What was the road to your fit nirvana? :)

[Turnip]

That’s been the look we were after when I was a kid.

Always tried to wear what I like and to avoid uniforms best possible.
Though i have to confess I did my national service.

In other words: Never looked for Nirvana, tried to stick to Rock and Roll best possible.

 

[JMax]

The smartest person on TFL.

And strongest.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Yep, all true... But I'm just sayin', people for the most part just want to fit in and if people who are in charge of making people look the way they're supposed to, tell them that this is how they should look, majority will listen and obey.



Well, that's debatable. The way you (and I don't mean just you but rather, heritage scene) wear trousers is exactly how girls wear them now - Wide, cuffed. It was called mom jeans but now it's evolved into a thing of its own and actually, a higher quality, non-stretch denim is making a comeback in women's style too so there isn't much difference anymore.

This might hit men's fashion next year and then it'll be a full-on instagram fit.

Perfectos were seldom seen when I joined this forum and now it seems to be the only leather item you can find in Zara.

I'm talking about in my own scene. I'm clearly in the minority there. It is actually not true that most of the people wearing raw denim and amekaji on Instagram wear their jeans wide and cuffed, they mostly have very slim and skinny jeans that are cuffed. That's why I'm saying that doesn't accurately describe me at all.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

It was a kind of short hand to describe people posting photos of heritage gear worn 'correctly'. No doubt is is not entirely accurate in all cases and maybe a lazy comparison.

Ah OK I understand you. It's actually surprising how diverse the amekaji scene actually is on IG, even if there is one sector that seems to dominate.

 

[navetsea]

I remember the first time fb implement follower system, i was late to adopt fb to begin with, and at first i meet some highschool classmates and make friends also found fellow the sims player, and one day i got notified i've been followed by random people, wth why am i followed im just a random private person not a celebrity or famous figure? am i being stalked? some strangers would see my every post what a bunch of creeps how to make them unfollow me, wow there is no option to make them stop following me? A Decade later people beg others to follow them and happily sharing the picture of their lunch with them, i feel like alien in the age of oversharing to and forwarding about strangers while we know nothing of our next door neighbors. Maybe the son or daughter of my neighbors have kickass jackets or share similar hobbies , i would never know.

 

[MrProper]

So I like Instagram. Without question, it's a make-believe world, but for me it's like global brainstorming. if I need inspiration for anything, then social media is the first choice next to Google image search.
It has one big disadvantage (and of course that is also the business model): With some things I get a "want to have" feeling, which sometimes results in a financial transaction Lol

 

[dudewuttheheck]

So I like Instagram. Without question, it's a make-believe world, but for me it's like global brainstorming. if I need inspiration for anything, then social media is the first choice next to Google image search.
It has one big disadvantage (and of course that is also the business model): With some things I get a "want to have" feeling, which sometimes results in a financial transaction Lol

Oh yeah it's really bad if you struggle with FOMO, but It's great for style inspiration and I've had some good discussions with people on there as well, especially in group chats. It certainly has its good parts even if the platform itself is not perfect.

 

[MrProper]

Now I first googled what FOMO means lol
I‘m pretty happy, that this is not my problem

 

[navetsea]

I too google it..

btw about brand new fit, and broken in fit, how do you think of the two, pretty apparent on brand new jeans vs worn in jeans in term of how they fit for example, I believe giving enough time it will happen too on leather jacket after years of wearing probably more if your leather jacket is not waterproof, and you wear it in several heavy downpour. do you imagine to wear a jacket long or hard enough to allow it to sag and look crumpled and distorted , or do you prefer to keep a jacket with relatively pristine state with light wearing sign . if you have a wet leather jacket would you stuff the sleeve with newspaper and carefully arrange the lapel not to pick a distorted look once dry, or would you wear it to dry, or would you purposefully distort the wet jacket.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I too google it..

btw about brand new fit, and broken in fit, how do you think of the two, pretty apparent on brand new jeans vs worn in jeans in term of how they fit for example, I believe giving enough time it will happen too on leather jacket after years of wearing probably more if your leather jacket is not waterproof, and you wear it in several heavy downpour. do you imagine to wear a jacket long or hard enough to allow it to sag and look crumpled and distorted , or do you prefer to keep a jacket with relatively pristine state with light wearing sign . if you have a wet leather jacket would you stuff the sleeve with newspaper and carefully arrange the lapel not to pick a distorted look once dry, or would you wear it to dry, or would you purposefully distort the wet jacket.

Worn, faded, crumpled is my preference. I think the look of a new, clean, shiny leather jacket is ghastly. One reason I used to pop them in the washing machine right away.

 

[MrProper]

I have to admit that there are many things that I tend to be carefree about and not pay particular attention to. only when something is new to me, I look for background information to get an idea.
With many objects, I see it in such a way that they must be usable for their purpose, otherwise it is not useful.
e.g. if a jacket cannot stand my use, then it should not have become a jacket. Or it is then incompatible with me lol

 

[willyto]

I prefer a worn in look but not a distressed look that hasn’t been achieved naturally.

I don’t do anything crazy in my leather jackets but I sometimes scuff the sleeves, the front, the back, hit them with the wall by accident, ride my motorcycle, stain them with grease, water, stuff them in the locker room at work, leave them in the sofa as they fall,etc.

If you wear them almost daily for a while they just look worn in without doing anything magic to them.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I prefer a worn in look but not a distressed look that hasn’t been achieved naturally.

I don’t do anything crazy in my leather jackets but I sometimes scuff the sleeves, the front, the back, hit them with the wall by accident, ride my motorcycle, stain them with grease, water, stuff them in the locker room at work, leave them in the sofa as they fall,etc.

If you wear them almost daily for a while they just look worn in without doing anything magic to them.

That's one of the things I love about leather jackets. You don't need to do anything special to them. They can start to show age pretty quickly if you just wear them.

 

[handymike]

That's one of the things I love about leather jackets. You don't need to do anything special to them. They can start to show age pretty quickly if you just wear them.

Now, who really does that?

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Now, who really does that?

Well, I did last year, but sadly have not been able to this year given that I'm still stuck inside

 

[handymike]

I tried with an Aero last winter (TFL30) but putting it on again, it’s back to stiff as a board and giving my arms a rash...plus with this 85 degree weather...

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I tried with an Aero last winter (TFL30) but putting it on again, it’s back to stiff as a board and giving my arms a rash...plus with this 85 degree weather...

Did the cold weather freeze it up?

 

[handymike]

I think it just got “bored” in the closet

 

[Edward]

I did the classic thing here of starting off with "vintage" wearing everything (top half) far too tight before backing off and getting it 'right'. Key was buying suit jackets on eBay - there I learned pretty fast not to trust given sizes, especially as eBay is full of idiots who think that the pit to pit measurement is the same thing as the size. (Bought one jacket listed as a "size 44" once. when I couldn't get it on, I opened the pocket inside only to find the "Size 38 Chest" label.... gah. This is why I almost never buy used clothes on eBay any more. Sellers - even often those who claim to be professional - are clueless.) Using the numbers, settled on a fit that's right for me. Now I just have to lose about six inches on the waist so I can get back into some of my favourite stuff.

The key for me was realising I should a] go by the numbers, and b] to respect what the original pattern is and its limits. Don't expect a 30s pattern jacket to fit like a boxier 50s variation; don't wear the wrong size thinking it'll make the fit better, as you'll just end up with a jacket that looks wrong. Find a jacket pattern that suits what you want from the off, rather than trying to redesign one to be everything that's the opposite of what it is.

 

[powersci]

I'm a 90s kid, so i spent most of my teenage years and early 20s wearing XXL clothes, everything i wore up to being 25 was usually at least 1 size too large for me.

90s kid here, too. Same thing: all of my clothes in high school were at minimum a L or XL, when I was a scrawny, 140 pound cross country runner. The baggier, the better!

I didn't start worrying about fit until my late 20s. Right after college I got out of shape. I got in shape a few years later. At this point I wanted my clothes to fit me well. I started reading about styling, sizing, and fit on mens' fashion forums. While I was still buying off the rack, I was getting my work shirts and pants tailored.

During my big days I bought a nice shearling leather biker jacket. After my weight loss the jacket was too baggy. So I took it to the manufacturer and asked if they could size it down. This was no small task: I went from a size 42 to a 38. They said they could handle it. The tailor came out, marked up the jacket, and said it'd be ready in a month. When I came to pick it up I was disappointed. All the tailor did was undo the back middle seam and tighten it up. This caused a huge rise in the hem of the jacket. Plus, they took off so much that I couldn't even zip it up; the waist was too tight. They could see my disappointment but there was nothing they could do to fix it. (I think they gave me a decent store credit as an apology.)

I took it to a professional leather/fur shop and they did their best to fix it up. But, the damage was done and the jacket was never worn again.

I was determined to save up and buy a new shearling jacket. I bought a Schott B3 and found it to be too big and the shearling too thin. It didn't feel right for a jacket that cost $1k. I know not all Schott's are like this one. I kept searching and that's when I stumbled upon TFL.

I saw pictures of the Aero B6 and decided that was going to be my jacket. I reached out to Carrie and Wade at Thurston Bros and they guided me through the process. I got a fit jacket, talked with other TFL members and customers from Thurston, and finally settled on all my measurements. I got the jacket a month or two later and loved it!

Since then, I've been very particular about fit. Even on the jackets where I can specific measurements I always find myself second guessing and doubting if I made the right choices. But, knowing my measurements has made it super easy to purchase things online. I'm always referring to size guides and asking for measurements. A 38 from one company is always different than another.

My one exception is hoodies. Hoodies can always be a size or two too big and I'm fine with it. They're meant to be comfortable! While I do have some hoodies that fit me perfectly, I certainly have a bunch that are two sizes up and are solely meant to be worn around the house.