Am I the only one who sees people mess up sleeve ease on blazers?

I keep noticing ready-to-wear blazers where the sleeve head is either too tight or has way too much fabric, making the shoulder look sloppy. It matters because a clean sleeve cap is what gives that sharp, tailored look. I saw a jacket in a store window on Main Street yesterday that had at least an inch and a half of extra ease bunched up at the shoulder seam. It completely ruined the line of the garment. How do you all calculate the right amount of ease for a set-in sleeve on a structured piece? I'm working on a wool blazer pattern and want to get it right.

2 comments

2 Comments

holly4209d ago

Totally spot on about the sleeve ease. It's one of those small details that makes everything look cheap or expensive. Feels like a lot of brands are rushing things out without checking how the pieces actually sit on a body. For a wool blazer, I usually add about an inch of ease in the sleeve cap, but it really depends on the shoulder pad and the structure you're going for.

tessa_clark749d ago

My last wool coat needed a full inch and a half in the sleeve cap. The fabric was a stiff melton and it just wouldn't drape right with less. I had to baste it in three times to get the shoulder line smooth. That extra half inch over the standard made all the difference. It stopped the fabric from pulling across the upper arm. Now the sleeve hangs straight from the shoulder without any strain.