Best Aero Machinist for Workcoat

[Guppy]

What makes you think I'm not a demanding customer? Look, if you've ever been to the Aero factory and met Ken, Denny, etc., the one thing you know is that they treat every order as the same - whether it's Thurston or a domestic order, a big star or just a guy off the street - not just because that's the way they work but it's just the most efficient way to do things in terms of time and manpower.
Also, why do you think that Thurston etc have the whip hand? It's Aero who have the global reputation, not them. Don't you think that if Thurston were to throw their hand in, there wouldn't be any number of stockists wouldn't jump to fill their boots?

I recall reading in an article somewhere, when the Captain America movie needed jackets for Chris Evans, Julie made all six of them, as a special project. And she's their star machinist. Not that anyone else isn't also good, but she's got a reputation as one of their best.

I would assume that if you're Thurston Bros, you're probably dealing with dozens if not hundreds of orders per year, and if you're Aero you value and respect that business just a bit more. If you're a one-off customer, you just aren't going to get the same level of attention/service, whatever you want to call it.

I'm sure they do get demanding customers coming from everywhere, but just look at how many people on this forum recommend using Thurston for the fit jacket service and attention to detail with custom orders. There is a reason for that.

I'm also sure Aero do their best with every order, and they don't hire people who can't deliver the goods.

It just goes against every bit of experience I have with the way business works that a big volume customer doesn't get more consideration with things than a little customer. If it comes down to risking losing a million dollar contract and a thousand dollar contract, they're going to err on the side of the thousand, simple as that.

Of course it's also their name on every jacket they make, so they have minimum standards and all that, but like I said, they have their good machinists, and they have their exemplary machinists. It's entirely reasonable to believe that when they get a big/important/high profile order, like they did with the Captain America movie jackets, that they put their very best people on those.

 

[Sloan1874]

What can I say? You are welcome to your bizarre conjecture based on what one person's vague opinion-that-he's-not-even-sure-of. I've visited the Aero factory many times, watched how they work, chatted with Ken, Denny, Holly et al, and looked at and handled countless Aero jackets in the showroom and on the factory floor. I think I'll stick with my opinion-based-experience-and-facts.

 

[Guppy]

What can I say? You are welcome to your bizarre conjecture based on what one person's vague opinion-that-he's-not-even-sure-of. I've visited the Aero factory many times, watched how they work, chatted with Ken, Denny, Holly et al, and looked at and handled countless Aero jackets in the showroom and on the factory floor. I think I'll stick with my opinion-based-experience-and-facts.

I didn't say it was anything more than plausible. I didn't say it was a fact, or even my belief; I said it was a plausible explanation for why a perceived difference in quality might be.

The idea that Aero would tell Julie "make it less good, this is just a one-off customer" IS bizarre, but the rationale that Aero puts their absolute best people on a project that's going to be featured in a major motion picture to be watched by millions, or to a retailer that helps them move a large volume of custom orders, leaving their still-very-able but not top-tier people to work on the rest, is hardly "bizarre".

They can't be made from start to finish by unique individuals AND all be of equal, consistent quality, after all.

Could there be other plausible reasons to explain why there's a perception that a jacket sold through Thurston is better? Of course! I'm sure the fit jacket process makes a big difference, especially for first-time customers who aren't sure how to properly measure themselves, but who can assess the fit of a jacket in person. Or the additional detail to answering questions and familiarity with the product that Thurston's staff have. Or something else. Most likely it's a combination of factors.

But if someone told me, "Yeah they put their top people on the movie costumes, and the studios pay top dollar so they look the part on screen," my first instinct upon hearing that would not be "How bizarre, how does any business make such a decision!" It's completely common sense.

 

[rocketeer]

Personally I think this thread is going nowhere of any value to any of us, including the original poster. Whenever I have received an Aero product I would only notice if something was done better or worse if it stood out from a similar Aero product.

 

[Carlos840]

I own two identical jackets, both were made by the fabled Julie Leitch!
If i really really look for "issues" i can find some in both jackets. They were made by a human being and it shows... I like it.

If you consider that even the "top" Aero machinist cannot make a 100% "perfect" jacket, how does any of this discussion make sens?
What constitutes perfection is completely arbitrary and changes from person to person.
I know for a fact Denny wouldn't put an Aero label on a jacket he doesn't think is good enough, and i am sure Julie wouldn't put her name tag on a jacket she isn't happy with.
That's good enough for me.

 

[samo]

I totally agree with Guppy. Aero put the bar very high, but even in this highly skilled group of artisans, inevitably some must be better than the others. Even Aero pointed out their "Premier Range" of jackets is made by small team of Aero's most experienced artisans.

On the other hand I do not believe that "big/important/high profile order" are by default given to best artisans, i would guess that complexity of the request is the key to distribution of the orders. A newbie who just left behind apprentice status, will not do the contrast stitching? But this is only my speculation, as would Sloan say " a vague opinion-that-he's-not-even-sure-of"

 

[Sloan1874]

I own two identical jackets, both were made by the fabled Julie Leitch!
If i really really look for "issues" i can find some in both jackets. They were made by a human being and it shows... I like it.

If you consider that even the "top" Aero machinist cannot make a 100% "perfect" jacket, how does any of this discussion make sens?
What constitutes perfection is completely arbitrary and changes from person to person.
I know for a fact Denny wouldn't put an Aero label on a jacket he doesn't think is good enough, and i am sure Julie wouldn't put her name tag on a jacket she isn't happy with.
That's good enough for me.

This ^^^
And I agree, I don't think this thread is helpful because it's baseless supposition and conjecture. The OP should email Holly and ask if a particular machinist can make his jacket for him. If they say 'yes', fine. If 'no', then it'll be for a good reason. As a footnote, I would happily sell my soul for either of these jackets.

 

[jacketjunkie]

[..] I would happily sell my soul for either of these jackets.

You must have sinned greatly to value your soul as low as 700 GBP. Brothers, be wary of this one!

 

[Monitor]

The reason behind the perception that Thurston jackets are made better is because they're mostly selling Vicenza which is lighter and therefore much easier to work with. :3

You must have sinned greatly to value your soul as low as 700 GBP. Brothers, be wary of this one!

Man, if I could trade mine for a used Wilson, I'd be happy.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Only being happy with "perfection" is a sure way to never be happy in life.

 

[Sloan1874]

You must have sinned greatly to value your soul as low as 700 GBP. Brothers, be wary of this one!

To be honest, I'm not anything else with it, so it seems a reasonably good use for it.

 

[Doctor Damage]

They can't be made from start to finish by unique individuals AND all be of equal, consistent quality, after all.

I'm not sure you realize just how routinized and standardized even hand-made stuff is these days.

 

[Doctor Damage]

But if someone told me, "Yeah they put their top people on the movie costumes, and the studios pay top dollar so they look the part on screen," my first instinct upon hearing that would not be "How bizarre, how does any business make such a decision!" It's completely common sense.

The most likely reason Jill or whoever was assigned to work on the movie contract was because it was a one-off, special, non-standard order and she would have had to take much longer to design, pattern, and assemble 6 'new' jackets for the movie than would normally be required to make 6 jackets from Aero's stock catalogue. It's not necessarily because the movie company was a better customer or more prestigious, it's most likely because they needed someone in the firm who could take the extra time and effort to fulfill the contract without compromising their regular production. I'm that guy in the firm I work with, I get the oddball and weird stuff that the slightly less experienced people could do but I can do it with less supervision and review and make less errors than they can.

 

[Grayland]

Are these jackets Bootleggers with a D-Pocket added?

 

[Carlos840]

Are these jackets Bootleggers with a D-Pocket added?

Yes they are, more info here if you want:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/my-new-pair-of-aeros.87105/

 

[Grayland]

Yes they are, more info here if you want:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/my-new-pair-of-aeros.87105/

That looks fantastic. A conservative version of the D-Pocket. Removing the epaulets (and the brown color) really tones it down. My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary this June in Scotland. I hadn't planned a trip to Aero, but it may be worth the train ride from Edinburgh.

 

[Stand By]

When I was an apprentice and training as a orthodontic dental technician at one of two of the UK's premier private laboratories back in the day (mid-1980s), I was coached by one of my managers who told me that they were training me to gain a generic style that was synonymous with the lab and the name of the company and its reputation; that a customer should receive a first-rate dental appliance and they should not be able to see any difference between the work of the technicians and they should be unable to determine who made it (apart from the signature). It was the attention to detail and the quality and the brand that was all-important; and that was instilled into me and I picked up and followed that style on the production line and it still holds true for me in what I do today.

I think the exact same applies here.
One buys an Aero jacket for the brand and the quality products and the attention to detail of each one - not which individual at Aero made it. Quality Control on the production line takes care of all that and the rest is managed by superior customer service and it holds true of all the major companies we buy jackets from.
It's a nice touch to receive a jacket with a tag that says who made it (which Aero does) as it personalizes it somehow - but beyond that, I don't think it serves anyone to have a sub-divided rating for the employees and managers who serve us so well.

 

[Fanch]

Exactly ^^^

 

[AdeeC]

My aunt worked most of her life as seamstress for a high end suit maker. Because of her long standing experience and skills acquired, she did all the firms samples, custom work and odd jobs. With a company like Aero and dozens of different jacket designs, I imagine there will be specialists for the bread and butter products and someone like Julie with wide ranging experience and skills for less common, more complex designs like Grizzlies for example or one off jackets and samples.

 

[Montecristo]

Only being happy with "perfection" is a sure way to never be happy in life.

Well, this is maybe getting a bit philosophical here but nevertheless I think this mindset is the reason we see so much mediocre stuff and bad quality in this world. If you read my first post you will see I was not talking about perfection but trying to get as close to perfection as possible. And aiming for perfection is always good I think. You might never reach it, but you wont have a bad result either. Yes, it takes more effort, patience, money, whatever, but in the end it is always worth it. I applied this principle to all the important stuff in life, job, car, wife, wardrobe, shoes and it always paid off.