Shoulder width of a leather-jacket

[ButteMT61]

So true. It's disheartening for me to see those who generally post that certain jacket photos look great (just to always be agreeable and what they think is kind) rather than honest..when it could often look so much better. I think the thrill of finally arriving at a great fitting jacket can outweigh disappointments in the past. I had probaby one of Aero's first black 'Vintage' HH Highwaymans. Heavy hide..but relaxed and comfortable right out of the box. A new immediate customer return I picked up from the Aero sale page. Extremely grainy and unusual from a small batch of hides. Fit was absolutely perfect..except..the sleeves ended at the finger knuckles. I posted pics..I think on the VLJ. Everyone commented that it was surely a beautiful jacket...but the sleevelength kept bothering me. Even my wife said they were OK. Finally I received a PM from a member who had posted raving at how nice the jacket was. Now he said he wanted to be honest that the sleeves just really looked too long! Finally my Wife admitted that she just didn't want to tell me since the rest of the jacket was so nice. Jeesh! It did sell quick since it was so unusual. I still miss that hide..but at least I'm not walking around looking like a Dork...well..not quite as bad,anyhow. Thanks to a little honesty. HD

I'd recommend this post to be a "sticky". It's dead-on. So much goes on via PM because people are afraid to speak up - using tact of course. What a shame. If one doesn't want critique, I'd recommend out of the gate to not post in this or any other forum. I stay here due to the knowledge, fun, and help of virtual friends. I'd still be sporting nothing but Avirex and USW jackets if I never came here. Maybe I'd be just as happy? I surely have more money lol

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Yeah...but now you know for sure when you walk into one of those HollyWood Celeb parties absolutely no one could possibly be looking any better in their leather jacket. Not even Nick Nolte..!! lol

 

[ButteMT61]

Yeah...but now you know for sure when you walk into one of those HollyWood Celeb parties absolutely no one could possibly be looking any better in their leather jacket. Not even Nick Nolte..!! lol

Well. I'm still wearing brown after all lolAlways swimming upstream...

 

[schitzo]

I had probaby one of Aero's first black 'Vintage' HH Highwaymans. Heavy hide..but relaxed and comfortable right out of the box. A new immediate customer return I picked up from the Aero sale page. Extremely grainy and unusual from a small batch of hides. Fit was absolutely perfect..except..the sleeves ended at the finger knuckles. I posted pics..I think on the VLJ. Everyone commented that it was surely a beautiful jacket...but the sleevelength kept bothering me. Even my wife said they were OK. Finally I received a PM from a member who had posted raving at how nice the jacket was. Now he said he wanted to be honest that the sleeves just really looked too long! Finally my Wife admitted that she just didn't want to tell me since the rest of the jacket was so nice. Jeesh! It did sell quick since it was so unusual. I still miss that hide..but at least I'm not walking around looking like a Dork...well..not quite as bad,anyhow. Thanks to a little honesty.


Oh Van, this sorry tale of woe almost brought a tear to my eye. Why didn't you just get them shortened!?

Have to say I agree with you two completely here. A good virtual friend tells you what he thinks, no matter, just the same as for real life. I will say that at times the 'back slapping' in this place can definitely become a little nauseating for my taste

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I had probaby one of Aero's first black 'Vintage' HH Highwaymans. Heavy hide..but relaxed and comfortable right out of the box. A new immediate customer return I picked up from the Aero sale page. Extremely grainy and unusual from a small batch of hides. Fit was absolutely perfect..except..the sleeves ended at the finger knuckles. I posted pics..I think on the VLJ. Everyone commented that it was surely a beautiful jacket...but the sleevelength kept bothering me. Even my wife said they were OK. Finally I received a PM from a member who had posted raving at how nice the jacket was. Now he said he wanted to be honest that the sleeves just really looked too long! Finally my Wife admitted that she just didn't want to tell me since the rest of the jacket was so nice. Jeesh! It did sell quick since it was so unusual. I still miss that hide..but at least I'm not walking around looking like a Dork...well..not quite as bad,anyhow. Thanks to a little honesty.


Oh Van, this sorry tale of woe almost brought a tear to my eye. Why didn't you just get them shortened!?

At the time I was fairly new to the game. Didn't know any local leather tailors and didn't really want to spend the $$ to ship back to Aero. In fact..I doubt if I'd trust a local tailor today to do the job. Plus the jacket was unfortunately lined with cotton drill..which I found out I don't care for at all. So it worked out for the best in the end.
HD

 

[Worf]

Interesting discussion. I've only seen a few jackets here that I thought looked "wrong" but I've not the experience or standing, in my mind, to say so. I'm relatively new to this game and I'm still learning. I will say that the majority of times a jacket doesn't look "right" to me it has less to do with the jacket than the body size and shape of the wearer, myself included. How do you say to someone "the jacket's great but you're too fat or too tiny to wear it"? It's a hard thing to say on an open forum!

Worf

 

[Don Tomaso]

Me too Tomasso, I mean I already did, at the start of Feb I think. Anyhow, I just wonder, what do you know of the fit for this jacket? Specifically is it 'oversized' like the 50s halfbelt or 'undersized' like the 30s - or is this supposed to be a happy medium between the two? Whatever the fit I think the pioneer is a real beauty.. roll on August!

Hi Schitzo, I'll send Holly pics and measures and then we'll see. August? OmG!:eeek: BTW, call me Thomas.
@all: thank you for the interesting comments - @Butte: sorry for dissing your jacket - you are right when it comes to comments here on TFL. It is a bit too americanized, if you cannot say something nice, say nothing kind of way. This makes for comfortable environment, but not for advise. Maybe I would have given back the jacket I have when getting more in-the-face-comments, but then, as a winter- and autumn-jacket it is fine, allowing me to layer with a thick turtleneck. And it is my first made-to-order-jacket, I guess I keep it. It's not sooooo bad, after all.
Worth another thread would be sleeves-lengths, some jackets look a tad ridiculous - NOT YOUR'S, BUTTE!!!! - with the hem over the fingertips, but I won't touch THAT can of worms...

 

[Don Tomaso]

... How do you say to someone "the jacket's great but you're too fat or too tiny to wear it"? ...

As you just did?

Kidding. You're right, you cannot possibly say this.

The problem is, some of the folks here kind of re-enact their youth. At least, that's it with me. When I was a lad, I would have loved to have a heavy leather-jacket, but I had no cash for that. Now I'm older, got the funds to purchase such a luxury item like a 750 Euro leather-jacket, but now I'm also no longer young and trim, in fact, I've got an ugly beer-gut and can only try to do something about it at the gym. I won't abandon the beer!
The jackets are basically cut for younger guys with a physique, not for big-bummed-narrow-shouldered-beer-belly-wearing office-types... Can look funny at times, in particular when pics are posted with the zipper up and you can only think of the Michelin-Man... Other models work with strong square working-class kind of guys, again no software-developers who sit all day.
Ok, enough picking, sorry for OT. Maybe a bit more honesty, not too much, it's a strong remedy, would be good here on TFL. Gentle, of course.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

I think a lot of people post photos of themselves wearing their jackets because many here practically demand it. If someone posts pictures of their jacket asking for comments on the fit, I generally try to be honest. However, if they're simply posting photos of themselves wearing a new jacket, but not asking for comments on the fit, I'm probably better off trying to find something positive to comment on, or perhaps simply not commenting at all.

Many assume that we're all after the same look or style. Many assume that we should be. As adults, I'd like to think that people could figure this stuff out for themselves, but I guess it's just not quite that simple.

I posted this comment elsewhere on another thread here at TFL:

Fit is a very subjective thing and everybody obviously has their own preferences. Still, I've seen numerous photos on this forum by people who have demanded a "very fit" jacket when their bodies are anything but fit. Makes for an odd choice. I always wonder how honest the customer has been with the builder in those circumstances. Some styles simply work better for some individuals than they do for others.

 

[Worf]

When I first got here I was just too damn fat for anything but the biggest, baggiest A2's. Some 35 pounds and a jacket size or two later things are starting to feel and look different on me. It's nice to get compliments from friends on the street on how nice Graeme's modded Cossack looks or my Aero LHB. The difference between what I THINK looks good and what DOES look good can be great. Hopefully, one has a spouse or friends that will tell you the truth, but if you've neither.. do you come here? I could've saved a crapload of time and money, or maybe not, if I'd dieted first and bought second.

Worf

 

[ButteMT61]

@all: thank you for the interesting comments - @Butte: sorry for dissing your jacket - you are right when it comes to comments here on TFL. It is a bit too americanized, if you cannot say something nice, say nothing kind of way.

Thomas, please! You didn't diss it (I don't think you did...) but I can assure you, this jacket could not be a better fit if I had Horse DNA stem cells implanted into my torso! I have one shoulder that has a noticeable drop from the separation, and I could not have someone make a jacket with two different shoulders lolI don't take it as a diss at all. Even if you think it looks like ***t, that's your opinion and your entitled to it and to post it - I asked!Fit, look, it's all what 'you' want. But again, if folks come here and say "tell me what you think", you best be ready for critique from those here that live jackets. I'm sure that 98% of the people that see us in our jackets don't know or care about the effort and struggle to get the best jacket we can. And let's face it, if we were all 25-30 in the best shape of our lives, lesser jackets would compliment us just fine. Sadly, I didn't have the money or awareness back then. Well, I had the money, but it went to much more fun activities lol

 

[Don Tomaso]

Hi Butte, wasn't too serious, was I? anyway, guys, started discussing the question with the maker - not mine, mind you - and we'll see.

 

[Christoball]

Resurrecting an old thread, I know. Bought a TaylorLeatherware NYPD peacoat. Really like it, but it fits more like an overcoat than a jacket. I wear a 42 or 44 short off the rack sportcoat. Taylor's size chart says "medium" is the equivalent of 38-40, which would be a straitjacket on me.
So I got the large, which fits a 42-44.
It feels just a bit too big,and more like an overcoat than a jacket. Shoulder seams about an inch past the corner of my shoulders, sleeves break about halfway between wrist and knuckles. What do you guys think, honestly, of the fit? I think it would still work over a heavy sweater or other bulky layer.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/attachments/3b0a9730-f9ce-486f-b65a-a88dec710022-jpeg.392455/

 

[Monitor]

What do you guys think, honestly, of the fit? I think it would still work over a heavy sweater or other bulky layer.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/attachments/3b0a9730-f9ce-486f-b65a-a88dec710022-jpeg.392455/

The only other bulky layer this would work over would be another three peacoats, all in the same size.

It's no good. Fits you comically wide, not to mention the dress effect. Plain and simple, it just doesn't look good on you. Send it back ASAP.
M should work, though.

Taylor's makes a good leather jacket but all such makers will always oversize their product because, truth be told, their intended customer's idea of a fit isn't exactly compatible with the generally accepted notion of how a leather jacket should fit, and 9/10 guys specifically going for Taylor's will be very happy with their coat. You clearly aren't and in this case you're 100% correct.

 

[BlueSteel]

Resurrecting an old thread, I know. Bought a TaylorLeatherware NYPD peacoat. Really like it, but it fits more like an overcoat than a jacket. I wear a 42 or 44 short off the rack sportcoat. Taylor's size chart says "medium" is the equivalent of 38-40, which would be a straitjacket on me.
So I got the large, which fits a 42-44.
It feels just a bit too big,and more like an overcoat than a jacket. Shoulder seams about an inch past the corner of my shoulders, sleeves break about halfway between wrist and knuckles. What do you guys think, honestly, of the fit? I think it would still work over a heavy sweater or other bulky layer.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/attachments/3b0a9730-f9ce-486f-b65a-a88dec710022-jpeg.392455/

Way too big, sir. You definitely need a smaller size...hopefully the M would be much better (but I really don't know Taylor's sizing)!

 

[AeroFan_07]

100% agree, it's more than just the shoulder that is too large here.

 

[Aloysius]

Taylor's makes a good leather jacket but all such makers will always oversize their product because, truth be told, their intended customer's idea of a fit isn't exactly compatible with the generally accepted notion of how a leather jacket should fit, and 9/10 guys specifically going for Taylor's will be very happy with their coat. You clearly aren't and in this case you're 100% correct.

I think in this case it's that the jacket is designed to fit over a full police uniform, gun, equipment etc.

Same reason that Buzz Rickson's will do 'slender fit' versions of some military overcoats– they're not actually skinny or anything; they just trim out the extra space the original design had for a uniform underneath.

 

[Canuck Panda]

What @Aloysius said.
It doesn't hurt to try the size down though just to see. But I think it's a design thing. These were designed to be worn as coats, not jackets.
I downsized on an Aero Barnstormer coat to get the "jacket sizing". But it just never worked out right. I experience the same with Filson macks too. These garments are meant to be coats over the jacket or shackets.
There are coats tailored to wear as jackets though, but usually they would mention that in the fit description, like the Crombie coats.
I'd bet if you wore a shacket underneath that coat you would feel right at home with it.

 

[Christoball]

I though the same thing you and aloysius thought. And for a lot of coats I just can't get the size right: For Carrhart work coats, for instance, Large is a little swimmy on me, Carrhart Medium is skin tight. I wear Large in those cases because there is no sleeve ride up when I raise or extend my arms, and I don't much care how I look in a chore coat. I have higher expectations of a nice leather jacket, and this is a nice jacket. Coat.

Posting some pics of police wearing this style. It is difficult to see what they wear underneath, but as far as I can tell it is just a dress shirt and tie. There might be a ballistic vest, which would certainly add bulk, but the equipment tends to ride on the outside on a duty belt. See what you think of the fit in these photos compared to the pic of me. BTW I don't have any desire to impersonate a cop or have any sort of cop fetish. I just like this style of coat and I couldn't find any other maker who offered a bi-swing back, which is a must for heavyweight leather IMO. I'm also a bit guilty of overthinking this clothing purchase, but this is the place to do that, no?

 

[Christoball]

Oh, and a shout out to Taylor's Leatherware for truly great customer service. They have a terrific return policy, they are helpful and respond quickly to customer queries. They make a good product and they want to make sure the customer is happy with it.