+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 25

Thread: It IS All About Arm Holes

  1. #1
    Head Bartender scotrace's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Dover, OH
    Posts
    12,519

    It IS All About Arm Holes

    In support of what Mr. Deckard has been saying all along:

    From the premier issue of Men's Vogue (which isn't that bad), "Alexandre Plokhov is lifting his arm up and down, up and down, to emphasize his point. 'It's all about getting the cut of the sleeve right', he says. 'A narrow armhole is better. It it's too deep, it tends to lift the jacket when you raise your arm.'
    This is one of the many laws of tailordynamics that govern the science of suitmaking."
    [Plokhov is a bespoke tailor (Cloak Bespoke)]

    And

    From the textbook Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men's Wear [Fairchild Publications, 1983-1984, Robert Cabrera & Patricia Flaherty Meyers]
    "Contrary to popular belief, the most comfortable armhole for a sleeve is one which is cut as high as possible without restricting the forward movement of the arm. A low-cut armhole is only comfortable if a sleeve is not attached. With a sleeve set into a low-cut armhole, raising one's arm involves raising the entire side of the jacket."

    And there you have it. I have yet to see a modern off the rack suit jacket or sport coat at any price with properly set sleeves, with the possible and unlikely exception of the very cheap cotton twill throw-on jacket that I got at Old Navy for $20, that is otherwise quite puckered and sloppy, and only suitable for lay-about weekend trips to the store for milk.
    .

    A sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth. - Fitzgerald

    .

  2. #2
    I'll Lock Up BellyTank's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Scandinavia- location, location, location
    Posts
    7,076
    There you go!

    All our sartorial waxing wasn't baloney...

    B
    T
    Looking with my good ear peeled.

  3. #3
    Familiar Face
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    58
    Quote Originally Posted by scotrace
    "With a sleeve set into a low-cut armhole, raising one's arm involves raising the entire side of the jacket."
    Absolutely true, and it's a horrible sight to behold. Even worse when the jacket has huge shoulder pads!

  4. #4
    Practically Family
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    I'm from Santiago, Chile, but am now living in Los Angeles.
    Posts
    570
    Let me tell you the special problem with high armholes and vintage wool suits. High 1930s armholes were, shall we say, "in intimate daily contact" with 1930s armpits ... the kind that were not in much contact with deodorant. More often than not, the wool grabbed hold of the funk and has never let go. I'm all for nostalgia, but body odor that outlives its source by decades just isn't for me.

    -- Marc

  5. #5
    I'll Lock Up BellyTank's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Scandinavia- location, location, location
    Posts
    7,076
    But the Fit Man!... the Fit!
    Forget the Funk!

    B
    T
    Looking with my good ear peeled.

  6. #6
    Practically Family
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    I'm from Santiago, Chile, but am now living in Los Angeles.
    Posts
    570
    We DON'T want the funk!

  7. #7
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    LA, CA
    Posts
    801
    have you tried cleaning it? And the smell just adds to the "correctness" of the period. Or just buy suits from places that are cold and people don't sweat that much.
    Shamus

  8. #8
    Practically Family
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    I'm from Santiago, Chile, but am now living in Los Angeles.
    Posts
    570
    Cleaning never, never, never can remove the accumulated funk of long-term armpit-wool contact. Trust me on this. I wish I were wrong!

    -- Marc

  9. #9
    Practically Family
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    I'm from Santiago, Chile, but am now living in Los Angeles.
    Posts
    570
    Quote Originally Posted by shamus
    Or just buy suits from places that are cold and people don't sweat that much.
    :clap

  10. #10
    Call Me a Cab Sefton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    A 1924 Craftsman bungalow about half a mile from San Jose,California by way of the 19th Century.
    Posts
    2,125
    Quote Originally Posted by scotrace
    'It's all about getting the cut of the sleeve right', he says. 'A narrow armhole is better. It it's too deep, it tends to lift the jacket when you raise your arm.'
    They know and yet they provideth not...

    Scotrace, thanks for the info. Sefton

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts