Club Obi Wan

Okay, so if you want to avoid the jacket raising when you lift your arms, how do you request the right measurements?

1. My current Wested has a 26 cm armhole. It doesn't appear all that roomy, but the jacket does raise somewhat if I put up my hands. Would getting a new jacket with a 24 cm armhole do the trick? Are there any other changes that need to be made?

2. Also is the back of the jacket always a bit shorter than the front?

Any accurate advice would be appreciated, as opposed to speculation.

Cheers - Cm

I will reply to this, just havent found the time yet.

another factor to the equation is the fit in the body. if the body is tailored quite close to your actual measurements, it will help alleviate the whole flying squirrel look IMO.

PLATON wrote:I will reply to this, just havent found the time yet.

Thanks Platon. Looking forward to it. By the way - I have kept a copy of your Wested special specs jacket on file. I think I may be taller than you (Almost 6ft 2) so your measurements won't work for me. But I'm really trying to sort out the arm hole issue right now.

Cheers - CM

The circumference of the armhole only matters to a certain point.

The key in getting the right armholes is the shape of their cut. They should be cut shorter and wider, not long and shallow. Look at your armhole seam. It looks like a "J" (on the left). But not all J's are alike.

If the tail of the J (horizontal part of the seam) is short, but the vertical seam is long, chances are that the jacket body will move a lot with your arm movement.

But if the tail of the J is long, wider, and the curve of the J is more pronounced, and the vertical part is shorter, you get an armhole that's more round than oval, which gives your arms more freedom of movement.

Two different jackets can have the exact same armhole circumference, but with different levels of mobility/comfort.

I think most manufacturers go with the long J because it's easier to put on, given the shoulders are correct. For jackets that have proper shoulders and armholes, people actually need help getting into their jackets.

Once on, of course they're more comfortable and look much sharper. But many people probably would consider a jacket like that "too tight."
Most leather jackets today are worn as outerwear, as looser garments.

Harrison Ford has his Indy Jacket tailored to him; in pictures, the armhole is very precise, the overall fit of the jacket is trim, it's closer to a suit jacket than a leather jacket you pick up at the mall.