How Should A Leather Jacket Fit?
The ideal leather jacket must produce a sleek body outline. But how to tell if the jacket fits properly?
When purchasing a new leather jacket, the significance of proper jacket fit outweighs the fabric choice and the style.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to acquire a well-fitted leather jacket as there are numerous aspects to consider.
You need to know the leather jacket basics to guarantee you obtain the right fit. Here are a few of them:
The Leather Jacket Length
The length of the leather jacket generates a balance between the upper and lower body.
It is one of the most crucial traits of how tight should a leather jacket be, yet most people often forget about it.
The best approach to measure accurately where the coat should hit is by your height.
If you are below 5’9”, the jacket’s bottom should hit around your crotch’s middle.
If the leather jacket goes down any lower, it will seem longer on your structure and give the impression that you are smaller than you actually are.
If you’re above 5’9”, the leather jacket length will fall either at the middle-crotch level or just a bit lower.
Taller men have longer legs, so they may want to get longer coats.
If you are 6’ or above, you may want the leather jacket to go a bit lower and fall near your pant pockets’ bottom, which will aid in maintaining better balance with your lower body.
Remember that tailors can easily modify your leather jacket’s length. Cutting off too much will begin to affect the proportions of the coat.
However, they can take it up roughly an inch without causing any issues.
The Leather Jacket Closure
Closing your button must not cause lines to come out from the bottom or pull on your coat.
A proper leather jacket fit will reflect a precise button closure, and the coat’s two sides will meet seamlessly.
You should feel like the coat is softly embracing you. If the jacket pulls apart at the bottom and causes a wide opening, it means the jacket is extremely tight.
If the pull is stronger, the button will pop right off. Observe if the coat drops forward to confirm that your jacket is not larger.
The leather jacket must not hang away from your frame. If it hangs even a bit lose on your silhouette, it will make you look overwhelmed.
The closure is important for the jacket fit because when you are wearing the jacket and standing, you should button it up.
The Leather Jacket Shoulder
The base of a proper leather jacket fit starts with the shoulder and functions its way down from there.
If the jacket is extremely tight or loose at the shoulders, it will be mirrored in the rest of the jacket, and then look.
Your jacket should fit gently across your shoulder line and not be uncomfortable.
There must be adequate material over the shoulder blade to permit the fabric to spread from beneath the armhole and provide flexibility.
It is a general guideline that the shoulder seam that attaches the coat torso to the sleeve should meet the shoulder’s top.
You will certainly have problems with your coat if it is too short or too long.
If it is too long, you will appear to be donning an oversized leather jacket.
However, if it is too short, it will consequence in a strained coat that will appear as if you got it when you were smaller.
If you have rounded shoulders, your shoulder seam should still finish at the identical place.
Nevertheless, you would require additional padding on the shoulders to make them look less rounded.
The Leather Jacket Collar
The leather jacket’s collar must rest against the shirt collar, and the shirt collar should rest against your neck’s back.
All of these should touch gently, without substantial gaps in between.
You can effortlessly identify a too-loose collar because there will be a space where it is dropping back off your neck.
It is a little difficult to detect a too-tight collar because it is almost all in the back.
You can turn from side to side as required and examine it in a mirror.
A tight collar will form folds and bunching just underneath it and sometimes wrinkles the shirt collar under it.
If the collar fit is bad, it means the neck size is incorrect for you, but a “too large fit” problem causes it:
- Bad shoulder size
- A smaller back panel
- A jacket is created with more of a backward or forward tilt than your natural posture.
These alterations cost money and time to fix, so you want to get an excellent fit in the original leather jacket at the collar.
The Leather Jacket Sleeve Length
The sleeve length is also crucial. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to see your shirt’s cuff.
The idyllic sleeve length will guarantee ¼ to ½ an inch of shirt cuff is visible beyond the coat if the sleeve of the dress shirt is correct.
If the entire cuff of the shirt is visible, the sleeve length is shorter.
On the flip side, if the dress shirt's cuff is not exposed at all, the sleeve length is longer.
Another great tactic to measure the sleeve length is to stand straight with your arms at your sides.
Bend the wrists so that your palms can face down to the ground. Ensure the cuff finishes at ¼ inch above your hand’s back.
If it goes lower or covers the cuff of your dress shirt wholly, you need to get a tailor to fix the sleeves.
The Leather Jacket Armhole
The jacket’s armhole must be cut high, but not too high that it cuts into your armpit, causing pain and discomfort the whole day.
The fundamental trait of the armhole is functionality. It should permit you to move freely with your coat on.
Also, you don’t want it cut too loose with extra fabric flopping around the area so that you stretch like you would in gym attires.
If you opt for a tailored leather jacket, you can ask to give you a bit more room in the armhole’s back and front and have it tighter on your armpit.
In that way, you obtain the range of motion, a nice appearance, the fabric hangs well, and feels like a jersey.
The Leather Jacket Torso and Chest
A leather jacket should be somewhat loose, with almost an inch or inch and a half between your coat at the top button and your dress shirt.
If the jacket is excessively loose, you can bring it in a couple of inches. Any more than that will begin to modify the jacket’s lines.
If the jacket is too tight, when fastened, the material will gather across the torso as it attempts to fit across you, causing the material to wrinkle in the shape of an X.
The Leather Jacket Button Stance
The second button of the jacket from the bottom should lie right above your belly button, never below.
The general guideline is no more than an inch above and never below.
Otherwise, it will affect your body’s proportions, making you appear odd in the jacket.
Conclusion
So, you now know how tight a leather jacket should be. Finding the right fit for a suit jacket is paramount.
When it comes to jackets, you can bend the rules but should not break them.
If you are ready to buy a new jacket, follow the instructions we discussed in this guide and you are certain to look sharp.
