Has anybody cut the stitching that holds the action pleats closed at the strap on their Wested? It was my understanding that the original jacket did not have this reinforcement and there have been only a few jackets made (Chris King mannequin jacket is one) that do not have this.
My memory says that Peter said the jacket would not recommend omitting this stitching since the seam would split. Chris never did furnish pictures of this... I am assuming the "side vent" means the same thing as "action pleats." Here are some excerpts:
Chris_King wrote:
Side vents: These are great - they open out in the classic "V" shape without any effort. Some stitching has been omitted so that they work in the same way as Ford's did.
Chris_King wrote:
All that I know about the vent is that it's not been sewn in the places that they normally sew them. Because of the lack of stitching, the sides open up better, forming that "V" shape. However, Peter said that if they did this on a jacket that was going to be worn day in and day out, the seam would split after a small amount of time.
It appears that the actual function of the side straps would be restored by cutting the stitching. Has anybody tried it? What is meant by the seam would split? Does this mean the action pleat seam itself where the two pieces that make it up are connected? I am so confused... Peter? Peter? Where are you?Chris_King wrote:
Regarding the side vent, it's actually the way the straps are attached to the jacket, not the extent of the vent. Sorry for any misleading comments earlier. The stitching above the vent seems to start in the same place as my previous Wested, but way the straps are attached obviously allows more movement and the vent opens up more.
Chris.
P.S. Does the Flightsuits Jacket also have this?
