Dinner suit coat length

[Guest]

I have a second hand bespoke dinner suit from a well regarded SR house I am around 6 foot and the trousers are a good length and fit me well. However the coat is quite short (29 inches). The trousers do not appear to have been lengthened so I can only conclude it was made this way.

Is there any argument for a dinner suit coat to be shorter than a dress suit one?

[Guest]

When I read "dress suit", I think of evening dress. A dinner jacket will of course be shorter than the tailcoat in back, longer than it in front.

Did you instead intend "sack coat" or "suit coat"? I think that these should be about the same length as the dinner jacket. (Or, at least, mine are and feel comfortable -- and, I hope, look good! -- that way.)

By the way, I'm not much over six feet tall and am short-waisted, too. Twenty-nine inches would be a bit short for me. But, as it is second-hand (inherited from Uncle eBay?), why not wear it if the button placement is reasonable and, most importantly, you like the look?

RWS

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply. Forgive me, I meant to say Lounge suit. Nevertheless the chap must have had a very odd figure to have 31 inch trouser legs and a 29 long inch coat? As I said, I purchased it second hand, not inherited. Interesting suit though, A & S Midnight Blue, light to medium weight (compared to my other dinner suit), plain buttons, no braiding on trousers.