How tight should a leather jacket fit?

[Jasonindenver]

By ”tailored” do you custom or do you mean altering the Shott??

If you go full custom, you are probably looking about $1000 from Johnson. A semi custom Aero cafe racer will be a couple hundred more. Talk to Carrie about getting a test jacket first. The stock size might even be perfect for you.

If you got a great deal on the Shott, you may save only $200-$300 over the cost of JL or Aero.

 

[MattCrush]

I am built like the OP with a 9in drop and broad shoulders too and have gone through about a dozen “custom” jackets to find a good fit. I’m of the mindset now of buying a stock size that fits in the chest and shoulders and sending it off to Carrie or JL to tailor the torso and hem. It’ll cost you $150-$250 to alter but at least you can return the jacket if you don’t like the style or if it doesn’t fit in the chest/shoulder. It is still cheaper this route than selling the I’ll-fitting custom jacket for a 50% loss. I would probably trust Field Leathers and Thedi to get custom measurements right, but not too confident with the other makers.

Here’s a pic of a size 42 Aero BR that was ordered tapered to a 40 from the factory but was still way too big in the torso. I sent it to Carrie to take another 2” off the torso and hem and now it’s one of my best fitting jackets.

View attachment 562153 View attachment 562154

Could JL have done a custom from the start?

 

[theleatherbedwetter]

I am built like the OP with a 9in drop and broad shoulders too and have gone through about a dozen “custom” jackets to find a good fit. I’m of the mindset now of buying a stock size that fits in the chest and shoulders and sending it off to Carrie or JL to tailor the torso and hem. It’ll cost you $150-$250 to alter but at least you can return the jacket if you don’t like the style or if it doesn’t fit in the chest/shoulder. It is still cheaper this route than selling the I’ll-fitting custom jacket for a 50% loss. I would probably trust Field Leathers and Thedi to get custom measurements right, but not too confident with the other makers.

Here’s a pic of a size 42 Aero BR that was ordered tapered to a 40 from the factory but was still way too big in the torso. I sent it to Carrie to take another 2” off the torso and hem and now it’s one of my best fitting jackets.

View attachment 562153 View attachment 562154

Hey man who is Carrie? And JL? Do you have a link or contact. Sick fit man

 

[Aloysius]

Hey man who is Carrie? And JL? Do you have a link or contact. Sick fit man

Carrie = Thurston Bros clothing in Seattle.

 

[ycloud77]

Hey man who is Carrie? And JL? Do you have a link or contact. Sick fit man

JL is johnson leather in san fran.

 

[theleatherbedwetter]

Carrie = Thurston Bros clothing in Seattle.

Thanks for the response, is she known around these forums? You just ship her your jacket if you need a trim?

 

[theleatherbedwetter]

JL is johnson leather in san fran.

Thanks for the reply, are they really well known around these forums for their work?

 

[Peacoat]

Thanks for the reply, are they really well known around these forums for their work?

Yes, well known for doing excellent work.

 

[Bfd70]

Thanks for the response, is she known around these forums? You just ship her your jacket if you need a trim?

No, they are a distributor for Aero, Vanson, and Thedi. They have a “fit jacket system” wherein they will send you a jacket to try on and you can use that is a jumping off point to order a custom jacket with adjustments made based off the fit jacket.

 

[Aloysius]

A well-fitted jacket will mold to your body over time, so it’s best to choose one that feels slightly tight at first rather than loose.

Not necessarily.

 

[El Marro]

Not necessarily.

Agreed. A jacket that is too tight stays too tight.

 

[Monitor]

A well-fitted jacket will mold to your body over time, so it’s best to choose one that feels slightly tight at first rather than loose.

Hard no.

That's just sensory adaptation doing its thing, especially with some convincing but leather jacket should never, ever feel any degree of tight. If it does, it's too small.

 

[Jon Crow]

Hard no.

That's just sensory adaptation doing its thing, especially with some convincing but leather jacket should never, ever feel any degree of tight. If it does, it's too small.

Not least uncomfortable, everybody would see it's too tight, soften up yeah but stretching, nope

 

[RDS]

I think some people confuse tightness with ‘newness’.
As has been said above unless there’s a loss of weight a tight leather jacket will always be a tight leather jacket. However, depending on the hide used a new jacket which fits may initially feel stiff, or possibly even a little uncomfortable, but it will still fit.
As it becomes ‘broken in’, or as I prefer to call it ‘worn’, the leather will soften and crease, particularly in the places where it was probably more noticeably stiff i.e. elbows, shoulders, armpits, etc.
The same equally applies to shoes and there must be many thousands of wardrobes and closets around the globe where too tight leather items all languish unworn as they were bought in a sale or at a bargain price in the mistaken belief that they would ‘stretch’

 

[Jon Crow]

I think some people confuse tightness with ‘newness’.
As has been said above unless there’s a loss of weight a tight leather jacket will always be a tight leather jacket. However, depending on the hide used a new jacket which fits may initially feel stiff, or possibly even a little uncomfortable, but it will still fit.
As it becomes ‘broken in’, or as I prefer to call it ‘worn’, the leather will soften and crease, particularly in the places where it was probably more noticeably stiff i.e. elbows, shoulders, armpits, etc.
The same equally applies to shoes and there must be many thousands of wardrobes and closets around the globe where too tight leather items all languish unworn as they were bought in a sale or at a bargain price in the mistaken belief that they would ‘stretch’

Most of that is one ebay or vinted now and in description bought in error or wrong fit

 

[baldipino]

Thanks for all of the answers! Seems like I should go with my gut and get a jacket that allows for some reasonable amount of movement, and maybe investigate different brands or alterations.

The Aero Cafe Racer looks to have a great shape. Is it available in a lighter weight leather? For casual wear I really like the feel of the Schott 554. I think the heavier weight jackets, while ******proof, are just a little too ***bersome for me, and also a little too warm for my location.

@Canuck Panda that you for the recommendation! I had heard about Johnson Leathers but thought they mainly did custom jackets. A fully custom jacket may be a little more than I want to spend, but I'll have to give them a call and see what is possible alteration-wise.

There are several leather tailors in the greater Bay area if you know how you want it tailored. More expensive than getting a tux taken in, but not mortgage breaking, either. I recently had the arms on an old leather jacket narrowed, and it cost me $35 per sleeve.

But trust me: a custom-tailored jacket will spoil you. I'm 5'11 with a 43" chest and 32" waist at 175lbs, so I know how hard it is to find anything besides underwear that fits OTR. But the 1st time I had a shirt tailored to my personal body measurements, it was a fricking revelation!

 

[raf]

Random thoughts:

It is an unfortunate tendency that as we age we tend to increase in weight, and some body dimensions. Also true that going on a "fitness" training program can also increase some body dimensions. A jacket that fits you perfectly at this moment may become too restrictive in the future. You may wish to consider sizing your jacket not only for decent freedom of movement now, but an increase in your body dimensions in the future.

Jackets that have laces at the bottom sides of the body and "Bi-Swing" (Action) back/shoulders can be fitted fairly "tight" and still have room for arm movement/body adjustment.

It's not uncommon at all to have sleeves "wear-in" and develop some creases which may shorten the sleeves perhaps as much as 1/2"-3/4". Knit cuffs can disguise this a bit, but if the sleeves terminate in plain leather, it's hard to lengthen the sleeves properly.

A jacket that fits "closely" may prevent the wearing of even a thin fleece jacket underneath. Such a fleece jacket (always with a stand-up "Mandarin" collar) may allow one to wear the outer leather jacket in surprisingly cool weather. Adjust side laces on leather jacket accordingly.

 

[Edward]

If you can’t comfortably zip it up then it’s too small, but I know for years people liked their leather jackets (and denim jackets) Ramones-style; that is, about 3 sizes too small lol

Always amused me that poor Joey spent those first few years wearing jackets that never fitted him, only for a lot of folks to unwittingly deliberately buy theirs too small in emulation...

 

[Rakusak]

Agreed. A jacket that is too tight stays too tight.

I learned this the hard way. This is especially true with horsehide.... but then again, you don't want it stretching if it fits well from day one, even if it needs to be broken in.

 

[raf]

Some folks have written threads on VLJ forum (and likely here) about thoroughly wetting the jacket (by complete submersion), allowing to drain for a little while, donning a fairly heavyweight sweatshirt (NOT a "Hoodie") and wearing the completely wet jacket all day, whilst flexing arms/body in all directions many, many times, always with jacket fully zipped/fastened. I would NOT try this with a sheepskin jacket!

One guy on VLJ gave simple instructions on washing his leather jackets that had a "musty" smell with mild, unscented detergent, like Woolite, cool--not warm-- water, rinsing with cold water thoroughly and then doing the sweatshirt/wet jacket procedure for stretching a bit. Claims vary, but most folks say that maybe something like an additional chest size may be had.

If pulling on the sleeves to stretch them lengthwise Or if manually stretching any body panels, never pull on the stitching; grasp the leather itself, never the stitching.

Afterwards, wipe down exterior, and hang the jacket fully inside-out, preferably with fans blowing on it. NO Heat applied--room temp only! Will take some time to fully dry, so be patient. He claimed that washing his jackets made them almost like new. Gently re-condition/oil exterior of jacket after applying optional dye.