Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve? What Your Sleeve Length Says About You

There are so many questions about sleeve lengths.  “How do I know if the sleeves are too long, too short? Should I roll them up, leave them down, or just wear short sleeves to avoid the issue all together?”  You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers…

How do I know if the sleeves are too long or too short?

A long sleeve length should end at the wrist bone.
The shirt sleeve cuff should show 1/2” below a jacket sleeve.
The cuff should also touch or cover your watch whenever you wear it.  
*Wearing it too long, may appear childish, as if you're wearing your dad's shirt that you haven't quite grown into.  
*Too short, and you may communicate a lack of attention to detail as if you've outgrown your clothes and haven't bothered to replace them with the correct size.

Yes, you could roll the sleeves up but if you're investing in a good quality dress shirt or planning to wear it with jackets, you want it to be as versatile as possible, with the option of a proper fitting sleeve.

Short Sleeve or Long Sleeve?
It’s helpful to understand the message each one communicates.  In general, the more skin you show, the more casual the message becomes.  Short-sleeved sport shirts or camp shirts may appear more youthful, more approachable and relaxed because the more skin you show, the more casual the message becomes. The long sleeved version may have a more refined appearance, communicating knowledge, experience, and leadership.  (Of course the color, fabric and pattern will also influence the message conveyed.) 

Short sleeve? Long sleeve? Not sure how persuasive you’ll need to be that day?  When in doubt, go for the long sleeve and roll up the sleeves to relax the look when needed. 

Cuff your sleeves 1-2” wide and roll anywhere from 2” below the elbow to just above the elbow.  Fabric generally gets too bulky to roll up to the bicep, unless it’s extremely light-weight.  For the relaxed 50s look, higher is better.  Or roll up the sleeves on the short sleeve shirt for a more 50’s vibe.

When you change one detail, you change the entire message. A buttoned up collar can appear closed off, aloof. An unbuttoned collar also visually relaxes the appearance as opposed to the collar buttoned up to the neck.  

Yes, clothing communicates before you even say word.  To get your specific non-verbal communication strategy that will lead to your version of success, contact me here: https://www.stylebydani.com/contact.html