Dear Mr. Smith: Suit jackets seem to be getting so short that I'm wondering if they aren't starting to look silly. So, how short is too short? Isn't there a minimum of trouser seat that must be covered?
Answer: Look, you never have to follow any new fashion if you don't like it or feel that it doesn't match your body type. That's the old truth about the difference between fashion and style. In particular, you don't have to follow the very forward or extreme edge of fashion. The mainstream designers and the in-house lines of the big department stores are all going to be subtly affected by the new shapes and lines, but they are not going to go overboard with them. It is true that if you buy a new suit from Boss or Coppley it is going to be slightly shorter and more fitted than it would have been 10 years ago. But the jacket will still cover your trouser seat. If you want to go into high fashion and buy a tiny schoolboy suit from Thom Browne, that's your choice and nobody is forcing you into it.
A couple of guidelines for not going overboard in your pursuit of modishness: If the jacket hem hangs higher than the base of your thumb when your arms are by your sides, it may be too short. If the skirt of the jacket is higher than the sleeve cuff, it's definitely too short.
That's another thing: You can't match the fashion for shorter jackets by simply buying a vintage jacket that's too small for you. The giveaway is going to be the sleeves: If your entire wrist and an inch of forearm are visible or if your shirt cuff is protruding by an inch and a half, you are going to look like someone who spent the night fully clothed inside a dryer. And, yes, by this I mean all you hipsters in your ancient tweed microjackets with hoodies underneath, so tight you can't even button them: You look like little boys whose parents can't keep up with their growth spurts. (I know, I know - that's the point.)
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