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What is your jacket size?

What is your jacket size?


  • Total voters
    59

Skyhawk

Well-Known Member
I am curious how the numbers break down among vintage and flight jacket fans. Please vote. It will be interesting to see the results!
 

Dr H

Well-Known Member
Do you mean ‘actual’ size or ‘vintage’? My chest size is 42” so I usually wear a 44” or a 46”.
 

CBI

Well-Known Member
Its a very simple questions really BUT not. Actual tailor/professional measurements? Vintage cuts/sizing or preferred sizing? I am a retail 44 regular but I often buy size 46 and in leather jackets a marked size 46 but my favorite pit to pit measurement for an A-2 is between 24 and 25 inches which would make me a tailored 48/50 but my chest is no way that size.......................
 

Dr H

Well-Known Member
Its a very simple questions really BUT not. Actual tailor/professional measurements? Vintage cuts/sizing or preferred sizing? I am a retail 44 regular but I often buy size 46 and in leather jackets a marked size 46 but my favorite pit to pit measurement for an A-2 is between 24 and 25 inches which would make me a tailored 48/50 but my chest is no way that size.......................

Quite...
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
i tapped size 42 because i am sorta between a 40 and 42. in wwll original a-2s that have not shrunk, a 40 in some of the contracts will work, 42 in others. in repros its a crap shoot, as different repro makers, make their own sizing standards for their a-2s.
 

oose

Active Member
I hit 40 as thats what I am but I think I would need a 42 in some of the slimmer G-1 contracts, yet I own a 1940's civi jacket marked 38 that fits fine. In nylon I'm always a Medium, in repo nylon Buzz I would be a 38 as in my experience they can run a little big. As CBI says " very simple questions really BUT not."
 

Skyhawk

Well-Known Member
Its a very simple questions really BUT not. Actual tailor/professional measurements? Vintage cuts/sizing or preferred sizing? I am a retail 44 regular but I often buy size 46 and in leather jackets a marked size 46 but my favorite pit to pit measurement for an A-2 is between 24 and 25 inches which would make me a tailored 48/50 but my chest is no way that size.......................

That would make you a size 46 vintage.

The thing you have to consider with pit to pit measurements is that they do not equate directly to the jacket size. Generally there is about 2.5 to 4 inches extra to account for depth of the body. 2.5 to 3" inches extra for vintage and slim fit, and 4" extra for a modern, looser fit.

If you were to put on a jacket that was a true 46 without the room at 23" pit to pit, you would probably not be able to move in it, if you were even able to zip it up.

So a 24.5" pit to pit would be a size 46 vintage or size 44 modern fit
24.5 x 2 = 49" - 3" for body = Size 46 vintage or slim fit
24.5 x 2 = 49" -4" for body = Aprox. size 44 Modern fit

The question is pretty straight forward. What tagged size vintage jacket do you wear. In other words, if you saw an original rare vintage jacket for sale for $100, what tagged size would make you hit the buy it now button?
 

Rutger

Well-Known Member
Buzz 40/42/44 or Large/XL. The measurements vary within the same tag sizes. XL is always roomy on me, but very comfy and period-accurate.
40/42 or Large is still acceptable because Buzz tends to have the sleeves longer than would be expected for western bodies, and it also period accurate. But it somewhat brings the back a little too high. Some 40 aren't comfy, some 40 are every day wearers.
Eastman and GW a large 44 or a smallish 46.
 

Skyhawk

Well-Known Member
Thanks to all that voted! It looks like the larger sizes are winning on the VLJ Forum. The 44-46 range has the most votes with a tie for first between size 44 and size 40. Very interesting outcome. At the Fedora Lounge it was the Med to Small sizes that won by a big margin. I think it is possibly the availability of smaller sized vintage wear that may be driving that number.

If that is the case though, then why are the results so different here? We also are focused on vintage clothing in this forum, jackets in particular, but there are a lot more small sizes available in vintage jackets then the larger sizes.
 

ButteMT61

Well-Known Member
A) More people there. *I don't know how many voted tho so that might be useless
B) Guys here I would wager are older, in general than the jacket guys on TFL. Since that place covers more styles in general (flight jackets, etc. being the focus here), it's likely more, younger guys are over there buying more currently fashionable items. Flight jackets always seem to be cool, but not always at the top of the list...
C) They lie :)
 

Persimmon

Well-Known Member
Thanks to all that voted! It looks like the larger sizes are winning on the VLJ Forum. The 44-46 range has the most votes with a tie for first between size 44 and size 40. Very interesting outcome. At the Fedora Lounge it was the Med to Small sizes that won by a big margin. I think it is possibly the availability of smaller sized vintage wear that may be driving that number.

If that is the case though, then why are the results so different here? We also are focused on vintage clothing in this forum, jackets in particular, but there are a lot more small sizes available in vintage jackets then the larger sizes.

We are interested in vintage flight / naval clothing - leather jackets and cloth jackets etc.
The majority of folks are just a size 44-46 and need repro’s and or originals in that size.
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
Or they're all just a bunch of runts and short arses over there unlike us strapping chaps!

Although Alan has probably hit the nail on the head.
 
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