Club Obi Wan

So I found a new to me practically unworn hero raiders. The previous owner was 6’2” so the back length is 25.5, and the sleeves are 25. I’m almost 6ft so the back is perfect to me it’s just the sleeves could be an inch shorter or 1.5.
I thought about getting it altered but now I’m wondering if I should just try and shrink just the sleeves. Is it possible to shrink an inch on the sleeves without compromising the rest of the jacket?

How long have you worn it? Leather has a tendency to start riding up at the elbows with regular wear. If it’s new and unworn, you may regret cutting off 1.5 inches too soon.

I’d wear it a while before cutting the sleeves.

Regards! Michaelson

Yeah, and if for some reason the sleeves stay a bit long, you can then have it altered. That's what I did with my USW russet Indy jacket. Had the sleeves shortened just a bit.

Michaelson wrote:How long have you worn it? Leather has a tendency to start riding up at the elbows with regular wear. If it’s new and unworn, you may regret cutting off 1.5 inches too soon.

I’d wear it a while before cutting the sleeves.

Regards! Michaelson

I just got it so I've only tried it on, and it seems new. It probably just needs shortened an inch but it's not a deal breaker if it stays this way...
I do like the added length in the front and back though, fits more like a normal jacket zipped up...

Yeah, give it at least a couple of weeks of regular, daily wear and see where you are before you decide what to do.

We've see WAY too many folks in years past who jumped the gun, only to turn around and sell their jackets after alteration due to the fact their sleeves were now too short. Many times the elbows creasing with use will take up 3/4" to 1" in length when an arm is bent.

Give a little time. Leather is funny stuff.

If you go to a tailor, make sure they know how to work with leather! Once you punch a hole, it can't be removed!

Just a suggestion......

Regards! Michaelson

also, do they still use a 2-sided tape for the cuffs? It may be easy fix if you do not get the desired result through regular wear?

Michaelson wrote:Yeah, give it at least a couple of weeks of regular, daily wear and see where you are before you decide what to do.

We've see WAY too many folks in years past who jumped the gun, only to turn around and sell their jackets after alteration due to the fact their sleeves were now too short. Many times the elbows creasing with use will take up 3/4" to 1" in length when an arm is bent.

Give a little time. Leather is funny stuff.

If you go to a tailor, make sure they know how to work with leather! Once you punch a hole, it can't be removed!

Just a suggestion......

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson has good advice, as always.

Should you decide after a while those sleeves really ARE too long, any decent tailor should be able to alter them at minimal cost. I wore my US Wings lamb jacket for maybe a year, to see if the sleeves "unlengthened" on their own. They didn't, so I took it to my local tailor for a fix.

I've had the jacket for about 6 years now, and the sleeves have stayed the perfect shortened length.

A decent tailor can shorten the sleeves, if that tailor has experience working with leather. Too many horror stories over the years from members who had a jacket ruined by an otherwise competent tailor who had never worked on leather before.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I’ve always had the opposite problem. I’m over 6 feet tall, and anytime I get a jacket that fits right in body and shoulders, the sleeves are too short. I have to have a minimum of 25”, but they usually come in 24” when OTR.

Regards! Michaelson

Indiana Jeff wrote:A decent tailor can shorten the sleeves, if that tailor has experience working with leather. Too many horror stories over the years from members who had a jacket ruined by an otherwise competent tailor who had never worked on leather before.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Yes. I should've said I asked the tailor first if he could work on leather. When it comes to an expensive leather jacket, nothing should go without saying. So, thanks to Indiana Jeff for saying it

Roll them up inside? They are barrel sleeves, so you can usually wet them and re-seam the bottom of the sleeves and nobody will know. You can roll them up and tape the inside edge where the seam of the lining meets. Try not to get tape on the leather because taking it off again can mark the leather. I think there is a seam tape for that.

That way if you want to bring the sleeves down (like if you sell the jacket and it is too short for the new owner) they can make the sleeves longer again. It may leave markers on the leather where the leather creased, but depending on what you do with the sleeves it is probably better than having a short sleeve jacket.

This hobby makes me think about resales, as the gear changes a lot for some of us.

Howard Weinstein wrote:

Indiana Jeff wrote:A decent tailor can shorten the sleeves, if that tailor has experience working with leather. Too many horror stories over the years from members who had a jacket ruined by an otherwise competent tailor who had never worked on leather before.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Yes. I should've said I asked the tailor first if he could work on leather. When it comes to an expensive leather jacket, nothing should go without saying. So, thanks to Indiana Jeff for saying it

Uh, I said it first, but I'm glad Jeff agreed.

I even went back to my post and italicized the line in red.

Regards! Michaelson

Same here - 6' tall ordered the Hero with a 25" sleeve and it's too long. Love the coat. It's my 6th ROTLA jacket.
Currently I have it at the tailor and she's taking it up 1.25".
Cant get too angry with Wested as they clearly show the Hero has a wider neck & is meant to hang off the shoulders a little more. (It's why we prefer the Hero) That makes ordering one a bit of guestimation. I want to add that I been buying a few Leather Blazers on Poshmark to find one that drapes and fits right. I bought one but it's too big (Relisted) and one on it's way (probably gonna be a little tight) But for Information and to verify what I've read on this forum about washing - shrinking Leather It REALLY works. I have one that pretty well fits right except the sleeves are also about 1.25" too long. SO>>>> I just washed it warm water with towels, Dried on Medium heat for 50 mins. It's on laying flat on a dried towel finishing drying (it was still a little damp) and Voila!!! the sleeves are absolutely perfect!. I should have tried that with my "Hero" before dropping $30+ on tailoring. Will it relax back out over time? I dunno. but.
1) You CAN shrink leather successfully.
2) the color did not bleed
3) no water spots
However and warning.******* reform the collar , lapels, pockets as it finishes the drying process or you'll have some nasty wrinkles. and I intend to hit real good with Lexol Leather conditioner after it dries. As Peter Botwright would say. Cheers!

rbxb- Did you wash the whole jacket? And use a dryer?
I’d like to just wash the sleeves and see about getting them to shrink. Let me know how it turns out and how much the arms shrink up. I might look into that vs finding a tailor who knows how to work with leather.

rbxb wrote:Will it relax back out over time? I dunno.

I have done that with over a hundred jackets (no exaggeration) and have never had one 'relax' to a noticeable degree. Once it is shrunk, it is shrunk. You may have some of the elbow wrinkles loosen, assuming you made them. I always build wrinkles into my jackets. Hopefully, you did that before you starting cutting the sleeve length or you may find that the jacket will now be too short in a few months as the elbow area with probably wrinkle at the elbows, and that would be a bummer.

rbxb wrote:However and warning.******* reform the collar , lapels, pockets as it finishes the drying process or you'll have some nasty wrinkles. and I intend to hit real good with Lexol Leather conditioner after it dries.

Conditioner is never a bad idea if you wet and dry a jacket. If you have the time and patience and do not mind wearing a wet jacket, I would suggest that method as it dries a bit. It will customize the fit.