Fit check: Aero Dustbowl size 42, Cordovan!

[adkrabbe]

Hello everybody! Just bought my first leather jacket from Aero’s apprentice section. The quality is exceptional and overall it fits really nicely, but I worry about the length and wondered what you all think. I mainly wear a Barbour and a deck jacket, so length wise, this is something new to me.
I am 6.2 and around 185 pounds.
Jeans are Sugarcane 1947ers and I rarely wear others. Sometimes Original Spec from Buzz Rickson, so all fairly high waisted. I do not ride a motorcycle so I guess the sleves are fine.
Thanks a thousand in advance! Looking forward to hearing what you think.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Looks 1.5 sizes too large for you. And you have the side adjusters cinched fully up.
Maybe with a sweatshirt under it, otherwise it's pretty loose all over.

 

[adkrabbe]

Looks 1.5 sizes too large for you. And you have the side adjusters cinched fully up.
Maybe with a sweatshirt under it, otherwise it's pretty loose all over.

Ah I see! Interesting, I though it was on the other end of the spectrum and considered sizing up. Thanks a lot for this, it is very helpful.

 

[Observe]

Hello and welcome. To me it seems the sleeves are too short and the body too baggy. You probably want an extra inch in the sleeves and at least an inch taken out of the hem measurement. I checked the Aero site and the hem on the page for your specific jacket is 22.25", so I'd say around 21-21.25" would be good. As a tall and lean guy, I have the same problems with a lot of stock sizes. The sleeves will tunnel and appear to shorten with wear, only exacerbating the issue. As Aerofan mentioned, your side adjusters are all the way in and the jacket still looks too baggy.

That being said, the shoulders, neck, chest and back length all seem to be about the right size, which makes me think that this pattern just isn't going to work for you unless you go the custom route with some tapering to the body and longer sleeves. You may want to look at other styles from Aero like the Seven, a 30s half belt or the premier highwayman. This may be a bit harsh, but most Aeros seem patterned to fit a middle aged guy sporting a beer gut, hate to say it but you've got to go custom (either through Aero directly or possibly through Thurston Bros) or get very lucky on the stock page as a beanpole.

An edit to include a bit more nuance: measurements don't tell the whole story when it comes to determining whether or not something will fit. Patterns are a three dimensional thing and there's more information to consider than a few measurements. I know that may only confuse things further, but it's something to keep in mind. I had a Schott jacket with a 25" chest that I sold because it was too small on me, then had an Aero with a 23.5" chest that felt like I was wearing a garbage bag.

 

[Observe]

I dug up some old photos of me wearing a size 42 50s half belt to show the similar sizing conundrum in which I found myself about 3 years ago. I ultimately returned the jacket. It's a bit closer for me I think but still too big overall with the sleeves a bit short.

 

[adkrabbe]

Thanks a lot for this! This all makes perfect sense. I will have a look at some other models/custom route. I realise it was quite fortunate that I wrote you guys as I even thought the jacket was too small. But as you say, the top actually feels pretty good, just need a little length and some taper.

Hehe interesting point about the demographic
Thanks a lot again, very much appreciated.

 

[Will Zach]

You are tall and relatively thin. This boxy jacket would need a taper to fit your frame.

 

[cbez]

I'd be on the fence with those sleeves. I hate when the sleeve goes down onto my palm, but they do look pretty short on the top side of your hand.

def too skinny for the pot belly jacket pattern.

 

[AeroFan_07]

@Observe got the sleeve portion, which i oddly missed.
Sleeves also a bit short, and that's something I personally dislike on my own jackets.
I do have one vintage one with too short of sleeves, but it's vintage and not sized for my 6' 1" tall size (& 195 lbs).

Good luck to you and as others have said - Welcome to FL!

 

[MrProper]

Hello everybody! Just bought my first leather jacket from Aero’s apprentice section. The quality is exceptional and overall it fits really nicely, but I worry about the length and wondered what you all think. I mainly wear a Barbour and a deck jacket, so length wise, this is something new to me.
I am 6.2 and around 185 pounds.
Jeans are Sugarcane 1947ers and I rarely wear others. Sometimes Original Spec from Buzz Rickson, so all fairly high waisted. I do not ride a motorcycle so I guess the sleves are fine.
Thanks a thousand in advance! Looking forward to hearing what you think.

The trousers don't look low-waisted. In this respect, the jacket would be a tad too short in the body and sleeves. If everything were one inch
Longer, the width wouldn't be so noticeable. Apart from the length, I don't think the jacket is bad. If it's a 50s cut, it's not meant to be slim fit either.

 

[Edward]

I'm with @MrProper - the fit doesn't look bad to my eye (though I definitely wouldn't go bigger; if you want close-fitting, a pre-war style is a better bet than 50s), but it's slightly shorter in the body and the sleeves than I personally would go for. Arm fully down by my side, I like a sleeve to reach at least the bottom joint of my thumb.

 

[Bennarion]

The sleeves and length are short in my opinion. Perhaps you need to try on another jacket model. For example, Aero Premier 1930s Highwayman.

 

[photo2u]

The jacket does not look bad on you. However, I THINK the jacket cut does not suit your body well.

 

[adkrabbe]

Thanks a thousand everybody! Wow I am blown away by all this jacket wisdom in here.
I completely agree now that I tried again, sleves definitely need to be longer. Regarding fit, I will try going for a model more slim in the 30s style.
Thank you so much again

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Good idea. I think you will be much more satisfied.

 

[ton312]

Thanks a thousand everybody! Wow I am blown away by all this jacket wisdom in here.
I completely agree now that I tried again, sleves definitely need to be longer. Regarding fit, I will try going for a model more slim in the 30s style.
Thank you so much again

Good plan. The dustbowl is one of Aero’s most difficult patterns. They seem to always look slightly off to me. I don’t think yours looks terrible but I also think you can most certainly do much better in another pattern better suited to you, and better executed by Aero.