How to Properly Roll Up Your Sleeves
Unfortunately for most of us, as the temperature increases, the amount of clothing we are allowed to wear doesn't decrease at a comparable rate. While inclement weather might grant us a snow day here and there, taking a day off of work because it's "too hot," or walking into the office shirtless will undoubtedly draw the ire of your coworkers and probably end with you holding a pink slip and a box filled with your belongings.
This begs the question, how are we supposed to stay cool and still look fashionable when the thermometer is flirting with triple digits? If we're still required to wear nice shirts, there has to be a way to keep the overheating to a minimum. It's only acceptable to unbutton one or two buttons, so the last available option is to roll up your shirt sleeves.
As gentlemen we've been rolling up our sleeves for years, typically hastily unbuttoning the cuff and messily sliding the sleeve above our elbow to avoid accidentally dipping it in our food. While this technique is effective, it's not particularly refined.
There may not be a right or wrong way to roll up your sleeves, but some ways undeniably look better than others and there are a few basic rules of thumb. Who knew it was so scientific?
- When rolling your sleeves, ensure that a few inches of your wrist are visible to make sure that it doesn't look like your shirt was simply too long and you had to roll the sleeves so that you would have full use of your hands.
- Don't roll past your elbow unless you are actually working. There are no exact measurements that you should stick to, but it is customary to keep the cuff below the elbow.
With these rules in mind, the execution of a clean sleeve roll is quite simple.
Step 1: For the classic roll you only need to unbutton the cuff or remove your cufflinks. Fold the cuff to where the seam of the cuff meets the sleeve, and then fold over one more time and smooth the fabric. Voila!
Step 2: To achieve the forearm cuff you need to unbutton the cuff and the gauntlet buttons (the next two buttons on the outside of your wrist).Flip the cuff inside out and pull it up just below your elbow. Finally, take the bottom portion that is resting on your forearm and fold it up over the top of the cuff.
We admit it's a little more precise than we thought, but it's a small price to pay to be fashionably cool this summer!
