How to measure a leather jacket

Every jacket on this site is a single garment. There is one of it, in one size, and no restock behind it. That means you cannot order two sizes and send one back, so the measurements matter more here than they do in a normal shop.

This page explains exactly how we take them, and how to check a jacket against one you already own before you buy.

Why we measure flat, and do not rely on the label

The size sewn into a vintage jacket tells you very little on its own. Sizing has drifted over time, it was never consistent between makers or countries, and a 42 from one label will not match a 42 from another. Labels also fade, tear out, or belong to a maker nobody can look up.

So we do not rely on the label for fit. Every jacket is laid flat, zipped or buttoned closed, smoothed out but not stretched, and measured with a tape at our Doncaster office. Those numbers go on the listing. They describe the garment in front of us rather than the intention of whoever made it.

The five measurements on every listing

Chest, pit to pit

Taken straight across the jacket from one armpit seam to the other, with the jacket flat and closed. This is the single most useful number on the listing.

Note that it is a flat measurement, not a circumference. If you want the number people usually mean by chest size, double it. A jacket that measures 22 inches pit to pit has a 44 inch chest measured around.

Shoulder

Across the back, from the seam where one sleeve joins the body to the same seam on the other side.

Shoulder is the measurement to respect most on leather. A jacket that is slightly generous in the body still looks right. A jacket whose shoulder seams sit halfway down your upper arm never does, and unlike cloth, leather will not settle into place with wear.

Sleeve

From the shoulder seam to the end of the cuff, along the outside of the arm.

Length

From the base of the collar at the back, straight down to the hem.

Waist

Straight across the hem or the waistband, flat. On a bomber or a harrington this is the ribbed or elasticated band, which will stretch further than the number suggests. On a straight-hem jacket it will not.

How to check it against a jacket you already own

This is the most reliable thing you can do, and it takes two minutes.

1. Find a jacket in your wardrobe that fits you the way you want this one to fit. Not your tightest, not your loosest. The one you reach for.
2. Lay it flat on a bed or a table. Close the zip. Smooth it out without pulling.
3. Measure straight across from armpit seam to armpit seam.
4. Compare that number to the pit to pit on the listing.

Within an inch either way, it will fit much like your own jacket does. Two inches larger will feel roomy and will layer over a jumper. Two inches smaller will feel close-fitting and may not close comfortably over anything thick.

Do the same with the shoulder measurement if you are between sizes. Shoulder decides it.

The size letter on each listing

The size letter shown on each listing is the size the jacket is sold as. Labels and sizing vary between makers and countries, so two jackets with the same letter can measure quite differently. That is why the five flat measurements above, chest pit to pit, shoulder, sleeve, length and waist, are the reliable guide.

The size is a shorthand to help you filter. The measurement is the fact. Compare the numbers with a jacket you already own, and if the size letter and the measurements ever seem to disagree, trust the measurement.

Three things worth knowing about leather specifically

It gives, but only a little, and only where you use it. Leather softens and moulds with wear across the shoulders and elbows. It does not gain inches across the chest. Do not buy a jacket that does not close now on the assumption it will later.

Older cuts are usually shorter and boxier. A vintage jacket in your usual size will often sit higher on the hip and wider through the body than a modern one. That is the cut, not a mistake.

Lined jackets fit smaller than they measure. A quilted or wool lining takes up room that a plain lining does not. If a jacket is heavily lined and you plan to wear a jumper under it, size up.

If you are still unsure

Message us before you buy. Tell us the pit to pit of a jacket that fits you and which listing you are looking at, and we will tell you honestly whether it will work. We would rather talk you out of the wrong jacket than take the order and have it come back.

Every jacket is graded for condition. Delivery within the UK is free, and orders are packed and posted within 3 working days.