Aero? Simmons Bilt? Looking for my "Forever Leather Jacket"

[TartuWolf]

Last info I got from Aero that they currently only have Cherry and Black CXFQHH in lighter weight / thickness. And that it is not expected that any other colors will ever arrive in lighter weight/thickness, because the previous ones were errors/mistakes.

 

[trainspotter]

I have a jacket each in lighter cherry and black cxfqhh and it is hands down the best leather I have handled...

 

[TartuWolf]

Please show Especially the cherry

 

[trainspotter]

Please show Especially the cherry

Here it is

 

[Hide'n'seek]

We have plenty

Last info I got from Aero that they currently only have Cherry and Black CXFQHH in lighter weight / thickness. And that it is not expected that any other colors will ever arrive in lighter weight/thickness, because the previous ones were errors/mistakes.

We don't have any Cherry left and very little thinner Black. We do have plenty of Black Chrxl in stock and as has always been the case a request can be made when ordering for the cutters to choose lighter weight skins . This simply means that we will select the lightest from the current batch.
For clarity the lighter skins we had were from a couple of batches we received during a time when Horween were having trouble sourcing Raw hides of a suitable quality for Chromexcel. We did not specify these light skins, and they are not a regular offering. But as above we have always been able to selct lighter / or heavier skins on request ( this is from what ever batch we happen to have in stock at the time of cutting)

 

[TartuWolf]

@Hide'n'seek
Thank you clarification!
In case of normal thickness cxl hh, what's the usual range/variation in case customer specifies thinner/thicker?
For example ~1.3mm thinner and ~1.5mm thicker?
I ordered thinner brown and my order just went to production, what thickness can I expect?

 

[TartuWolf]

@trainspotter
Gorgeous! Very nice fit as well

 

[Hide'n'seek]

@Hide'n'seek
Thank you clarification!
In case of normal thickness cxl hh, what's the usual range/variation in case customer specifies thinner/thicker?
For example ~1.3mm thinner and ~1.5mm thicker?
I ordered thinner brown and my order just went to production, what thickness can I expect?

Yours is going to be around the 1.3mm mark.

Check your mails as i have a couple of queries regarding your order

 

[trainspotter]

Please show Especially the cherry

Okay so there seems to be huge variations in the lighter CXL as well. Just received my custom Speedway in lighter CXFQHH, but compared to my original hercules(again in lighter cxfq), the leather seems quite a bit muted. Hoping that the grain will pop with usage

 

[Canuck Panda]

Okay so there seems to be huge variations in the lighter CXL as well. Just received my custom Speedway in lighter CXFQHH, but compared to my original hercules(again in lighter cxfq), the leather seems quite a bit muted. Hoping that the grain will pop with usage

View attachment 532529

Very cool, congrats on both!

 

[Chilliwack]

Weight loss update: I went back to the local leather store (the bad one) just to see if I'd gone down a size.
With some variation on jackets, I have indeed gone from XXL to XL! But XL jackets are still a little bit snug, and the sleeves are too long.

So yeah, looks like I still got a ways to go. But I'm slowly but surely getting there! 30 more pounds lost ought to do it.

 

[Rich22]

The cost of an Aero

View attachment 474376

Yikes

I don’t know why?

View attachment 474231 View attachment 474233 View attachment 474234 View attachment 474235

How did you end up with this giant sized jacket?

 

[Chilliwack]

UPDATE: Turns out my jacket wasn't Aero or SB. It was............ something else.

I could not find any branding on it whatsoever. I looked everywhere. Must be custom-made. But it certainly is old and high quality, since it was apparently labeled as being from the 1970s. This jacket is older than me! I got it in Atlanta when I was visiting some friends. Got it in a used vintage clothing store. I NEVER would have found a jacket this nice in my town. And certainly not for a mere $280!

This is also a good chance to show more progress on my weight loss journey. Down to 222 lbs now, and I believe I have reached my "end size" area. Even if I slim down to 200, my shoulder width marks me as an XL. It's just about a perfect fit, and will be an even better fit as I continue to slim down. Shoulders are the exact right width, hangs on all the right places, has the cross zip look I enjoy, but without that annoying belt.

Only got a few minor issues though:

- It's a little snug on my belly. But that will not be an issue as I continue to slim down.

- The sleeves are WAY too long, hanging past my fingertips. Whoever previously owned this jacket must have been some sort of orangutan. I'll be taking it to a local leather expert to get the sleeves shortened. You can see how the sleeves bunch up around my elbows.

- The zippers need fixing. The teeth are perfectly fine, the sliders move well. But the pull tabs are straight-up broken at the loops. Can't even put new ones on. Easily fixed by an expert.

- The lining is ancient and ragged. I'll get the polyester replaced with cotton. What color, I'm not sure. I'm thinking dark red, like what you'd find at Schott.

Might cost another couple hundred in total to get this all dealt with, but it's still better than paying $2000 for a brand new one that might not even fit me properly. I was really lucky to find this.


I've since done some restoration on the jacket. Applied some leather conditioner (it was very much needed), and I gave it a coat of black Urad to make it more element-proof. I'm just letting it dry out entirely before I post any photos of the restored state.

I'll kind of miss the intensely weathered look, but I'd rather keep this jacket healthy for as long as possible. And it will weather again with time.

Any thoughts?

 

[Aloysius]

If you find vintage that works, it can't be beat. Congrats!

 

[newtojackets]

UPDATE: Turns out my jacket wasn't Aero or SB. It was............ something else.

I could not find any branding on it whatsoever. I looked everywhere. Must be custom-made. But it certainly is old and high quality, since it was apparently labeled as being from the 1970s. This jacket is older than me! I got it in Atlanta when I was visiting some friends. Got it in a used vintage clothing store. I NEVER would have found a jacket this nice in my town. And certainly not for a mere $280!

This is also a good chance to show more progress on my weight loss journey. Down to 222 lbs now, and I believe I have reached my "end size" area. Even if I slim down to 200, my shoulder width marks me as an XL. It's just about a perfect fit, and will be an even better fit as I continue to slim down. Shoulders are the exact right width, hangs on all the right places, has the cross zip look I enjoy, but without that annoying belt.

Only got a few minor issues though:

- It's a little snug on my belly. But that will not be an issue as I continue to slim down.

- The sleeves are WAY too long, hanging past my fingertips. Whoever previously owned this jacket must have been some sort of orangutan. I'll be taking it to a local leather expert to get the sleeves shortened. You can see how the sleeves bunch up around my elbows.

- The zippers need fixing. The teeth are perfectly fine, the sliders move well. But the pull tabs are straight-up broken at the loops. Can't even put new ones on. Easily fixed by an expert.

- The lining is ancient and ragged. I'll get the polyester replaced with cotton. What color, I'm not sure. I'm thinking dark red, like what you'd find at Schott.

Might cost another couple hundred in total to get this all dealt with, but it's still better than paying $2000 for a brand new one that might not even fit me properly. I was really lucky to find this.


I've since done some restoration on the jacket. Applied some leather conditioner (it was very much needed), and I gave it a coat of black Urad to make it more element-proof. I'm just letting it dry out entirely before I post any photos of the restored state.

I'll kind of miss the intensely weathered look, but I'd rather keep this jacket healthy for as long as possible. And it will weather again with time.

Any thoughts?

All those changes would cost a fair amount, and I think the jacket is a bit too big on you. I’d probably just searched for another used / vintage jacket with a closer fit

 

[Chilliwack]

All those changes would cost a fair amount, and I think the jacket is a bit too big on you. I’d probably just searched for another used / vintage jacket with a closer fit

Well it does LOOK a bit big on me now, but that's because I have it OPEN In both pics. And because I'm still a bit heavy, it's sort of "pushed out" a bit. I have at least 20 more pounds to drop. And some chest muscles to develop.

And like I said, I'll need to get the sleeves shortened. That's the main reason it looks too big on me. Trust me, I've looked ALL OVER for a good vintage jacket, and I can't trust anything online until I get down to my ideal size.

As for the cost... yeah it will cost a fair amount, but that's the price I was quoted at a tailor, about $200 or so.

 

[TartuWolf]

Looks too big, even in the shoulders. But as always - if you want proper feedback - provide proper fit pics. Otherwise enjoy your jacket!

 

[Chilliwack]

Looks too big, even in the shoulders. But as always - if you want proper feedback - provide proper fit pics. Otherwise enjoy your jacket!

Is there a thread that explains how I can provide proper fit pics?

 

[MrProper]

Is there a thread that explains how I can provide proper fit pics?

Tripod, self-timer, shirt tucked in, picture jacket open, jacket closed, side, back, relaxed standing, smile

 

[TartuWolf]

@Chilliwack No, but I have some suggestions here : https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/fit-check-thread.114927/post-3100438
Mainly lighting, various angles, tucket shirt with pants you actually wear, jacket zipped, etc..