Explaining the Aero Fit.

[ojaw]

Hey all, I’m wondering what the fit and style differences are between the Everyman and Dustbowl models.

 

[moktabe]

Interesting thread and have only just seen it!

Size wise I'm a 43" chest and a 33" waist and also quite broad shouldered. Most of my clothing is sized either L or a 42. I like stuff to fit as opposed to hanging off me although 'fit' doesn't mean the 'sprayed on' look. To give an example I have a Schott A2 in L and it fits perfectly yet theory says I should have a XL.

On my visit to Aero earlier this year for a Sheene I tried on a 42" Cafe Racer. Got it on easily enough yet felt a little shrink wrapped. Fortunately a mate had gone with me as, without his help, I wouldn't have got it off! Tried a 44" and it was fine so the Sheene will be a 44" although the waist measurement on it will be taken in a little.

Onto the Windward and following their advice I tried a 46" on and I fully expected it to bury me yet it fit perfectly which totally surprised me.

I regard myself as being lucky being only 6hrs away from Aero and being able to visit. I think if I'd ordered either jacket on-line, by now I'd have been on first name terms with the delivery man as they'd have been backwards and forwards trying to sort a fit.

I appreciate that the majority of Joe Public don't give a monkey how their clothes fit whereas I think the majority on here do so, if a new member is thinking of an expensive purchase please, please, please...speak to the manufacturer! Regulars here already know this, I learnt by a stroke of luck.

 

[Salmosalar]

Hey all, I’m wondering what the fit and style differences are between the Everyman and Dustbowl models.

I have an Everyman but not a Dustbowl, but I spent a fair bit of time looking at both before finally buying the former - I think the Everyman has narrower shoulders (all else being equal) and less of a taper to the body, plus it has slimmer sleeves that also taper less than in the Dustbowl. I may be wrong but that was the conclusion I came to - if that helps?

 

[ojaw]

I have an Everyman but not a Dustbowl, but I spent a fair bit of time looking at both before finally buying the former - I think the Everyman has narrower shoulders (all else being equal) and less of a taper to the body, plus it has slimmer sleeves that also taper less than in the Dustbowl. I may be wrong but that was the conclusion I came to - if that helps?

Indeed, thank you very much!
I just ordered two Everyman models from Aero’s bargain bin as a way in to higher end jackets, one in Seal Battered HH and the other in Taupe Goat Suede. The Seal one is a 34 and the Taupe is a 36. Having very narrow shoulders, that is good news for me.

 

[Mrkurtz]

I have just started looking into Aero jackets. On fit pictures I noticed they seem to have a prominent fold that starts at the neck and spreads across the chest in an “A” pattern. It makes it look a bit like the jacket is hanging off your neck. Do they have any patterns where you do not get this fold?

 

[jacketjunkie]

I have just started looking into Aero jackets. On fit pictures I noticed they seem to have a prominent fold that starts at the neck and spreads across the chest in an “A” pattern. It makes it look a bit like the jacket is hanging off your neck. Do they have any patterns where you do not get this fold?

From what I have experienced, their longer coats don‘t have this issue. The Barnstormer I owned briefly didn‘t have it, my Veste de Rallye doesn‘t. All their shorter styles appear to have the issue though except maybe for the Grizzly, I recall @Carlos840 noting he didn‘t have the issue on his.

 

[Marc mndt]

All their shorter styles appear to have the issue though except maybe for the Grizzly, I recall @Carlos840 noting he didn‘t have the issue on his.

The Grizzly is fine, as are their Levis/LVC patterns like the Bird of prey or the Rockafella.

 

[Salmosalar]

The Grizzly is fine, as are their Levis/LVC patterns like the Bird of prey or the Rockafella.

I currently have 12 Aeros across different models - the only one where I have this issue noticeably is the Cafe Racer. It is still ok but you are aware of it sitting more on the neck than it should do after a while - it is in a midweight hide and I can wear it all day quite happily, but I imagine it could become a bit tiresome for extended periods in CXL. I think it affects different folk and patterns, but for me I have no issues with fit on the following - Slimfit MC (aka Ridley x 2), A1, M422a, Boardracer (x2 - the second of these has a mild dose of this issue), Premier Highwayman, Wayfarer, Everyman, 1930s Halfbelt (x2). Most of mine are also in midweight hides - badalassi, vicenza, goat - that helps with the drape too and a third are custom orders. But my heavy CXL Wayfarer is fine and does not have this issue - it was also OTR. I know Carlos has had issues here, so it may vary from person to person. The definite and one maybe above are both racers with mandarin collars and that might contribute to it to some extent, and the Cafe Racer is a quite extreme pattern in several dimensions imo and my overall poorest fit across my jackets. Having said that, I do wear all of them and don't find them uncomfortable - but the CR is just a bit off relative to my others. I hope that helps? I am v happy with Aero overall and have two more currently in production - they seem to be a good fit for me, although I have to say Lewis Leathers do the best job of all in this respect, if you are thinking of looking at other makers?

 

[Canuck Panda]

From what I understand, Aero has two fits, 30's cut and 50's cut. And basically 30's cut is one size smaller than 50's cut.
In my experience, down size to get the P2P does NOT work with Aero. The neck hole will be too small or the back will be too tight.
Most of my Aeros are 50's cut. And this cut is exactly the same cut as regular American sizing. For example, I wear size 40 (Medium) suits in American brands, regular cut, not slim fit. And size up to 42 (Large) for European brands, and 44 (XL) for Asian and Euro luxury brands suits. My point is, Aero's 50's pattern is very American. And their 30's pattern is more European. Stick with your suit size and NOT the P2P measurements.
It is also critical to point out about the neck hole size. Aero's size 40 neck hole is only 16" ish round, while the P2P can get up to 24.5". I downsized to 38 to get a tighter P2P and now the neck hole is too small, 15" ish round.
Aero's design is cut according to the correct era, and not to the modern tighter fits. That's why the P2P can get up to 24.5" for the 50's cut in size 40.

One other thing to point out is the way the shoulder seams is sewn. I find that when the back panel is tucked into the front panels (action backs and shoulder gussets), it is more comfortable, because the whole jacket rest across the entire front shoulder. But when the back panel is sewn over the front panels, the weight hangs on the back of the shoulder. And if the shoulder slope or the neck hole doesn't fit right then it will hang solely on your neck, which is a no no, but other brands also have this problem. This is NOT an Aero exclusive problem, it's a general size and fit problem.

And lastly, Aero is a very good CUSTOM maker, but not a BESPOKE maker. With Aero you can customize different finishes, but not the pattern, that's BESPOKE. Even makers who advertise as Bespoke often just alter their standard blocks to fit better. I believe it is unfair to judge Aero using bespoke standards. Yes, other makers like Lewis will tailor their standard pattern to fit the customer better. But none have the depth of Aero's customization options when it comes to finishes.

I grew up in the late 80s/early 90s. So I gravitate towards the Aero's 50's cut. It doesn't fit like other brands, but that's also the point and why I have a bunch of them. My Aero mistake was trying to tweak the fit by downsizing. While I probably would not order another custom Aero, I would not hesitate to get one on the sale page. I am waiting for their next 25 off sale. They do offer the best value for CXL products imo.

And as a side note, P2P actually don't mean much at all, because every pattern has different arm hole height. A lowered arm hole will give you wider P2P while a high arm hole will give you much smaller P2P, and both will work, just different look.

 

[Salmosalar]

From what I understand, Aero has two fits, 30's cut and 50's cut. And basically 30's cut is one size smaller than 50's cut.
In my experience, down size to get the P2P does NOT work with Aero. The neck hole will be too small or the back will be too tight.
Most of my Aeros are 50's cut. And this cut is exactly the same cut as regular American sizing. For example, I wear size 40 (Medium) suits in American brands, regular cut, not slim fit. And size up to 42 (Large) for European brands, and 44 (XL) for Asian and Euro luxury brands suits. My point is, Aero's 50's pattern is very American. And their 30's pattern is more European. Stick with your suit size and NOT the P2P measurements.
It is also critical to point out about the neck hole size. Aero's size 40 neck hole is only 16" ish round, while the P2P can get up to 24.5". I downsized to 38 to get a tighter P2P and now the neck hole is too small, 15" ish round.
Aero's design is cut according to the correct era, and not to the modern tighter fits. That's why the P2P can get up to 24.5" for the 50's cut in size 40.
View attachment 357318

One other thing to point out is the way the shoulder seams is sewn. I find that when the back panel is tucked into the front panels (action backs and shoulder gussets), it is more comfortable, because the whole jacket rest across the entire front shoulder. But when the back panel is sewn over the front panels, the weight hangs on the back of the shoulder. And if the shoulder slope or the neck hole doesn't fit right then it will hang solely on your neck, which is a no no, but other brands also have this problem. This is NOT an Aero exclusive problem, it's a general size and fit problem.

View attachment 357319
And lastly, Aero is a very good CUSTOM maker, but not a BESPOKE maker. With Aero you can customize different finishes, but not the pattern, that's BESPOKE. Even makers who advertise as Bespoke often just alter their standard blocks to fit better. I believe it is unfair to judge Aero using bespoke standards. Yes, other makers like Lewis will tailor their standard pattern to fit the customer better. But none have the depth of Aero's customization options when it comes to finishes.

I grew up in the late 80s/early 90s. So I gravitate towards the Aero's 50's cut. It doesn't fit like other brands, but that's also the point and why I have a bunch of them. My Aero mistake was trying to tweak the fit by downsizing. While I probably would not order another custom Aero, I would not hesitate to get one on the sale page. I am waiting for their next 25 off sale. They do offer the best value for CXL products imo.

And as a side note, P2P actually don't mean much at all, because every pattern has different arm hole height. A lowered arm hole will give you wider P2P while a high arm hole will give you much smaller P2P, and both will work, just different look.

I would add to this that I think their Premier range, and the Boardracer are in fact noticeably slimmer still than their 30s cuts, and often with higher armholes and narrower shoulders and sleeves, so I would group them into 3 rather than 2 “clusters”. The 50s fits don't work for me - the 30s and Premier patterns are better in general for me, but the Boardracer is right at the extreme edge - definitely zero scope for layering there!

 

[jacketjunkie]

From what I understand, Aero has two fits, 30's cut and 50's cut. And basically 30's cut is one size smaller than 50's cut.
In my experience, down size to get the P2P does NOT work with Aero. The neck hole will be too small or the back will be too tight.
Most of my Aeros are 50's cut. And this cut is exactly the same cut as regular American sizing. For example, I wear size 40 (Medium) suits in American brands, regular cut, not slim fit. And size up to 42 (Large) for European brands, and 44 (XL) for Asian and Euro luxury brands suits. My point is, Aero's 50's pattern is very American. And their 30's pattern is more European. Stick with your suit size and NOT the P2P measurements.
It is also critical to point out about the neck hole size. Aero's size 40 neck hole is only 16" ish round, while the P2P can get up to 24.5". I downsized to 38 to get a tighter P2P and now the neck hole is too small, 15" ish round.
Aero's design is cut according to the correct era, and not to the modern tighter fits. That's why the P2P can get up to 24.5" for the 50's cut in size 40.
View attachment 357318

One other thing to point out is the way the shoulder seams is sewn. I find that when the back panel is tucked into the front panels (action backs and shoulder gussets), it is more comfortable, because the whole jacket rest across the entire front shoulder. But when the back panel is sewn over the front panels, the weight hangs on the back of the shoulder. And if the shoulder slope or the neck hole doesn't fit right then it will hang solely on your neck, which is a no no, but other brands also have this problem. This is NOT an Aero exclusive problem, it's a general size and fit problem.

View attachment 357319
And lastly, Aero is a very good CUSTOM maker, but not a BESPOKE maker. With Aero you can customize different finishes, but not the pattern, that's BESPOKE. Even makers who advertise as Bespoke often just alter their standard blocks to fit better. I believe it is unfair to judge Aero using bespoke standards. Yes, other makers like Lewis will tailor their standard pattern to fit the customer better. But none have the depth of Aero's customization options when it comes to finishes.

I grew up in the late 80s/early 90s. So I gravitate towards the Aero's 50's cut. It doesn't fit like other brands, but that's also the point and why I have a bunch of them. My Aero mistake was trying to tweak the fit by downsizing. While I probably would not order another custom Aero, I would not hesitate to get one on the sale page. I am waiting for their next 25 off sale. They do offer the best value for CXL products imo.

And as a side note, P2P actually don't mean much at all, because every pattern has different arm hole height. A lowered arm hole will give you wider P2P while a high arm hole will give you much smaller P2P, and both will work, just different look.

Some good advice here but I cannot second the „stick to the suit size and the neck hole will be big enough“-experience. I am a 39“ chest and sized up to a 42 in my Aero A-2 and the neckhole is still too small and the jacket effectively resting on my neck. And my neck is not particularily thick or anything.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I would add to this that I think their Premier range, and the Boardracer are in fact noticeably slimmer still than their 30s cuts, and often with higher armholes and narrower shoulders and sleeves, so I would group them into 3 rather than 2 “clusters”. The 50s fits don't work for me - the 30s and Premier patterns are better in general for me, but the Boardracer is right at the extreme edge - definitely zero scope for layering there!

Right, forgot about that one! I believe the premier fit is same as the STF fit right? Which would be one size up from 30's and two from 50's. These are my assumptions based on the numbers on their sale page, not actual experience.

Some good advice here but I cannot second the „stick to the suit size and the neck hole will be big enough“-experience. I am a 39“ chest and sized up to a 42 in my Aero A-2 and the neckhole is still too small and the jacket effectively resting on my neck. And my neck is not particularily thick or anything.

To be fair, I would assume the A2 in size 42 (30's pattern) would measure 18.5" shoulder, 22.5" P2P, 16" neck hole. Please measure to see. If your jacket is smaller than these then it's a quality issue, not a size/fit/pattern issue.

I had this same problem with one of my Daytona jackets. I have ordered 5 Daytona jackets in total, all size 40, standard, but at different times. Four of them are the same size, but the burgundy one is obviously one size smaller. Either the cutter cut with the wrong size pattern or the machinist misused the panels from other orders. Doesn't matter now. I should have just returned it for an exchange. But without doing so I wouldn't know what I know now.

So, if it doesn't fit. Sent it back. It's not a size/fit/pattern issue. It is a quality issue.

I should also point out that every maker I have would have the same quality problems as Aero. Aero for the most part is pretty good. While smaller run makers like FL is much better at handling the quality control, it also takes what a year to get his jacket now. So there are good and bad with everyone.

Just out of curiosity what is the neck hole measurement of your A2? This is how I measure the neck hole, from the outside: (The inside will be smaller obviously)

 

[Canuck Panda]

Not trying to make it any more complicated. But I found this write up which helps to explain the "Aero pattern problem" is just different body shapes, slope shoulder vs square shoulder.

http://lineofselvage.blog/?p=4247

Different body shapes will crease the jacket in two different ways. This explains why only some folks would experience the "/ \" crease, and others would experience "\ /" crease, on the same jacket.

Aero 50's pattern in my experience has pretty flat shoulders, vs say LW.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Not trying to make it any more complicated. But I found this write up which helps to explain the "Aero pattern problem" is just different body shapes, slope shoulder vs square shoulder.

http://lineofselvage.blog/?p=4247

View attachment 357363
View attachment 357364

Different body shapes will crease the jacket in two different ways. This explains why only some folks would experience the "/ \" crease, and others would experience "\ /" crease, on the same jacket.

Aero 50's pattern in my experience has pretty flat shoulders, vs say LW.

Excellent info these past few posts. I too felt there was something off with the shoulder seams. I thought it might have been a tension issue with how much "pull" they used when sewing and maybe that's what explained why some have and some dont. But the tucking in vs tucking over makes total sense along with the shoulder slope example.

It's interesting with the CXL jackets because they have a bit of jeckyl and hyde in them. I left my natural cxl Ridley in the car last night and today we had 102 degree temps. Came out this afternoon to a buttery soft jacket that had been completely tamed LOL. I don't think I could wear CXL though in a really cold environment. In Los Angeles, between body warmth and most of the time probably 60-70s fahrenheit jacket wearing weather in Nov-Apr time frame, there are a lot of upsides.

Nothing looks like a CXL jacket though and I think this is why many of us have double digit jackets. At least for me, I've got a bunch of different cuts, looks, leathers, etc. If they all looked the same what would be the point? But there's something about a CXL jacket with the shimmer, color evolution and crease combo. My brown Sheene has like 10 shades of brown in it and I don't think it's full broken in yet.

My main issue with my Sheene is that it's a half size too small for me in the gut and now that you mention it, probably the neck hole too (Im usually a 42 suit and have a 40 Sheene). While it's true, if you can zip it up, it fits, an extra finger or two of space would have been nice. I fell victim to the Thurston Bros sizing where they are pulling the jacket to get the numbers. It was also one of my first nice jacket purchases and CXL one at that and I just didn't really understand how something was supposed to fit. I fell into the it needs to be snug trap. Well, there's snug and there's tight and this thing is just too tight on me. I'm probably going to sell because I just have other options to wear, but I sure do wish the sizing on it was better. I love it in every other way and anytime I'm in a brown jacket mood, it's the first one I grab. I just need to wear it unzipped. Not the end of the world and definitely first world problems. Other than that, I've got 4 other Aeros (2 of which are CXL as well), and they're great in different ways. Don't regret any of them.

 

[handymike]

I’ve had a few CXL jackets, and yeah...there is something great about them...but ultimately I opted for lighter more flexible jackets here in LA.

as far as the creases go- if you have flat shoulders and slouch you’ll be fine.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Excellent info these past few posts. I too felt there was something off with the shoulder seams. I thought it might have been a tension issue with how much "pull" they used when sewing and maybe that's what explained why some have and some dont. But the tucking in vs tucking over makes total sense along with the shoulder slope example.

It's interesting with the CXL jackets because they have a bit of jeckyl and hyde in them. I left my natural cxl Ridley in the car last night and today we had 102 degree temps. Came out this afternoon to a buttery soft jacket that had been completely tamed LOL. I don't think I could wear CXL though in a really cold environment. In Los Angeles, between body warmth and most of the time probably 60-70s fahrenheit jacket wearing weather in Nov-Apr time frame, there are a lot of upsides.

Nothing looks like a CXL jacket though and I think this is why many of us have double digit jackets. At least for me, I've got a bunch of different cuts, looks, leathers, etc. If they all looked the same what would be the point? But there's something about a CXL jacket with the shimmer, color evolution and crease combo. My brown Sheene has like 10 shades of brown in it and I don't think it's full broken in yet.

My main issue with my Sheene is that it's a half size too small for me in the gut and now that you mention it, probably the neck hole too (Im usually a 42 suit and have a 40 Sheene). While it's true, if you can zip it up, it fits, an extra finger or two of space would have been nice. I fell victim to the Thurston Bros sizing where they are pulling the jacket to get the numbers. It was also one of my first nice jacket purchases and CXL one at that and I just didn't really understand how something was supposed to fit. I fell into the it needs to be snug trap. Well, there's snug and there's tight and this thing is just too tight on me. I'm probably going to sell because I just have other options to wear, but I sure do wish the sizing on it was better. I love it in every other way and anytime I'm in a brown jacket mood, it's the first one I grab. I just need to wear it unzipped. Not the end of the world and definitely first world problems. Other than that, I've got 4 other Aeros (2 of which are CXL as well), and they're great in different ways. Don't regret any of them.

The Sheen is based on the cafe racer right? I had two Cafe racer, returned first one and sold the second one. It is designed with a hunched back and torso tapers too aggressively. I saw one on their sale page that was a pattern test for an updated back pattern. I assume Aero is also aware of how silly this old pattern was.

The CXL works very well only at about 2.5 oz thickness. I have two CXL that came in this thickness. Has all the goodies of the deep finishes without the need to warm it up first. Even in the cooler NW, the thinner CXL works well. Too bad most of Aeros CXL is 3 to 4 oz. This also doesn’t make much sense to me. Who has a heated wardrobe closet? And what happens when we are out and about and the wax starts to stiff up? It makes more sense to have the CXL as the medium weight option and the non waxed and always softer Vicenza as the thicker option. I do see more and more thinner CXL advertised on their sale page.

CXL is really nice looking and feeling leather. Very low maintenance. It gets soaked through and dries and looks new again. Shinki handles water well but dulls a little after it dries and would need a little conditioning every now and then. Not CXL. I know thicker CXL is praised here, but I honestly suggest the opposite. 2.5 oz would work a lot better in everyday life.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Yeah, all CXL not created equal. The brown Sheene one is the most rigid, but I've noticed big changes the past few months so hoping it keeps getting softer, and color wise has the most variation and razzle/dazzle and best creasing so far. A few years of wears on this thing and it'll be the magic jacket you see on IG that looks like it's formed to your body and has a million stories to tell.

The midnight blue racer is super soft to touch, color is more uniform though. I know it'll pop better once some brown starts peeking through. Very comfortable. Some tight graining here and there, but pretty blah tbh. I think the gussets are really helpful on this cut.

And then the natural ridley I just got. Jacket seems to be almost two years old. Has a good depth of color, butterscotchy. Beautiful creases, but is pretty much wet cardboard until it warms up LOL. But the pattern is comfy and no issues wearing it. Really nice creases as well.

Separately I have the Commando CXL collab that was done with LeftField. Now that is a dream. Much more lighter weight. Decent softness. Top coat is almost non existent though. It's pretty much already a brown jacket with some black streaks. Decent creases, but it hasn't gotten a lot of wears, so we'll see this year.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Here's a couple shots of the Sheene development and why I love it, but would love more if it was just a little bit bigger LOL.

this was maybe 1-2 months in:

And this one about 6 months in. Keep in mind, I've got a lot of jackets, so they don't get a lot of wears. But on this one I did do a lot of rolling up the jacket, moving around in it a lot while wearing it, etc. Really curious to see in 6 more months...

 

[Salmosalar]

The Sheen is based on the cafe racer right? I had two Cafe racer, returned first one and sold the second one. It is designed with a hunched back and torso tapers too aggressively. I saw one on their sale page that was a pattern test for an updated back pattern. I assume Aero is also aware of how silly this old pattern was.

The CXL works very well only at about 2.5 oz thickness. I have two CXL that came in this thickness. Has all the goodies of the deep finishes without the need to warm it up first. Even in the cooler NW, the thinner CXL works well. Too bad most of Aeros CXL is 3 to 4 oz. This also doesn’t make much sense to me. Who has a heated wardrobe closet? And what happens when we are out and about and the wax starts to stiff up? It makes more sense to have the CXL as the medium weight option and the non waxed and always softer Vicenza as the thicker option. I do see more and more thinner CXL advertised on their sale page.

CXL is really nice looking and feeling leather. Very low maintenance. It gets soaked through and dries and looks new again. Shinki handles water well but dulls a little after it dries and would need a little conditioning every now and then. Not CXL. I know thicker CXL is praised here, but I honestly suggest the opposite. 2.5 oz would work a lot better in everyday life.

I do love my CXL jackets, but they have the narrowest seasonal window of all mine, largely due to the thickness and weight making them a bit too much for summer wears and the tendency to stiffen with the waxes ruling them out in the coldest winter months - I tend to wear them mostly in spring and autumn as a result - with shearling or wool peacoats taking over when temperatures really drop, and badalassi, goat, vicenza and Lewis Leathers sheep and vegecow taking over when it gets too warm for CXL. All mine are really soft when warmed up - my stiffest jacket is actually a Vicenza, which is much stiffer than any of my CXL steer or horsehide….but then I bought all the CXL secondhand, after the previous owners had done most of the initial break-in! I have a badalassi Wayfarer with a shearling lining and mouton collar in production right now and I am hoping that will be the sweet spot that sits between the CXL and wheeling out the big guns of the ANJ4 for the winter…fingers crossed!

 

[Edward]

@Canuck_Panda I agree, it's all about body shape. Being a stout lad, there are Aero cuts I can't wear, or where I need a bigger shoulder than my "normal" size for the waist. The Aero MC is a good example, but then it is cut to the same period cut as Brando's original jacket. If you look at Brando as Johnny Strabler, his jacket is what would now be considered a little over-large on the shoulders, but very tight at the waist.

Finding a favourite maker, imo, is as much about finding the jacket maker whose patterns are the right 'shape' for your body as much as it is about quality, stitching, or favourite hides. Not everybody is going to find every maker works for them. I think too those of us who are into the full-on 'vintage look' will have a different set of requirements in a jacket than folks who have gravitated towards this scene because they like leather jackets, but don't care about whether they have a 'period' feel in the design. Storses for courses, as we say in these parts.

Even in such a defiantly anti-fashion space as TFL, it's interesting to see certain things go in and out of vogue, whether it's particular makers, from old favourites through hardy perennials to various 'flash in the pans', one-piece vs multi-piece backs, or weighty hides. The variation available in our niche - at least for those of us in the fortunate position of being able to afford an expensive jacket - is really something now, I think (despite casualties of recession or otherwise here and there) there's more variety and choice now than there was fifteen or so years ago when I first got into this.

Even in the 80s they were cut smaller. My old one in a 38 had 17.5” shoulders and 21.5” pit to pit. I’m not sure when they “grew”. I get that the body shapes might be based on certain decades, but even Aero states that the Highwayman is a “boxier American cut...” (ie larger) the Original 59’er should fit more accurately, right?
I think it would be a great move to standardize shoulder and pit to pit across their line. Then the “fit” of the decade design/ pattern would be more apparent.

The 59er Highwayman will be a slimmer cut than the standard model, yes. The 59er is a straight replica of the Rivetts of Leytonstone Highwayman branded model of that style. The standard HWM was based on one of those way back when the first one was made in 83, but was made bigger in accordance with the desire of the customer to Americanise the feel, American jackets of that style and period (late 50s) having a bit more room in the body. (1983 was around the height of the British rockabilly revival boom, and there was a big influence of 50s American design in menswear then).

The 59er is also very similar to a Corsair or a Dominator from Lewis Leathers, although in this instance Lewis were later to the party. Rivetts were making their shirt-collar straight zip jacket by at least 1959, possibly 1958 or a little earlier; Lewis didn't introduce theirs until 1962.