AL - Simmons Bilt!

[tropicalbob]

Wasn't it Nick who posted the Aerial?

 

[nick123]

Wasn't it Nick who posted the Aerial?

Yup. But Brettafett has a better looking one IMO.

 

[Sloan1874]

Yeah, great jacket. Thought it was a shame they gave up their affiliate thread.

 

[nick123]

I put my A-2 up on the classifieds but haven't let go of it yet. Not sure I really want to. Quick cash is tempting but so is holding onto the thing!

 

[Edward]

If I was going to buy anotehr A2 type, I'd be very tempted by Aeriel Star's civilian version with slash pocketas instead of the regular patch pockets. Before I fell in with my Highwayman, I was actually considering seeing if Aero would do me something like that (i.e. in a wartime A2 fit, rather than the slightly more generous Happy Days 50s fit), in black. Russet would be nice too.

Yeah, stealing the Aero labels is so strange. There is no reason I can imagine for that, other than to counterfeit Aero products.

That's the implication I read in the trial. Maybe Will planned to have an extra bunch of jackets run off overnight and sell them as Aeros in the side.

Edward, I have been particularly impressed with your scholarly, insightful comments. What you just said in your above statement is the thought I was attempting to make earlier on this thread. I too have the impression that AL's market share has gradually slipped away after their initial splash a couple of years ago. If Aero had folded and closed their doors in late 2012, perhaps AL might have been more viable, but perhaps not even then. [huh]

It allc makes me wonder where Aero would be now had this all not come to light and Ken not come back to take the reins again. Simmonds Bilt, the Artists Formerly Known as Alexander Leathers, had a fair level of construction experience, though to begin with they were using a lot of hides that were hideous to my eye (they have some better ones now, though I still don't care for their full range). Their real problem, though, is that they just don't seem to have the design and patterning expertise. That first Simmonds Bilt jacket - how long did it take them to get the collar right? Aside from the jackets which are the same as their machinists were making at Aero (the odd pocket configuration change aside), they've yet to come up with anything which is all that great. Their belted motorcycle styles a la Belstaff look ridiculous with the comically oversized pockets. Not to mention the collars on some of them... The Fight Club jacket was a really odd decision. Those 70s, safari styles were popular back in my youth because a] Kurt Cobain was wearing them, and b] you could buy them all day in charity shops for twenty quid. I don't see it being a model folks would exactly be queueing up to buy nowadays.... (at least if it was actually in any way correctly reproducing the details of Brad Pitt's Fight Club jacket, there might be a small niche market there for the fans.....). Nor do they seem to be much more expensive second hand either.... so what thought processs went into the design? Did they just see one in a charity shop, think it was cool and pull it apart to copy? Did they assume there was a market for it?

This is a company that - at least until the criminal trial was looming - was being run by the guy who ran Aero day to day for eight years. If Ken hadn't come back and been so creatively inspired in the last couple of years, if Will was still running Aero, on the take or otherwise, would Aero be what it is now, or would it have this same, tired range with nothing "new"?

It does not look like an Aero, and it looks like he has the cuffs (with the button closure) tucked in.

Certainly wouldn't be a (standard) fifties Halfbelt model if it had button cuffs.

I know I am running the risk of sounding like an AL apologist at this point but here goes anyway. The whole 'vintage style with a modern cut/twist' thing is omnipresent in a certain sector of 'fashion' right now. It maybe an oxymoron but it isn't AL's invention. Even such well respected companies as The Real McCoy's do it. In fact, they've always done it. A lot of their designs look like almost stitch for stitch repros but they alter the fit to be slightly less boxy or roomy on many of their models.

Many, many companies jumping on the Heritage bandwagon use this term on virtually every blurb for every article they make. It is nauseating but hardly the sole property of AL.

That goes to my points above about them not really knowing what their market is. You're right that this is widespread in fashion labels targetting the mainstream. They've taken this approach, though, and tried to apply it to a niche market which prizes autheticity...

I like the way Mascot handles this: Our aim ... is to revive the lost designs with jackets that will be as close to the originals as possible, albeit it with modern elements, plus as the originals were rarely made in larger sizes, we will recreate them to accommodate this." This is smart, as part of their market will be the guys who wore them 30 years ago and couldn't squeeze into them today.

Or those of us who've been toying with the idea of creating a period-style rocker jacket for years, but couldn't quite bring ourselves to sew patches on a £700 Lewis.... and are a bit too fat for those originals which crop up on the market.... The Ace Cafe is on my hitlist to visit in the last week of June, when I'm back in Blighty and have a few days off...

I like the Mascot site and their approach, it's similar to that of Aerial Star: focused and well-presented.

Yes, tight and focussed, a manageable range for a start-up, and a clear brand identity.

 

[Bunyip]

Great post as usual Edward.
I was interested/ excited at the launch of AL. I'm still very much a rookie in the jacket world, and at the time didn't know anything about the storse debacle etc.
From the get go, the leather selection didn't appeal at all. I'm not sure if it was the photography or what, but they all just looked "off"....the same can be said for the majority of their designs. They might be sensational in the flesh, but even go my untrained eye, they didn't appeal.....
Anyway, the storse has bolted now, and it's probably too late to shut the gate.
The reality is that there are a hell of a lot of people that buy jackets without being members of this forum, and it doesn't look like this debacle is getting much press anywhere else. I guess only time will tell. I can't see any of the new offerings selling like hot cakes, or any of their existing ones for that matter.....I don't know how much benefit they will get from a name change. It's Very hard to polish a turd.

 

[Big J]

Great post as usual Edward.
I was interested/ excited at the launch of AL. I'm still very much a rookie in the jacket world, and at the time didn't know anything about the storse debacle etc.
From the get go, the leather selection didn't appeal at all. I'm not sure if it was the photography or what, but they all just looked "off"....the same can be said for the majority of their designs. They might be sensational in the flesh, but even go my untrained eye, they didn't appeal.....
Anyway, the storse has bolted now, and it's probably too late to shut the gate.
The reality is that there are a hell of a lot of people that buy jackets without being members of this forum, and it doesn't look like this debacle is getting much press anywhere else. I guess only time will tell. I can't see any of the new offerings selling like hot cakes, or any of their existing ones for that matter.....I don't know how much benefit they will get from a name change. It's Very hard to polish a turd.

I can't believe that pvnk, and h1ppie are filtered, but 'turd' gets through!
(@_@)

 

[nick123]

I can't believe that pvnk, and h1ppie are filtered, but 'turd' gets through!
(@_@)

I think it's a joke on the part of the Mods. That was a joke...

 

[Bunyip]

I can't believe that pvnk, and h1ppie are filtered, but 'turd' gets through!
(@_@)

[huh]

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Yeah..I can't believe 'h1ppie' got banned just because one person came out of nowhere, took offense, and threw what seemed like a never ending fit. Ridiculous.

 

[Big J]

Yeah..I can't believe 'h1ppie' got banned just because one person came out of nowhere, took offense, and threw what seemed like a never ending fit. Ridiculous.

It's bizarre that on a vintage clothing forum these cultural terms aren't allowed.
If people use them as pejoratives, it doesn't negate the original meaning by necessity.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

It's bizarre that on a vintage clothing forum these cultural terms aren't allowed.
If people use them as pejoratives, it doesn't negate the original meaning by necessity.

H1ppie was allowed, and used frequently over the years until just a few months ago.

 

[Big J]

H1ppie was allowed, and used frequently over the years until just a few months ago.

I guess we better count ourselves lucky there aren't any members who are stunt pilots who take offense at the use of the word 'barnstormer', or any home-brewers who take offense at 'bootlegger'!

 

[nick123]

I guess we better count ourselves lucky there aren't any members who are stunt pilots who take offense at the use of the word 'barnstormer', or any home-brewers who take offense at 'bootlegger'!

I suppose those subcultures are seen as out of the date range of this forum. I think both have fascinating fashion histories to tell. My next big purchase is going to be something along the lines of the 1960s...I was dead set on the Aero Hipp1e, but now I'm thinking a Rockafella in that really nice suede. Also, for colder weather, the Schott Rancher jackets with the sheepskin lining look the part. I even see some potential grooviness in the BK Duke. That could be interesting.

Off topic! But I had to get my Hipp1e 2 cents in. Back to staring at my walls...

 

[AdeeC]

How much longer will "Hipster" survive for?

 

[Big J]

How much longer will "Hipster" survive for?

I got $10 says it lasts longer than Simmons Bilt.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

How much longer will "Hipster" survive for?

Hey AdeeC..that's a great imitation of Big J..!!

 

[Big J]

Hey AdeeC..that's a great imitation of Big J..!!

(>_<)

 

[HoosierDaddy]

lollol

 

[tropicalbob]

I get called a ****** all the time and could give two *****.