Anyone had trouble with jacket sizing since most makers are mail order?

deeds · Nov 10, 2020

Hi Guys,
I spoke to a gent at LW about getting an ANJ4 and he said that they use Height and weight. Perhaos this works for the average body type but it certainly wont work for the unusual body types. From the conversation, it didnt seem like any other adjustments or measurements are taken from customers.

Anyone ordered from LW and had trouble with the sizes received and if so how was this remedied.

Its a big chunk money and waiting time not to mention import costs and postage to not be certain about what im going to receive.

Marc mndt · Nov 10, 2020

deeds said:
Anyone ordered from LW and had trouble with the sizes received and if so how was this remedied.

I think the following thread might give you some clues

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/bad-experience-with-lost-worlds.101201/

JMax · Nov 10, 2020

He does use height/weight and hits the fit right on most of the time. Every time I’ve spoken with him we do discuss the jacket’s measurements and my preferred fit for that particular jacket.

He is more of an artist when it comes to measurements and fit though. And go to his website to read the return policy. He doesn’t mess around with it. I’ve never had to use it. Other guys around here have with great success. A few would rather have raging hemorrhoids and ride a bike with no seat than deal with LW again. We all have different comfort levels at different price points. Where do you land?

LW jackets are amazing. I love all of mine.

Hh121 · Nov 10, 2020

there is nothing magic about the way he guessing the fit, most mall jacket does the same thing, (how much you weigh or your chest size decides which size you are), Schott also has a size calculator tool which is pretty accurate. If you have a long arm and torso you simply request a long size, that's it. I would say LW rarely made a mistake.

some maker do the fit jacket and some ask for more measurements from you, recent posts show they both failed to make a jacket that fits the customer (or the customer request some alteration work after receiving the jacket).

Carlos840 · Nov 10, 2020

I received a LW CHP that was a bit too "bulbous" for my liking, the front looked ok but the back was weird.
I sent Stuart these pictures, he said "this isn't right, send it back we will figure it out and make you a new one"
He modified the pattern and basically tapered a 42 down to a size 40 at the bottom hem, i hade my replacement jacket within a month.
Every other LW i ordered other than that one (i ordered 4 in total) fit perfectly.

The bulbous CHP:

The replacement, sorry no fit pics yet but it is a lot more trim.

Personally i trust Stuart to make things right, the two probems i had with jackets were always promptly sorted out and he has always been super helpful.

Cyber Lip · Nov 10, 2020

Basing a jacket on my overall height would be a no-go for me. I have a long torso and need a little extra length there. I'd have to be able to say 'look, I realize I'm 6 foot, but I have the torso of a guy that's 6'2' lol

red devil · Nov 10, 2020

Didn't have any problems either, but then again his patterns are very well balanced, meaning you don't need to be very precise in measurements to get a good fit. My J24 fit a friend of mine with a different body type as well as it did me for example.

deeds · Nov 10, 2020

Marc mndt said:
I think the following thread might give you some clues

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/bad-experience-with-lost-worlds.101201/

This is a sad story. The gent on the phone told me that they wouldn't do any "customs" or mods.

ton312 · Nov 10, 2020

Stu did OK by me using this method. Not great. In general I find LW to underestimate the shoulders and overestimate the gut. Most the jackets I’ve had also have relatively low arm holes. So there’s a bit of all in one fit baked into the pattern.

deeds · Nov 10, 2020

I am comfortable spending money as long as i get what i am expecting to get. If their refund policy is good, that helps, ill have a read of it tonight however, i don't live in the US and shipping one way and another plus the import tax cost will add up if its gong back and fourth...

I dont know if i have a longer than normal torso or a short one or if im a standard. The other thing is, i know from suit jackets and other not so baggy jackets that when i get my shoulders to fit, the sleeves are too long and the jacket becomes like a dress around my waist and sides of stomach. I'm not a He Man muscular broad guy, just my shoulders are a bit wider than they should be i guess.

deeds · Nov 10, 2020

ton312 said:
Not great. In general I find LW to underestimate the shoulders and overestimate the gut.

Yes, exactly my usual problem.

ton312 · Nov 10, 2020

deeds said:
Yes, exactly my usual problem.

I haven't ordered anything new from LW in a number of years but I get the feeling that every measurement change is an upcharge. That's fine I suppose but when you don't know the starting point...that sucks. I have a size 44" L ryder that is clearly a size 44" reg...the sleeves are just under 25". That is not by any stretch of the imagination a long size. Back length is 26.5"... seems like a standard reg to me?

El Marro · Nov 10, 2020

I have two custom LW jackets, a CHP and a Ryder. When I ordered the first one I asked so many questions that I actually made Stuart nervous about the fit so he made a stock CHP to verify that it would work for me before building my custom jacket with special features and added length. I have not heard of him doing that for any other members here but as it turned out he was spot on in his initial recommendation.
I also find it amusing that he told you that he offers absolutely no customization nor modifications because he absolutely did when I ordered my jackets. Dealing with Stuart can be tough. I have had fairly good experiences, some members here have had terrible experiences, and others get the royal treatment.
My jackets came out great, but I did worry how it would be resolved if had run into a fit issue or any other problem. After hearing about what happen with Monitor and his jacket I realized that I had been lucky indeed.

AeroFan_07 · Nov 10, 2020

deeds said:
I am comfortable spending money as long as i get what i am expecting to get. If their refund policy is good, that helps, ill have a read of it tonight however, i don't live in the US and shipping one way and another plus the import tax cost will add up if its gong back and fourth...

I dont know if i have a longer than normal torso or a short one or if im a standard. The other thing is, i know from suit jackets and other not so baggy jackets that when i get my shoulders to fit, the sleeves are too long and the jacket becomes like a dress around my waist and sides of stomach. I'm not a He Man muscular broad guy, just my shoulders are a bit wider than they should be i guess.

Highly reccommend you get measured at a good men's suit shop and provide those details to Stuart - if you decide to go that route. There are other folks out there with other, better options for fitting if you care to research them.

red devil · Nov 10, 2020

deeds said:
I am comfortable spending money as long as i get what i am expecting to get. If their refund policy is good, that helps, ill have a read of it tonight however, i don't live in the US and shipping one way and another plus the import tax cost will add up if its gong back and fourth...

I dont know if i have a longer than normal torso or a short one or if im a standard. The other thing is, i know from suit jackets and other not so baggy jackets that when i get my shoulders to fit, the sleeves are too long and the jacket becomes like a dress around my waist and sides of stomach. I'm not a He Man muscular broad guy, just my shoulders are a bit wider than they should be i guess.

Being outside of the US makes it much more complicated... Which country are you in if I may ask?

antoine p · Nov 11, 2020

I would go with what LW recommends initially, and stick to stock sizing. That's their way- you order a stock sized jacket, if necessary custom comes second (check out their FAQ). If you're unhappy, take CLEAR photos, send to LW, and exchange the jacket for what is recommended as your new size or build.

Based on my height and weight I was recommended size 38 (I offered to go visit a tailor and take other measurements, but was told this was not needed). Unfortunately, the 38 was too big for me, I was told that I would need a 36 but that regrettably LW doesn't have patterns for 36's. So no Lost Worlds for me. I returned my jacket and only paid for postage (luckily I am in the US). This may get me laughed at here, but I consider this a small tragedy… I think Stuart's "off the rack" designs and patterns are unmatched by the other makers, and so I am left to design my own jacket with Langlitz or Johnson. Fun for some, a real headache for others. I plan to check if a 36 will be available once a year but don't have my hopes up.

If you've got the money to spend on a Lost Worlds, I would say going through the stock->return->custom route is worth it even factoring in the import costs and postage. Factor the import costs, postage and potential upcharge for custom work into your budget for the jacket. If you can afford it, you will be getting an heirloom quality piece of outerwear made in the US from a company with decades of experience… ask yourself how much you really value that. For me paying up is a no brainer. Others on the forum feel differently and have negative feelings about the brand.

The owner of the company is in his seventies… if I were you I would be acting as fast as possible.

antoine p · Nov 11, 2020

All that being said, I recognize that some countries have quite extreme import duties that can push the cost of the approach i recommended into an altogether different price range that may not be worth it.

red devil · Nov 11, 2020

antoine p said:
All that being said, I recognize that some countries have quite extreme import duties that can push the cost of the approach i recommended into an altogether different price range that may not be worth it.

Generally if you have a friend visiting the US, it can save a lot of hassle... unfortunately not much travelling going on at the moment.

Edit: I should mention that even then I am still ordering the jackets from overseas, I have another 3 on the way

thor · Nov 11, 2020

I ordered a LW jacket in February of this year; took 3 months to arrive (delays because of the Covid outbreak). Stu and I exchanged 3-4 e-mails where we discussed fit preferences and minor custom details.
I’m between a 46 and a 48, long/tall.
There is an upcharge for a long size but I was able to specify how much length to add to both the body and the sleeve. Stu was very helpful in his recommendations and I ended up with a perfect fit and an extremely well-made jacket.

deeds · Nov 11, 2020

AeroFan_07 said:
Highly reccommend you get measured at a good men's suit shop and provide those details to Stuart - if you decide to go that route. There are other folks out there with other, better options for fitting if you care to research them.

a couple points:
1) The get on the phone said they didn't do "fitting"/cut to measurements. Id totally be happy doing this if it means the jacket reaches me and fits right from the start instead of back and fourth bla bla.

2) who are these other folks? I dont know many makers and im quite new to this so id appreciate any suggestions. Feel free to PM them is you prefer.

Anyone had trouble with jacket sizing since most makers are mail order?

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