First post - looking for advice for a "do it all" jacket (Aero Premier Highwayman - Belmondo style)

[Downunder G Man]

Eastman or Noble House "Luftwaffe" style perhaps ? Can be in Brown. My very first "Quality" leather jacket some 30 years ago.

 

[Entropic Thunder]

Simmons make essentially the exact same jacket in their standard and strange collaboration, but with excellent useful shoulder gussets and an amazing riri zip, in their Blattwerk horsehide which I personally like far more than Vicenza.

https://standardandstrange.com/prod...lt-two-lane-blacktop-horsehide-leather-jacket

Also available in Italian natural horsehide which darkens with wear.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Apart from Nick123, I rarely see a standard Highwayman that doesn't look boxy and shapeless. You picked that well. with these if you are normally a 42 you need a 38.

I am your hight and weight exactly although thirty years older (fortunately same weight I was when I was 20). I also vote for the Sheene. I would personally choose goat as I really like its relative lightness combined with incredible toughness.

Remember in choosing a hide how the samples look and feel generally tell you little and give a false impression. A little scrap if leather may con you into thinking it is light and flimsy but when the jacket comes it will be thick, heavy and may be tough to wear. All you can really judge is the colour.

The other thing about hide is a jacket is it takes 3-8 years before the character really starts, the shine goes and the creases/fades emerge. New hide often looks shiny and bland unless it is part of the new batch of hides designed to look worn or characterful from the start. I doubt these will wear well over the years, but who knows? A jacket can be bought when you are 24 years and only look properly worn and broken in some way into your first marriage and after the birth of your second child.

The other thing is your first jacket is unlikely to be The One. Usually it takes a few jackets before you dial in the right specs. Or it used to. I think I owned about 8 jackets before I worked out my true preferences and measurements. I was a slow learner.

 

[Harris HTM]

Regarding the hide, and if you go for Aero, I would recommend the Badalassi (initially stiff but much lighter than CXL- https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/new-aero-teamster-in-tobacco-badalassi.99081/ ).
I recently bought me an amazing SB Gatsby in Deerskin, really supple leather (review to come in the following weeks).
I also own a Wested indy in goatskin, if you're looking for a cheap alternative.
I know there are many Aero stockists in DE, I would visit them and check for myself the different styles and hide options.

 

[Downunder G Man]

Simmons Bilt Nebraska. I have one in black goat , my second most recent purchase !
Unlike Seb Lucas I am NOT the same weight as I was 30 years ago.
(That said my 1990 Eastman Luftwaffe still fits me !)

Photo attached of my recent Simmons Bilt Nebraska

 

[Herresbach]

Stylewise I feel quite set asking Holly for a Sheene - Highwayman mashup. The CR fit is probably the right one for me since my CR also fits me very well.

The Luftwaffe is a hell of a jacket that I‘ll be buying anyway one day but since I‘ve never handled an Eastman before I can‘t really justify paying 50% more than I would pay @Aero who I had very positive experience with.

Colourwise I‘ll go for a dark russet hide, seal or dark seal I think. Maybe dark Cordovan if I choose HH.

About the leather:
I know Goat is fairly light and very sturdy but doesn‘t develope such a nice patina as horse does. That‘s at least what I‘ve been reading a lot, I‘ve never handled Goat.
Medium Jerky HH doens‘t seem to get much love around here, people tend to go for FQHH or Vincenza.

But how does Vincenza compare to Goat and FQHH? Is it somewhere in between? Which one would you choose for everyday wear, Vincenza, Medium Jerky HH or Goat?
Having a jacket that won‘t look as beaten up after years of wear might be nice for more formal events but the patina horse is just beautiful in my opinion.
Is Vincenza remarkably lighter than FQHH respektively heavier than Goat?


Thanks in advance!

 

[El Marro]

Agreed. I’m a bit older than you (actually a lot I think) and I just can’t wear an HB or HWM without feeling 60. Just like an A-2. The fountain of old.

I’m surprised to hear this sentiment because it is something that never occurred to me. I feel equally cool (which is to say very cool!) whether I’m wearing a Vanson cross zip or a GW half belt. Nor have I seen old men wearing a half belts, they all wear the same polar fleece and Gore-Tex crap that everyone else does. When I do see an older person in a leather jacket it usually is an oversized A-2 variant or something like a modern day Members Only jacket.

 

[jglf]

If you have a drop from chest to waist, don’t get the Highwayman. I had one but it was just too boxy for me, even with smaller turnings. The 1930’s half-belt fit me much better.

 

[jglf]

If you have a drop from chest to waist, don’t get the Highwayman. I had one but it was just too boxy for me, even with smaller turnings. The 1930’s half-belt fit me much better. As for leather choices, if you also want to wear the jacket with business casual clothes, I’d recommend goatskin. Very easy to wear and doesn’t age as drastically. If feel some of the veg tanned or cxl leathers age too quickly which makes it more of a casual jacket.

 

[handymike]

I’m surprised to hear this sentiment because it is something that never occurred to me. I feel equally cool (which is to say very cool!) whether I’m wearing a Vanson cross zip or a GW half belt. Nor have I seen old men wearing a half belts, they all wear the same polar fleece and Gore-Tex crap that everyone else does. When I do see an older person in a leather jacket it usually is an oversized A-2 variant or something like a modern day Members Only jacket.

Ah, but we are no longer in our 20s.
I was 22 when I first went to Paris and bought a barnstormer at the flea market. I felt so cool as everyone else was wearing painted up Perfectos and oversized brightly colored jackets at the time.

 

[ton312]

I’m surprised to hear this sentiment because it is something that never occurred to me. I feel equally cool (which is to say very cool!) whether I’m wearing a Vanson cross zip or a GW half belt. Nor have I seen old men wearing a half belts, they all wear the same polar fleece and Gore-Tex crap that everyone else does. When I do see an older person in a leather jacket it usually is an oversized A-2 variant or something like a modern day Members Only jacket.

I guess it depends. The relatively tame nature of a standard HB just feels very conservative to me. I tried to get along with the style many times over. Some are better than others. I think the more trim the better. But to me an A-2 almost instantly adds 20 years. No question about it. It just does. Unless it looks like this:

I’d say more often then not I see the oversized variant you’ve described and associate the pattern with just such a fit.

 

[Harris HTM]

Is Vincenza remarkably lighter than FQHH

No, it is not. I own 3 FQHH and 1 vic Aero's, the main difference between Vicenza and FQHH, at least the case for my jacket, is that FQHH is rigid as a cardboard when new; my oldest FQHH is 6 years old and still stiffer than my vicenza.

 

[nick123]

Apart from Nick123, I rarely see a standard Highwayman that doesn't look boxy and shapeless. You picked that well. with these if you are normally a 42 you need a 38.

I am your hight and weight exactly although thirty years older (fortunately same weight I was when I was 20). I also vote for the Sheene. I would personally choose goat as I really like its relative lightness combined with incredible toughness.

Remember in choosing a hide how the samples look and feel generally tell you little and give a false impression. A little scrap if leather may con you into thinking it is light and flimsy but when the jacket comes it will be thick, heavy and may be tough to wear. All you can really judge is the colour.

The other thing about hide is a jacket is it takes 3-8 years before the character really starts, the shine goes and the creases/fades emerge. New hide often looks shiny and bland unless it is part of the new batch of hides designed to look worn or characterful from the start. I doubt these will wear well over the years, but who knows? A jacket can be bought when you are 24 years and only look properly worn and broken in some way into your first marriage and after the birth of your second child.

The other thing is your first jacket is unlikely to be The One. Usually it takes a few jackets before you dial in the right specs. Or it used to. I think I owned about 8 jackets before I worked out my true preferences and measurements. I was a slow learner.

too kind Seb, but I disagree. Look at @AeroFan_07 's brown Highwayman. Pretty sure he's older than me but looks younger and cooler in that thing. Truth be told, I have bad posture and am not too cool; it's all a charade.

How about a 30s half belt OP? Or a Pioneer or Dustbowl? All have half belts, but when done right, the half belt is cool af.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I’m surprised to hear this sentiment because it is something that never occurred to me. I feel equally cool (which is to say very cool!) whether I’m wearing a Vanson cross zip or a GW half belt. Nor have I seen old men wearing a half belts, they all wear the same polar fleece and Gore-Tex crap that everyone else does. When I do see an older person in a leather jacket it usually is an oversized A-2 variant or something like a modern day Members Only jacket.

I have noticed for some years that various young women at work describe my leather jackets as "old guy's coats" or "dad coats." Down here you almost never see leather jackets at all so who knows how this works?

 

[Seb Lucas]

I guess it depends. The relatively tame nature of a standard HB just feels very conservative to me. I tried to get along with the style many times over. Some are better than others. I think the more trim the better. But to me an A-2 almost instantly adds 20 years. No question about it. It just does. Unless it looks like this:
View attachment 202808
I’d say more often then not I see the oversized variant you’ve described and associate the pattern with just such a fit.

Yep- the A2 does look like an older guy thing, most of the time. Even Harrison looks like some crumpled guy from the local housing estate.

 

[FlatCap99]

I am also tall and fairly lean. Have you considered an Aero Seven? I think they only make it for Thurston Bros as an exclusive, but could be wrong on that. Not sure why I have that in my head.

That said, a Seven is a board racer with a collar. I have a couple of them and set the front up to have a slanted zip pocket on one side and two hand warmers with no zip. This gave it a highway man style front, but still has a one piece back and is a pretty form fitting jacket. The board racer is similar to the cafe racer, but the board racer/seven has a more hourglass fit and the cafe racer is like an upside down V that tapers to the waist. I have a 1.5" splay on mine so there are no issues with it covering my waist/belt. I have considered other jackets and tried on some other Aero options, but the Seven worked well for my body style and you can configure them still, so you can have the arm zippers on the back of the sleeve so they aren't visible (did this on my brown one).

Can't offer much input on hide since I order mine in thick CXL steer, but I really like Badalassi leather. If I deviated to a lighter hide, I would probably be deciding between Badalassi or Battered Tan.

Cheers!

 

[Bulldozer]

Definitely go with the Cafe Racer pattern. I'm built similarly, and it fits me wonderfully well.

 

[ericsanpablo31]

Take a look at the new Badalassi leather offering from Aero, looks great

 

[El Marro]

Ah, but we are no longer in our 20s.

handymike,
You are absolutely right about that! I definitely feel a lot more free to dress how I want now than I did when I was a younger man. I miss the full head of hair I had back then but I don’t miss worrying so much about whether I was wearing the right thing or not. Sometimes it’s more fun to wear the wrong thing.

 

[handymike]

^^this is the proper attitude!
It took me a long time to figure it out, but the less I care...the more fun I have.
Happy New Year!