Fixing asymmetrical collar on Real McCoy's leather jacket

[JackBroChill]

I don't think its actually the size of the collar but some are just like this. I've had many like this high and low.

This is one of my most stubborn one, its a stubborn goat that would keep going back. Third time clamping just now:

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Lube the seam, moist fibers are easily coerced...
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The top clip is actually the trouble area, the other two just to get the collar wider towards the shoulder. I added another clip to give that pointy look on the other side. You probably want a rag between the clips and the leather because yours is teacore and can rub off. Mine is tough goat and fur so I didn't use rag in between to avoid early wear.
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Now I wait a few days...

It was like this:, not much different from yours:
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Usually with one good night of clamping my collars can look and stay like this:
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Will post again in a few days for the result...

This is very helpful, thanks! Do you get the leather wet at all or just go dry?

 

[JackBroChill]

As mentioned above: you can easily form your collar if you use water.

Out it on a wide hanger, dampen the leather and form the collar the way you like. Let it hang over the night.

I did this with my RMC Steinbeck and it changed the whole look. View attachment 513789 View attachment 513790

This looks fantastic! Glad to see a similar RMC style turn out more or less exactly how I want mine to look!

Did you just soak it in warm water (or more of a spritz?) then clip the bits in the front to keep them wide and then hang?

Also wondering if it will effect the leather much once it dries it retains the shape and I can't get over it and return it but wouldn't want to do anything to change it's new condition.

 

[JackBroChill]

I would stick to just using water over conditioner. The jacket doesn't need conditioning and may not even work as well as the water.

What I figured, thanks. Given the breadth of your leather jacket experience have you had to deal with this much? Or have you found times with something like the collar itself being slightly uneven? Frankly I can still barely tell if there truly is a length difference between the two (if there is, it's clearly very slight) given the ruler measurements and naturally, atelier made garments like a RMC jacket won't have machine like perfection but then again if that's what they're known for....

 

[ton312]

Ahhh that wider spread on the vanson looks great! Will have to give this a try. Do you just put the clips on or do you soak/add conditioner at all first?

No liquid of any kind is really necessary. Water will help a little. Conditioner you don’t need at all. Things like throat latch or wind flap cause greater resistance. My Regius jacket, just required a pinch with my fingers to flatten.

Just set it and forget it with the clips for a few days or a week. Wear it with the clips on around the house. It’ll yield.

 

[JackBroChill]

Pics are confusing, are both colalrs the same length? As Will says it looks liek they are different lengths in pic 2.

You can shape the collar quite easily by wetting the leather (not soaking it, but rather wetting it with a rag soaked in water) and then using the butterfly paper clip to hold the crease in the desired place as the leather dries as sshack suggested.
CAUTION - put some thick fabric like a piece of towel or plastic like an old credit card between the paper clip and the leather. These clips exert some serious force when shut and will leave deep marks on wet leather that may be very difficult to remove.
Edit - in your second pic the collar flaps do appear to be a different length...at least 1/2 inch... I am confused - did you measure them? If they are different, it would not be acceptable, at least to me.

Updated pics with measurements. The one photo with the big mismatch is just how they naturally sit but as you can see, the actual length when measured is nearly the same (perhaps a slight difference but nothing like the initial image indicates). As long as I can get it to look more or less the same, I think I can let any minor actual mismatch in length slide, mostly because this is the last model of this size at the store and I don't think they'll be restocked.

 

[MrProper]

You can spread the collar without water and without clips. Simply make sure that the collar is positioned as desired each time you hang it on the hanger. Or not on the hanger and fold the jacket lengthwise once. I make there tonight a picture as I mean.

 

[JackBroChill]

Thanks everyone. Clipped it dry (with a thick sock in between for protection) for just a few hours and already saw it was working, will have to decide exactly how I want it to look and clip for overnight.

Here are some fit pics of the jacket. Really digging this thing but it's my first high-end leather jacket purchase so curious on any fit feedback.

Sleeves could be a hair shorter (though they might shrink up a tad with wear) but I think it's the exact fit I'm looking for at the moment. Looks solid on its own but enough room for me to layer a sweater or flannel underneath when it gets chillier out.

Feel like I can't help but think about that 'second skin' notion and wonder if as it wears in/as I lose a few LBs as needed if it'll feel too large but I don't think so...I hold most of the weight in my stomach and it seems like erring on the larger side than smaller side for clothes has always been the better decision.

 

[JackBroChill]

Only other real quibble is how much to worry about the uneven grain near the lower left pocket as seen in the first couple pics but I don't think it's all that noticeable when wearing it and that's just how it goes with leather....

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Overall, fhe fit looks quite good from the photos you're sharing. Once the collar is fixed, I think you're pretty set.

 

[Carlos840]

Thanks everyone. Clipped it dry (with a thick sock in between for protection) for just a few hours and already saw it was working, will have to decide exactly how I want it to look and clip for overnight.

Here are some fit pics of the jacket. Really digging this thing but it's my first high-end leather jacket purchase so curious on any fit feedback.

Sleeves could be a hair shorter (though they might shrink up a tad with wear) but I think it's the exact fit I'm looking for at the moment. Looks solid on its own but enough room for me to layer a sweater or flannel underneath when it gets chillier out.

Feel like I can't help but think about that 'second skin' notion and wonder if as it wears in/as I lose a few LBs as needed if it'll feel too large but I don't think so...I hold most of the weight in my stomach and it seems like erring on the larger side than smaller side for clothes has always been the better decision.

If it was me i would open up the collar like this:

I think the way your collar currently sits is too "shirty", it looks too "clean"...
(like an A2 with the collar snaps on.)

Nothing to worry about regarding the leather on the left pocket, leather has natural grain variation, it's normal.
Just be awar that if you use your handwarmer pockets a lot as pictured you will stretch them and end up with floppy pockets... Personally i never use handwarmer pockets for my hands. (Kinda breaking my own rule in the above pic though!)

 

[JackBroChill]

If it was me i would open up the collar like this:

I think the way your collar currently sits is too "shirty", it looks too "clean"...
(like an A2 with the collar snaps on.)

Nothing to worry about regarding the leather on the left pocket, leather has natural grain variation, it's normal.
Just be awar that if you use your handwarmer pockets a lot as pictured you will stretch them and end up with floppy pockets... Personally i never use handwarmer pockets for my hands. (Kinda breaking my own rule in the above pic though!)

Looking good! I don't mind the collar looking how it is now but I do like the wide/more spread look (one of the main reasons I really dig the Mullholland compared to say, the Nelson) so I may try and go for it here.

I think I like using the hand warmer pockets to worry about the floppy pockets so flop be damned, it'll just have to look that way. Maybe I'll regret it down the line but there's always just the option of getting another jacket I suppose.

 

[58panheadfan]

You can also fold the collar in the way you like and then work the fold with a hammer. But don't hit the leather directly but place a piece of light cardboard or something similar in between... many folds are shaped by the manufacturers with a hammer before they are sewn. A Thedi leather jacket e.g. takes about 4000 hammer blows...

 

[JackBroChill]

You can also fold the collar in the way you like and then work the fold with a hammer. But don't hit the leather directly but place a piece of light cardboard or something similar in between... many folds are shaped by the manufacturers with a hammer before they are sewn. A Thedi leather jacket e.g. takes about 4000 hammer blows...

Ahhh interesting, this is a good suggestion too. Thanks! Don't know if I have 4000 blows in me though....

 

[handymike]

Lots of great suggestions... I use a steamer on the underside. Works pretty quickly. As the leather cools just hold it the way you want it to be.

 

[JackBroChill]

Lots of great suggestions... I use a steamer on the underside. Works pretty quickly. As the leather cools just hold it the way you want it to be.

Thought about a steamer but would that risk harming or warping the leather at all given the combination of heat and moisture?

 

[handymike]

Thought about a steamer but would that risk harming or warping the leather at all given the combination of heat and moisture?

Not in my experience, but for a first-timer the water treatment might be less scary.

 

[BloodEagle]

I absolutely always adjust this type of collar to flare out a bit rather than stand up like shirt collars otherwise they just don't work for me. Example pics - McCoys Nelson - just arrived with shirt style stand up collar, and now after I've trained the collar to go how I like. I didn't use water or clips, just keep pushing it to how you like and eventually it will get the message and stay.

 

[JackBroChill]

FWIW updating for future people having a similar issue and ending up here: The clips trick totally works but also wearing the jacket enough you eventually stop caring about the imperfections...embrace it!