Lengthening the Arms and Tapering a Classic Vanson

[armscye]

My current Best jacket is my Vanson Enfield in horsehide, and I thought Loungers might be interested in how it was lengthened and adjusted to fit.

This is a 1968-1972 early Enfield with four pockets, based on its black non-flag label. It weighs 7 pounds, and to me looks like a 3 1/2 ounce weight hide-- truly bulletproof, and heavier weight than any of my Aeros.

When I received the jacket, it had Vanson's usual vintage combination of short arms, a very snug shoulder, and blousy body, plus zip sleeves. Dena Williams of Great Leather and I then co-designed the enhancements. The sleeves were lengthened by inserting a 3-inch band at the elbow, where it has the look of a motocross reinforcement. This also avoided the need to play with the zippered cuffs.

Dena then tapered the sides by leaving the side panel whole, while taking in the front and back side seams. This left the side-buckle details correctly sized. The effect fits my oddball physique (23-inch shoulder-to-shoulder, 46 inch chest, 33 inch waist) as well as any jacket I have ever owned, also achieving the cropped waist, high armhole Fifties look I like.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Looks like a great plan and sewing job that turned out very well on the Enfield.
I have one of the earlier Enfields as well and wear it often on and off my bike.
HD

 

[Peacoat]

Nice job.

I think your Vanson is heavier than 3 1/2 oz. leather, however. I believe it to be about 4 oz. this is based on the weight of your jacket, and the fact that I have the same jacket at the same weight. I have other jackets at 3.5 oz. that weigh about five pounds or so. My Vanson is substantially thicker and heavier than those jackets with the 3.5 oz. leather. I think it is right at 4 oz. leather.

But whatever the weight of the leather, it is a very good motorcycle jacket.

 

[morrison2951]

Very nice!

IMO the Vanson Enfield is the best motorcycle jacket on the market today.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Interesting work. I've often wondered if you could extend a sleeve by putting three inch French cuffs on its end. Wouldn't have worked with those zip up sleeves. Were there any other mods you considered but didn't do?

 

[armscye]

Given what I paid for these operations, and the difficulty of working on that competition horsehide, I was happy to achieve the outcome I did. I've since had Dena work on another jacket with shortish sleeves, adding a cuff extension and several rings of stitching, which also came out great.

As an observation on fit issues, I find that my tailor is able to successfully alter many jackets in light and midweight hides, using a slipsheet method with his conventional sewing machine rather than a dedicated leather running foot machine. So I have many of my jackets altered to fit my odd physique, which looks a bit like a scarecrow with a largeish hanger left in the top. I have most of my clothes altered to fit (including tees, polos, and dress shirts), so my guy gets enough business that he is willing to take on leather jacket projects from time to time. In this way, I avoid the need to ask other Loungers "does this jackert run big/small, tight/whatever..." Unless you're stuck on wearing your milspec jackets "as issued", you might consider the same approach of getting alterations to achieve an optimal fit.