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Are all Wested's "arm holes" tight?

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:05 am
by Raider S
Wow, that sounds like an odd question but I don't know how to better phrase it.

The Wested that was briefly in my posession fit very well except for right where the arms entered the sleeves, at the shoulder, the fit was very tight. The fit of the overall sleeve was excellent, but right were the arm entered at the upper bicep the jacket seemed oddly tight. It felt like I would blow the sleeve off if I flexed really hard.

My upper arms certainly aren't oddly large and it was puzzling. Please note my jacket was a Special Offer so I don't know if this would make a difference. It had the shoulder pads, but that wasn't the problem.

I would like to give Wested another try but I'm concerned about this. Do people find the jackets to be tight in this area?

Thanks!

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:09 am
by Holt
if you go for a LC or CS style jacket you will find that the armholes are HUGE..

I like thi cut..gives me room for a sweather underneath when the temperature drops.

the Raiders and ToD had high armholes.ToD higher then Raiders even..

my take on this sizing thing with the ROTLA of the rack is to go one size up cause they do tend to be a slim fit in body,armholes and sleeves..

but the LC..perfect armholes..

bests
Holt

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:32 am
by Raider S
Thanks for the info Holt. So it's the higher arm placement that adds to the tight feel?

I wish they had an LC off the rack in goat that was made in the U.K. If they did I'd order it right up. The washed goat looks nice, but I guess I want my Wested to have that Union Jack in it.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:37 am
by Holt
yes the higher armhole the thighter the sleeves at the shoulders feel when movement.

if you raise both your arms at the same time infront of you and up you will feel that the holes thigthen up and the jacket bunches up in the shoulders and neck

try it...if I am not right..you owe me a jacket :wink:

bests
Holt

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:01 am
by Raider S
That tight fit right at that point kept me from holding onto the jacket and now keeps me from getting another. Good to hear the LC style might be better in that respect, but I really prefer the Raiders. Hmmmmm...

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:14 am
by Holt
if you get a custom raiders you can have the diameter of a canonbarrel hole for armholes if you like..

just ask Peter..I am sure you 2 could work something out :wink:

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:14 am
by Arca Perdida
Interesting. So, are the Wested CS jackets now baggy like the US Wings ones?

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:45 am
by Zombie Jones
Indiana Holt wrote:if you get a custom raiders you can have the diameter of a canonbarrel hole for armholes if you like..
I'll second that. On the custom Raiders I received from Wested the arm holes have plenty of room, more than enough for me to comfortably wear a sweater or sweatshirt under it if I so desire.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:04 am
by Holt
yeah I but I was talking of a big canon barrel :wink:

not a baby barrel....


Holt

Upper Arms not Oddly Large

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:54 am
by YARVTON
Perhaps, but compared to whose? And what would a shorter, lighter average guy from the 1930's think? The great difference is modern sportcoats is the lower armhole and that boxy cut. Back when men lived in their jackets, the armholes were higher and the cut closer to the body. Now, of course many of today's men are too plump or too beefy to fit into any of the old sizes. I see the Heavyweight Crew guys at the gym, and they have shoulders and arms that would explode a jacket TWO sizes larger than mine. Custom is a wonderful option when available.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:15 am
by Raider S
I've never before experienced the arms being tight like that before. I'm a person who often wears a suit jacket or sport coat and of course I've tried things on which were tight in the shoulders or chest, but never where the arms met the body. It was so unusual was the reason I even posted.

As far as a 30's guy, I don't know. Yeah, I'm right around 6 ft. but the original Indy jacket is from the early 80's and Ford is even taller than I am. So maybe I got an odd jacket or something. The rest of the arm felt great, it was right at that body seam. The chest fit well too.

Original Indy Jacket

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:43 am
by YARVTON
The "original/authentic" jacket, if not the "80's cut" is closer to that than the standard Wested. I'm 6-ft and 175 pounds, workout regularly and often take a size 40. A fellow COW member is an inch taller and takes a Wested size 38-long. The point I was making was that while you won't have problems with a modern sportcoat, you PROBABLY wouldn't fit into any Vintage. And the Indy jacket, as designed and fitted for Harrison Ford is much more "Vintage" than "modern/contemporary". Look at the still photos of Harrison -- he's quite a Slim Indy.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:46 am
by Bardoon
Did you have a Raiders "Special Offer"? That has the 80's cut that people mentioned before and will indeed be tighter around the upper arms/shoulder area.

I'm a lean but muscular guy (about 5' 9'',5' 10'') and I have big shoulders and I certainly feel some of the tightness in my Raiders Special Offer. It is not TOO bad and I've stretched the leather out a little bit.

I have a Standard Cut on order.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:19 pm
by Doeindy
My Wested Goat arm holes are fine. I am a skinny kind of frame thou; I would even go to say athletic build LOL.

Paul.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:30 pm
by Raider S
Wow, people don't seem to read. The jacket FIT FINE in the shoulders, it was the hole where the arm goes in that was tight. Right where the arm met the jacket seemed amazingly tight. The chest was fine the back was fine and the jacket wasn't snug when zipped.

As far as I know, it was not an 80's fit.

Armhole, armhole, armhole...

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:48 pm
by YARVTON
I get it. The armholes are too tight for YOUR arms. And that's really all that matters since it is to be YOUR jacket. But one need not be a Schwarzenegger to benefit from a custom job. You say that the shoulders and chest are OK -- well if you simply go up a size, they won't be anymore. Leather isn't easy to tailor, but Wested's custom offerings are affordable, thankfully.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:50 pm
by Raider S
Thank you Aeris, that seems to be exactly what I was describing.

Maybe it wasn't that the arm was too high, maybe it was that it was too low. That's waht the photo would suggest.

At first I thought it might be the shoulder pads but it really seemed to be the size the hole was sewn in combination with the position.

Re: Armhole, armhole, armhole...

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:00 pm
by Raider S
YARVTON wrote:I get it. The armholes are too tight for YOUR arms. And that's really all that matters since it is to be YOUR jacket. But one need not be a Schwarzenegger to benefit from a custom job. You say that the shoulders and chest are OK -- well if you simply go up a size, they won't be anymore. Leather isn't easy to tailor, but Wested's custom offerings are affordable, thankfully.
There's no need to get testy. :lol: You didn't have the jacket in question in your hands so you wouldn't know if it was normal or not.

My original post asked if other Westeds had this problem or maybe this one was a mistake of some kind. It was a Special Offer and that means it wasn't from the Wested shop but outsourced. Maybe one run got messed up.

I have no problem buying off the rack and since the rest of the jacket fit so well I would be happy to buy off the rack if I get another. I've never ever needed a custom jacket because of a tight fit right at the arm. I'd say my arms are average size or even below.

I'm not TESTY

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:22 pm
by YARVTON
It's not my jacket. I don't make jackets. It really doesn't matter if Wested changed the pattern. All that matters is that the jacket doesn't fit its owner. But then I see the problem as: "What do I do now that I have a jacket that doesn't fit?" And if Wested no longer makes a certain variation/model what is the answer besides "find a used one" or "go custom". The foolproof way to check on just what was altered would be to measure two of the same size that were produced in different "eras."

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:46 pm
by Doeindy
The jacket looks too tight all over to me; judging from the pics. I feel that going up a size is the answer.

I am sorry but I just do not want to go against what I think.

I really hope you get this sorted out and that you will be more content.

I trullyfeel bad for you.

You still have your pals here.

God Bless you,

Paul.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:11 pm
by Raider S
I think I've missed something here... :?

Who needs a bigger jacket and which photos?