Fitment across brands, Aero, Vance, Schott and size variances/nuances

Grayland said:

I know as soon as I take it out of the box and put it on. It either fits me or it doesn't fit me. I know what I like and what I'm looking for and can tell the first time I put it on whether or not the jacket works for me.

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A lot of people don't have that ability, due to living their whole life wearing Ill fitting hand me downs and off the rack clothing.

Grayland said:

I know as soon as I take it out of the box and put it on. It either fits me or it doesn't fit me. I know what I like and what I'm looking for and can tell the first time I put it on whether or not the jacket works for me.

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Guppy said:

A lot of people don't have that ability, due to living their whole life wearing Ill fitting hand me downs and off the rack clothing.

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I think you guys are both right. I too know from the first try on whether or not a jacket is going to work for me, it usually takes me a little longer to decide for sure whether or not it is a really good fit that I will enjoy wearing.
This is hard earned knowledge though, and when I started in on this hobby a few years ago I bought everything (other than underwear and shoes) at least one size too large.

Grayland said:

I know as soon as I take it out of the box and put it on. It either fits me or it doesn't fit me. I know what I like and what I'm looking for and can tell the first time I put it on whether or not the jacket works for me.

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Me too. Sometimes I can tell just by looking at the jacket before I even slip on a sleeve! Both ways too. Good and bad.

Guppy said:

A lot of people don't have that ability, due to living their whole life wearing Ill fitting hand me downs and off the rack clothing.

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TBH, I gained that ability on this forum. I paid attention to alot of the jacket buying and jacket fit pics and then developed my own style. You're right though - had I been on my own, I probably would've made a lot of expensive mistakes.

Tag sizes in jackets appear nonsensical, and not just leather jackets. Will I need a 40? 42? 44? 46? Or 48? At last measure my chest was 45.5 expanded. I’m 6’1.

Ideally tag sizes in jeans/trousers would simply be the measurement of the opening, and tag sizes in jackets would simply be the pit to pit. Let the punter determine which size is suitable for them in each style after that.

"Off the peg" Schott in 44" fit me well ( no custom fitting for this black duck !)

Some Schott models are "neat' ( 689H) , some are more "generous" ( 641HH) Style/Cut the reason there.

Aero blue label Highwayman in 44" is , well , "loose' on me , but still looks good I suppose and I still like it.

Schott leather 140 Peacoat in 44" is HUGE , but most likely design brief is for layering. I have one for winter wear.

Eastman Luftwaffe in 44" have fitted me for 30 years , and I have (a lot!) more Kg now than then !

Vanson in L/44" have all been good to date. Again all "off the peg" jackets, most of them "lightly used"

I have bought a few jackets now ex-eBay etc , and some have arrived too squeezy by far , others like tents on me !!

All supposed to be L/XL or 44". that is over several manufacturers. Those I sell on , but most often guys come round and try on. If they are in Perth western Australia or close I try to strongly suggest doing so. Sometimes they try several on !

HMLFL said:

Thank you all for incredibly valuable knowledge that I will put to good use over the next weeks, months, and beyond. This could be a fun albeit expensive hobby!

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I have made a thread with pictures and measurements of all my jackets, it might help you see how different measurements affect fit.
In my experience 1" more or less won't really make a big difference and you can usually get away with small variations.
Like others have said, its all about measurements, tag label is often meaningless.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/my-leather-jacket-database.93804/

Carlos840 - Thanks very much for sharing! Getting a visual of how all of those jackets fit in terms of sizing and styles, is extremely helpful. And wow, what a collection of incredible jackets!!!