Even the proper dress shirt sleeve length must be taken into consideration when you are aiming for an elegant and polished style, as in men’s fashion every detail is important. Although there are various rules and traditions in different countries, which may effect the choice of a proper dress shirt sleeve length, you should always consider the complete look, including the suit jacket, to create an aesthetically pleasing and proportionate apparel.

What is the proper dress shirt sleeve length?

Dressing smart is not just a matter of measures but of opinions and tastes as well, so also the proper dress shirt sleeve length may be influenced by current fashion trends and of course, as stated before, by the sartorial traditions of different countries. However, generally the shirt sleeves should cover your wrists and hit right at the point where your hand starts and if you’re wearing a suit jacket, between a quarter and a half inch of shirt cuff should be visible, anyway a bit too much is better rather than too little, as the cuffs should never disapper under the jacket, not even when you’re moving your arms. In addition to the proper dress shirt sleeve length, you should pay attention to the cuff width. Cuffs with and without cufflinks should both wrap around your wrists pretty closely, however keep in mind that they should be able to go over and cover some of your watch.

Harmony between a shirt and a suit jacket.

You should also consider the suit jacket sleeve length, it should never be too short neither too long, because it easily creates an impression of wearing the wrong size garment. Pay attention also to the jacket sleeve width, it should nicely wrap around the shirt cuff without squeezing it. So the choice of your jacket should be also based on which shirt you’ll be wearing, recognizing the fact that cufflinks occupy a larger space.  

dress shirt sleeve length shirt and suit jacket shirt cuffs