Four inches make a big difference. It’s the measurement from the end of the thumb to the start of your jacket sleeve. When this minor alteration is overlooked, the sleeve length of your coat looks sloppy.
If you were in the military, you might feel more comfortable with a longer sleeve. If you are in the younger generations, you might prefer fitted sleeves that resemble ¾ length sleeves. But funeral directors must be professional and practical.
So where should your jacket sleeve fall?
The professional sleeve length standard is 4.5″ to 5″ from the tip of the thumb; most professional business men have a 1/4” to 1/2” of dress shirt showing under their jacket sleeve. But most of the funeral directors we serve do things in suits that they shouldn’t simply because it’s a part of the job. If you apply the standard sleeve length in the funeral industry, movements like reaching, moving, driving, or playing the piano (things you may do on a daily basis) will cause you to show too much sleeve. So unless otherwise requested by the customer, we fit our sleeves around 4” from the tip of the thumb for a well-finished, professional look. This allows you to reach and move freely without the sleeves riding up to your elbows.
The sleeve alteration is the most noticeable alteration that affects the look of the suit. We travel all over the country and stay in quite a few hotels. The next time you stay at an upper-end chain hotel, notice the servers. Their sleeves sometimes hang down to their knuckles, making it obvious that they just picked up a random jacket in the back and put it on. The sleeve-length can be easily neglected if you purchase an off-the-rack suit and start wearing it without alterations. If you provide suits for your staff, full or part-time, don’t let this minor alteration go unnoticed. A $500 suit with an improperly-altered sleeve looks like a hand me down. But a $150 – $200 suit that is properly altered can look like a $900 custom suit.
Make sure to brand the most important part of your business, your people.
The Executive’s Cutting Edge is a one-stop shop. Not only do we provide you with the best quality suits for the funeral industry, but we also come directly to you to ensure the proper fitting of all your employees. We help you maximize your dollars and focus on what is important . . . the families you serve.
