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Custom Thedi Buffalo Cafe Racer - fit advice needed

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
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7,304
It’s not a feature, that’s just how that particular jacket fits on you.
I'm not saying the tent is a feature, I'm saying the sleeve pitch is.

A long time ago @navetsea made a nice drawing that shows how the sleeve pitch affects how the jacket sits on the body.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/droopy-shoulder-rotated-sleeves.81229/#post-1911698

IMG_0137.jpeg


Maybe that size + your body type…not sure but my original hh Buco J-100 doesn’t do that and I’ve also tried on the steerhide version and it didn’t tent out like that.
Maybe they're more worn in than mine? What also matters is the relative sleeve width. Wider sleeves will reduce the effect. Another factor is posture.
 

Marc mndt

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7,304
From the same thread.

Due to posture, muscle development, skeletal variance, etc., how a jacket's sleeve pitch is set up can have an impact on how it looks from the side. Unfortunately, for most leather jackets, this isn't something many vendors will allow you to control. So if your arms tend to fall a little back or thrust forward more than average, you're going to have sleeve wrinkles/gaps. Most jackets have the sleeve pitched slightly forward, which seems to work out for the majority of people. People who stand uncommonly erect or have a body building past, however, will likely have a harder time avoiding issues re: sleeve pitch.
 

dudewuttheheck

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4,403
Ehh that’s nothing dude.
Yeah like I said, it's very minor. A lot of my cross zips do this to a degree when unzipped. Definitely not as bad as the OP's jacket though.
Gravity and stiff leather will be the reason here. I can hardly imagine any other explanation here. The sleeves look too loose for me to blame the sleeve rotation.
The sleeves on my jacket look loose you mean? Sorry, just trying to clarify.
 

dudewuttheheck

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4,403
Loose = not too tight and not turned too far forward. Meant in a positive sense.
Understood. Yes they're definitely not too tight. Don't worry I wasn't thinking of it negatively, but I appreciate the clarification!

I'm enjoying the greater room in the sleeves on vintage jackets. So much more comfortable for me compared to my Japanese jackets I used to have.
 

torfjord

Call Me a Cab
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2,776
Location
Sweden
To his credit, Theodoros responded quickly to the clip I sent him and he identified the issue. I'll paste his suggestion below. I think he means I should wet the back of the jacket in the shoulders/neck area, then sit and use my extended knee to "push" a curve into the center of the shoulder/neck area by pulling the jacket back onto my extended knee? I'd like to hear the group's interpretation of his suggestion. Thanks everyone who has chimed in so far.

Hi. I agree that it doesn't look good on the back of the jacket,
but dear you shouldn't order a jacket that has a full back panel.
Without misunderstanding and since my English is bad, I will explain
what exactly is going on.
The peculiarity of your body at the point of the shoulders has a
curvature and your neck leans slightly forward. So the pattern needs a
seam at the point of the shoulders to give the corresponding curvature
exactly where the problem is. Here we have a straight panel that doesn't
fit your body so that creates the problem. I hope I gave you to understand.
I have a trick to offer you.
With a sprayer of one liter of water, spray the point back to the height
of the shoulders quite a bit and after it is moistened put it on your
knees while sitting in a chair and give them a cavity by pressing the
jacket up and down by dragging it on them, with enough intensity, until
there is a curve at this point and wear it. It will surely nestle better
in your body.
I cant do anything else.

It’s a bit funny how this didn’t stop the discussion. The guy who is a bona fide pattern expert and actually designed OPs jacket gave his opinion on what’s causing it. And still you all are continuing to discuss other factors lol
 

Marc mndt

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7,304
I'm enjoying the greater room in the sleeves on vintage jackets. So much more comfortable for me compared to my Japanese jackets I used to have.
You've come a long way (since you did the Japanese jackets video with Stride wise). Yes attention to detail and construction quality are nice things to see when it comes to leather jackets and the Japanese are really good at those. But when it comes to patterns vintage is hard to beat (some are better than others of course).

Also, sloppy construction or flaws as you call it in the video don't make a jacket look less cool. One of my all time favorite vintage jackets, the Windward halfbelt with the curved pocket outlines (the one you own as well), has a major construction flaw in one of the sleeves. Still, I wouldn't trade this jacket against any perfectly constructed Freewheelers jacket.


IMG_0143.jpeg
 

jeo

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,065
Location
Philadelphia
I'm not saying the tent is a feature, I'm saying the sleeve pitch is.

Well you kind of did. You told the guy not to buy an original if he doesn’t want the tent factor.



Maybe they're more worn in than mine? What also matters is the relative sleeve width. Wider sleeves will reduce the effect. Another factor is posture.

It’s more to do with body shape than sleeve rotation or pitch. It’s patten shape vs. body shape. As I said, I wore the same jacket with the same sleeve pitch and rotation and it didn’t tent out, so it’s about how that particular pattern fits different shaped people at different sizes.

It’s exactly what Teddy told the OP, the curvature of the wearers neck/back/shoulder vs. what the shape of the jacket is. In both the OP and your case there’s also a ton of room in the waist which adds to the material available to tent out like that.

In the case of the J-100 it wasn’t ever meant to be worn unzipped. It also doesn’t have side panels and no action back so there’s supposed to be some material in the back so that a rider can move their arms forward.
 

dudewuttheheck

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Messages
4,403
You've come a long way (since you did the Japanese jackets video with Stride wise). Yes attention to detail and construction quality are nice things to see when it comes to leather jackets and the Japanese are really good at those. But when it comes to patterns vintage is hard to beat (some are better than others of course).

Also, sloppy construction or flaws as you call it in the video don't make a jacket look less cool. One of my all time favorite vintage jackets, the Windward halfbelt with the curved pocket outlines (the one you own as well), has a major construction flaw in one of the sleeves. Still, I wouldn't trade this jacket against any perfectly constructed Freewheelers jacket.


View attachment 611646
I'm pretty sure I still stand by almost everything in that video. It was focused on Japanese jackets after all. That said, yeah vintage jackets just fit me so much better. It's actually pretty funny how much better they fit me.

Yeah with vintage I care less about the stitching, but it's still nice to get a jacket that looks nicely put together like my Sierra. But also like you, I have some major flaws in some jackets that just don't bother me at all. I've definitely changed overall perspective on what I value most in a jacket over time, which I think is what your point was.
 
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Marc mndt

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7,304
I've definitely changed overall perspective on what I value most in a jacket over time, which I think is what your point was.
Exactly my point.

Personally I feel like the interesting Japanese jackets aren't from catalog brands like RMC, Jelado, Attractions, The Flat Head, Addict clothes, Rainbow Country etc.

The interesting ones are from boutique makers like Electric Leather Studio or Peter's Tailor Made who are heavily inspired by vintage designs yet they come up with their own interpretations.

IMG_0160.jpeg
IMG_0163.jpeg
IMG_0161.jpeg
IMG_0162.jpeg
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,403
Exactly my point.

Personally I feel like the interesting Japanese jackets aren't from catalog brands like RMC, Jelado, Attractions, The Flat Head, Addict clothes, Rainbow Country etc.

The interesting ones are from boutique makers like Electric Leather Studio or Peter's Tailor Made who are heavily inspired by vintage designs yet they come up with their own interpretations.

View attachment 612021 View attachment 612026 View attachment 612022 View attachment 612023
Yeah I love Peter's in particular. I also like Canyon Leather who look like they do some great A2 jackets and do offer some customization and in between sizes which is really nice.

I think some catalogue brands are much better than others, but I think its almost always true that smaller, more unique brands are better and more interesting.

Electric Leather doesn't make much that I'd buy, but I'm so glad they exist. I admire their skill and designs.
 

_Wayfarer_

Familiar Face
Messages
63
Send that jacket back while you can.

The idea that it's your fault for not knowing the jacket had a straight back, and not the right back, is nonsense.

Do not stretch it. You will not stretch a garment into what it should have been all along.

Else you will have a jacket that doesn't fit and you cannot be rid of.
 

Fonzie

One Too Many
Messages
1,574
Location
Australia
Send that jacket back while you can.

The idea that it's your fault for not knowing the jacket had a straight back, and not the right back, is nonsense.

Do not stretch it. You will not stretch a garment into what it should have been all along.

Else you will have a jacket that doesn't fit and you cannot be rid of.

It’s neither Thurston nor Thedi’s fault as the OP bought an existing pattern only modified to his dimensions, not altering the existing pattern.

The whole point of going with Thurston rather than direct with Thedi is so you can try the model first and see if you like it, so issues like this don’t happen.

This is the risk of ordering online when it’s not OTR, as you can’t try it on first, but you can’t blame the maker that made it specially for you just because you don’t like how it fits you something that you bought looking at pictures only.
Hindsight is a bitch sometimes.
 

_Wayfarer_

Familiar Face
Messages
63
It’s neither Thurston nor Thedi’s fault as the OP bought an existing pattern only modified to his dimensions, not altering the existing pattern.

The whole point of going with Thurston rather than direct with Thedi is so you can try the model first and see if you like it, so issues like this don’t happen.

This is the risk of ordering online when it’s not OTR, as you can’t try it on first, but you can’t blame the maker that made it specially for you just because you don’t like how it fits you something that you bought looking at pictures only.
Hindsight is
 

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