Argyle Coat Tailoring Advice Needed...

**Dixiedog** · 25th January 12, 02:22 PM

Hey Everyone...

I need some Advice about Tailoring an Argyle Jacket that I picked up off of E-Bay for a Song (29.00 GBP) $45.00 before postage!!! It's used, but Still in Great Shape. It's Bottle Green, 46" Chest, 23" Sleeve (Shoulder to Cuff) & 28" Fall (Neck to Tail). It fits in the Chest but the Sleeves are about 2" Long so I know I'm going to have to have it Tailored in the Sleeve Length. But What I don't know is, ... Where or what is the Standard Argyle Jacket Ending Fall Line when wearing a Kilt (Where should the Jacket Tail end on the wearer)??? My Height is 5'-6" if that helps at all. Any Help would be Greatly Appreciated !!!

If all works right, I'll be posting some Pics in a New (For ME) Argyle Jacket !!!

Thank you for your time...

**ForresterModern** · 25th January 12, 02:33 PM

Not a tailor or particular expert in highland wear by any standards. I normally wear a UK 52 Long or X-long so my info may not be valid for your case (my sleeves are 27" typically).

But, in all my pictures where I am wearing various Argyll jackets with the kilt the jacket sleeve seems to end at the same level as the side of the jacket body, or maybe slightly lower than the jacket body by less than an inch. Since the Argyll jacket has a pretty flat "hem" except for the front cutaway, I think you could probably use this as a rough guideline. Along the sides and in the back my jackets tend to cover about 1/3 of the overall length of the kilt when both are worn together.

Hope this helps.

jeff

**sydnie7** · 25th January 12, 02:55 PM

The hem of the jacket should not go below the kilt fell -- the stitched portion of the pleats. For a person of your height, it might look best somewhere above the fell. If you are having it altered locally, I'd suggest asking the person to pin it at one length -- put it on and snap a digital photo -- pin it a little higher, snap another photo, etc. Compare the views to see which looks proportionately best on you.

For example, in this post about a converted jacket, at least one person responded that they thought the jacket was too short. This fellow is rather tall and slim, and my guess is that his pleat stitching (fell) ends about 1.5 to 2 setts below the jacket hem. Also notice how much longer his sleeves are than the jacket body. [Not knocking this conversion, just discussing relative lengths]

So the answer is "no easy answer." Look at different pinned lengths to see what best fits your body type. If your tailor is patient, you could even come back and post the photos here for advice before making your final decision.

And good going on the purchase! I also lucked into a deal on a very nice jacket for Bob, fortunately it fit right out of the bag. Take a look at it and notice the relative difference in jacket body-to-sleeve length vs. the grey one. It also covers about 1/3 of the kilt, as FM mentioned above.

**Tobus** · 25th January 12, 02:56 PM

I think the rule of thumb is that the bottom of the Argyll jacket should end somewhere around the fell line of the kilt. (edit: Dang. Sydnie beat me to it!)

Going by arm length can be tricky, as this seems to vary. I usually see the sleeves about 1" to 2" longer than the jacket body. For example, this is a jacket I just won on eBay, and it fits me PERFECTLY. I'll be posting photos of me wearing it soon, but take a look at the sleeve length in relation to the bottom of the jacket. I'm guessing there's at least a 2" difference.

**Lyle1** · 25th January 12, 04:27 PM

I believe that the sleeves on an Argyll jacket are by custom worn at a longer length than on a Saxon suit jacket, but two inches sounds like a bit much. If it were my jacket, I would have the sleeves shortened to a point that felt comfortable on ME, which would be very close to the sleeve length of my Saxon jackets.

**creagdhubh** · 25th January 12, 04:56 PM

Tobus,

Dang man, how do you find such gorgeous jackets?! Are you on ebay 24/7?! Lol!

Cheers,

**MacMillans son** · 26th January 12, 08:09 AM

Fully agree that the traditional length would be at the fell line, and for good reason, however,... if that length is too short for the pockets to look reasonable, relative to the hem in the front, I would vary it a bit. I really think that nothing looks worse, nor screams "Do it yourself jacket" more than pockets that appear to be 1-1/2 tall, and exaggerated angular sporran cutaways in the front.

As was mentioned, play with the variables a little bit, take photos, chalk it, pin it here and there, then go with the compromise that looks best to you. Don't be in a hurry to have a poor looking final product.

That will be two cents please.

Best of luck!

**Tobus** · 26th January 12, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by creagdhubh

Tobus,

Dang man, how do you find such gorgeous jackets?! Are you on ebay 24/7?! Lol!

Cheers,

Nah, but I've a friend who points them out to me when he sees jackets in my size. Sometimes it can be a curse being a smaller fellow (my chest size is actually 37"), but it makes it very convenient for finding jackets on eBay that virtually no one else can wear. Would you believe I won that jacket for only £26.50?

**Dixiedog** · 26th January 12, 11:11 AM

Hey Guys... John Rickman here...

Thanks for all your help !!! We'll use your ideas and see how it turns out. Hopefully Tailoring this Jacket DOWN to my Size will work so I won't have to post it here on the XMTS For Sale Forum. I really like this Jacket.

Thanks again...