Ask Angie: Perfect Arm Length?

LoP

One of the posts this week made me think about arm lengths a bit. What are acceptable arm lengths in different pieces/styles if there's a categorization?

I currently have everything at full length (a tiny bit little longer than wrist length) or 3/4 sleeves. I heard about bracelet length the first time this week. Are there any other arm lengths to know about?

15 years ago

General

6 replies

Latest reply was from tarzy

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Great question. With my gorilla arms, I often have to wear long sleeves as bracelet length, or turn back the cuffs to make them three quarter length. Oh well - got to get creative with fit!

Elbow length is very flattering as it chops your arm right in the middle, just like the good effects of a knee length skirt.

Oopsie. Have I even answered your question?

15 years ago

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I've always been confused by the distinction between 3/4-legnth sleeves and elbow-length sleeves. I've had many items, such as my Maggy London dress, hit me somewhere down my forearm despite being advertised as having elbow sleeves. Do I just have absurdly short arms, or have I misunderstood the term?

15 years ago

LoP

Veteran

Elbow length sounds great. I forgot about it. I think I have a sweater and a shirt that are elbow length. I like them like that.

There's also short-sleeve and cap-sleeve...

Angie: I also have long arms. Drop points (did i say it right?) should be included in ladies clothes as well. In Turkey, some stores used to keep the arms long and un-hemmed just like pants. They took leg and arm measurements, then sent it to their tailor. I miss that kind of treatment a bit here.

Michelle: I think you got the term right and your arms are not short. It's impossible for a garment t fit everyone at the elbow. I actually like Maggie London dresses when the arms hit below the elbow.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Michelle, they were confused - not you. Elbow length sleeves hit around the elbow and not the forearm. It's a fantastic length. I'm wearing that sleeve length now actually. I highly recommend it. Remember that you can alter sleeves to become elbow length.

Cap sleeves, short sleeves and grown-on sleeves are all different. Short is sort of half way down your top arm. Cap is shorter than that and slants across the widest part of the arm (a very hard sleeve length to look good in). A grown on sleeve is virtually sleeveless but juts out a little over the shoulder.

Hope that helps!

15 years ago

Debora

Veteran

Like you and Angie, I also have very long arms and have trouble with sleeves being long enough. I love 3/4 length and elbow length sleeves for that very reason. I have had to take jackets to the tailor in the past to have the hems taken down. Another thing I have had done is to shorten jacket sleeves from full length to 3/4 length, which has worked out well depending on the jacket and it's fabrication.

15 years ago

tarzy

Veteran

Michelle - I'm with you! Sleeve length ... one of my big challenges. I have super-short arms, and have to shorten every single jacket I buy. (My tailor loves to see me coming with a pile of jackets to be shortened.) Sweaters can look sloppy because I have to either roll or push the sleeves up. 3/4 length never looks right on me - it usually hits me mid-forearm and looks like a regular sleeve that's just a bit too short. I'll sometimes roll up my jacket sleeves, like you see on boyfriend jackets now, but I can never get that great "scrunched" look Angie always has in her pics. I don't mind so much for casual, but when I want to look polished, the tailor wins!

I prefer elbow length on most other tops, but they're so hard to find. I have a big bust and I don't like sleeves that end mid upper-arm, which on me is about at bust level - it seems to draw the eye right to that area. Elbow length just looks better to my eye.

It's still hard to find sleeves that are not the "bad" cap length, especially on summer t-shirts.

15 years ago

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