Puzzled about shoulder measure

[sidvar]

Having lost some weight, I finf myself having sized down in jackets from 44 and even 46 to 42r. While jackets with pit-to-pit measures of 22 inches fit perfectly, I have not been able to come to grips with the so-called shoulder measurement.

The other day in a shop, I took out a measuring tape and found in 42 variation from 18 inches to nearly 21 inches. Pretty much all seem to fit me. Is there some objective way to measure shoulders that I am screwing up? Or is this a kind of irrelevant measure, the most importantone being chest/pit-2-pit?

 

[PTN]

Shoulder measurement matters, but its value seems to be a little more on the aesthetic side. Some people like the wider shoulder look, some like a more narrow shoulder. Fit-wise, it does matter, but it's not as important as the chest measurement, where there is very little room for variation if you want a well-fitting coat.

 

[DeadDJ]

I agree with PTN to a degree. I read, and agree, that the shoulder pad should not extend past your shoulder, and the the top of your arm at the shoulder shouldn't bulge out of the sleeve where the sleeve meets the shoulder.

If it is an Off the Rack, it will be an aesthetic choice and will vary from brand to brand. I think I read it here, can't be sure, but the best bet is to try a size above and below what you find comfortable.

And if you're totally dissatisfied, made to measure or bespoke is for you.

 

[Dewey]

shoulders also have a slope - the difference in height between the end of the shoulder and the bottom of the collar.

some guys have really sloped shoulders / \\ others are more square -- --

the shoulder measure on two coats, taken the way it's usually done for the internets and ebay etc., point to point, straight across the back, might be the same. say one is heavily sloped and 18 inches. the other is square shoulder and 18 inches. the sloped one has more fabric to go across the shoulder. the shoulders run up high to the neck. put that on a square-shouldered guy and it will rumple or extend. put that on a heavily-sloped shouldered guy and it will fit.

so two jackets with the same point-t0-point straight-across measurement of the shoulders might fit the same person very differently.

most OTR is going to be cut for a regular-shouldered guy, but some cuts (maybe for younger guys?) might have a more square shoulder, and others (for old guys?) might have a more sloped shoulder.

this is why a bang-on shoulder measurement alone is not a guarantee that a coat will fit you great if you have really sloped or really square shoulders.

if you buy MTM or bespoke off the ebays, you can get a coat with a dropped shoulder - square on teh left, e.g., and sloped a lot on the right - and that's going to sit funny on a guy with two square or two sloped shoulders.