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My First B-3 Jacket from Simmons Bilt. Fit Advice Welcome!
- Thread starter savage.dragon
- Start date
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
The jacket is half way down what is probably a 7" trouser fly,that means the hem of the B-3 will be around 3" below his belt line which itself will be about level with the horizontal seam on the B-3 front
Whoa! Okay, slow down. First we must learn who Robert Wagner and Steve McQeen were and be able to identify them in a photo. We must also be familiar with their filmography. Then we can move on to jacket fit.
All kidding aside(sort of kidding), the guys in WWII wore them however they were issued. This accounts for the variety of looks seen in period photos. Too many, IMO, get caught up in the modern interpretation of how an A-2 or B-3 "should" look but they will look different on each person. Originality of the pattern will then will dictate how it would have fit on you. Buy one, wear it to death for 3 years, don't wipe it with a diaper, and see what you might have had after the war. It's a big investment so I understand people pampering their expensive jackets. On the other hand, I looked down at myself in church a few weeks ago and couldn't believe the filthy jacket I was wearing! Unfortunately, if one wants the look of how these were worn it becomes a "you can't get there from here" proposition.
Dave
I dig Micawber's 91st BG photo. Check out the B-3 over the A-2 on the left. Can't be afraid to hang your hands from your A-2 pockets every once in a while either!
And check out the variety of fits of the B-1 caps. Few would buy them today if they knew the look was going to be like the guy's on the far right but that's the way they came!
And check out the variety of fits of the B-1 caps. Few would buy them today if they knew the look was going to be like the guy's on the far right but that's the way they came!
savage.dragon
Member
In the pictures I took, I was wearing a pair trousers with a 5.5" inch. Does this mean if I manage to find a pair of trousers with 7" fly, my fit will be "close enougn", ie.1.5"-2" below the belt line?
I am looking for reasonable ways to make this jacket work, if it can be done at all. (aside from getting a remake, that is).
Ken at Aero Leather
Well-Known Member
The jacket tilts to the back, and the body is too short,the relationship between the sleeve and the body lengths makes that obvious
Hi
So this is my first B-3 jacket. Definitely is shorter than my usual leather jackets front length wise. Back length is OK.
I'm 188 cm or 6ft2, and the back length is 64 cm or 25.25 inches. The front length, as I measured, seems to be about 4-5 cm shorter than my usual leather jackets with the same back length.
I know the B3s are supposed to be worn short, but anyway, what do you all think?
Thanks for the help
Hi dragon
Your jacket B3 / length is OK
You have very long hands simply , therefore there is the only illusion, that yours B3 is short
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Silver Surfer
Well-Known Member
yeah, too short. often when ya see b-3s worn in wwll pix, you will see that pilots, co pilots, and navigators wore b-3s pretty close to their jacket size. however, the bombardiers and, gunners, who were not in heated cabins wore over sized b-3s to accommodate layering and shearling trousers. point being, depending on what you are comfortable with, repro b-3 size is personal preference..
dragon ; if you had the length jacket( it plus /minus place of cuff stitchin) adequate to the length of your hands, the jacket would cover your ass. I did not see such B3 personally
Here tall man , he has short sleeve in B3 , You have sleeve in b3 ok
if his jacket had longer sleeves it would look like yours
Here tall man , he has short sleeve in B3 , You have sleeve in b3 ok
if his jacket had longer sleeves it would look like yours
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A higher rise trouser might pull off the illusion but that’s only if you hike them up like trousers used to be worn and do it all the time. I have high rise jeans I made but just can’t keep them up anymore so they settle down to the hips.
If you had the jacket custom built for your arm length, that’s the issue. It’s the proportions. The body slant isn’t a game changer to me. This is the problem chasing a “look”. If you make other compensations you will never be happy with the jacket IMO. You will always be self conscious and apologetic about any issues.
I have no beef with the jacket as you do appear to be so slim and have longer arms. You would need a completely custom fit B-3 IMO and that might not give you the look you want as it could drift too far from the wartime factory options. Look for some pics of tall guys in B-3s during the war and see what looks you find. Members here likely have some saved.
You are quickly going down the rabbit hole of needing the arms just so long and the waist exactly X inches over the belt, and so forth. Even when we get the initial fit acceptable often once wrinkles form and the jacket breaks in it will take yet another set that we may not prefer. Originals had no such tailoring choices so the look we often like was complete happenstance.
JMO,
Dave
If you had the jacket custom built for your arm length, that’s the issue. It’s the proportions. The body slant isn’t a game changer to me. This is the problem chasing a “look”. If you make other compensations you will never be happy with the jacket IMO. You will always be self conscious and apologetic about any issues.
I have no beef with the jacket as you do appear to be so slim and have longer arms. You would need a completely custom fit B-3 IMO and that might not give you the look you want as it could drift too far from the wartime factory options. Look for some pics of tall guys in B-3s during the war and see what looks you find. Members here likely have some saved.
You are quickly going down the rabbit hole of needing the arms just so long and the waist exactly X inches over the belt, and so forth. Even when we get the initial fit acceptable often once wrinkles form and the jacket breaks in it will take yet another set that we may not prefer. Originals had no such tailoring choices so the look we often like was complete happenstance.
JMO,
Dave
savage.dragon
Member
Hey kowalski. Thanks for your reply. Indeed I sure have some long arms, which turns out to be a pain since my chest is a Medium at best (38"), so it's nigh imposibble to find any ready made leather jacket with the proper sleeve length for me.
This jacket has ideal sleeve lengths but judging by the comments of the leather experts here, I think the front length could have been an inch and a half longer.
I'll see.
I've found one interesting B3 from VLC member here:
https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/my-new-to-me-eastman-b-3.19925/
it's from gav, and from what I can tell based on his jeans silhouette, his jacket also hangs at around his belt line, possibly a bit higher. What do you thin? Do we share similar front lengths? (propotionate to our body sizes, of course)
Southoftheborder
Well-Known Member
I love the 'guy on the right and left' comment. The OP is quite young and clearly they're just a couple of blokes in sheepskin jackets. A year or two ago a girl in her early twenties cutting my hair had never heard of David Bowie....
Funny though because I always knew who Ronald Colman or Al Bowlly were and they were dead years before I was born.
savage.dragon
Member
Thanks for your insight Dmar, you clearly know a lot. It's very helpful
Both the back length and the sleeve length were adjusted as I went back and forth with SB's spokeslady. So in the end we agreed to add +3 cm to both sleeves and back length. I took out a measuring tape and indeed, the back length is 64 cm. Just for your information, my best fitting leather jacket is a Levi's leather trucker, with a 62 cm back length. The problem is, the Levi's FRONT length is about 4 to 5 cm longer than this B3. Which I feel is strange. Did they forget to lengthen the front? I have to get this cleared ASAP.
savage.dragon
Member
Thanks Ken.
If the jacket tilts to the back, does it mean there's been a mistake during the manufacturing process? Is this considered faulty?
Well, didn't you say you had them add to the back and the sleeves 3cm? That is what would give it the tilted appearance. Again, I'm not sure how to guide the chase other than try a basic stock sized one on. Surely your arms will stick out unless you upsize completely. B-3s, and many WWII era garments, are not "active wear" and therefore don't stretch or adapt to much more than keeping one warm. Not criticizing in any way here but perhaps a B-3 in a proportioned fit are just not in your future. If anyone, Ken could offer some tips in maybe a slimmed down pattern?
Dave
Dave
savage.dragon
Member
The thing is, I thought the back length was like a basic unit to determine the jacket's BACK and FRONT length at the same time. Since most of the time leather jacket makers don't really tell you the value of the front. When you look at jackets on websites, they only ask you to measure your back length and work it out from there. Or most leather jacket sellers only tell you the back length of the jacket, never the front. So I assumed that if I asked them to lengthen the back by 3 cm, the front should be lengthened in the same propotion so as to make the jacket appear normal. That's what I assumed anyway. It makes no sense to just add some length to the back but leave the front as stock... since that would ruin the jacket's propotions.
Geeboo
Well-Known Member
From my experience, the shortness of a jacket is not determined by its absolute front length or its position to the waist/ pants waist, a more determining factor is the jkt's front length relative to the sleeves length - that is the path of the brain goes through to determine if a jacket is short or not.
Since yours differential of sleeves length and front length is huge - my eye observation is ~ 17-20cm - it would "seem" it is short. Notwithstanding it real terms it may not be short.
The solution for a better look is ot reduce this differential. Since front length cannot be altered, shorten the sleeves is the only way. Best is 10cm. If can''t go that much, a bit relief should be better than none.
P.S B3 is a short jkt
Since yours differential of sleeves length and front length is huge - my eye observation is ~ 17-20cm - it would "seem" it is short. Notwithstanding it real terms it may not be short.
The solution for a better look is ot reduce this differential. Since front length cannot be altered, shorten the sleeves is the only way. Best is 10cm. If can''t go that much, a bit relief should be better than none.
P.S B3 is a short jkt
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