How to measure

Every piece we make is cut by hand, so it can be cut to you. You don't need to be exact — get us close and we'll confirm everything before a knife touches the hide. If you'd rather not measure at all, send us a garment that already fits and we'll copy it.

Before you start

  • Use a soft tape measure. If you don't have one, a length of string and a ruler works.
  • Measure over a thin shirt, or bare skin — not over a jacket or a hoodie.
  • Keep the tape level and snug, but don't pull it tight. It should sit on you, not squeeze.
  • Get someone to help if you can. Measuring your own back is a losing game.
  • Write down which unit you used. Inches and centimetres both work; we just need to know which.

Harnesses

The two that matter are chest and, for anything with a lower strap, waist.

  • Chest — around the fullest part, under the arms and across the shoulder blades. Breathe normally.
  • Waist — around where you actually wear your jeans, not your natural waist.
  • Tell us how you wear it — tight and structural, or looser over a shirt. Same chest, very different harness.

Vests

  • Chest — as above, fullest part.
  • Waist — at your natural waist, the narrowest point.
  • Back length — from the bony bump at the base of your neck down to where you want the vest to end.
  • Shoulder to shoulder — across your back, from the outer edge of one shoulder to the other.

Leather jeans, pants and chaps

  • Waist — where the pants will actually sit.
  • Seat / hips — around the fullest part. On leather this matters more than it does on denim.
  • Inseam — from the crotch seam down to where you want the hem. Measure a pair you already like rather than your leg.
  • Thigh — around the fullest part of one thigh. This is the one most people skip and the one that most often needs a remake.
  • For chaps — also send us your outseam, from waist to hem down the outside of the leg.

Shirts and jackets

  • Chest, waist, shoulder to shoulder — as above.
  • Sleeve length — from the shoulder seam, over a slightly bent elbow, to the wrist bone.
  • Neck — around the base of the neck, one finger's room under the tape.

Caps

  • Head — around, just above the ears and across the middle of the forehead.

Easier still: send us something that fits

If you own a vest, a pair of jeans or a jacket that fits the way you want, tell us. We can work from the garment itself — it's often more accurate than a tape measure, because it already accounts for how you like to wear it.

Sizes past XL

Anything above XL is made as a custom piece rather than pulled off the rack, and is priced accordingly — you'll see the price on the product page before you order. Stock sizing gives up somewhere around XL; we don't.

Send it over

Email your measurements to fmleatherdesigns@gmail.com, or call (917) 680-3353. Tell us the piece you want and how you like it to sit. We'll come back to you before we cut.

Coming to a show we're at? Book a fitting instead and we'll measure you in person — see where we'll be.