Harrington Jacket

Originally Posted by Spirit of 69

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What's your chest size in inches?
How do I measure? Straight across horizontally or around?

Originally Posted by Spirit of 69

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Also do you want a traditional British "street" (a euphemism for skinhead

)colour? Or do you want a specific colour that you fancy. If you want a traditional colour go with black, burgundy, cream/beige, navy, brown, or sky blue. Anything else was rare on British skins in the 70s.
Tbqh I just like the jacket. I don't know much about British style, so personally I prefer very dark gray or black. As far as the differences, none of those really bother me except for the longer tabs. I don't intend on having the collar buttoned up, but would that look bad? I like the tabs on Gary's jacket, (your third picture). I'll see about getting a medium. If it's to small, will I be able to send it back? Also, Overstock says it's Navy, but in the pictures it looks black. I like it though.

A lot of people here will rubbish Ben Sherman and tell you to buy "quality" - which usually means adding a '0' to the price tag.

Personally, I like a lot of the Ben Sherman stuff. Designs are often really good and the fit really works for me. Quality is ok, too - it won't last your lifetime, but who wants to be an old codger still wearing that crusty jacket you bought when you were in your 20s? The thing that puts me off BS mostly is the price - it's really only worth about 1/2 to 2/3 what they charge, retail. But if you can find it at overstock - you're laughing.

Oh, and if you care about that sort of thing - Ben Sherman has real history to match the 'street cred' of any of the latest Japanese brands.

Yea, what Justin said on all points is correct in my view.

Put the tape under your armpits across your nipples and right round your torso for your chest measurement. I'm guessing you'll be about a 38 or 40.

I have a very "non-skin" Harrington... a suede Loro Piana. No street-cred there!

Still, it's fun to wear. Versatile jacket style, I think.

Great info, Spirit of 69. I'm a baracuta guy from my limited (ie, one) exposure to harringtons, but will also have a look at the Merc now.

Originally Posted by Spirit of 69

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Put the tape under your armpits across your nipples and right round your torso for your chest measurement. I'm guessing you'll be about a 38 or 40.
It is about 18 inches, so going all around would be near 36 (probably a tiny bit less).

Originally Posted by Inficius

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It is about 18 inches, so going all around would be near 36 (probably a tiny bit less).


Sorry, I mean wrap the tape right around your body. But anyway at 36-38 a medium should be fine on you.

This looks like a good deal on the Merc that Spirit mentioned: http://www.stylerocket.com/ME-110410...-clothing.html

Yea Justin, that is a bloody good price actually, when you consider that they cost £65 from the Merc shop, which would be what, about $100?

That is the same as my Merc, and it's hard to see in a picture Inficius so you'll just have to take my word for it, that the Merc is of a heavier gauge cotton and is a sturdier jacket all round with a bit more weight to it when compared to what I consider the flimsiness of rhe Baracuta.

You can't get a Merc at that price in the UK. I'd buy that in a heartbeat if I didn't already have four Harringtons!

I guess I'll get that one then. Thanks guys.

How's it going have you ordered one yet?

If I hadn't just got a new Bundeswehr parka, I'd probably get in on that Merc Harrington myself. Pity they stopped using wool in their suits!

great pics So69! I'm jealous you got to see Perkele at that (?) gig also great info from So69 imo, the Fred Perry harrington has the best fit. much better (read slimmer) than Baracuta. They are also making a waxed cotton G9 that is made in England which is great for something a bit warmer/weather resistant Warrior is good on a budget. Personally I like Ben Sherman's more than Merc's at around the same price because BS has a slimmer fit and the fabric is 100% cotton as opposed to Merc's cotton/poly mix. But if you get Merc try to get one without the Merc shield badge logo on the chest. looks much better plain. also for those with longer arms, the Ben Shermans have a higher armhole, narrower sleeves and also slightly longer sleeves than what Merc/Warrior offer another good budget option is from Jump the Gun in Brighton. if you have any questions on sizing, Jonathan at JtG is very helpful and responds quickly. they also have good sizing charts on their help page

Originally Posted by Spirit of 69

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How's it going have you ordered one yet?
Sorry, I haven't checked back here since my last post. Anyways, I got it for Christmas. It feels real high quality and is nice, though I'm not really sure if it fits like it's supposed to. I understand that it's British and assumingly somewhat tight, but as it is now- any smaller then it'd be uncomfortable. I can feel it restrict my movement if I bring my arms up or very slightly if I cross my arms. Right now, the sleeves end right up to my hands and the top of the zipper, (not the buttons), has very little slack in my neck when zipped up. This is good fit, right? I debating whether I should trade it for a large or simply wash it and wait until it loosens up a bit. I could live with how it is now, though I might prefer it a bit bigger, if I indeed did get a size too small. How much bigger would a large be, and how much of a difference, if any, would washing it give? EDIT: To give another example of how it fits, if I bend over to touch my feet it feels extremely tight, where as it feels like it's nearly about to rip at the shoulders. EDIT 2: Even though it's trivial, I want to point out that I'm American so I'm more used to the relax fit. Though, if this is anything like getting a new pair of shoes then I'll get used to it. Also, I wanted to mention that unlike the pictures on the website, there is no lining under the zipper, I guess. It goes straight to the plaid interior, which is something I like.