How to best fit an Indy jacket?

[bondiana]

Hi Everybody. First post here.

Long time lurker! I'll be pulling the trigger on a jacket soon. I think I'm going to go Wested, but I'm not 100% sure yet (I'm in the US).

Anyhow, I'll soon be measuring myself, so I had a few questions:

Sleeve: I think I can get the sleeve length from a tailored suit-jacket.

Chest: My suits are usually 46 Regular.

My only question is the "Back Length." The Wested site says to measure "From base of neck to finish In inches." Does that mean draw an imaginary horizontal line connecting the shoulders, and measure from that down? And then how low should the jacket go? If I'm standing up straight, should it "hide" my belt? Or should it go down a bit lower - perhaps an inch below the bottom of the belt?

Not sure if it matters, but I have a very long torso, and rather short legs. Thanks!

PS: very happy to be here.

[garylafortuna]

Sleeve length can be tricky. Depends where you want the shoulder seam to be, right on the edge of the shoulder, or hanging over a little
bit. When you measure the sleeve length from the shoulder seam, also measure from the shoulder seam to the collar seam to
determine shoulder width. Then ask the company you are dealing with how large that measurement is on the size you want [46]. As for the back length, measure from the collar seam to the bottom in the middle of the back. Most people go to about the hip pocket level on a pair of jeans. Personally I prefer it to be a little longer. If you have a jacket that fits you really well, take the measurements from it. Measure everything, preferably with the zipper closed. Also measure your hips at about the hip pocket level. This jacket does not have a knitted waistband, so you don't want it to look like a maternity smock. Remember the old saying; measure twice, cut once.

[bondiana]

Thanks for the great information Gary.

I think I'll take your advice, and use an old leather jacket as a template of sorts, adjusting where necessary.

And I know what you mean about "maternity smock." But I imagine that the side straps help a little there, if it's too loose....

Thanks again!

[indywannabbe]

I notice a lot of wested come up for sale on ebay, whereas Todds dont. I have a todds and its shorter than they suggest by nearly 2 inches. I think they did have the correct length ones but they needed to get rid of their faulty batch and hoped i wouldnt notice and wouldnt kick up a fuss about it.

I havent kicked up a fuss in that i didnt send back like a lot of people would, but rather kept it as didnt want the hassle. But its an expensive purchase for something you arent entirely happy with.

[garylafortuna]

Toulouse Lautrec's wife had an Indy jacket made for him for his birthday. In those days everything was made to measure. When he tried it on she thought maybe she got the sizing wrong, so she asked him, "Is it too tight Toulouse ?"

[mcqueen]

You should also take into consideration which jacket pattern your ordering. If your purchasing a Hero pattern, then the jacket will not sit squarely on your shoulders, it will hang off slightly. Because of this, you can have a shorter back measurement then the other models- Raiders, ROTL, LC/CS.