Short Leather Jacket Length

[Seb Lucas]

Sorry no photos...

I am 6 ft 2 and 185 pounds. I have a jacket which is 22 inches in front and 26 in the back.

In front it fits around 1 inch over my belt. If I raise my arms it ends at the top of my belt line.

Is it too short? I feel like it's just okay. It's a 42 tall by G&B - a shorter police bike jacket. It's sort of like a Highwayman and very nice in brown goat. I read Johnny Johnny's post about how 25 inches is too short - but he may have meant the back...

It's just that I never wore a jacket shorter than 24 inches in front what do you guys think of jacket length in front?

I realise there's a subjective aspect to this one.

 

[Mr Badger]

Hey Seb, I find that 'on the belt line' looks great (I'm 6' 4") with G-1s, A-2s, Highwaymans, Perfectos, etc. Just so the bottom half of your belt buckle can be seen. Are you wearing your jacket (which sounds v. nice, BTW) with high, med or low-waisted jeans/trews?

Sound like you're happy with the front length and the longer back will mean no cold kidneys in the Winter, which I've suffered from with shorter jackets that are the same length front'n'back – that's not fun, at all! In fact, it's pretty painful!

 

[Seb Lucas]

Thanks, Badge... If I were 6ft 4 I wouldn't care what I wore... but seriously, that's interesting advice. I always felt that if your legs are long, your jacket should be long too - perspective. My jeans BTW are usually med wasted.

 

[Gustav]

I wear my highwayman shorter than that, 25", and i'm 6'2", it needs to be that short in order to function properly. I don't know about your jacket but most highwayman could stand to have a few inches lopped of the bottom to fit their wearers properly. On that jacket you should be able to zip it up, tighten the waist band to keep the weather out and still sit down and climb stairs etc without it interfereing with your legs, if you see what i mean. If it's longer the weather protection isn't there since you can't snug it up to keep the warm air inside, and a cold breeze comes along and blows all the heat out of it. That's why it has to fit properly too. Those are my thoughts on short jackets that are meant to do up around the waist anyway.

i have long legs in relation to my height though i guess, so for someone my height with a longer torso the 25" would be too short. On or near the the belt line is where i like it to be, especially if you want to drive and move freely sitting down wearing FQHH zipped up, it's amazing how making the jacket smaller increases your freedom of movement compared to an oversized jacket that rides up when you sit down.

 

[Edward]

Yes, that style of jacket should fit just on the beltline, I agree - both for aesthetics and utility. I wouldn't get too caught up in whether it measures to a specific number of inches, though - the bigger question is does it feel right when worn?

 

[johnnyjohnny]

so quotable

I read Johnny Johnny's post about how 25 inches is too short

howdy seb...don't know which jacket that was in reference to, but certainly it would have been a comment about the back...and it would have been in my opinion only, and dependent on the jacket, and for one over 6' (which i am)

i have a cockpitusa ww2 replica horsehide which is an amazing recreation of a 40s a-2 pattern and cut, and it is 25" in back, and it seems quite right, whilst i have a post war cooper a-2 that i sold, that was 25" in back, and it totally was too short for me, the difference being in the blousy-ness of the cooper design so that it was fuller in the body, whilst the cockpit repro had a trim fit and the 25" didn't look so short

as for moto jackets like the aero hwyman and my new eastman luftwaffe, my preference at my height is 26" minimum in back, which the luftwaffe is...just as a note, it is 23" in the front

as others have said, it's mainly how you feel about it, but if you're unsure, maybe it's not quite the way you like it

 

[HighandDry]

If I was riding then i would also opt for just below the belt. However, my preference is a longer jacket. To me, the shorter length looks funny, but that's my own preference. I'm about 5'11" and I like a 27" length in the back and maybe a inch or two shorter in the front, but it depends on the style of the jacket. I'm not as well versed as a lot of guys here, but a 4 inch difference between front and back seems like a lot.

 

[Fletch]

A cut a little too short to cover the beltline is usually a sign of a jacket made with cyclists in mind.

Lost Worlds' B-2 flight jacket, made in extra heavy horse, is an example. Aviation rejected the design long ago, with its odd neck too tall for a collar and too short for a hood. But that neck is a natural for a hard-helmet wearer, so why not change it to be a rider's article? The short front is meant to work for sitting slightly bent forward - and nothing else.

(One answer to "why not?" is that that makes it less useful to wear while automobiling or walking - valid considerations in a jacket costing $1,250.)

Another possibility is that the jacket is cut right, but the wearer isn't. A breadbasket will tend to pull the waistline up and out even before a tummy bulge is visible. :essen:

 

[ron521]

I have two Schott motorcycle jackets. The classic 118 "Perfecto" jacket, similar to what Marlon Brando wore, is quite short, 24" in back, and slightly less in front, very similar to what you describe.
I'm 5' 10". On me, the 118 covers my belt all around when on a motorcycle, and when standing, allows the lower part of my buckle to peek out.
It works tremendously well when on a motorcycle, but off the motorcycle I do prefer a longer cut. It isn't that there's anything wrong with the length, just a matter of personal preference.

My 141 is Schotts "Cafe Racer" style, (similar to the photo posted by HighandDry) and at 26", is about 2" longer in back. It completely hides my belt seated or standing, but when new, was stiff enough that my thighs pushed it up a little bit, lifting it slightly off my shoulders.
It didn't become completely comfortable for motorcycling until after it had softened up, and the leather, especially on the lower hem became more flexible.
The 141 works very well on a motorcycle, and I actually prefer it for as a casual jacket, but it does have to flex at the lower hem a little bit when riding (and you can see HighandDry's jacket has flexed as well) whereas the shorter "Perfecto" does not have to flex at all.

I'd say your G & B is a correct for it's intended purpose.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Thanks fellas, all helpful information.