question originally.

Holdfast, I'm sorry I never got to meet you and the other metro Oxford Ask Andyers while I was over there, back in school near Philadelphia now. I may end up back in the mother land for graduate study and I'll try to get to one of the London events.

 

We had this one about the same time last year. Your shirt sleeves should be longer then your jacket sleeves. When you look at your wrist watch, you shouldn't need to pull anything back. If your jacket sleeves were longer than your shirt sleeves, you would wear away the edge of the jacket sleeve away faster, plus it is cheaper to replace a shirt, even an excellent Kabbaz shirt, then it is to replace an excellent suit. Furthermore, it looks out of place on my side of the pond not to show any shirt cuff on a jacket - imagine not being able to see any of the shirt collar when wearing a jacket.

The overcoat should finish at the same level of the shirt, not beyond it. Same wear argument, and the coat is supposed to keep away the worst of the possible things that could soil the clothes worn under your coat. I was taught that you shouldn't show any shirt cuff when wearing a coat - so make sure you have the right shirt sleeve length.

Plus your coat is not there to keep your hands warm, that's what gloves are for! Now American gloves are notoriously short - don't know the history of that one, and if I was faced with too short gloves, then I would want longer coat sleeves. So when you don't wear gloves, your coat wears prematurely, and it looks like you have borrowed your older, taller brother's coat. Thus the argument for the coat sleeve to finish the same as the shirt sleeve. One used to be able to tell an American, even a weel dressed one, by having too long suit sleeves. The Brits tended to have too short sleeves, showing a lot of cuff - had a few older clients come in with their Huntsman and Poole suits, and was informed that was their style back in the 70s.

Who is right? Whichever story you like the sound of. In the mean time, I will put on my longer peccary gloves that cover my wrist and keep it nice and warm - but drat, I have to take off the gloves to look at my wrist watch. So there is no definitive answer, if there was, there would be no AAAC, just a book of rules.

 

The overcoat should finish at the same level of the shirt, not beyond it. Same wear argument, and the coat is supposed to keep away the worst of the possible things that could soil the clothes worn under your coat. I was taught that you shouldn't show any shirt cuff when wearing a coat - so make sure you have the right shirt sleeve length.

Plus your coat is not there to keep your hands warm, that's what gloves are for! Now American gloves are notoriously short - don't know the history of that one, and if I was faced with too short gloves, then I would want longer coat sleeves. So when you don't wear gloves, your coat wears prematurely, and it looks like you have borrowed your older, taller brother's coat. Thus the argument for the coat sleeve to finish the same as the shirt sleeve. One used to be able to tell an American, even a weel dressed one, by having too long suit sleeves. The Brits tended to have too short sleeves, showing a lot of cuff - had a few older clients come in with their Huntsman and Poole suits, and was informed that was their style back in the 70s.

I agree that if your gloves are the right length your coat will end at the base of your wrist, which is where your shirt ends.

But I object to the characterization of American suits. The only overly long suit sleeves I've had have been from English tailors. Maybe someone told them that Americans liked them long but sleeve length is a constant battle.

 

I like my coat sleeves to be "too short" and my overcoat sleeves to be "too long".

 

The overcoat should finish at the same level of the shirt, not beyond it. Same wear argument, and the coat is supposed to keep away the worst of the possible things that could soil the clothes worn under your coat. I was taught that you shouldn't show any shirt cuff when wearing a coat - so make sure you have the right shirt sleeve length.

As form follows function,assuming that your shirt cuff ends at the heel of your palm, your coat should end there also. In cold Midwestern winters, there needs to be an overlap between the glove and the coat cuff. There should be no exposed skin at the wrist when gloves are worn.