How tight should a leather jacket fit?

[bob78h]

I have a 39in chest and 30in waist, but pretty broad shoulders for my height. I'm having a lot of trouble finding a leather jacket that fits the way I like. I am after the fitted/tailored look, but don't want something that is skin tight and impossible to move in. I tried on several Schott cafe racer models and I really like the 554 (lighweight leather) but it seems I'm right on the cusp between a small and medium.

Wearing just a button down shirt underneath, the small is slightly too tight in the shoulders and upper chest. Especially when zipped up, I feel restricted lifting my arms above shoulder level or reaching forward, like tying my shoes is quite difficult. I also feel slight pulling across the upper chest when rolling my shoulders back. If I let my shoulders hunch forward a little, it feels fine. Unzipped it also feels fine and looks great, but I wonder if it is somewhat impractical to buy a jacket that can only be comfortably worn unzipped.

The medium feels much better in the shoulders and chest, but has way too much extra material in the stomach and the sides just kind of hang straight down rigidly (very boxy, maybe better after breaking in?) which is not exactly flattering.

Is it normal for a leather jacket to feel restricting in the shoulders/chest, especially when zipped up? Will those areas stretch out over time? Or should I go for the larger size? Is it reasonably easy to find a competent tailor to take the waist in? I understand leather is harder to work with than fabric, and it would suck to spend so much on a jacket only to have it ruined by a tailor.

Or alternatively, are there any other brands/fits that are more tapered/less boxy, that also come in a lighter weight leather? I will note that this problem is not unique to leather jackets, I also have issues finding suits and wool jackets that fit perfectly off the rack, but those seem simpler to get tailored.

 

[handymike]

I recommend you look at Flat Head. They have broader shoulders.

 

[AerGuitar]

Hi bob, It almost sounds like you are looking for an Aero Cafe Racer. Wider shoulders and a significant taper from chest to waist. Many options for different leathers. Definitely The Flat Head as well^^.

I find that tighter jackets look great for the most part, but getting one that fits properly is much more useful. When I got started with jackets a few years ago, my first few were T shirt only and I was uncomfortable wearing them zipped. Not only did I feel like they looked “off” with many of my jeans/pants, I didn’t have many perfect weather opportunities to wear them. After many jackets and hundreds of dollars lost in reselling them, I’m much happier now to find a proper fit. A proper fitting jacket can still look slim, but will also allow a bit of layering and utility.
If you are in between sizes, yes there will be some loosening, softening, and minor stretching in tighter areas. There will most likely be some creasing and molding in some of the more loose fitting areas over time. Different hides will have varying outcomes.
If at all possible, you may find it very helpful to have someone snap some photos of you wearing the different Schott sizes at the shop and post the photos here on the lounge and get some expert opinions, if you are set on a particular model. This is just my opinion/experience and assuming that you want to stick with just one jacket…. Be careful around here, your wallet could be in danger.

 

[cbez]

lost worlds have broad shoulders

I like to feel snug, like a hug, but still free to move. I dont like to feel like the jacket is hovering over me.

 

[barnabus]

a leather jacket that fits the way I like

That's how it should fit.

It doesn't matter what any of us say here, if you don't feel comfortable moving in it, you won't wear it.

The only way to decide is to try on different examples, and there've been several excellent suggestions so far that might work for you. Or you could go custom - which doesn't have to be too expensive. People have had good results with custom jackets from 5*.

My 2 pence would be that when trying on a jacket, don't look in the mirror until you've decided whether it feels comfortable or not. I'm old enough now to value comfort over appearance, and if a jacket doesn't satisfy both criteria enough then it's not working.

 

[Grayland]

lost worlds have broad shoulders

I find that Lost Worlds often have large (wide) sleeves too.

 

[Grayland]

I only have one leather jacket that I wear zipped - an Aero LHB. I can zip all of them, but I never zip the lighter weight leather jackets (cafe racer, half belt, Type I). I guess I would zip them if I rode a motorcycle, but I don't and feel they look (and feel) a lot cooler unzipped.

 

[Canuck Panda]

With a drop 9" torso ratio you would most likely need custom or after market tailoring.

If you already got your eyes set on the 554 just get one of those that fits you in the shoulder and chest and get it tailored waist down. You're in San Fran right? Just walk in to Johnson Leathers with your Schott and they can clip it to show how much you want to remove from the back panel and then custom taper it. This will give you the best result imo.

 

[Will Zach]

I have a 39in chest and 30in waist, but pretty broad shoulders for my height. I'm having a lot of trouble finding a leather jacket that fits the way I like. I am after the fitted/tailored look, but don't want something that is skin tight and impossible to move in. I tried on several Schott cafe racer models and I really like the 554 (lighweight leather) but it seems I'm right on the cusp between a small and medium.

Wearing just a button down shirt underneath, the small is slightly too tight in the shoulders and upper chest. Especially when zipped up, I feel restricted lifting my arms above shoulder level or reaching forward, like tying my shoes is quite difficult. I also feel slight pulling across the upper chest when rolling my shoulders back. If I let my shoulders hunch forward a little, it feels fine. Unzipped it also feels fine and looks great, but I wonder if it is somewhat impractical to buy a jacket that can only be comfortably worn unzipped.

The medium feels much better in the shoulders and chest, but has way too much extra material in the stomach and the sides just kind of hang straight down rigidly (very boxy, maybe better after breaking in?) which is not exactly flattering.

Is it normal for a leather jacket to feel restricting in the shoulders/chest, especially when zipped up? Will those areas stretch out over time? Or should I go for the larger size? Is it reasonably easy to find a competent tailor to take the waist in? I understand leather is harder to work with than fabric, and it would suck to spend so much on a jacket only to have it ruined by a tailor.

Or alternatively, are there any other brands/fits that are more tapered/less boxy, that also come in a lighter weight leather? I will note that this problem is not unique to leather jackets, I also have issues finding suits and wool jackets that fit perfectly off the rack, but those seem simpler to get tailored.

If you are open to vintage, Cal Leather cross zips will fit you well. Pretty extreme V-shape.

 

[TREEMAN]

Totally up to the individual......

 

[bob78h]

Thanks for all of the answers! Seems like I should go with my gut and get a jacket that allows for some reasonable amount of movement, and maybe investigate different brands or alterations.

The Aero Cafe Racer looks to have a great shape. Is it available in a lighter weight leather? For casual wear I really like the feel of the Schott 554. I think the heavier weight jackets, while bulletproof, are just a little too cumbersome for me, and also a little too warm for my location.

@Canuck Panda that you for the recommendation! I had heard about Johnson Leathers but thought they mainly did custom jackets. A fully custom jacket may be a little more than I want to spend, but I'll have to give them a call and see what is possible alteration-wise.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Thanks for all of the answers! Seems like I should go with my gut and get a jacket that allows for some reasonable amount of movement, and maybe investigate different brands or alterations.

The Aero Cafe Racer looks to have a great shape. Is it available in a lighter weight leather? For casual wear I really like the feel of the Schott 554. I think the heavier weight jackets, while bulletproof, are just a little too cumbersome for me, and also a little too warm for my location.

@Canuck Panda that you for the recommendation! I had heard about Johnson Leathers but thought they mainly did custom jackets. A fully custom jacket may be a little more than I want to spend, but I'll have to give them a call and see what is possible alteration-wise.

Just wear your 554 for a while first and not over think it. You may or may not even need/want alteration after spending some time with it. But if you do want a tapered fit, JL can do it for you, they also do alterations, full service shop. And you don’t have to pay for shipping, just traffic…

 

[El Marro]

I tried on several Schott cafe racer models and I really like the 554 (lighweight leather) but it seems I'm right on the cusp between a small and medium.

This is a common problem with jackets offered in alpha sizing as opposed to numeric chest sizes. Obviously, this is easier for the manufacturer because they do not need to make nearly as many versions of the jacket and sometimes it works out great for the customer if you match the target size.
I have had your exact experience though, where large was a bit too tight an XL was way too loose.

 

[Kongotronics]

I recommend you look at Flat Head. They have broader shoulders.

I have similar body measurements and the flat head stuff always fit great on me

 

[jglf]

I am built like the OP with a 9in drop and broad shoulders too and have gone through about a dozen “custom” jackets to find a good fit. I’m of the mindset now of buying a stock size that fits in the chest and shoulders and sending it off to Carrie or JL to tailor the torso and hem. It’ll cost you $150-$250 to alter but at least you can return the jacket if you don’t like the style or if it doesn’t fit in the chest/shoulder. It is still cheaper this route than selling the I’ll-fitting custom jacket for a 50% loss. I would probably trust Field Leathers and Thedi to get custom measurements right, but not too confident with the other makers.

Here’s a pic of a size 42 Aero BR that was ordered tapered to a 40 from the factory but was still way too big in the torso. I sent it to Carrie to take another 2” off the torso and hem and now it’s one of my best fitting jackets.

 

[MrProper]

I am built like the OP with a 9in drop and broad shoulders too and have gone through about a dozen “custom” jackets to find a good fit. I’m of the mindset now of buying a stock size that fits in the chest and shoulders and sending it off to Carrie or JL to tailor the torso and hem. It’ll cost you $150-$250 to alter but at least you can return the jacket if you don’t like the style or if it doesn’t fit in the chest/shoulder. It is still cheaper this route than selling the I’ll-fitting custom jacket for a 50% loss. I would probably trust Field Leathers and Thedi to get custom measurements right, but not too confident with the other makers.

Here’s a pic of a size 42 Aero BR that was ordered tapered to a 40 from the factory but was still way too big in the torso. I sent it to Carrie to take another 2” off the torso and hem and now it’s one of my best fitting jackets.

View attachment 562153 View attachment 562154

Exactly my taste. That's how I like my jackets too. I also had my Lewis Leathers jackets made tighter because they didn't get the taper as I wanted.

 

[Jasonindenver]

From my limited experience.….

A jacket that is tight and slightly restrictive at first may conform to the point of being bearable at worst and comfortable at best.

A jacket that is uncomfortable at first will remain so.

A jacket that is comfortable out of the gate is the one you will always want to wear.

 

[bob78h]

Sounds like the tailored route is the way to go...

I was a little unsure if maybe I'm just not used to how a "normal" (for lack of better word) jacket is supposed to fit. I've been wearing activewear jackets almost exclusively the last few years, so am used to having complete range of motion, and obviously this is probably an unreasonable expectation when it comes to leather or other more structured jackets.

But I feel like I should at least be able to tie my shoes and grab something from a higher shelf without fighting the jacket, right? With the smaller size I feel the jacket cutting into the front of my shoulders and the back of my armpits when reaching in front of me with my arms at shoulder level.

It doesn't seem like this fit issue is exclusive to leather jackets either. I'm also trying to find a peacoat now and having the same problem in the shoulders. Either it looks great but feels restrictive, or it feels great but looks way too baggy. I guess at least a peacoat would be a little cheaper/easier to tailor than a leather jacket.

 

[Marc mndt]

Sounds like the tailored route is the way to go...

Not necessarily. I have a 43" chest and 34" waist and own numerous OTR (non custom) jackets that are a great fit imo.

Not every jacket has to be close fitting like a leather shirt.

Check out my Instagram account to see a collage of mainly OTR jackets and their fits.

www.instagram.com/coolleatherjackets

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

If you can’t comfortably zip it up then it’s too small, but I know for years people liked their leather jackets (and denim jackets) Ramones-style; that is, about 3 sizes too small lol