New Jackets I picked up at Wested Leather

crazylegsmurphy · Oct 19, 2009

Hey Everyone,

I'm back in Canada and after a 6 month vacation in the UK and I decided to take some photos of the new jackets I picked up at Wested Leather when I was there.

Here is the story. Recently I have lost 40 pounds. The goal is to lose another 15 which should actually put me in the "in shape" category instead of the "heart attack from doing up my shoes" category that I've been in.

I was hoping to have lost the full 55 pounds before going to Wested, but I just couldn't do it save from starving myself. The thing is, this has left me with no ability to judge what clothing fits anymore. Yesterday I bought size 33 jeans where I have been buying 38's and it felt weird to say the least.

I am hoping you guys will give me your honest opinion on how these jackets currently fit, as well as how they might fit when 15 more pounds are gone. If you think they need to be in a different size, tailored, shrunk, or fit just perfect then please tell me. I want them to look as cool as possible so it won't help to tell me they look good if they don't.

Anyway, here are the jackets.

1. Indy Jacket.

Size: 40 Chest

This jacket was picked after trying on quite a few at Wested. Peter brought this one out of the back and I thought it fit great. Let me know A) what you think B) what "style" of jacket this is (TOD, Riders, LC, CS)

crazylegsmurphy · Oct 19, 2009

2. Mutt Jacket

Size: Medium

I wasn't sure about this one being that I'm almost 32 years old, and still far from Shia's body type. I took a chance based on the price. My mom loves it....

Should I put the pins on? (can I do it without wrecking it?) Thoughts overall?

crazylegsmurphy · Oct 19, 2009

3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Size: Large

I didn't really like this movie, but I liked the jacket. Tried it on, liked it. Thoughts?

Opas Coat · Oct 19, 2009

You do well with the "Mutt" jacket. Pins? Do you ride?

Hell, all of them look great.

crazylegsmurphy · Oct 19, 2009

Thanks Opas,

I have various pins that I ordered of Ebay that are the same as what "Mutt" had in Indiana Jones. I got the pins with the intention of getting a jacket some day when I was not so...round...but now that I have the jacket I'm not sure I want them on there because I'm not sure about poking holes in the leather.

No, I don't ride. I have been looking at getting a bike though. I almost bought one with a sidecar in the UK, but it didn't work out.

nrvnqsrxk · Oct 19, 2009

First off, good work on losing those pounds! I've lost about 10 and it's been really really hard for me, haha.

No homo. As for the jackets, they all look like they fit perfectly. Shoulder seams end where they should end up, there is no telltale bulge in the abdominal area, waist line area looks good.

The first jacket looks like an A-2 jacket. Someone please confirm, as I am new to this board and do not as quite the discerning eyes as a few of the pros.

I'm not sure who made the second jacket, but it looks like the Schott Perfecto style. The only thing that looks different to me is the collar and and epaulets. The collar looks like something from Lewis Leathers. I would keep the pins off just because you might regret putting them on later, and that it detracts from the resale value should you ever lose more weight.

The Wolverine jacket your standard cafe racer jacket with stripes.

EDIT: For punctuation and clarity

Edward · Oct 19, 2009

nrvnqsrxk, the Indy jacket, from the front at least, does bear a superficial resemblence to an A2, though obviously it lacks the knits at waist and cuffs, and (not obvious in the photo) it has side-entry handwarmer pockets behind the patch pockets on the front - something that the A2s produced up until 1943 for USAAF use never had. It will also have an internal pocket - again, not a feature of the A2. Nor did the A2 have the side-buckles this does. Really, while it does borrow an element of its style from the A2, the Indy jacket is a costume designer's representation of a civilian leather jacket that might have been worn by such an adventurer in 1936, when Raiders was set, and then carried forwards (and backwards, Temple having been set in 1935) through time in other adventures with the character.

Those Wested jackets certainly look nice. I gather by all accounts they don't stack up completely against the like of Aero's jackets, but then at about a third of the price one would expect differences. I'd like to visit their shop myself, and have a look at their stuff in person. Is it easy to get there via public transport? I did look at the website, but it seemed to be miles out!

Bruce Wayne · Oct 19, 2009

Congrats on the weight loss! In regards to the Indy jacket, it appears from the side pulls & pocket size & shape that it is a Raiders jacket.

BellyTank · Oct 19, 2009

It looks, from the photos, like you can't lift your arms past about
the twenty-to-four position and that at this position, there is a fair tension across the chest,
caused, perhaps, by the deep-cut arm-holes.
Does this make sense to you- can you feel what I'm talking about,
wearing them?
The first two jackets look quite tight across the chest when zipped up, the last is not fully zipped,
in the arms-up position- can you zip it up and lift your arms? It might be a different case fully zipped.

I may be wrong but this is what the photos are saying to me.
I'm not trying to be mean spirited at all, just commenting on what I see.

I hope you had a great 6 months over there.

B
T

Nizdar · Oct 19, 2009

I think the Mutt jacket looks pretty good and would still look ok with the weight loss.

The other two jackets looks good unzipped, but look tight when zipped up. I'd say they'd look better if you.....lost 10-15 pounds. Convenient.

scottyrocks · Oct 19, 2009

I was going to say that the Indy jacket does indeed look too small. Lots of stress across the front. I buy my jackets big enough to fit a sweatshirt underneath with the ability to lift my arms. If its a little bigger without a sweatshirt, then so be it. I like room. If you are indeed going to lose the last 15 lbs, then they should fit perfectly, imho.

The jackets are beautiful, btw.

BellyTank · Oct 19, 2009

Weight loss probably won't fix the arm-lifting problem-
if indeed it is a problem. It looks like there is restriction of
movement due to the design and cut on all three jackets.
When the jacket's "armpit" is too far away from that of the wearer-
too low and too far out it cuses a problem.
The jacket is unable to mimic the articulation of the wearer's arm
and the two conflict.

B
T

Nizdar · Oct 19, 2009

BellyTank said:
Weight loss probably won't fix the arm-lifting problem-
if indeed it is a problem. It looks like there is restriction of
movement due to the design and cut on all three jackets.
When the jacket's "armpit" is too far away from that of the wearer-
too low and too far out it cuses a problem.
The jacket is unable to mimic the articulation of the wearer's arm
and the two conflict.

B
T

Well, sure. But that is how it goes a lot of times with leather jackets. I imagine if he wants these movie jackets from wested, he's going to have to live with that.

BellyTank · Oct 19, 2009

I expect you're probably right about the Wested angle.

But that shoud not be the way it goes with leather jackets, or any other clothing.
If arm movement is definitely restricted, due to the armpit, then that is a fundamental
design flaw. Clothing is supposed to be clothing, not a standing-still-costume.
All you need, when you have to drag a jacket around your arms, is to drag
the extra weight of leather around.

Sorry, Crazylegsmurphy, this is hi-jacking you.

B
T

Klemmi · Oct 19, 2009

Everybody has an other opinion to jacket fit.

For exemple: For me is the fit good, when i can bring my elbows together in front of my chest...with the most leatherjackets, shown in this Forum, it is not possible.

If you wont to bring up high your arms to pray or dance, may you need gussets...or a jacket from Jack Wolfskin

crazylegsmurphy · Oct 19, 2009

Thanks for all your comments to far everyone.

I'm happy that you seem to all agree with what I am seeing as well.

About the arm holes. I find this to be one of the biggest pet peeves about modern clothing, not just leather jackets. I have a few vintage, and modern suits and the story is the same. The vintage have high, tight arm holes which make the fit amazing, where as the new suits fit more like these jackets.

I am wondering if a tailor could alter them to bring the arm holes up? My understanding is that it depends on the situation but I am often able to get shirts tailored like this.

As for the fit.

My goal was to get them more form fitting. One thing I'm not a fan of is big bulky leather jackets where it makes the torso look, "puffy".

If you look at the "Mutt" jacket above, it feels so close to what I am looking for in giving that "slimming" look. In a perfect world I would love to have the sides taken in an inch or so to give it that straight line from armpit to waist.

The Indy jacket is tight. I wanted that to be form fitting as well, and so I got it even though it was slightly tight in the chest. The hope is that the extra weight loss will allow it to relax that slight bit needed to still be slim, but not tight.

The x-man jacket is the only jacket I think personally teeters on too big. It's a Large, which is a 44 chest I think. I'm not sure if this is an actual 44 chest, or 44 + 2 inches like Wested likes to do.

In some ways I would have liked the Medium (42 chest) but I think the arms would have been too small. Again, I wonder if it can be altered slightly.

Peter (Wested) said that this Indy jacket was his quality control jacket that he's been using for some time. I didn't get many more details than that however.

Please keep the comments coming. I'm not offended. If there is anything I can do to make these jackets fit perfect then it would be great to know.

Papa M · Oct 19, 2009

crazylegsmurphy said:
The Indy jacket is tight. I wanted that to be form fitting as well, and so I got it even though it was slightly tight in the chest.

The fact that the chest pocket detail of your shirt shows through the leather suggests that the hide is very thin. This perhaps explains why those jackets retail at such a cheap price.
I do however like the look of that jacket.

crazylegsmurphy · Oct 19, 2009

Papa M said:
The fact that the chest pocket detail of your shirt shows through the leather suggests that the hide is very thin. This perhaps explains why those jackets retail at such a cheap price.
I do however like the look of that jacket.

It's a thin leather. The Indy jacket is a really nice Goat.

Papa M · Oct 19, 2009

How's the construction? Does it feel like it will last you a decade or few; or does it feel like it might come apart at the seams after a few nights out on the town?

Doctor Strange · Oct 19, 2009

You guys should really do some searches and look up some of the old Wested discussion threads. We've already discussed here that Wested's jackets are movie wardrobe, made to look good on camera, and nowhere near the "milspec" construction standards of military flight jackets.

They're beautiful, and certainly put together well enough for ordinary use at their reasonable price, but they proably won't stand up to really rough treatment. (I had one of their lambskin jackets tear horribly... but they repaired it at no charge.)

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