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ELC Werber A2 1729

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
ELC 1729 ….
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Nickb123

Well-Known Member
Found pic of mine I used to own, now with Micawber. I was critical of the collar, and there was an issue with the zip tape. But I know Steve has put it to good use in the elements and it probably looks like a million bucks now.
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I am a bit happier overall with the GW but the color combo of the ELC was a bit more “Werber-ish” to my eye. Suppose the lighting makes the difference here. In these pics the GW has a more caramel hue. Lighting.

The GW for comparison. I’d say the Werber is cut a bit longer in the pre-war style. Rough Wear’s collars are benign compared to these!
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bennanza

New Member
From your description that you provided you sound like you have an athletic build ( wide shoulders , large chest and narrow waist .
I can tell you that it’s going to be difficult to find a standard sized jacket that you will be comfortable wearing and that doesn’t balloon out in the lower torso area. I would suggest you consider a custom made jacket. I say this because I’ve had similar problems with A2 jackets. As a result larger size jackets fit me nicely in the upper body but look baggy from the chest down . Just a suggestion .
Thank you for your suggestion! yes, my body type can be described as athletic. Custom made jackets add a whole other level of complexity and from what I have heard, can, depending on the maker, sometimes not result in the desired fit. You're buying the cat in the bag and probably can't even resell it, let alone just send it back after a year after ordering so I am quite hesitant to say the least.

Would you describe the werber contract to be better suited for an athletic body type than e.g. a RW 1401P ? I didn't find much on this topic: which contracts would be best suited for an athletic bodytype in general? I heard about the cable one but I also don't know whether that applies to the one offered by ELC as well.
Judging from measurements on https://www.historypreservation.com...-jacket-werber-leather-coat-co-contract-1729/, compared to others, they don't seem to be that different. Also, measurements are difficult to interpret as they seem pretty big compared to G1 respective to the sizes. However, cannot be compared directly due to the lack of the bi-swing back so that extra space is probably needed. I am a bit lost.

@Nickb123 The GW for comparison. I’d say the Werber is cut a bit longer in the pre-war style. Rough Wear’s collars are benign compared to these!
Do you mean collars are more rigid? bigger? They look like heavily starched collars of dress shirts and I mean that in a good way! Gives it a certain formal touch. Just judging from pictures that collar is one of the reasons the werber contract looks so nice. Any comparisons of the cut to other contracts, e.g. the RW 1401P are well appreciated!
 

Pa12

Well-Known Member
Thank you for your suggestion! yes, my body type can be described as athletic. Custom made jackets add a whole other level of complexity and from what I have heard, can, depending on the maker, sometimes not result in the desired fit. You're buying the cat in the bag and probably can't even resell it, let alone just send it back after a year after ordering so I am quite hesitant to say the least.

Would you describe the werber contract to be better suited for an athletic body type than e.g. a RW 1401P ? I didn't find much on this topic: which contracts would be best suited for an athletic bodytype in general? I heard about the cable one but I also don't know whether that applies to the one offered by ELC as well.
Judging from measurements on https://www.historypreservation.com...-jacket-werber-leather-coat-co-contract-1729/, compared to others, they don't seem to be that different. Also, measurements are difficult to interpret as they seem pretty big compared to G1 respective to the sizes. However, cannot be compared directly due to the lack of the bi-swing back so that extra space is probably needed. I am a bit lost.


Do you mean collars are more rigid? bigger? They look like heavily starched collars of dress shirts and I mean that in a good way! Gives it a certain formal touch. Just judging from pictures that collar is one of the reasons the werber contract looks so nice. Any comparisons of the cut to other contracts, e.g. the RW 1401P are well appreciated!
Bronco is a more athletic cut. Square shoulders.
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
I just thought to mention that most of the 1930s a-2s up until 1940-41 were about 1" longer than the later made a-2s, beginning with the first production rw, aero 16160, first dubow, etc.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Thank you for your suggestion! yes, my body type can be described as athletic. Custom made jackets add a whole other level of complexity and from what I have heard, can, depending on the maker, sometimes not result in the desired fit. You're buying the cat in the bag and probably can't even resell it, let alone just send it back after a year after ordering so I am quite hesitant to say the least.

Would you describe the werber contract to be better suited for an athletic body type than e.g. a RW 1401P ? I didn't find much on this topic: which contracts would be best suited for an athletic bodytype in general? I heard about the cable one but I also don't know whether that applies to the one offered by ELC as well.
Judging from measurements on https://www.historypreservation.com...-jacket-werber-leather-coat-co-contract-1729/, compared to others, they don't seem to be that different. Also, measurements are difficult to interpret as they seem pretty big compared to G1 respective to the sizes. However, cannot be compared directly due to the lack of the bi-swing back so that extra space is probably needed. I am a bit lost.


Do you mean collars are more rigid? bigger? They look like heavily starched collars of dress shirts and I mean that in a good way! Gives it a certain formal touch. Just judging from pictures that collar is one of the reasons the werber contract looks so nice. Any comparisons of the cut to other contracts, e.g. the RW 1401P are well appreciated!
Hi appreciate your response and understand why you have the opinions that you noted …. (Here it comes ;)) BUT … if you haven’t ordered a custom made jacket in the past .. it isn’t as complex and fraught with problems as you might suspect. For example , many of us have gone to tailors and had our measurements taken so that when the jacket was made it fit like a glove . Now that really isn’t necessary because if you follow several of the instructions listed in this forum and also by the manufacturers , you can get a fairly well made and comfortable jacket using that process . However … if you still have concerns and don’t trust those methods the final suggestion usually works perfectly . Take a similarly styled jacket that fits you perfectly … just the way you want the new jacket to fit .. and send it to the company making your jacket … it works …
So what I’m about to say isn’t a negative comment about you but I think part of the problem is your lack of experience in dealing with sizing issues. I can almost guarantee you that you will buy one or two standard size jackets and not be totally happy with them and eventually you will buy a custom made jacket. Believe me .. I’ve been where you are and I’ve done exactly what you’re about to do . At any rate good luck with your purchase and hopefully everything will turn out fine .
Cheers I
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
One more thing that being a new guy here you may not know is that you CAN’T go by the tag size on any of these jackets. You can have 3 size 46 jackets and they will all fit differently. That’s why you need to know your own personal measurements and then the same measurements of the jacket . Basically shoulder width, chest circumference, back length and arm length. Once you know these, you can buy a standard size 46 jacket and know whether that size 46 will fit you .
 

Micawber

Well-Known Member
To the OP:

Get yourself to a decent tailor or someone who actually knows and is experienced in how, and at which points, to measure a body for clothing. Most good tailors will do this for a small charge. This will save a deal of trial and error.

HYH
 

bennanza

New Member
I highly appreciate all your input, well taken!
I know my measurements, I had several garments tailored for me and I am not new to repro jackets. Measurements alone don't tell the whole story. It still depends on cut, material, fit style etc. I needed two tries to get the perfect fit for an Irving RAF jacket, three for G1s, but yes, I am new to A2s! That being said, ELC customer support is helpful and responsive as always. The werber contract is indeed quite boxy, rather long and very big in general for its size and the collar is slightly higher than e.g. the RW 1401P. Also a caveat: hides can obviously change from batch to batch.
Again, judging the werber contract simply by its collar design, my oh my, I should buy it immediately. However, for my body type, I don't think it would look good on me.
Yes of course I am aware of the Bronco and Perry, but I would probably need to go with AVI for those (may happen in future...). I am currently looking into other contracts as well, just to be sure to make the right decision as such an investment should be done with care and last a lifetime.
 
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