Club Obi Wan

I'm about to order my first Wested and I'm having a small measurement problem. My sleeve and back length would seem to make me a 46L, but the chest size is WAY off. If I inhale as much as I can, and pull the tape measure tight, my chest size is 38" instead of 46. Now I know it's supposed to be loose, but when I try wrapping the tape around me at 46", it seems WAY too loose. Anybody have some advice on whether I should order it with a 46" chest size, or if I should do something else? :junior: -IJ

I wouldn't completely go by the chart, bud. If your chest measurement is a 38, I think the biggest you can go is a 42, and not be too baggy. Just give Peter the sleeve length you want, and the back length, with your chest size.
'Blues

Thanks 'Blues. This was a big help. :junior: -IJ

No problem, glad I could help. Altho, make sure whatever you do, you make the sleeves long enough. You need to allow some room for shrinkage, and ride up. For instance, on my current Wested, I have 24 inch sleeves, and with my arms at my side, the sleeves look perfect. When I raise my arms, they start to ride up wickedly. I'm adding
1" to 1 1/2" to that length on my next order. Even if it seems slightly long at first, you will be better off.
'Blues

so how far down my hand should the sleeves go? My knuckles? farther? :junior: -IJ

My ideal would be base of the thumb, with hands by my side. This is after the initial creasing and take up of the leather. So I, personally, would meausre to somewhere along my thumb. Maybe the first joint, although others can chime in on this concept. Some leather might take up more than others???

According to some material about measuring for sleeves, you should measure "with arm relaxed at your side and slightly bent".

I suggest you take the arm measurment to the first knuckle/joint of you thumb. Better slightly too long than too short, the sleeves always shorten with wear anyway.

For the chest, the jackets are ideally supposed to be quite form-fitting, not baggy. Based on the measurement you gave above, I would opt for maybe a 40" chest size max.

On the length, put another jacket on and measure from the base of the collar down to the point on your butt where you'd like the hem of the jacket to stop. I suggest around the line of the top of your jeans pocket or maybe an inch above that if you like the jacket a little shorter.

Don't be thrown by Wested's size charts - they are for example only.

These jackets are custom made to your specifications, and Peter will make it in whatever configuration you want. For example, my latest jacket is a size 43" chest, with a TOD back length and custom arm length - you won't see that on the Wested charts, but Peter will make it if you ask him to.

Good luck with it!

For the chest, the jackets are ideally supposed to be quite form-fitting, not baggy. Based on the measurement you gave above, I would opt for maybe a 40" chest size max.

Whoops! I already sent in the specs, and went for a 42" chest, I guess that's not too bad though...I hope. :junior: -IJ

good idea, I'll do that. :junior: -IJ

If I inhale as much as I can, and pull the tape measure tight, my chest size is 38

Whoops! I already sent in the specs, and went for a 42" chest, I guess that's not too bad though...I hope

Based on the measurement you gave above, I would opt for maybe a 40" chest size max.

What is the measurement of your chest when you are just standing
normally, and not while you are inhaling?

You should take your measurements from a normal stance, and breathing
regularly. If you inhale, and then take the measurement, then you
are going to get a false reading of your actual chest size.

If your chest measures 38 inches, then a size 42 Wested may be very large
on you, as you are now going up 2 sizes. A size 42 Wested will have a
total chest measurement of 46 inches. If your chest is normally 38 inches,
then you will have about 8 inches of movement room, and that is about
twice what the Wested is designed for. A size 42 will fit you more like
a modern jacket that is usually very oversized.

I am a size 42, meaning my chest measures 42 inches. I ordered a
size 44 Wested, which has a chest measurement of 48 inches. This
gives me about 6 inches of movement room. I don't like my jackets
tight, but I don't like them really loose either. So a size 44 give me
slightly more room than a 42 would have, but not as much as you are
going to have if you went up 2 jacket sizes.

You may just want to take peoples advice, and re-measure yourself
the proper way, and tell Peter before they make your jacket just incase
you have to alter your size requirement.

Flathead

Hi--I take it then that Wested's standard "movement room" in the chest is 4 inches?

I was always under the impression that you were supposed to inhale for the measurement to allow you some breathing room (no pun intended). :junior: -IJ

Hi--I take it then that Wested's standard "movement room" in the chest is 4 inches?

You are correct! You win the prize of the day, whatever that may be...

I was always under the impression that you were supposed to inhale for the measurement to allow you some breathing room

No. You are not supposed to inhale for a normal chest measurement.
You are supposed to breath normally so the measurement is correct.

The garment that you are buying will have the movement room built
into it. Thus the term movement room.

On modern jackets and most other clothing, there is between 6 and 8
inches of movement room built in. Thus the large, sometimes baggy
fit of todays styles.

Now, Wested uses the WWII standards of fit, which is 4 inches of
movement room. This allows for a more traditional, tailored, neat
apprearance, as well as allowing the user room in the garment to
move and function normally.

If you want more movement room, or you just like the fit of a larger
jacket, or you wear heavier clothes under your Wested or A-2 jacket,
then you would want to order your jacket one size larger than you
normally would wear so you will have the extra room that you may
be used too.

Flathead

Oh Boy! I won the prize!

I think Flathead has this issue down "spot on." As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have an Avirex A-2 that was "military pattern." I had to order UP one size to a 42R (I am usually 40 R). With G & B I am having to order DOWN one size to 38R because their movement room is greater than 4."

I am impressed that Flathead broke the code on all of this. Good job!

I am impressed that Flathead broke the code on all of this. Good job!

Thank you for the kind words. But its really only a matter of asking what the
actual measurements of products are, like our Indy Jackets, that will really
help you figure out the right size for you.

The single best way to find out if a Wested, or any other jacket for that
matter, will fit to your liking, is to take a jacket you already have, and
measure it!

If you like the fit of say your LL Bean barn coat, then measure it, and see
what the actual chest, sleeve, neck, shoulder ect, ect is, and then, with
that info, ask the vendor in question what those same measurements are
on the product you are interested in. Start by asking what the measurements
are for the size you normally would take. Then, if they are either
bigger or smaller than what you think you like, ask for the measurements
of the next size up or down, and you can zero in on the size that will fit
you best.

As a matter of fact, the Flightsuits jackets are indeed made to todays
standards on most of their jackets. There are a few, like the historical
A-2 that they sell that is cut to the slimmer patterns.

But most people have said that they automatically order up a size in
any leather jackets, and when their Flightsuits jacket arrives, its WAY
to huge on them!

If you ask the Flightsuits people what the actual measurements are on
their jackets, you can figure out what will fit you before you have to send
a too big jacket back.

As an example, I had a Real McCoys B-6 for awhile. When I called to
place my order, I started my inquiry with what the dimensions were for
a size 44 B-6. Believe it or not, they base their jacket sizes on what the
tag says, and they did not incorporate any movement room in the jackets
they sold over a size 42! So, their size 44 jacket measured 44 inches around
the chest! Their size 46 measured 46 inches at the chest, and their
size 48 measured just over 48 inches around the chest.

So, in order for me to get a B-6 from them that fit right, I had to order
a size 48! It measured 49 inches around the chest, which gave me about
5 inches of movement room once I took into consideration the thickness
of the shearling.

So you see, every vendor is different. If I had ordered my normal size,
I would not have even been able to zip the B-6 jacket up!

Flathead

When I didn't inhale, the measurement was 35", normally that would be a 39" chest measurement, but since I'm still growing I decided to make it a 40" chest measurement. I just e-mailed in the alteration to Peter, so I'm waiting for his reply. Do you think it was a good idea to add an extra inch to account for growth flathead? :junior: -IJ

Do you think it was a good idea to add an extra inch to account for growth

Yes, I think its a good idea! I always do the same thing myself. But
being almost 40 years old, I don't call it room to grow, I tell people its
the ozone layer that shrinks my stuff!

I don't think its the fact that as I get older, I get, well, fatter? Nah.
Its the ozone layer...

Its always better to error on the big side than the small side. If your
jacket is slightly big for you, you can always wear a sweatshirt or
sweater under it, and it will still be comfortable.

But if your jacket is slightly too small, then there is nothing you can do
to ever get it to be comfortable, and then the jacket will just hang in
the closet, and everytime you open the closet door and look at it, it will
make you mad that you can't wear it.

Also, to hang your jackets, use wide wooden hangers. Do NOT use any
plastic or wire hangers!! You can get the nice wooden ones from places
like Walmart, or one of those Bed and Bath places. The wider hangers
will help to prevent those unsightly "humps" in the shoulders that can
be caused by using the wrong hangers. The best hangers are the ones
made for mens suits. They are over an inch and a half wide, and they
are rounded on the sides and ends. Plus the are really strong.

Flathead