When you talk about adding, do you mean your body measurement for each area plus 3-4"....so if my chest is 45", plus 4" gives 49" divided by 2, thus ask for a pit to pit of 24.5"?
Yep, exactly. On waist and bottom hem, you do half since you usually give 1 side. So if you measure a 40 hip (bottom hem), that's 20 + .5 for me to get a snug fit (equals 41 total measurement)
Where ever it fits tighter, add a little to that measurement. Just keep in mind how the math works. So lets say you want an extra inch in the chest to fit a sweater, you're adding .5 to ptp measurement.
The sample pack arrived from @Will Zach today... I think that the Seal Goat has the best color, but the Distressed Buffalo has my favorite texture. I might need to do some experimenting before sending these to @Claybertrand....i have also found the epitome of a 40s half-belt to work out the numbers with!
To clarify, I asked for a jacket I could wear with a light sweater underneath. Shawn at Fivestar suggested adding 6 to my body circumference measurement: chest 45"+6"=51", waist 38"/belly 39"/natural waist 38"=45". The chest ended up being snug with a sweater, but perfect with a t-shirt. The waist ended up way too large, so I'm having it reduced by another 2".
Even with 37” being my belly measurement, a 19.5” bottom hem fits great. So I’m like 2” bigger than actual measurement on a slim-fit jacket...6” is nuts!
T-shirt only or with thin sweater? 2" is very trim. I'm in Michigan, so it gets a little chilly every now and then. SoCal probably not so much. I'm trimming my jacket going down to 4" spread in the waist, but I'm not brave enough to try a 2" spread like some of you veteran leather jacket aficionados. At least not yet!
In time ... I can wear mine with a sweatshirt or light sweater, but Michigan- oof. Maybe some sort of insulating vest would work.
I hear you, I am starting to look at jackets with a quilted lining to wear until it's really cold enough to pull out my shearling jacket.
My Sears long half-belt is done in Seal Brown goat. Didn't bother with samples. I sent just one email to Shawn with photos, measurements and specs (some thanks to ton's work - collar and sleeve opening and bicep width) and he sent one back. Here's a sneak peak.
Exactly I like my jackets to be tight or well-fitting, so the jacket measurements are close to my body measurements, depending on the material thickness and desired space. Most of the jackets have half body circumference plus 1.5" to 1.75". So with a chest size of 43.3" in the relaxed state, this results in a jacket p2p of 23.2" to 23.5" and at 34.25" hip I have 19.3" to 20" jacket waistband. For the natural waist I usually take the same measurement as the jacket waistband.
Having suede lining on small details like that is something else entirely. Quite clever and looks good too. I was referring to the idea to have the whole thing lined in suede.
unfortunately no daylight. Difficult to compare as the Aero is a curly shearling and also has a different top coat. The top coat of the 5 * seems thicker and feels more like plastic, whereas the Aero feels more like leather. it would be interesting to compare Aero's normal shearling. But I do think that the Aero is a bit better, which doesn't mean the 5 * is bad. I like to wear both.
I'm eyeing that RAF Battle of Britain on Aero page. I wonder if it's same thickness as your Coastal Command. I have a B3 and really love it, but it's impractical for all day use. More for like quick dog walk or sitting by fire pit. I still want a sherpa style that I can wear "stylishly" so I think I need the thinner shearling and a more flattering cut.