Alteration idea - Did it work? Update

[Panama Tom Jr.]

As my 4 yr old Wested has extremely deep pleats which gape open really bad, I considering taking it to an alteration shop and have them open the interior lining and close the pleats up from the inside by a ½ an inch – this would bring them to a 1 ¼” depth as opposed to the 1 ¾” (actually 2” at the top) depth that I currently have. That way even though the pleats may stay open (heck, they do in the movie,) they won’t look like the giant fish gills I have now.
So, jacket experts, would this work strategy work or am I out to lunch?

[JockThePilot]

I have a similar problem with my pleats and I've emailed wested asking if it was possible to fix it in any way and have yet to hear back. </run on sentence> So I'd also be interested in what people say.

(P.S. : Haven't posted in years, but I've been lurking again for the past month or so. Hello!)

[FLATHEAD]

Instead of having the pleats sewn shut by the .50 inch, which would really
not do to much for the problem you are describing, why not have the alteration
place put in the elastic bands that were an option from Wested that you
did not get for your jacket originally?

The elastic bands are sandwiched between the outside leather and inside
lining so you don't see them, but they help to pull the pleats back together
and thus keeping them from gapping open all the time.

This is also the standard way the G-1 Navy jackets use, along with several
other military jackets.

Since this is an option on the Wested, then at least your not doing anything
to the jacket that can't already be had for it.

Flathead

[indiana smith]

What are the pleats?

[Holt]

hi..the pleats on the standard jacket are deeper then the Raider screen accurate jacket..the raider jacket has the pleats depth as they are in the movie..the standard jacket are deeper for more duarble wear..

personally I like the pleats depth as they are in the movie..thats way I had Peter make them smaller on my standard wested...just like you see on film..I dont like the pleats on the standard jacket...they stay open all the time and it looks and feels like they are batwings...

so if you take the jacket to you'r tailor to narrow them down I am sure you will be much more happy with your jacket ...if Peter had not narrowed my pleats down I would for sure take it to my local tailor

Best
Holt

[Panama Tom Jr.]

Flathead - the jacket actually originally did have the elastics - and it rolled out just as bad if not worse. It's not that I mind them being open - it's that when they're two inches deep it looks really bad open...
I stopped by the alteration shop and they said they could do it, so I'll drop it off next week - i'll probably have them reduce the depth to between 1 and 1.25 inches. We'll see how it turn out...

[Nobody]

It sounds like it will work out good.

[Panama Tom Jr.]

Just got my jacket back from the alteration shop (only 3 days and I was going into withdrawls!) I ended up going with a 1" depth to make it easy for them. The pleats still have a little roll in spots and stay open a little, but nothing like the gaping maw that they were before. See what you think...

[FLATHEAD]

The pleats still have a little roll in spot and stay open a little, but nothing like the gaping maw that they were before. See what you think...

Do you have some pictures of the jacket before you had the work done
so we can compare the two?

Now that you had the job done, and the jacket is now smaller around
the body than before, how does it feel when you wear it compared to before?

Is it tighter on you? Can you move around in it as easily as before?

I can see by the side view pictures you posted what you mean about the
pleats "rolling". But, to be honest, thats on the outer edge of the pleats,
and there is really nothing you can do about that.

The elastic bands connect to the inside of the pleats, so they would do
nothing to help what you are seeing. They are there to pull the pleats
shut. Since they do not connect to the outside edge of the pleats, you
are going to have your "rolling" problem no matter what.

The leather has softened up there, and thats just a natural way that
jackets made with bi-swing backs and soft leather will do.
Its not a problem, its just the way the material behaves.

Cloth jackets, like WWII Tanker jackets do it also. Even new high end
repros. After awhile, the outer edges of the pleats just start to roll either
out or in, and they never stay perfectly flat.

Heavier weight leathers, like cowhide and horse hide have less of this
problem because they stay stiffer longer, and will hold the outer edge
of the pleats shape for a longer time.

Its a nice looking jacket, and its getting some nice distressing on it!!
Flathead

[Panama Tom Jr.]

Here's a couple of before shots where the "gaping maw" is pretty dramatic -
The first is actually the day I got the jacket in 2004, and it had elastic in the pleats:

Next is a year later, and I had removed the elastic by this time:


It doesn't feel that much different than it did before - at least not that I can tell...

[PLATON]

It's an improvement...

[Chewie Louie]

Interesting, the pleats do not bother me at all. In fact I kind of like them. I guess everyone has a look and style that they prefer. How curious.

[FLATHEAD]

I think the reason the pleats are sticking out so much is that you have
the side straps done up too tight.

You can see how in this picture the pleats are getting pulled in really
tight at the side straps.

That might be a big part of your problem. If you loosened up the
side straps some, so that the pleats were not sinched up so much, they
would not have bulged out so much at the top. It appears that you were
using the side straps to adjust the jacket for a better fit. But thats not
what they are made for.

Your new altered jacket looks good, but you have effectively reduced
the amount of movement you can get out of the bi-swing back. Its not
a huge deal, but I want my jacket to be able to open as much as it can
to help when I reach for stuff, and move around.

But to each his own. It still looks good.

Flathead

[St. Dumas]

Panama, with half the pleat depth you'll have to get into fewer fistfights.

SD

[Panama Tom Jr.]

Interestingly enough, the yoke is so low on my jacket that the pleats weren't really helping much in terms of mobility anyways - the yoke seam is almost to my armpit, so if I reach forward the I can feel it pulling on the yoke seam across my back instead of opening up the pleats as it should do - that's probably why I'm not noticing a real difference in the feel anyway.
I do think the alteration was a success - the gills are gone, so I'm much happier and less self conscious wearing the jacket...

[FLATHEAD]

I do think the alteration was a success - the gills are gone, so I'm much happier and less self conscious wearing the jacket...

In the end, that is really all that matters!! You have to wear it, and you
are the one who looks in the mirror everyday.

What kind of leather is your jacket anyway? You never said in the original
post.

Flathead

[WeeMadHamish]

Interestingly enough, the yoke is so low on my jacket that the pleats weren't really helping much in terms of mibility anyways - the yoke seam is almost to my armpit, so if I reach forward the I can feel it pulling on the yoke seam across my back instead of opening up the pleats as it should do - that's probably why I'm not noticing a real difference in the feel anyway.

Mine, too. Which is why in another thread I suggested that it was an engineering oversight and not merely a visual difference between what we see in Raiders and the current make of Wested jackets. In order to be effective, the yoke seam really needs to be an inch or two higher, so the action pleats open on the shoulderblades instead of below them.

...in my opinion, anyway.

Nevermind that the majority of other leather jackets with action pleats tend to have them engineered on and around the shoulders and not the back.

[Panama Tom Jr.]

What kind of leather is your jacket anyway? You never said in the original post.

It's the authentic lamb, circa 2004.

Panama, with half the pleat depth you'll have to get into fewer fistfights.

Yeah - you know all those fisticuffs with the old people at the shuffleboard deck during snowbird season here in Retirement Land, Florida really puts a strain on you after a while... Did I mention the distressing on the jacket were cane marks?

[binkmeisterRick]

Did I mention the distressing on the jacket were cane marks?

"Jock! Start the golf cart! Joooock!!!!"

[Panama Tom Jr.]

"Jock! Start the golf cart! Joooock!!!!"

If only you know how true that was - getting chased by the angry "old-vitos!"