Seam down the middle in the back - poll!

[Carlos840]

For me, the central seam works for some patterns and not for others (I wouldn’t avoid on principle).

I sold on this FW as it didn’t fit, but the arrangement works well on this one:
View attachment 266625
All of my current jackets have central seams:
View attachment 266626 View attachment 266627
View attachment 266628

You guys are ignoring the fact that a center seam can be there for pattern tailoring, not only as a visual cue/money saving measure...
On these car coats, you can see that the seam is used to increase the bell shape in the back.
On Aero's board racer it is there to add a curve to the back.
There are things you can achieve by adding a center seam (or a yoke seam) that you cannot achieve with a flat single panel.

My vote goes for: If the seam adds to the wearability/design of the jacket i don't mind it.
If its a clear cost cutting measure, i don't like it.

 

[Guppy]

You guys are ignoring the fact that a center seam can be there for pattern tailoring, not only as a visual cue/money saving measure...
On these car coats, you can see that the seam is used to increase the bell shape in the back.
On Aero's board racer it is there to add a curve to the back.
There are things you can achieve by adding a center seam (or a yoke seam) that you cannot achieve with a flat single panel.

My vote goes for: If the seam adds to the wearability/design of the jacket i don't mind it.
If its a clear cost cutting measure, i don't like it.

I think you're right, that some people are not taking those things into consideration. I'm very definitely not one of those people, as evidenced by some of my YES choices above.

I'm with you, my NO's (which I'll post when I find them, I don't generally keep pictures of ugly leather jackets around) are all examples where the center seam is bad design and there for cost cutting.

I've seen some cheap-o Type 3 Truckers in leather with a center seam in the back panel, which is an atrocity. Once I even saw one with a horizontal back seam in the big back panel, and it was horrid.

Although I love my Vanson Model C-2, I would like it more if it had a single-piece back. It's still a great cross-zip motorcycle jacket, but I do think the center seam back docks it a point.

 

[Guppy]

NO - generic Type III Trucker

NO - cheap Chinese-made leather derivative biker clone jacket. To be fair, this jacket has so many other design and material issues that the center seam is but one problem, not the dealbreaker that ruins the jacket.

 

[ton312]

To each their own Ton, I like it not esp. much on coss-zippers, as much as on most jackets. In contrast cental pleat works and therefore always looks much better to me, cross-zippers and HBs incl. Just look at most beautiful originals from 30s. Interesting what prof. @handymike think about that)
That said, sometimes I might omit that seam which your quiz is about, esp if the whole jacket all-in-all looks interesting to me.

I agree different strokes for different folks.... just to clarify...the poll or quiz actually isn’t mine, I just threw in my two cents. Will Zach created the thread. I didn’t vote because I couldn’t find a response that summed up my view, which is in alignment with what Carlos has said.

 

[Seb Lucas]

You guys are ignoring the fact that a center seam can be there for pattern tailoring, not only as a visual cue/money saving measure...
On these car coats, you can see that the seam is used to increase the bell shape in the back.
On Aero's board racer it is there to add a curve to the back.
There are things you can achieve by adding a center seam (or a yoke seam) that you cannot achieve with a flat single panel.

My vote goes for: If the seam adds to the wearability/design of the jacket i don't mind it.
If its a clear cost cutting measure, i don't like it.

For what it's worth, I think there's another similar but different element. From talking to jacket makers in previous years, the reason they offered for this was not so much to cut costs but to not waste good leather. Yes, a person could take a cynical view and say this amounts to the same thing - but it's more textured than this - some craftsman have a great appreciation of the raw materials used.

Carlos, I'd be interested to understand how the two piece construction actually accomplishes what a good pattern cutting of a single piece can't. Not sure what the seam adds. What am I missing?

 

[Mandarin]

When ordering my grey buffalo Hb (MTC 127915), I was concerned about that center seam, being slightly prejudiced about it, and I asked Theodoros what its purpose was. This is what he answered: "This helps in fit. It's not a straight line".

 

[Mich486]

Would a sunburst type back be a saving type measure? You can certainly avoid to waste smaller pieces of hide but the more seams you add the more labour intensive it becomes to put the jacket together so also from that point of view is not always clear cut.

What I’m trying to say is that in some cases it might also be purely a design choice.

 

[Seb Lucas]

When ordering my grey buffalo Hb (MTC 127915), I was concerned about that center seam, being slightly prejudiced about it, and I asked Theodoros what its purpose was. This is what he answered: "This helps in fit. It's not a straight line".

Not sure what that means, Mandarin. "Not a straight line" meaning what? That this is a 3D issue matter?

 

[Lebowski]

I agree different strokes for different folks.... just to clarify...the poll or quiz actually isn’t mine, I just through in my two cents. Will Zach created the thread. I didn’t vote because I couldn’t find a response that summed up my view, which is in alignment with what Carlos has said.

Ah, I should be more attentive sometimes Ton!)
Carlos is abs right, that's true, actually I'm about the same point just in other words.
P.S. That said, I very like that original vintage jacket on your photo above independently of the middle seam. That's just cool badass jacket, and in such jackets I actually don't care about middle seams, 'cause that badass is just the real beast!

 

[Mandarin]

Not sure what that means, Mandarin. "Not a straight line" meaning what? That this is a 3D issue matter?

What I understand is the different pieces of leather are assembled in a way that makes them follow the curves of the body, (shoulders, back,etc..; ). The result being not flat, which is a 3D issue.

 

[Turnip]

As long as it is one seam I wouldn’t mind if it is typical for the model.

What I like less is too many seams, only exception is a trucker jacket.

Sunburst jackets always remind me of Rory Gallagher´s tombstone for example.

But that’s of course just personal preference.

Cheers

Turnip

 

[Jin431]

View attachment 266521


The French seam is shown vertically below a conventional folded seam. It’s a more labour intensive process and typically features on more expensive jackets.

View attachment 266622

Visual examples are always easier to understand, thanks. That is quite nice looking to me.

 

[jglf]

For what it's worth, I think there's another similar but different element. From talking to jacket makers in previous years, the reason they offered for this was not so much to cut costs but to not waste good leather. Yes, a person could take a cynical view and say this amounts to the same thing - but it's more textured than this - some craftsman have a great appreciation of the raw materials used.

Carlos, I'd be interested to understand how the two piece construction actually accomplishes what a good pattern cutting of a single piece can't. Not sure what the seam adds. What am I missing?

On the Aero’s board racer page, they mention that the center back seam was to achieve a closer torso fit. Maybe Carrie will know how the achieve this?
I can tell you that my Vanson Oxford is the most “tailored” jacket I own. Can’t imagine someone wearing it is a large belly.

 

[Carlos840]

Not sure what that means, Mandarin. "Not a straight line" meaning what? That this is a 3D issue matter?

Pretty much...
Imagine you are joining two pieces of leather, you could have the joined edge perfectly straight, you could have a slight convex cut on the edges, or a slight concave cut on the edges:

The top example is literally just a visual design/cost saving thing, it won't add anything to the shape of the jacket.
You are literally just splitting a panel in half.

The mid example, you are basically adding a curve in the back that follows the spine, i think that's what they do with the board racer, pretty sure it is visible in this jacket too:

Third example you are adding room, in the bottom and top, i am pretty sure this is how they do the bell shape on the bottom of this jacket:

Now imagine combinations of all of the above, the options are endless...

The same thing applies to yokes, this yoke for example uses the same principle to give more room in the scapular area:

You could not achieve the same thing with a single piece back...

Edit: i am not a tailor, this is my basic understanding of how this works, i am sure there is more to it than what i posted above...

 

[Carlos840]

Would a sunburst type back be a saving type measure? You can certainly avoid to waste smaller pieces of hide but the more seams you add the more labour intensive it becomes to put the jacket together so also from that point of view is not always clear cut.

What I’m trying to say is that in some cases it might also be purely a design choice.

Seams add man hours, these jackets were designed at a time when materials where expensive and workers were cheap.
IMO the sunburst back is a cost cutting measure.

 

[Monitor]

Pretty much...
Imagine you are joining two pieces of leather, you could have the joined edge perfectly straight, you could have a slight convex cut on the edges, or a slight concave cut on the edges:

The top example is literally just a visual design/cost saving thing, it won't add anything to the shape of the jacket.
You are literally just splitting a panel in half.

The mid example, you are basically adding a curve in the back that follows the spine, i think that's what they do with the board racer, pretty sure it is visible in this jacket too:

Third example you are adding room, in the bottom and top, i am pretty sure this is how they do the bell shape on the bottom of this jacket:

Now imagine combinations of all of the above, the options are endless...

The same thing applies to yokes, this yoke for example uses the same principle to give more room in the scapular area:

You could not achieve the same thing with a single piece back...

Edit: i am not a tailor, this is my basic understanding of how this works, i am sure there is more to it than what i posted above...

I... Still can't quite grasp the mechanic behind this. If you stitch two pieces of whatever together, you get one piece. Wouldn't that make it all the same as a single piece panel? I still don't see how a seam would affect the shape of the thing, especially considering a panel will still be perfectly flat if laid on a flat surface.

 

[MrProper]

I... Still can't quite grasp the mechanic behind this. If you stitch two pieces of whatever together, you get one piece. Wouldn't that make it all the same as a single piece panel? I still don't see how a seam would affect the shape of the thing, especially considering a panel will still be perfectly flat if laid on a flat surface.

The assumption is only true for Carlos's first example.
Take paper, cut it according to pattern 2 and 3 and glue it together at the edge. you will see that it is no longer a smooth flat paper.

 

[Monitor]

The assumption is only true for Carlos's first example.
Take paper, cut it according to pattern 2 and 3 and glue it together at the edge. you will see that it is no longer a smooth flat paper.

How can I glue together two uneven, curved surfaces? Lol this feels like trying to understand the mechanic behind time dilation in quantum mechanics.

 

[MrProper]

How can I glue together two uneven, curved surfaces? Lol this feels like trying to understand the mechanic behind time dilation in quantum mechanics.

*lol*

 

[Monitor]

Alright, I think I get it now. Took some thinking in 3d but I know how it works.