Labcoats--Good Fit, Good Style, etc.

I'm signed up for my first semester of Organic Chemistry, starting this fall. It will be a version of the class geared toward Chemistry majors, so I'm quite excited. Naturally, such a course will involve a few hours each week of lab time. To be in the lab, we must wear a labcoat.

I have had the opportunity to look into the labcoats recommended by my University, the ones we will be using. They are conveniently sold in the college bookstore. That's all well and good, so I bought one on the spot ( I've been pretty eager to own one ).

But a slight problem. I'm a really small guy--my suit size is 36; they only carried a 34 and 40. The 34 is not ridiculously small; it only starts to feel tight if I wear a sweater underneath it--but normal button-down shirts aren't a problem. I figured it was a good idea to go for the smaller size than the larger size because I don't want loose clothing dangling over flames or something. However, I know I WILL be wearing sweaters in the winter.

However, I'm in a bit of a sticky situation here. Should I return the coat and simply order a size 36 online?

So here is where I ask for your experience. What do you normally wear under your labcoats? And should they be a normal suit- fit, should they be slightly small so as to cling close to your body, or should they be a bit loose--or is this just a matter of preference?

And more on the fun side and to broaden the topic... Labcoats tend to come in a variety of colors: white, white, and then the occasional white (truthfully, I have seen other colors, but you get my point). I'm wondering what you have done to personalize your labcoats. I want something I can be attached to since I figure it will be all over me for the next few years, since I'm pursuing a Chemistry degree .

A few ideas I've come up with for this are tie-dying it , embroidering my name or some other fun stuff on it, and even sewing on a ScienceMadness or Rogue Science patch (i.e., by making my own)

In the process of experiments you could try "spilling" some ferrocyanide blue dye on it.

Tim

I have a similar predicament, although a bit different. It is nearly impossible for me to find a labcoat that fits, I am 6'5" and very thin. Any labcoat I try is either too short(length and arm length), or too baggy. I currently am using a baggy one, but I still continue to search for somewhere that will custom make me an appropriatly fitting one.

As for customization,how about dying it yellow with TNT . Well not seriously, then whatever you wear under it gets TNT on it which can be annoying if you must take a plane.

But seriously for customization, when I get more chemistry related pins, I will wear them on my lab coat like medals on a military uniform. All I have now is a CIC (chemical institute of Canada) pin, but others will come with time (who wants to distribute sciencemadness pins? ) Tye dying it may not be a good idea, people will think a hippie chemist would be making drugs. Getting your name embroidered is a good idea, I think I will do the same at some point.

Random funny coloured stains are always good ...

I also had a similar problem to yours, because I'm pretty small as well, but I ended up going with a lab coat that was slightly larger.

The sleeves are about an inch longer than I like them to be, so I tend to roll them up (I'm thinking about just hemming them) so that they don't get in my way (though in terms of my organic chemistry lab, I never worked with an open flame at all).

However, I still tend to find that when I wear a sweater in the winter time, the lab coat feels kind of tight, but maybe it's just that I prefer baggier clothing.

If I were you, I'd go with the larger size, and then hem it down yourself so that the sleeves are a reasonable length

too tall

Hi Samosa, long time no post!

Anyway, with labcoats, I go for those that are not too loose or tight. Not too tight so that there is some delay in whatever chemical I spill on my suit from reaching my clothes underneath, nor not too loose such that I keep upturning flasks and beakers with floppy sleeves.

There aren't any trenchcoat-like lab coats available here; all of them go up to the knee. That's why for lab sessions, I wear thick denims and chemical-resistant boots underneath the gown. I just wear a T-shirt on the top though. Makes me look rugged.

If buying a size 36 online is cheaper for you, it might be OK to return the coat. Then again, taking growth spurts into account (if you're still a teen, that is), maybe one size larger wouldn't hurt. Or if someone's good at suit alteration in your family, just get the larger coat and have it trimmed to your preferred size.

As for labcoat customization, all I do is write my name in an inconspicuous part of the coat (usually underneath a button hole) so that I'll know if the labcoat I grabbed is mine, and a few azo dye and metal coordination compound stains here and there. I agree with uber luminal in that the labcoat shouldn't be dark-colored because spills are hard to notice on such. (My labcoat is white also). After months of laundering, though, they turn cream-colored. (Yes, I launder my labcoats, they're expensive here. )

sparky (^_^)

Here's mine. It fit's perfectly on me, it's a medium size. I don't know where it's from though, I had it as a christmas gift. I've been told that it was ordered from Toronto by a friend of my step-mother... so I don't know exactly which shop. If you find something like it, I would like to know from where.

The black is very dark and doesn't reflect a lot of light, it's one of the purest I have seen yet in cloth.

[Edit] I never washed it so i don't know how it'll react. And a flash was used in this foto.

[Edited on 22-6-2005 by Blind Angel]

"...coloured safety glasses..."

Then you'd have a hard time telling if the solution you were working on *DID* turn green unless you remove them glasses.

sparky (^_^)

[Edited on 27-6-2005 by sparkgap]