Taking Proper Measurements On a Jacket

[NavyDoc]

Can anyone help me with how to take proper measurements on a jacket? I am going to be selling a Size 40 Lost Worlds Easy Ryder, and want to be sure I am relaying the correct information to potential buyers.
I think I understand back length well enough (seam below collar to bottom of jacket, through the center) and also sleeve length (from top of shoulder seam along the outer curve of sleeve to the end.) I assumed that shoulder length would be from the superior portion of the seam meeting the sleeve across the shoulder to the other seam. Pit measurements are a bit murkier to me though, and I made the "ass"umption that I should lay the jacket flat on its back and measure from the lowest portion of the armpit gusset across the jacket to the other.
I'll include a few photos to help illustrate my descriptions.
Many thanks for any help. I'm a new member and this is my first post. I'm truly in amazement at the wealth of knowledge available on this forum, and have enjoyed the reading I've done thus far.

 

[NavyDoc]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/114400945@N05/11951127935/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/114400945@N05/11951961026/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/114400945@N05/11951413093/

 

[Windward]

To avoid measurement errors ALWAYS lay the jackets FLAT + ZIPPERED - relaxed without wrinkles and without any stretching.
Same with your shoulder measurements, better lay it flat instead hanging over a chair...
look here ....

 

[NavyDoc]

Thanks Windward. Good to know. I was somewhat careless with the layout as I intended the pictures more for illustration of where I was taking the measurements rather than taking an exact measurement. Similarly, I laid the jacket on the chair so as to be able to easily photograph the tape measure on the shoulder. But I appreciate knowing that the lay-flat method is the standard.
Otherwise, do I have the location of measurements correct? The pit-to-pit one is the one I'm most concerned about.

 

[Windward]

Thanks Windward. Good to know. I was somewhat careless with the layout as I intended the pictures more for illustration of where I was taking the measurements rather than taking an exact measurement. Similarly, I laid the jacket on the chair so as to be able to easily photograph the tape measure on the shoulder. But I appreciate knowing that the lay-flat method is the standard.
Otherwise, do I have the location of measurements correct? The pit-to-pit one is the one I'm most concerned about.

Ah,...thanks for the hint with the chair - You have to measure always at the widest point and horizontal.
The pit-to-pit measurement is an important factor because it determinines the Size. Good luck with your sale.

 

[Jeff M]

Picture tutorial from the Vintage Leather Jacket forum;

First of all, you need a measuring tape. Don't come with a yardstick, this is for a different job.

Shoulders. The easiest. Jacket should be zipped up all the way, laid flat on a table, grab the shoulders and pull until leather becomes straight, but without stretching it. Measure from shoulder tip to shoulder tip.

Back. Put the measuring tape at the bottom of the collar and making sure the jacket lays completely flat, run it over it until the end of the knitted waistband. Simple.

This is the correct sleeve measurement. Measuring the outer edge of the sleeve. Its maximum length. Don't do it as shown in the photo below. It's wrong.

Wrong! See? One inch shorter.

Chest. Grab the jacket under the armpits and pull until it becomes straight. Don't pull to hard you don't want to stretch it. Again, my photo isn't the best. Left side OK, right side not perfectly straight, but anyway, that's how the pit to pit measurement is taken.

 

[Highwaymanman]

So when you measure the shoulders you go directly across the back rather than over the top of the shoulders? And if the jacket has side panels you go to the mid point of the panel to find the pit to pit?

 

[bretron]

Side panels definitely add to the confusion for chest measurement, but in general i think you want to measure from the far edge. Guess if you're laying your HB truly "flat" it would be the center of the side panel. Some makers do the chest measurement both from the front and the back, just to play it safe.

 

[Jeff M]

With this method of measuring...you measure the back a shown. Not over the top of the shoulders.
With pit to pit, just lay the jacket flat.
Forget about panels/seams/etc.
Lay FLAT and measure as shown....outer edge to outer edge at the pit level.

(One problem is different jacket manufacturers will ask you to take PERSONAL measurements differently.
This is the method I've seen used by most leather jacket makers I've dealt with and experienced leather jacket buyers/sellers to convey the actual measurements of a JACKET.
I generally will send a jacket seller/buyer/maker the above photos/information to confirm that we are talking the same "language" when sending measurements back and forth.)

 

[Sloan1874]

With this method of measuring...you measure the back a shown. Not over the top of the shoulders.
With pit to pit, just lay the jacket flat.
Forget about panels/seams/etc.
Lay FLAT and measure as shown....outer edge to outer edge at the pit level.

(One problem is different jacket manufacturers will ask you to take PERSONAL measurements differently.
This is the method I've seen used by most leather jacket makers I've dealt with and experienced leather jacket buyers/sellers to convey the actual measurements of a JACKET.
I generally will send a jacket seller/buyer/maker the above photos/information to confirm that we are talking the same "language" when sending measurements back and forth.)

Excellent tip, Jeff.

 

[Peacoat]

Good thread. Measuring is so important, and most sellers don't have a good grasp of proper measuring techniques. Measuring the sleeve length is vast mystery to most people. Jeff M nailed it with his photos. Windward took a good picture, but he neglected to zip the jacket!

 

[bretron]

I suggest making a sticky for this thread (props to Platon @BK for the tutorial), as was done over at the vlj.

 

[Sloan1874]

+1

 

[pjstrass]

Thanks ! Really helpful.

 

[NavyDoc]

Thank you so much! This is EXACTLY the help I was looking for.

 

[Jeff M]

Yep.
Kudos to Platon who posted these photos/information over at The Vintage Leather Jacket Forum.

 

[bretron]

And props to you too, Jeff, for cross-posting this!

 

[nightandthecity]

and whilst we're at it, always use a proper flexible dressmakers/tailors tape and never, ever, a steel DIY tape which cannot follow the subtle undulations of the fabric - the difference can be major. Also, be aware that a lot of experienced ebay sellers don't follow the curve of the sleeve, but measure in a straight line from the same start and finishing points as shown in the VLJ pics. In fact I'm thinking of including both sleeve measurements in future myself to avoid any confusion.

It is, unfortunately, a basic fact about ebay that many sellers - perhaps even most - cannot measure properly.

Also worth noting that even this "standard" raft of measurements can only be a rough guide to fit. Different jacket designs that fit you perfectly can measure very differently.

 

[Tomasso]

Good basic measurements though I would add one for the armscye.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Also worth noting that even this "standard" raft of measurements can only be a rough guide to fit. Different jacket designs that fit you perfectly can measure very differently.

+1000 Sometimes a jacket by the measurements should be fine but it isn't. There's nothing you can do in that case except head to the thrift store.

Good basic measurements though I would add one for the armscye.

That I think would be hard to almost anyone to measure. I would just do the armpit-to-cuff measurement and compare to the shoulder-seam-to-cuff measurement. But I guess someone like a bodybuilder would have issues.