Do Goatskin Jackets Mold to the Body like Horsehide?

[Bender]

Hey guys,

I recently picked up a NOS Real McCoy's New Zealand G1 in their beautiful veg-tanned goatskin.

The tagged size is 46, but this particular jacket was cut closer to a 44. I am usually a 42/40, but can get away with a larger size in a G1. While the shoulders and chest sizing is perfect, the waist/stomach is still a bit wide and perhaps a hair too long, and the sleeves a bit too long as well. It's not terrible, and it looks great zipped up, but when it's open I'm encroaching on that unflattering A2 look (no offense to guys who like the A2 cut).

So here's the crux of my question: if this particular jacket were in horsehide, I wouldn't be too worried, because I would expect, over time, for the horsehide to kind of almost shrink/mold to my body, shorten up a hair at the waist from creasing, and for the arms to crease and shorten up as well... eliminating the two issues bugging me. But can I expect the same from goatskin?

 

[Bender]

 

[Bennarion]

You should not expect goatskin to sit down at least a little. It has remained unchanged for centuries. I would like to see a photo of the jacket on you. If the jacket doesn't fit you, sell it. There is no need to look for excuses

 

[cbez]

I think fundamentally you can expect horsehide to 'break in' but not 'shrink to fit'. Your expectations seem a little high.

That's just how g1s are cut.

I have a goat that is super thick that will probably never really change its shape, and another goat that was instantly drapey and soft from day 1.

 

[Jasonissm]

I have experience with this, my Lost Worlds G-1 fits big/boxy on me. When new it fit like a cardboard box, just looked really weird and stiff, after a while and a bit of wear in the rain, it got soft and draped more naturally. It's still a looser fit on me, but because the stiffness has lessened it looks much better.

It has not shrunk, I have not experienced any of my jackets shrinking, the length has also stayed pretty much the same. Sleeve length has also stayed pretty much the same for me, despite being very stiff and rigid when new, after wear, the leather was too soft to hold the creases and shorten the sleeve like other jackets may, even then the sleeve shortening is very slight even with other jackets I have.

G-1 are typically cut more slim to tag size than A-2 and other models due to action back and stuff, so I think the 46 is just cut as a slim 46. Although this varies a lot depending on the maker and date of production I guess.

G-1 is one of the few flight jackets that I've seen fit trim in the waist, but that depends on size and should be like that from day one, it's not going to magically shrink to fit your waist. Mine is also not like that despite the tag size.

 

[Bender]

I think fundamentally you can expect horsehide to 'break in' but not 'shrink to fit'. Your expectations seem a little high.

That's just how g1s are cut.

I have a goat that is super thick that will probably never really change its shape, and another goat that was instantly drapey and soft from day 1.

I dunno... all my horsehide jackets (well, at least the ones I've worn a lot) have formed around me... call it settling, molding, shrinking, whatever, but the result is they sit closer to the body with wear than when new. And all the sleeves have creased, resulting in a practical decrease in length... although if one were to stretch out the creases, I am sure they would measure the original length. I don't think with regards to horsehide, my expectations are too high... but certainly possible I am hoping for something that will not occur with goatskin...

 

[Bender]

You should not expect goatskin to sit down at least a little. It has remained unchanged for centuries. I would like to see a photo of the jacket on you. If the jacket doesn't fit you, sell it. There is no need to look for excuses

I'll try and post some pics in the morning!

According to a buddy and a random stranger who complimented the jacket, it fits well. But it's always a personal thing, isnt it...

And yes, I asked the rando if it fit okay. How embarrassing.

 

[navetsea]

goatskin is soft, and tend to "unlearn" its creases when you don't wear it for awhile, unlike firmer leather that memorize their creases.

 

[jacketjunkie]

I dunno... all my horsehide jackets (well, at least the ones I've worn a lot) have formed around me... call it settling, molding, shrinking, whatever, but the result is they sit closer to the body with wear than when new. And all the sleeves have creased, resulting in a practical decrease in length... although if one were to stretch out the creases, I am sure they would measure the original length. I don't think with regards to horsehide, my expectations are too high... but certainly possible I am hoping for something that will not occur with goatskin...

Goatskin will settle in, break in whatever. It will form creases, too. Will take longer than the modern horsehide that is designed to break in fast. Is it going to shrink? No. Neither does horsehide though. So whatever effect you noticed with breaking in horsehide, you will have with goatskin too, it‘s going to take longer than Shinki/Horween/other fancy popular horsehide though. If the horsehide jacket you are refering to is a Lost Worlds on the other hand… then I‘d think break in time will be fairly similar.

 

[Bennarion]

I'll try and post some pics in the morning!

According to a buddy and a random stranger who complimented the jacket, it fits well. But it's always a personal thing, isnt it...

And yes, I asked the rando if it fit okay. How embarrassing.

This is already half the case. When we see the photo, we will decide definitively

 

[Edward]

In my experience, goat doesn't tend to settle in the same way as horse because it's drapey from the off. That said, I think the cut of the jacket also matters. A neater-fitting jacket like a mc style or a slim halfbelt will tend to mould to the body moreso than a looser fitting jacket.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about a G1 or any other USN jacket being a little bigger. While wartime A2 fits were all over the place, uniformly the USN jackets I've seen tended to be worn a little large across the board, if anything in the 40s and 50s. At least in the photos I've seen. It's not unusual, though, IME to need a USN jacket in a size or two bigger than you can wear in an A2, as they're almost always cut just a fair bit neater than the equivalent A2 (the latter having to be boxier to permit movement, given lack of action back). I like both styles, but can totally understand why you might prefer one over the other - they're different enough worn in anger that it can matter. I suspect the G1 might be more popular than the A2 today if Steve Macqueen had worn one instead of an A2... They're both great for style; for practical design purposes it seems the USN might have been considered the superior design by the higher-ups given when they created the ANJ3 as a cross-forces jacket, it drew much more on the Navy jackets than the A2 design... Not that it had long to savour that victory because along came the nylon era, but....

 

[Canuck Panda]

A cold wash would help to tighten up the leather a bit but not down a size.

 

[58panheadfan]

As already mentioned, the size or how close a jacket sits to the body plays a role (as with denim jeans, for example). The thickness of the leather and the way the leather has been tanned also play a role. In my experience, veg tan leathers develop most dramatically when worn in a rain shower.

 

[Bender]

Alright so these aren't great, but I kinda suck at selfies. Hopefully gives you guys an idea...