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An Object Lesson in Jacket Length

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I recently went through a whole ordeal to find a great, navy double-breasted jacket. I’m going to write about that soon, but in the course of my search,  I found a cool-looking, fairly inexpensive Polo Ralph Lauren linen DB jacket. $695 retail, and just $486 with their 30% off code TAKE30, so I went ahead and ordered it, just to rule it out, figuring I’d likely return it.

I ordered my normal size—42R—thinking that their size guidance, which states a 40R has a back length of 29.5″, would indicate a 42R might be somewhere around 29.75″. Short for my tastes, but not insanely so. In the past, I have ordered a 42L and found that it tends to look weirdly disproportionate on me—usually too long, with sleeves too long, and the vents too low.

Well, the results are in: the thing is hilariously short. As a friend put it to me, “Nice 15-year-old boy jacket.”

The things that are good about it are really good: it’s got a natural, soft shoulder expression with zero shoulder padding; the lapel shape is nice, and the peak on the lapels aren’t too high or angled upward, which is classic but not dowdy; it has silver buttons, which isn’t my first choice but does have its place and are preferable to gold in my opinion (and would be easy to replace); double vents and it’s a good shade of lighter-than-true-navy in 100% linen. It’s half-canvas construction, which is A-OK to me, especially for linen. I wasn’t in the market for 100% linen, but that’s not because it isn’t a cool fabric for a navy DB jacket. Mostly, I just wanted something I could stretch into the cooler months. Some folks will love the crazy liner, others will hate it; I kinda like it actually. But it doesn’t show through so it’s a non-issue, ultimately.

But boy, the length sure does give it a bad silhouette. Below are photos showing it from the front and back, compared to the blue jacket I ultimately ended up with (from SuitSupply), which is a perfect length on me. The difference shows what a difference just 3/4″ can make. Of course, the SuitSupply has been tailored, and the Polo has not. But you can see how the shorter jacket makes me look shorter, stubbier, and makes my hips look wide.

So, what’s the rule for jacket length? There are a lot of guidelines you’ll find out there, but the one I find works best is to get a jacket whose hem covers your rear-end. Find one that does, measure it from the collar seam to the bottom hem in the back, and you’ll know what is a good length when buying online in the future.

If I hadn’t found the SuitSupply jacket and fallen in love with it, I’d maybe give the 42L a try. If the Polo appeals to you, I’d likewise say give it a shot going one up in length.

(Help support this site by buying stuff through my links; your clicks and purchases earn me a commission from many of the retailers I feature, and it helps me sustain this site—as well as my menswear habit! Thanks!)

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Comments1

  1. I agree with your guideline to the effect that the back of the jacket should completely cover your rear end. Another guideline I have found to be reasonably effective is to make sure that the front of the jacket reaches at least to the second thumb knuckle with the arms straight by the sides. In the picture above, the RL jacket doesn’t even reach down to your FIRST thumb knuckle!

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