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BK on customers back thread

zhz44

Active Member
Any chance you can share your shoulder width? I am in the middle of deciding the size of an Werber A2...
PLATON said:
it's me in the ruins wearing Star Sportswear A-2 size 40R (jacket shoulders: 17.5 in, my shoulders: no idea)
and the guy with the iphone is a customer

I convinced Andy to take some photos and will post them soon
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Well never had the need to measure my shoulders as always fit in 40 Regular size clothing.
Also, measuring the shoulders can be very tricky. if you ask 5 different persons to measure you, they will all come up with a different number. That's why BK advise to take the shoulder measurements from a slim fit dress shirt.
 

ButteMT61

Well-Known Member
PLATON said:
Well never had the need to measure my shoulders as always fit in 40 Regular size clothing.
Also, measuring the shoulders can be very tricky. if you ask 5 different persons to measure you, they will all come up with a different number. That's why BK advise to take the shoulder measurements from a slim fit dress shirt.


Well, he only asked you so you should be able to give him one number, right? :lol:
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I can't take the responsibility to misguide him.
I measure myself and find 17in then I measure one hour later, I find 18in then re-measure again and find 19in.
There's no way to measure the shoulders exactly, that's why there is no such measurement in tailoring. Ask Stu from Lost Worlds, he can explain it for you.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
that would work if we could safely convert the overarm measurement to shoulder measurement and I am not sure how it can be done

I read somewhere that if the overarm measurement is larger by 7" than the chest measurement then the customer must get one size larger. I measure myself and the overarm measurement is 10" larger when I inhale but I can still wear 40R (per my chest) normally. All this is not an exact science so my recommendation is to get the shoulder measurement from a shirt. Because if the shirt fits there is no way that the jacket won't fit.
 

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
PLATON said:
that would work if we could safely convert the overarm measurement to shoulder measurement and I am not sure how it can be done

I read somewhere that if the overarm measurement is larger by 7" than the chest measurement then the customer must get one size larger. I measure myself and the overarm measurement is 10" larger when I inhale but I can still wear 40R (per my chest) normally. All this is not an exact science so my recommendation is to get the shoulder measurement from a shirt. Because if the shirt fits there is no way that the jacket won't fit.

I agree it's not an exact science, but I thought maybe zhz44 could at least get an idea by comparing his measurements to yours. My experience has been that the shoulder width of a jacket alone cannot be relied on as an indicator of fit.
 

zhz44

Active Member
I think John at GW measures overarm. May be he found the way to get the fit correct through this way.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I don't know what method GW employs.

I measure my shoulders this way
3.jpg

shoulder.png

measure-your-shoulders-1.gif


and find 18-19 inches depending on where I put the start and the end of the tape. Yet A-2 jackets with 17 inches shoulders fit me great (no restriction of movement and no droopy shoulders)
In many images I saw they measure the yoke of the shirt while the guy wears the shirt!!! They could measure the shirt instead.


my overarm measurement is 46-47 in and when inhaled 50 in

I don't know how all this can help you but here it is.


Here's how they take/use measurements in the military
http://ww2.odu.edu/ao/hrnrotc/VisitorsCheckIns/Files/Encl(4)UniformSizingForm.pdf

this one is nice too
http://www.campbell.army.mil/units/commandgroup/documents/asu basic fitting guide-14jun10.pdf
 

Nickb123

Well-Known Member
Platon, though you're correct that getting your chest size in a BK A-2 will result in a "fits like a glove" fit, I briefly owned an older Roughwear 23380 in a size 40 (my chest is 39-39.5") and though it looked nice and snug when worn, the armpits were so tight that the seams looked like they were beginning to separate. I'm sure another contract would have worked out better for my frame. In that RW, I would have needed at least a size 42. Same went for my G&F M-422a. It was a size 42 and still very slim! (but a near perfect fit).
Conversely, I remember a review on the FL where a customer sized down from his chest size and his A-2 fit very well, so I think fit will differ for everyone.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
normally, if you go by chest shoulders will also fit by wwii standards

I 've been going to the gym lately and see some fellas whose arms won't fit in the legs of my trousers.
Some others have huge backs and shoulders that size 50 is like small for them...
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I have a wwii military book/regulation (in pdf somewhere in my pc) where the military shows statistics of 40,000 men whom they measured (for their own various purposes). I recall that the shoulders measurement for each chest size were pretty much the same with what we see in original A-2 jackets.
 
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