How to Shorten Suit-Jacket Sleeves

Check the buttonholes first: real or decorative?

This is the most important step, and it decides both the method and the price. Try to unbutton the buttons at the bottom of the sleeve. If they open because the buttonholes are actually cut, the jacket has 'working' buttonholes (so-called surgeon's cuffs) – then you cannot remove length from the bottom without cutting through the buttonholes, and the sleeve must be shortened from the shoulder. If the buttons are simply mounted over sewn-shut buttonholes, the sleeve can be shortened the easy way: from the bottom at the cuff. Most budget and mid-price suit jackets have decorative buttonholes.

The right sleeve length on a suit jacket

Put the jacket on over a shirt, with your arms relaxed by your side. The jacket sleeve should end at the wrist bone, letting the shirt cuff show just beyond it – a small strip of shirt at the bottom is the whole point of the length. Measure each arm separately, since arm length is often slightly uneven. Take a little off at a time: it is easier to shorten more than to undo it.

Shortening from the cuff (decorative buttonholes)

If the jacket has decorative buttonholes, this is the usual and most manageable alteration. It also involves the lining, so it needs some hand-sewing:

1. Mark the finished length you want while the jacket is on.
2. Unpick the lining at the bottom of the sleeve so you can reach it from the inside.
3. Remove the excess length from the sleeve itself, keeping enough for a neat hem.
4. Move the buttons up to the correct position above the new edge.
5. Turn up the sleeve lining and hand-sew it in place with a little movement ease, so the lining does not pull.

Shortening from the shoulder (working buttonholes)

If the jacket has real, functioning buttonholes, the length cannot be taken from the bottom – you would cut off the buttonholes. Instead the sleeve must be shortened from the top. The same applies if a lot has to come off: take too much from the bottom and the row of buttons ends up high on the forearm and looks wrong. This is demanding tailoring where the sleeve head has to line up exactly:

• The sleeve is detached from the armhole up at the shoulder.
• The excess length is removed at the top, not at the cuff.
• The sleeve head is reshaped and reset so the curve and drape are kept.
• The lining is adjusted to match.

When should you leave it to a tailor?

Honestly, the suit jacket is the garment in this family where most people should hand the job over. Even the 'easy' version from the bottom involves the lining and moving the buttons, and if the jacket has working buttonholes or needs a large adjustment, it must be shortened from the shoulder – a precise operation on the sleeve head. A tailor assesses the buttonholes, the lining and how much has to come off, and makes the result invisible. You order online, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions