Aero Cafe Racer Sizing Advice

[Nikinsky]

Good morning to all FL people
I’m sorry for bothering you for this advice, but I see that many of you are expert in Aero Jackets issues.
I’m writing from Italy and I'm a newbie at FL (sorry for my English)
I’d like to buy a Café Racer in FQHH (Brown hide) and I’m very hesitant if I’m a 36 or a 38 size, so I ask you for support.

These are my specs:
Height: between 5’ 10” and 5’ 11” (cm 179)
Weight: around 145 lbs (kg 65-66)
Chest (relaxed): 36” (90 cm)
Chest (expanded): 37.5” (95 cm)
Stomach: around 33”
Waist: around 32”
Sleeve length (shoulder seam to wrist): about 24.5”- 25” (about cm 62-63)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18,5” – 19” (cm 47-48)
My question is: am I closer to size 36 or 38 for an Aero Café Racer ? In other words, I fear that 36 could be too tight and 38 too large, so I'm blocked.
I'm 48 but as you can read I'm very skinny and with a flat chest (and average shoulder).
Thanks for any comment and advice.

 

[HighandDry]

Hmm, a lot depends on how you like your jacket to fit, but I think you should ask yourself wether you should do a 34 or a 36.

I'm same height, 160 lbs, 40" chest and would wear a 38.

 

[Nikinsky]

Thanks for your kind and very quick feedback HighabdDry.
If I understand you would esclude a size 38 as too big.
Of course if your size would be 38 with a 40" chest you'be right.
Do you wear in fact a CR in 38" or is yours just a valuation ?

Hmm, a lot depends on how you like your jacket to fit, but I think you should ask yourself wether you should do a 34 or a 36.

I'm same height, 160 lbs, 40" chest and would wear a 38.

 

[pak]

Based on what I've read on this forum Aero sizing varies quite a bit from model to model. Perhaps your question would be best served with a call to Aero.

 

[Nikinsky]

Based on what I've read on this forum Aero sizing varies quite a bit from model to model. Perhaps your question would be best served with a call to Aero.

Dear pak, of course you're right in your statement. In fact I emailed Aero and the answer was 36 would fit. Yet most CR owners say that it's the most fitting model among all Aero stuff and I'm really hesitant. Of course I'm very slim and skinny but I don't own leather jackets; and all of my blazers and jackets are 38 (of course I know any comparison is impossible).
So I asked to FL esperts in order to get some further advices, possibly from Areo CR owners.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I'd go with what the makers of the jacket say, nobody here has as much experience with Aero jackets as the actual manufacturers of those jackets. I'm usually a 42 in jackets/blazers etc so I went with a size 42 brown cafe racer in fqhh, I'm pretty slim as well. Wouldn't you know, while it does fit, its a little big. A size 40 would fit me better.

 

[Bunyip]

Contact Carrie from Insurrection on this forum. They are great people with muchos knowledge. Order it through them, much quicker to. Get jacket, and they are aero and cafe racer experts. Good luck!

 

[Nikinsky]

I'd go with what the makers of the jacket say, nobody here has as much experience with Aero jackets as the actual manufacturers of those jackets. I'm usually a 42 in jackets/blazers etc so I went with a size 42 brown cafe racer in fqhh, I'm pretty slim as well. Wouldn't you know, while it does fit, its a little big. A size 40 would fit me better.

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience, which appears to support the Aero advice to order a size 36.

 

[Nikinsky]

Contact Carrie from Insurrection on this forum. They are great people with muchos knowledge. Order it through them, much quicker to. Get jacket, and they are aero and cafe racer experts. Good luck!

Thank you for your advice. I'll try to ask Carrie (when I'll learn how ...); as for the purchase, as I live in Italy I'd go direcly at Aero, but I'll take into account your option as well.

 

[Bunyip]

Thank you for your advice. I'll try to ask Carrie (when I'll learn how ...); as for the purchase, as I live in Italy I'd go direcly at Aero, but I'll take into account your option as well.

Insurrection / thurston bros have their own thread on this site, scroll own outerwear section, and ask the question....these guys do FREE international posting and the wait time is month or so, not 6-8 like Aero. Aero is gret to deal with, but so is Carrie and Wade, quick and simple....

 

[Nikinsky]

Insurrection / thurston bros have their own thread on this site, scroll own outerwear section, and ask the question....these guys do FREE international posting and the wait time is month or so, not 6-8 like Aero. Aero is gret to deal with, but so is Carrie and Wade, quick and simple....

Thanks once again for your kind support.

 

[pak]

Fox creek leather has an article, on their website, about how a jacket should fit.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Interesting. I usually wear a 42. When I spoke to Aero about what would fit me the recommendation for a cafe was a 44 since that model is cut very trim. Insurrection usually recommend getting your suit size in the Aero cafe. I like a looser fit so I'd always go up a size in this pattern.

 

[Nikinsky]

You add fuel to my doubt with your experience Seb.
Sure I'd go for 36 for other larger models like 30' half belt but with a CR I fear that I won't be able to move easily. Funny that Aero told you to go one size up while Insurrection recommends to keep the same size as a normal suit.

 

[Peacoat]

What Seb says is spot on. I am a size 42, with a 42" chest. Insurrection recently sent me a size 44 in the Aero Café Racer to try on. It was a snug fit. Would not want, nor could I zip up, a size 42. The Café Racer is very closely fitted.

 

[Nikinsky]

What Seb says is spot on. I am a size 42, with a 42" chest. Insurrection recently sent me a size 44 in the Aero Café Racer to try on. It was a snug fit. Would not want, nor could I zip up, a size 42. The Café Racer is very closely fitted.

Thank you peacot. I'm very slim as my chest is flat but my shoulders are not so narrow. In fact I'm between 36 and 38 and at Aero they told me to buy a 36 but I'm still hesitant as everybody agrees on the very fitting cut of CR.
Would it be possible that Aero/Insurrection models are even more tight than Aero european stuff ?
I feels like I'm becoming paranoid ... in fact I have no expertise whatsoever of leather jackets.

 

[HighandDry]

It's difficult to say unless you try them on.

Even if two people have the same chest size, how the jacket fits depends on so many other factors (obviously).

My buddy and me are both a 40 suit size. He's a little thicker through the torso and wider in the shoulders and bought a 40 Aero Cafe Racer. Being in Seattle, I was able to try on the different Cafe Racers at Insurrection and although I didn't buy, I would have gotten a 38.

As suggested before, you should give Insurrection a call and see if you can order through them. Truthfully, before Insurrection, the Aero's I had were not the best fitting. The factory recommendations were always a little or a lot off.

 

[Nikinsky]

It's difficult to say unless you try them on.

Even if two people have the same chest size, how the jacket fits depends on so many other factors (obviously).

My buddy and me are both a 40 suit size. He's a little thicker through the torso and wider in the shoulders and bought a 40 Aero Cafe Racer. Being in Seattle, I was able to try on the different Cafe Racers at Insurrection and although I didn't buy, I would have gotten a 38.

As suggested before, you should give Insurrection a call and see if you can order through them. Truthfully, before Insurrection, the Aero's I had were not the best fitting. The factory recommendations were always a little or a lot off.

Thank you once again. Even if I live in Italy I'll try to contact Insurrection and perhaps send my set of measurements, so as to get their feedback.

 

[wanz]

Not to add to the confusion but...

I am somewhere between 40 and 42. I've found the cut of the cafe racer to be very similar to the Aero models from the 20s and 30s. When I worked with Insurrection on my Dustbowl, we used the measurements from my 42 cafe racer.

And in the vein of a picture is worth 1,000 words...

42 cafe racer:




42 dustbowl

 

[Nikinsky]

Not to add to the confusion but...

I am somewhere between 40 and 42. I've found the cut of the cafe racer to be very similar to the Aero models from the 20s and 30s. When I worked with Insurrection on my Dustbowl, we used the measurements from my 42 cafe racer.

And in the vein of a picture is worth 1,000 words...

I'm not an expert wanz, but I see a perfect fit in both jackets, I'd really like to get a similar result when I'll buy mine.
Thanks for these excellent pics.
If you're between 40 and 42 and in fact you went for 42, I perhaps could go for 38, despite the fact that at Aero they suggested that 36 will be enough ...