Club Obi Wan

Dear All,

I am amazed how sizes of clothes and fit vary - and this has resulted in so many discussions and concerns on this site. You know what I mean: "I have a 42" chest Raderjacket from X and it fits great so I ordered a 42" Rayder from Y and it's huge!"

I reckon there should be Standards on this: ie: "This jacket is cut to US/BS Standard 4356" The Standard would say "chest measurement to be measured like this on bare torso.."

But it could never happen. I reckon some "bad" size cutting arises maybe from drift (like original pattern makes jacket, later jacket makes a new pattern (bigger..) and on and on getting bigger).

Also I have it on good accord that womens' clothing is sized to flatter and so induce purchase - "Wow - I never would have thought I was still a 14 size - and I look great in it - I'll take it!" The truth is she's bought an 18 with a 14 label in it!

In my opinion (thankfully) with Wested you really do (99% of the time) get what you measure you are!

All the best,

Striver

Well, the largest difference is in European and US style cuts. Euro cuts are more old-fashioned insofar as they are tailored very close to the body. US cust are more modern insofar as they accomodate modern body shapes which are, no beating around the bush here, generally bigger and fatter than a few generations ago.

I'm not saying people in the US are all fat and people in Europe are all thin, mind you! There are obviously some Europeans who would appreciate the US fittings, the same as some US folks would appreciate a Euro fitting.

But that's just the way it is. With care, anyone should be able to order what they want... perhaps going up a size in Europe, or down one in the US. I know it's not easy when ordering my the Web, but that's the price we pay for dealing with niche vendors for niche products.

Well, that ain't the whole truth, Irwin. Sizes may wary both ways. A workmate of mine ordered a size Medium A-2 Jacket from U.S. Wings and when he finally got it, he couldn't wear it at all - jacket was so small, in Europe it would have been labeled "Small"...
As for me, if I'm to order anything from the UK, I always go up one size - the Wested and MBA shirts being good examples; normally (Scandinavian sizes), I wear XL - for those particular garments, I chose XXL - fits just right.

Yesterday I went to a well known chain store in the UK to buy a pair of 32" waist jeans. They didn't have any even though they'd just had a new delivery of stock. The delivered sack of various sizes of the product contained none less that 34". I am becoming a minority (a minor minority in fact!). Soon I will have to put on weight to find clothes that fit me. Scary times in overfed "developed" countries!

Striver

32", you say? Hmm ... maybe you should eat a little more...

I'm pretty sure you'll find a pair of pants labelled 34" that fit you like a glove. There are major differences in size, between brands and models.

I tried to buy a pair of Levi's in the U.S. once... the guy in the store was really helpful and even brought a "Euro to US model/size conversion chart" he found somewhere. With help from the chart, he found me a pair that should be the U.S. equivalent to the ones I usually bought back home... did they fit? Not in the least....

As for me, if I'm to order anything from the UK, I always go up one size - the Wested and MBA shirts being good examples; normally (Scandinavian sizes), I wear XL - for those particular garments, I chose XXL - fits just right.

Hmm... This makes me a little worried. When I ordered my wested shirt last week I asked them about the sizes. They answered and I started measuring myself, just to realize that to their standards, I am a medium.
I have a chest size of 40.5 inch, and when I measured one of my shirtsleeves it was 24.4 inch, and the sleeves of a medium shirt is 25.5 inch.
So according to this, I should have a medium shirt but as I always wear a Large, the little elf on my shoulder wont stop telling me that something is wrong. I might add that I am quite tall, just below 1.90 meters I would guess.

Jarmyr -

I'm 185 cm tall and Swindiana is 197 cm. When I picked up our shirts at Peter's, we had both ordered "XL". I tried the XL on, found that the sleeves were too short and changed to an XXL for both me and Lars. Sleeves are perfect.

Maybe you should drop Peter an e-mail and ask him.

I believe I will. Just feels silly as according to what they told me about sizes, it should be perfect...

Well, if you stated your length along with sleeve length and chest size when you ordered, it should be fine... never hurts to double-check, though.

Aw, crud. I always wondered why Wested sent me two confirmation emails, but I just realized that one said they look forward to sending me my order this week, and the other said they look forward to sending me my jacket in about 21 days! I didn't order a jacket! This is just typical...

Uhh... you'd better check what's going on, dude...

Yeah, I don't mind getting a jacket, but I would prefer to be able to choose the requirements myself.

I ordered an XXL shirt from Wested. I usually wear XL(and with room to spare) so that's what I was looking for. Then Gerry told me they were sold out! D'oh! And that their next supply would be in about 3 weeks! Double D'oh! But then I gave my neck size of 17.5 and she told me that that was the size of an XXL, which is weird since an XXL is at least an 18 in America.

Well, I have asked them now, so there isn't much else for me to do than to wait.

Scandinavia Jones wrote:Well, that ain't the whole truth, Irwin. Sizes may wary both ways. A workmate of mine ordered a size Medium A-2 Jacket from U.S. Wings and when he finally got it, he couldn't wear it at all - jacket was so small, in Europe it would have been labeled "Small"...
As for me, if I'm to order anything from the UK, I always go up one size - the Wested and MBA shirts being good examples; normally (Scandinavian sizes), I wear XL - for those particular garments, I chose XXL - fits just right.

Right; you've found some exceptions. It is commonly accepted, however, that what I'm saying is largely the case; ie: that European fits are more traditional and figure hugging.

Scandinavia Jones wrote:I'm 185 cm tall and Swindiana is 197 cm. When I picked up our shirts at Peter's, we had both ordered "XL". I tried the XL on, found that the sleeves were too short and changed to an XXL for both me and Lars. Sleeves are perfect.

How big do you estimate the chest to be? Jerry estimated about 48" - 50" for the XXL when I spoke to him on the phone a few days ago.

Jerry estimated about 48" - 50" for the XXL

That's about it. I'm a 48-50 depending on garment. The XL fit me quite nicely around the chest, though... guess the chest size only matters if you want a seriously figure-hugging shirt - my (and Swindy's) greatest concern was sleeve length.

Just a little correction. I'm 192.5 cm... 197 would be with me wearing the Alden's. But I guess that's what you meant SJ since I would like to wear them 24/7 if I could.
I do have long arms though and I ordered my jacket sleeves to be 28 inches. A bit too long but with a little ride-up they are now perfect.
Agreed on the shirt though. It would be great with custom sizes but I figure the price might run up if that would ever happen.

Regards,
Swindiana

Thanks for this... have you experienced any shrinkage in the shirts? In my experience, even stuff that is guaranteed not to shrink can shrink, even if just a little bit, sometimes turning a snug fit into a nightmare.

Well, if you wash any shirt in too hot water, it will shrink. I've followed the wash instruction on my Wested - not a problem.

Right... I must say I tend to wash everything in cold water. Modern chemicals and washing machines have largely done away with a genuine need for hot water washing IMHO.