Five Star - sizing & leather

[texas_aggie]

Howdy!

Long time reader here, first post as a member. I'm here because I've been having a tough time finding an A2 that fits me properly (5'8, 135lbs). I've bought and returned jackets from US Wings, US Authentic, & Cockpit USA.

I understand that those are considered 'mid-range' jackets and that Eastman, etc... make a more quality garment but they are out of my price range. After doing more hours of research than I care to admit I've come to understand that Five Star is a decent option.

With that in mind, I'd like to pose some questions to you experts!

1) What's the slimmest fitting A2 repro that Shawn Ali at Five Star offers? Other jackets I've purchased made me look like I was drowning in them.

2) How do the shoulders and arm holes usually run with Five Star A2's? My Cockpit USA reissue was awful and would ride up significantly when I would drive or even raise my arms to 90 degrees. I'm hoping to avoid that with a closer cut jacket.

3) I'm a big fan of goatskin as I've had bad experiences with cowhide in the past. But Five Star's 1939 Werber in seal brown horsehide looks really nice. Given the choice between horse and goat with Five Star, which is recommended? I'm looking for a hide that is of fairly consistent width.

4) Any advice on communication with Shawn? Realistically, I'm just fed up with ill-fitting jackets and just want to find one that fits me well and that I can layer a sweater underneath.

Thanks in advance for everyone's patience with a newbie here! I've read through pages and pages of posts here but wanted to start fresh as it were.

 

[mulceber]

Among Shawn's offerings, I would stick to the Star, Dubow, Rough Wear, and Poughkeepsie, since those are the ones where Shawn was able to examine an original. The list I gave you above is arranged from most slender to least slender fit.

But honestly, I don't think you'll have a problem with fit. U.S. Wings, Authentic, and those makers of modern A-2 jackets are sort of known for making bulky options. Unless you're really lanky, any of the contracts I listed, if sized properly, will work out. Aim for the circumference of the jacket's chest to be anywhere from 4 to 6 inches bigger than your actual chest measurement.

 

[texas_aggie]

Thank you very much @mulceber!

Does anyone have any advice on the choice of hides? Is goat the better option with Shawn? The photos I've seen of the horsehide look really nice but I've also read some posts about inconsistencies with the quality.

 

[B-Man2]

Hey TA
Before you pull the trigger on a 5 Star .. have you considered a previously owned Eastman, Aero or Good Wear? Previously owned jackets usually have light wear and cost close to the price of a new lesser quality jacket . Good previously worn tier one jackets pop up here occasionally and in the long run you’ll be happier with one and it will save you money in the long run . Most of us have spent hundreds if not thousands buying and selling lesser jackets only to eventually realize that we should have bought a good previously owned jacket in the first place .

 

[blackrat2]

If you go Dubow consider his goat as it’s a nice leather, I haven’t handled his other leathers but hopefully someone else will pipe up

 

[texas_aggie]

@B-Man2 I'm so slim that I've yet to find a manufacturer that makes an off the shelf jacket that fits. So after much trial and error I've decided that I'm probably going to have to do custom.

And I think there's also the fun of making a jacket your own by breaking it in over the years!

 

[mulceber]

Shawn's goatskin tends to be quite good, and the goatskin he developed for his Dubow repro (but which I think he'll happily use on any jacket) is among the nicest goatskins I've ever seen. His horsehide's good too, and I think people have had good results with it, but I don't think it's quite the knockout that the goatskin is (if it matters to you, the contracts for which goatskin is an accurate option are Dubow, and also Rough Wear, provided you get their 18091 contract, and not the 27752 Shawn normally offers).

 

[B-Man2]

Why not post your size here and

@B-Man2 I'm so slim that I've yet to find a manufacturer that makes an off the shelf jacket that fits. So after much trial and error I've decided that I'm probably going to have to do custom.

And I think there's also the fun of making a jacket your own by breaking it in over the years!

ok .. fair enough … I get it .
But ……. Remember this conversation

 

[texas_aggie]

All of this advice is fantastic! Knew I came to the right place!

What does Shawn consider 'custom'? For example, if I ask him to make a Star or Dubow in seal goat or horse, does that count as custom, meaning it couldn't be returned?

 

[Silver Surfer]

Keep in mind that all a-2s, regardless of size and or fit, will have the ole sleeve ride up to some greater or lesser degree. It’s just the way the were originally made, and now reproduced. Getting a little extra length added to the sleeves on a new jacket will help, that, or going up a size. Btw, elc offers a “slim” fit a-2.

 

[mulceber]

Well to a certain degree all his jackets are custom, in that they're made to order and he doesn't keep a stock of them. But for Five Star, custom would normally mean going with different measurements from the ones suggested on his site. TBH, for your first jacket, I would just go with whatever standard size is closest, just because you REALLY don't know your measurements, especially not for things like sleeves, until you've worn a jacket. MAYBE if the sleeve length looks WAY off, you can add a bit to that, but your best bet is trying a standard size first. If it doesn't fit, sell it at a discount and try again. Or see if Shawn will exchange it, which does frequently happen.

 

[texas_aggie]

Ooops! Should've clarified my terms! What I mean by 'riding up' is a riding up in the back.

I'm okay if the sleeves ride up on the wrists, what frustrates me is sitting down in the car and having the entire jacket ride up so that my neck looks like a turtle.

 

[mulceber]

what frustrates me is sitting down in the car and having the entire jacket ride up so that my neck looks like a turtle.

That usually shouldn't be a problem for an A-2 jacket, unless the leather is really stiff - reason being that the blousing that most A-2s have allows them to continue fitting properly whether you're standing up or sitting down. Ride up is more of a problem with Navy jackets, in my experience.

 

[texas_aggie]

...Or if you buy from Cockpit USA!

 

[Dumpster D]

Do you wear Low rise Jeans?

 

[mulceber]

Yeah, A-2s don't tend to work well with low-rise.

 

[Thomas Koehle]

For me on A2 is always pretty tricky to just find the „right“ size.

For G1 for example I wear 46 which absolutely doesn’t do it for me on an A2. For those jackets I prefer 44ish sizes because of the fit.

What I wanna point out you should maybe try different sizes of the same maker if you want to stick with an „off the shelf“ piece.

As for 5Star you could ask @shawn for his advice concerning measurements. Meanwhile I ordered dozens (literally) jackets at 5* but have never been disappointed.

I‘m not such a fan of his HH but if you‘d ever seen and feel his steerhide that’s possibly the choice even over his goat.

Finally the advice of Burt is also pretty valuable: check on „the bay“ for used options of the premium makers.

In a nutshell: you don’t go wrong with a 5Star - provide the dimensions of your most loved jacket to him and he will give you advice which size would be the most suitable for you

 

[texas_aggie]

Good morning everyone! Thank you all for your feedback yesterday. I spoke with Shawn and he has informed me that the XXS 1939 Werber in horsehide will with my measurements in the shoulders, arms, and back. However, the chest and waist will be six inches too large. I do know that I want four to six inches of room in the chest, especially for when I wear a sweater underneath, but a six inch gap in the waist simply won't do.

So, what do I tell him about adjusting the waist? For example, the elastic will stretch to accommodate movement (and potential weight gain... one day) but for you experienced jacket owners, what's a good rule of thumb for these types of adjustments?

Do I tell him that I want a 34 inch chest and 30 waist? Or am I missing a few steps here? '

Finally, I'm concerned about the cost of potential returns. For those of you in the US, do you know approximately what the return shipping cost would be to send a jacket back to Shawn, if necessary?

Thanks again! You guys rock!

 

[B-Man2]

Size XXS ??
May I ask …. Are you a female ?
The reason I’m asking is because of the sizing and because we have a woman on the forum, Natalie , who has ordered jackets about this size and can probably give you some ordering tips .
Cheers

 

[texas_aggie]

No, I'm male. Just very thin!

I've had ongoing health issues for quite some time and am rather underweight.

Because of this, I've found that most (all?) domestic manufacturers don't make A2's in my size.

That's why I've decided that if I'm going to wear an A2, it's probably going to have to be custom.

So far Five Star seems a good bet. But as I've tried to outline here, it's still tricky dealing with sizing.