Leather jacket shoulders

[vntg60s]

I’m interested in purchasing a high quality leather jacket, preferably a heavier leather, maybe 4 oz. Maybe higher. My concern, however, is that a heavier oz. leather will be too square and boxy in the shoulders. I’m particularly interested in the LW suburban. Will the boxiness of the heavier leathers settle into a more relaxed and conforming shoulder with frequent wear?

 

[MrProper]

I am not a specialist, but in my opinion boxy shoulders are formed when the angle from shoulder to sleeve is too steep. Cue Sacco/suit jacket.
Thin leather can also have pointy shoulders.

 

[ton312]

In my experience, regardless of weight, the shouders are directly impacted/effected by the sleeve attachment and angle. I have had and have seen many jackets where the sleeves seem to be an afterthought, like attaching a sleeve to a vest rather than building them into the jackets body.

 

[Peacoat]

I'm sure there are Suburban owners here who can give you a specific answer about that model. My experience with 15 leather jackets is that all leather will break in and relax with wear. Some take longer than others. For example, I have a Johnson Leather jacket that was the stiffest jacket I have seen. Took a long time, but it finally got broken in and is comfortable to wear. I like it as a motorcycle jacket as it is so sturdy. Same with my Vanson competition weight jacket. Finally got it broken in, and now it is soft and comfortable to wear.

So, I think that whatever leather you choose, it will eventually get broken in and relax.

 

[Carlos840]

I’m interested in purchasing a high quality leather jacket, preferably a heavier leather, maybe 4 oz. Maybe higher. My concern, however, is that a heavier oz. leather will be too square and boxy in the shoulders. I’m particularly interested in the LW suburban. Will the boxiness of the heavier leathers settle into a more relaxed and conforming shoulder with frequent wear?

Shoulder boxiness is IMO not linked to leather thickness but to pattern design.
Field Leathers has super boxy shoulders on thin leather for example.

 

[Mich486]

It’s a pattern thing. Aeros tend to have more square shoulders (field leathers is the same, unsurprisingly I guess), a bit like British cut suits really.

To me LW jackets seem neutral in that regard. Not really soft and rounded but not square either.

 

[vntg60s]

I'm sure there are Suburban owners here who can give you a specific answer about that model. My experience with 15 leather jackets is that all leather will break in and relax with wear. Some take longer than others. For example, I have a Johnson Leather jacket that was the stiffest jacket I have seen. Took a long time, but it finally got broken in and is comfortable to wear. I like it as a motorcycle jacket as it is so sturdy. Same with my Vanson competition weight jacket. Finally got it broken in, and now it is soft and comfortable to wear.

So, I think that whatever leather you choose, it will eventually get broken in and relax.

This was my thinking as well, although I don’t have the experience of owning a leather jacket for years, wearing it a ton, and making it mine. Below are some shoulder pics of the jacket. The first pic is an example of a new jacket. IMO, the shoulder is stiff and boxy. The other two are examples after the owners had broken them in a bit. I’m curious to know how stiff the last two shoulders looked when they were new…. Or was it the pattern at the outset that determined how nicely the shoulders conformed?

 

[vntg60s]

I’ll add that all three jackets are the same style, the LW suburban.

 

[Dbrn]

I'm sure there are Suburban owners here who can give you a specific answer about that model. My experience with 15 leather jackets is that all leather will break in and relax with wear. Some take longer than others. For example, I have a Johnson Leather jacket that was the stiffest jacket I have seen. Took a long time, but it finally got broken in and is comfortable to wear. I like it as a motorcycle jacket as it is so sturdy. Same with my Vanson competition weight jacket. Finally got it broken in, and now it is soft and comfortable to wear.

So, I think that whatever leather you choose, it will eventually get broken in and relax.

I agree about leather in general and fit. But no amount of leather breakin will change how the pattern or seams and seam spots will sit on a frame. So I think there’s a limit to how much breakin will affect shoulder fit.

 

[58panheadfan]

It's all about the cut/pattern... The armholes have to be calculated, designed and precisely checked according to the pattern drawing to match the sleeve. When cutting, the sleeve head is always slightly wider than the armhole. This width (called the holding width) should be able to be distributed over the armhole on the back part.

Left: cut/pattern makes round shoulders - Right: cut/pattern makes square shoulders
When comparing the pattern with the arm, the difference in shoulder width, top shaping and sleeve width becomes clear.
They are two independent constructions with different effects.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I don't have the Surburban but I have the J24 which has very sharp sleeve attachment to shoulder, but it also has tallest shoulder slope out of all brands I have, so the curve between shoulder and sleeve is actually more rounded despite the sharp attachment. I think this is how LW patterns are like. It will be quite comfortable.
The more rounded the sleeve attachment, the less pronounced the square shoulder will be, and more it will wear like a raglan sleeve and the shoulder width doesn't really matter as much. Very American style. The westcoast brands are like this too but flatter shoulder slope and wider sleeve attachment, so counter clockwise a few degrees than the LW but same idea, rounded shoulder.
These are not LW Suburban but my best guess is that the Suburban is close to the jacket on top but with higher shoulder slope and sharper sleeves so a few degrees clockwise, and not like the jacket on the bottom which I think is what you are trying to not to.

The Suburban from his website, I see the rounded curve and not the sharp angle:

The sleeves are also straight as it seems on the Suburban so it'd be comfy. His 4.5oz isn't as monstrous as some claimed. Mine was hardly used before I got it and it wore just fine.

 

[Ingramite]

It's all about the cut/pattern... The armholes have to be calculated, designed and precisely checked according to the pattern drawing to match the sleeve. When cutting, the sleeve head is always slightly wider than the armhole. This width (called the holding width) should be able to be distributed over the armhole on the back part.

View attachment 458993

View attachment 458994
Left: cut/pattern makes round shoulders - Right: cut/pattern makes square shoulders
When comparing the pattern with the arm, the difference in shoulder width, top shaping and sleeve width becomes clear.
They are two independent constructions with different effects.

Thanks for the great post on this interesting topic.

Your patterns are very helpful.