I recently bought this sand-colored wool/linen herringbone jacket from Spier & Mackay, and recommend it if it’s still available in your size.
I ordered it in two size lengths (regular length and long) to compare, since at 6 feet tall, I’m in the gray zone between clearly wearing either a regular or long. While everybody’s body is different, even at the same height, I thought it would be constructive to post photos of the two jackets side by side for comparison on me as an illustration of how the difference in length makes the same jacket feel different.
Regular vs. Long Photo Comparisons
From the front
On the left is the regular length, and on the right the long. Both look good to my eye (except the sleeves are too long and would need shortened on the long); the long doesn’t look so long that it makes me look like a kid in his dad’s jacket. Both could maybe use a nip in the waist. The quarters look more closed on the regular than the long, but that’s just a tiny difference in my posture.
The primary reason I decided to try the long jacket is the buttoning point, which is lower. Lower buttoning points naturally cause the lapels to be longer from top to the buttoning point, which is more flattering by making you look a little taller, and emphasizing the difference between the width of your shoulders and the relative narrowness of your waist.
(Ignore the fact that there are issues with the fit of these jackets resulting in that slight fabric collapse under the armpit—such is life with ready-to-wear tailoring; it usually won’t be perfect and alterations for something like that would be prohibitively expensive for what this jacket costs. In motion when I’m actually wearing it, such issues aren’t really noticeable.)
From the side
How high the vents are and where they hit on your body is one indication that a jacket might be too long for you. The vents on the regular jacket start right at the top of my hips above my seat, right where they should. On the long jacket, they start a little lower, and while it’s passable, that does give it away that the jacket might be a little long.
(By the way, the difference in how the vents are laying or how the jacket’s front quarters are popping out on the regular jacket is just a function of the fact that I’d already worn it a couple times before shooting these photos, while the long jacket had stayed on the hanger. In other words, it isn’t an indication that one fits better than the other in those regards.)
From the back
From the back is where the most definitive rule about jacket length is visible: does it cover your seat completely? That’s the primary rule I go by when judging a jacket’s length (with front length and balance being a secondary consideration), and in this case, you can see both jackets pass the test.
Neapolitan tailors are generally known to cut their jackets short in comparison to tailors from other parts of the world. So the regular jacket here is more in keeping with that practice. The long looks a little better from this angle to me, though it’s hard to know if that’s just because my stance is less awkward in the photo of the long.
In a natural pose
Here they both are in a more natural pose. Both look great. The long gives me a little bit of a Sunday Church Service vibe, tbh. The slightly shorter length, however, does feel more at home with jeans like I’m wearing it here. In fact most companies cut their suit jackets longer than the same-size blazers/sport coats they make, because longer jackets look better as part of a suit than as an odd jacket or blazer.
Which Jacket Length Is Better?
As you can see neither is objectively better than the other, at least as they fit on my body. It came down to my personal preference for which feels more flattering when I’m wearing it. In this case, I decided that the regular jacket felt more at home with the more casual way I wear jackets—with jeans and loafers. I also couldn’t shake the Sunday Morning Church service vibe of the long jacket, which is another reason I sent it back (maybe I shouldn’t have styled it with a pale pink Easter egg color shirt).
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Thank you, this is really helpful. I’ve gone back and forth between the 42R and L at Spier & Mackay as well. FWIW I am 6’1″ and 195, so I don’t need the nip in the waist. At a 40 I was an L, so I dutifully ordered the 42L at first.
I’ve found the 42R is closer in length to the 40L (in general) as a larger size is a… larger size throughout. It is also a better fit without having a long, drape-y jacket.
What exactly is wrong with Sunday morning church services? That’s where we got the expression “wearing one’s Sunday best”!
Lol nothing against church services, just the types of ill fitting, slightly too large and questionably conceived outfits one normally sees at buffet restaurants immediately after church has let out.
This was the first article I have found on “the grey zone”. I am your height, so the regular vs. tall sizing is something I have dealt with for a long time. On the positive side Mitchell, a lot of guys would love to be 6 ft. tall. Great article.
You have a long torso and short legs, and a somewhat stocky, bottom-heavy build, the R accentuate that (as with many of your other jackets), not a good look in my eyes.