Help: Sizing and Washing Advices for New Gear?

[WhteRbt]

Hi guys,

my new gear arrived from Wested. I am quite happy with the material and the design of all items (went with the Super Combo, as described in my Leather jacket thread). The jacket itself fits great (Standard Raiders 44"), the front end just below my belt (measured on my regular Jeans) and the rear is a bit higher, but okay for me.

I just have mixed feelings about the trousers and the shirt, please let me explain…

I am not a small or skinny guy, I have measured a waist of 41" and my height is 6.3 ft. Following the sizing guide of Wested, I took this exact measure and sized up instead of down, so I ordered a 42". It seems to fit, quite loose, but the belt fixed it - no problem with loosing my pants… I am just unsure about how baggy the trousers are around and below my rear, there seems to be a lot of excessive material. Looking from the front, it is great, but the rear view… I don't know. To be honest: I am a Jeans guy, I only know Jeans - so I am sure if that is just the way it have to be with that trousers…

The next thing is the shirt. As I am not a skinny guy, I don't like slim-fit clothes - but the shirt seems a bit too large around my belly. I don't know if I should have gone with a medium, as my chest is 44" I followed the sizing guide of Wested again and the cuffs and the sleeve length is just perfect for my size.

As I want to get sure that I have the right sizes at hand, and slightly too big is better than too small, I opened this thread and will tell you about my plans. My idea is that the material will naturally shrink during a washing cycle - but do you have any washing advices for the trousers and the shirt to get them a bit smaller? I just don't want to throw them in the washing machine and hope for the best as I found different opinions about washing procedures in the forums. Wested updated the shirt and the trousers during the last years, so I don't know if everything written here in the past is still valid.

So, the plan is to do the washing first to get the material to shrink a bit. The next step is to bring the trousers to a tailor to get the hems done. Don't laugh, but I never visited a tailor in the last 36 years, so I don't know whats possible in addition - e.g. to get a better fit in the trousers and/or reduce the size of the shirt around the belly.

Can someone verify my plans and just give me a bit of approval? This would result in a better sleep for me and I would highly appreciate that!

Thanks a lot and best regards

Marcel

[Indiana Jeff]

In terms of the trousers, they may feel like there's too much material in the seat because

A. either they are too large, based on what you said about cinching up the waist this may be the case

B. The rise (distance from the waist line front to back going under the crotch) is generally much longer than modern trousers, especially jeans. Compare your Wested to a pair of jeans and see what the difference is. Indy trouser tend to be cut in in an older fashion where they waist is meant to be worn much closer to the bellybutton than most modern cuts. There needs to be more space "underneath" to hitch the trousers up higher.

Interesting you feel the Indy shirt is too baggy around the waist. Most people find Indy shirts to be cut too slim. I can't imagine a medium would work on you if your chest is 44". Perhaps Wested is using a looser cut pattern for their shirts. That choice would accommodate the widest audience.

A tailor should be able to help you with both. If the waist and rise are too large for you, they can be taken in within reason - an inch or two. The shirt can also be taken in to be more fitted. I had this done on an Indy shirt I bought second-hand. The waist was too baggy so I had it tailored to fit me.

Just be sure to go to a bona fide tailor. Lots of dry cleaners will offer service to add hems to the cuffs, but it's a whole different level of skill to truly alter the fit of the trousers or shirt.

Also, I would not recommend trying to wash/dry as a method of reducing the size, especially since the items fit in some aspects. You need a more targeted solution to the fit. In any case, the trousers are most likely dry clean only so won't shrink due to washing.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[WhteRbt]

Hi Indiana Jeff,

thanks a lot for the extensive reply and sorry for my late reaction!

I have to admit that I made a real, real dumb mistake - I was lost in translation. As I am a native German speaker I just mixed up „waist“ and „hips“. OK, to be more correct: I did not think as I measured my hips as this is were I wear my pants/the belt with normal jeans - THIS is were I have a reading of 41" (went with the 42" pants). But as I know today: I had to measure a few inches up (which would read a bit more to be honest ). The good thing is: The pants fit anyway, but they should not shrink for now… it would be a good idea to loose some weight, so this is my project for 2021…

I will follow your recommendation and stay with the sizes I have chosen. I will also not try to wash/dry the clothes to make them shrink, but instead try to find a good tailor who can help me… It is very good to hear that this kind of adjustments are possible and I learned a few things which I did not know before…

Thanks a lot!

Marcel

PS: Will add some photos later.

[WhteRbt]

As

,

here we go!

[Indiana Jeff]

Other than the trousers being too long, I think the fit is right on.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[WhteRbt]

Hi Indiana Jeff,

thanks a lot for checking out my outfit and your comments, I really appreciate that. Yes, I should have mentioned that the trousers are still unfinished…

I will add some better photos "in the wild" when the whole outfit is finished…

Best regards,

Marcel

[Howard Weinstein]

If you're still not totally happy with the fit after a while, I agree with the suggestion to find a good tailor who can help you fine-tune everything.

I did that with the too-long sleeves on my otherwise well-fitting US Wings jacket, and with a pair of close-enough LL Bean pants that were waaaaay too baggy in the seat and thighs.

Since our Indy gear is not cheap to start with, consulting with a skilled tailor is worth the investment to get everything feeling and looking right.

[Indiana Jeff]

And to the point of finding a qualified tailor, do a bunch of research online about how to alter clothing. Get familiar with the terms and what work needs to be done. YouTube is a treasure trove of such information. Then, when you go to a tailor use the terminology and carefully gauge their reaction. If they don't appear to know what you are talking about or differ greatly in what they say needs to be done, I'd keep looking.

My sister had a dress she needed altered and went to a woman who was supposed to be a skilled seamstress. My sister had done her homework and in short order had a bad feeling the seamstress wasn't up to the task. My sister went elsewhere and when she described what the first seamstress was suggesting to the second, the second seamstress told her the dress would have been ruined.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Smithy]

One thing I'll add is make sure your tailor gives the trousers a "military hem" where the back is hemmed longer than the front, which is important for the break of the pants.

All your gear looks great BTW, well done

I recently got a Wested new pattern shirt and a pair of pants, both of which I'm absolutely thrilled with.

[WhteRbt]

@Howard: Yes, I see now that I have to find a tailor who takes care of the last (but very important) details. I just wanted to make sure that I have chosen the right size to make all the final adjustments possible. I've learned that it is way better to have slightly to large clothes, than to small clothes…

@Indiana Jeff: Thats a good advice, thank you. I will do my homework before I look for a tailor.

@Smithy: Thanks a lot! I really love the quality of the Wested shirt and pants, and I am sad that I am not able to wear them daily… I will tell the tailor about the "military hem", I just checked out the pictures here on http://indygear.com/igpants.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - I will print them to have a good reference.

Best regards

Marcel