Losing length- how much to take into account when buying new?

[Peacoat]

Schitzo was a fraud and made great effort to deceive with his shrinking jacket video. Manipulation.

Yes, and I remember your calling him out on it. I had forgotten about Schitzo. He is probably monitoring these conversations wishing he could participate, or he has another IP address and is a member again. Although I think he would have shown his A_ _ by now.

 

[felix03]

My horsehide aero cafe racer lost about 1” in body and sleeve length. I put it through about 15 complete rain soaks, always laying flat to dry away from heat sources.

 

[sweetfights]

Please do not take this as a personnal attack, this is just an observation, but IMO you are part of the long jacket brigade. I would not be surprised at all to hear you had experienced stacking/shrinkage as IMO most jackets i have seen you order new were a couple inches too long compared to what i would describe as a perfect length.

Exactly. Most of us have a personal preference for back/sleeve length. That comes into play too.
No offence

 

[Guppy]

Considering that Aero themselves are unable to guarantee exact measurements on a jacket made to spec, it just seems futile. If it's within an inch, it's to spec, according to them.

People measure differently, and there's always a degree of error when taking any measurements, but getting a stiff, thick leather jacket to lay down flat exactly the same way twice, and laying the tape across it exactly the same way twice must be an exercise in frustration for those concerned about precision.

I've bought and returned jackets where the seller's measurements were so far off what I measured, I couldn't wear it. What you get is what you get, ultimately. I recommend giving a custom maker YOUR measurements, and trust them to know how to fit you. Don't second guess their experience. If you are looking at a used jacket, it's measurements are fixed in advance, and it's just a matter of whether it fits you, and whether the seller can even measure reasonably accurately.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I was fortunate early on. I think I purchased my first custom leather jacket in 2000. I bought that Highwayman from Aero's sale page. It was a new return with 25 3/4 " sleeves that fit and 25" body length that was border line IMO.. Next Aero order was a jacket with 26" sleeve and 26" body...it fit too! Then I ordered a zip sleeve jacket at 26 1/4" with 26 1/2 body. It fit. I found my range in Aero jackets that worked even with different styles for me.

Then came Thurston Brothers and caring Carrie. I had noticed Thedi Jackets came in European sizes that needed to be converted to US dimensions. Carrie suggested Thedi XL since I wore a size 40 and sometimes a 42. She also stated that Thedi's shoulders were a little wider than some jackets and that I should consider a 26" sleeve. She offer to send a fit jacket which I gladly accepted. When that first Thedi came in it fit to a T. So now I leave it up to Carrie rather than trying to figure measurements since she is the pro..not me.
HD

 

[sweetfights]

Just measured. Lost one inch off the back. Now a perfect length for me.
After 30 hours in the sun and one damp cloth wipe down.
Not CXL- Vegetable tanned horsehide.
Up in Canada we shrink leather with our weather and win NBA titles.......

 

[Monitor]

I'm telling you. And I'm not complaining. Such a small variation makes no difference to me. But it occurs.

 

[Psant25]

Great timing...first a little back story...

I ordered a cascade in goat and columbia in cowhide recently. I have had both a short while. Measurements are very close to each other. The cascade has 1/2 inch longer sleeve and no gusset. The sleeve on the cascade without a gusset comes down over my hand some. I do not love that. The cascade is more for casual wear and columbia on the bike. I like longer sleeves on the bike

I sent in my cascade last week to shorten the sleeve 1 inch. I emailed yesterday having not heard anything. Scott told me I needed to call and talk to John as he had some concerns.

Ok...now pertaining to the thread. John would not take an inch off. He said the goat takes longer to break in and will still shorten ie crease. He wanted me to keep wearing it a while to see.

Now, the cascade goes to about my first knuckle. There is 3 inches between my knuckle and wrist bone.

Now we settled on adding a gusset to see if when zipped it wont slide over my hand, but it will crease/bunch up more obviously which I do not really want.

Thought it was interesting. Feel like I know what I like and what I want. Willing to give it a go. I am sure down the road they would take off an inch if I ask.

I do think when sleeves are real long it will crease up/shorten up to an inch from my experience.

 

[Carlos840]

Just measured. Lost one inch off the back. Now a perfect length for me.
After 30 hours in the sun and one damp cloth wipe down.
Not CXL- Vegetable tanned horsehide.
Up in Canada we shrink leather with our weather and win NBA titles....... View attachment 173009

If it lost an inch in the back, would you not have a saggy lining?
I can't imagine the lining would shrink too!

 

[sweetfights]

If it lost an inch in the back, would you not have a saggy lining?
I can't imagine the lining would shrink too!

That makes sense. I just checked and yes, there is slight sagging of lining. Nothing shows below the hem but it is close. May have to get the lining at the hem adjusted if it goes any further.

 

[El Marro]

I’m with Carlos on this one, I have never noticed any appreciable loss in length in either the back or the arms on any of my jackets. To be honest I have some that I wish would shrink a little bit in the arm length but no such luck

 

[Bfd70]

Just measured. Lost one inch off the back. Now a perfect length for me.
After 30 hours in the sun and one damp cloth wipe down.
Not CXL- Vegetable tanned horsehide.
Up in Canada we shrink leather with our weather and win NBA titles....... View attachment 173009

Title....not titles.

 

[ton312]

I think the shrinking phenomenon is actually nothing more than leather memory. It only pertains to stiff, heavily waxed and oiled leathers imo. If you take a piece of paper and crumple it up.... When you attempt to flatten the sheet of paper afterward it will never be as flat as it was before crumpled, and some measurement of length will be lost. Bend your arms, now they are shorter. Is it enough to change specs. No. Is it a reality. Yes absolutely. The severity all comes down to how much memory is packed into the hide. But I agree that this phenomenon of wear should not change desired specs from new. Specing a jacket 1” too long in body and sleeve will result in disappointment.
-George Costanza.

 

[ton312]

Title....not titles.

We got a Bulls fan right dur. Ah the 90’s and earlier. When basketball didn’t absolutely suck.

 

[ProteinNerd]

It is not clear what he wanted to achieve.

I remember when he first got the jacket he had been to Aero and Ken had told him/convinced him the jacket should be really short to be period correct....I think it was just a case of buyers remorse a few months later and it was shorter than he really wanted so he came up with the whole incredible shrinking jacket story to try and get a remake for free.

 

[zebedee]

I've never noticed any shrinking, just creasing.

 

[Mich486]

My experience is that if washed and dried the leather shrinks but shrinking by wearing alone is a phenomenon that it never occurred to me either.

Creasing that stays on crispy leathers will make the arms shorter by a little bit but ordering with an extra inch to account for this I think isn’t necessary.

What nobody seems to mention is the leather stretching/sagging on elbows for instance. That is something that worries me much more than shrinking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sweetfights]

Title....not titles.

I guess I'm thinking future tense as well......

 

[sweetfights]

I like Ton312's analogy about the wrinkled paper. I get creases down the back when I drive while wearing a jacket.
And of course there are the arm creases.
It also makes sense that any loss of moisture, oils, waxes etc. may contribute to area loss from shrinkage and leather memory. I definitely think weather/temperature and humidity changes have an effect.
When you have 4 seasons the warming and cooling must play a part.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Be careful if it’s a 30s style or any jacket that has a front dip, ordering extra length at the back can result in too long a front....