FS (possibly) - Brand New THEDI Aviator (Cowhide, Small)

[Maxwell Von Chesapeake]

I honestly don't know what to make of the following situation. I recently purchased a custom Thedi jacket from Thurston Brothers, and went through the process of getting sized, choosing the details I wanted, and then waiting...and waiting...and waiting...

And on Saturday, I finally received the jacket.

Unfortunately, my worst fears about the investment were confirmed. I slid the jacket on and was immediately unsatisfied with the fit. It's simply too boxy around the chest and back for my tastes, and the jacket itself is about an inch too long. On top of that, the leather is darker than I expected, the buttons and thread are a different color, and the name tag affixed to the inside pocket shows my first name instead of my last (as requested). So yeah, is it a gorgeous jacket? Absolutely. Is it the dream jacket I've been searching my entire adult life for? No...sadly it's not. And yes, I realize that it sounds like I'm being picky, and if this was an off-the-shelf jacket that I'd spent several hundred dollars on, then I would agree with you 100%. But doing it custom is a significant investment ($1,599.00 all told), and so getting anything less than exactly what you had in mind is a big disappointment...especially after waiting seven months to actually receive the order. So yeah, I may be selling it, or else I may be hanging on to it for awhile in the hopes of warming up to it. I still haven't decided. What do you guys and gals think?

Measurements:

Chest - 20"
Shoulders - 17.25"
Waist - 18.25"
Sleeves - 23.25"
Back - 23"

Oh, and to be clear...Carrie at Thurston Brothers couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. I suppose these things just happen from time to time. You can't please everyone, right? Anyway, on to the pics....

 

[JCSD]

Beautiful jacket! Give it a chance.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Hey, another Los Angelino. 2nd one I've seen today. Greetings from the 818

you're going to take a hit selling it. It's like the new car being driven off the lot. You're not going to lose much more wearing it for a couple months (so long as you don't trash the thing). So I'd definitely give it some time. Usually my first reaction to a jacket is what holds up, but a few times I've had one where it's evolved and I changed opinion on it. That jacket is gorgeous and you should probably stew on it.

Bummer though. I really like Thedi. I think I've been clear about that on a few posts. But I asked them about something once and tbh, I don't have a lot of confidence by the going direct/custom route. Trust me, I'd have no problems buying something here that popped up at a fair price, as I've done twice already. But I do get a sense it's a small fish swimming in a big pond and this kind of stuff doesn't scale really well. I also just had to send in one of those jackets for a zipper repair, after maybe like 20 wears? From day one, it felt like the bottom part of the zipper was pulled too tight and was creating a weird angle. Basically you had to curve the male pin into it which was causing a lot of stress. Snapped in two one day, not even a fraying type issue, but a complete malfunction. I guess the lesson is, even the really top end stuff from time to time has an off day. It'll take a lot more than this though to sway my opinion that he's got some of the best stuff out there at relatively speaking a decent price (2 Thedi = 1 high end Japanese brand). But yeah, it's something I'll make note of going forward.

 

[Mrfrown]

Outside of your listed concerns I have to say this jacket is absolutely drool-worthy… I’m with @TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead - give it some time, take some fit pics from time to time with different clothes, see what you think. Share em here if you want our opinions, or not.

 

[AeroFan_07]

I would think Carrie would take that back and order you another one if it's not right...keep talking with her.

As others have said - this one is stunning...

 

[Seank]

I think it’s a gorgeous jacket… I really like Thedi jackets. I have several.
I’m confused though…if all those things are wrong compared to what you ordered….why is this not a remake? What was Carries take on it?

I have a custom thedi I ordered direct from Thedi last year. The measurements were slightly off, (no more than any other heavy custom leather jacket I have ordered…I’ve yet to have any where they came out perfect and I have ordered many!!!) the color was also darker than I expected when I placed the order…but it works and now that I have been wearing it, it just gets better and better. Its a beast and is taking a long time to break in though….but that’s another topic.
You may want to give it some time.
I’d be interested to know what Carrie said about it.

 

[Maxwell Von Chesapeake]

I think it’s a gorgeous jacket… I really like Thedi jackets. I have several.
I’m confused though…if all those things are wrong compared to what you ordered….why is this not a remake? What was Carries take on it?

I have a custom thedi I ordered direct from Thedi last year. The measurements were slightly off, (no more than any other heavy custom leather jacket I have ordered…I’ve yet to have any where they came out perfect and I have ordered many!!!) the color was also darker than I expected when I placed the order…but it works and now that I have been wearing it, it just gets better and better. Its a beast and is taking a long time to break in though….but that’s another topic.
You may want to give it some time.
I’d be interested to know what Carrie said about it.

I have yet to speak with Carrie about it, because I feel like these were "artistic choices" made by Theodoros upon receiving the order. I sent Carrie pics of another Thedi jacket of this same model that I saw on The Fedora Lounge, and said that I want it to be exactly like what's pictured. And to a point, it is. Just the colors are off (brown buttons and thread as opposed to olive green, etc), as well as the "perfect Thedi sizing" that I'd always heard so much about. It basically fits like something off the shelf at a leather jacket store. Not great, not terrible. Just meh. But the thing is, I see these leather artisans as exactly that...artists. And so I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to expect here. Should it have been EXACTLY the same as what I requested? Or am I supposed to give Theodoros some artistic license? I've never done anything like this before, and yeah, it just didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. The reason I haven't mentioned it to Carrie yet is because I opened the box, tried it on, felt the disappointment wash over me, and then just hung the jacket up and walked away for a few days. I figured that if in a week it was still bothering me, maybe I'd get in touch. That said, I don't really see what can be done at this point. Is it realistic to complain, hope that a new jacket will be made, and then wait ANOTHER seven months to see if they created the one from my original pics? Lol, I just started laughing, because I feel like such a whiny little b*tch. But yeah, $1,599 is A LOT of money for me, and so I guess I'm just filled with buyer's remorse at the moment.

For reference, here's the original post I saw that started this whole journey back in January:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/thedi-handwashed-cowhide.100114/

You can see that the leather is a bit more "chocolatey", and the buttons and thread are a different shade (basically olive green). Little details, yes...but isn't that the whole point of going custom?

 

[handymike]

You need to work this out with Carrie! ...or we can meet up again for me to try it on .
But honestly, I believe that Theo wouldn’t be satisfied with your reaction to his jacket, and if you’d ordered direct he would make it right- I think Carrie will too.

 

[Seank]

So did you actually ask what the other jacket in those pics was and order those details specifically? Or did you just send a pic and ask for the same thing.
Because sometimes the pics can look different depending on what you are viewing them on. Brown and olive often get mixed up, and leather shades can really significantly vary.

I can’t speak for Thedi obviously, but If you didn’t specify exactly what you wanted and Theo just received that pic, he probably used some artistic license in recreating it, giving you as close as possible to your pic with the available colors and leather that he had at the time? He tires to handpick the best available leather he has at the moment he makes your order…But IDK.

Sit with it for awhile. I bet it grows on you. It’s really a gorgeous piece.

Post some fit pics. Often the boxiness takes care of itself as it breaks in and drapes better. the measured length might also not be an issue if the fit works. Leather jackets in my experience fit horribly when new. And they also tend to have a pretty wide margin as far as variation from the “order size” and what is considered acceptable. They get much better with wear and a little extra length may not even be noticeable once the leather starts creasing and folding.

 

[handymike]

It’s very true that the first time you put on your new leather jacket is the worst it will ever look and fit.

 

[Marc mndt]

I'll be visiting Theodoros next week and this jacket is definitely on my shortlist. I love everything about it.

I'm sorry to hear that you're not happy with yours. If I were you, I'd return it to Thurston. One inch extra body length is a lot and it's not something that will grow on you imo (No pun intended). Too long will always be too long. Especially with this style, which is ment to be worn with a short body length. Also, an inch too long is more than tolerances.

 

[Maxwell Von Chesapeake]

So did you actually ask what the other jacket in those pics was and order those details specifically? Or did you just send a pic and ask for the same thing.
Because sometimes the pics can look different depending on what you are viewing them on. Brown and olive often get mixed up, and leather shades can really significantly vary.

I can’t speak for Thedi obviously, but If you didn’t specify exactly what you wanted and Theo just received that pic, he probably used some artistic license in recreating it, giving you as close as possible to your pic with the available colors and leather that he had at the time? He tires to handpick the best available leather he has at the moment he makes your order…But IDK.

Sit with it for awhile. I bet it grows on you. It’s really a gorgeous piece.

Post some fit pics. Often the boxiness takes care of itself as it breaks in and drapes better. the measured length might also not be an issue if the fit works. Leather jackets in my experience fit horribly when new. And they also tend to have a pretty wide margin as far as variation from the “order size” and what is considered acceptable. They get much better with wear and a little extra length may not even be noticeable once the leather starts creasing and folding.

Yes, I ordered those details specifically. At the end of the day, though, I'm starting to feel like perhaps you and some other people on here are right. I completely agree that it's a gorgeous jacket, and so I'm very conscious of sounding like a spoiled brat right now. I think I just expected it to fit pleasantly snug in all areas, and then break in a bit and loosen up as time went on, thus becoming more comfortable. As it stands now, though, I feel like I need to do an extra 300 pushups/eat three steaks per day to make this thing fit (which, let's be honest...may not be a bad thing). So that everyone knows where I'm coming from, I should also say that I'm a very small guy, an so never want to look like I'm drowning in my own clothes. This is something that I've been self-conscious of my entire life. I'd prefer to wear them as opposed to having them wear me, if that makes any sense. Anyway, I truly appreciate all of the feedback from you and everyone else on here, and I'll definitely post some fit pics this week.

 

[jacketjunkie]

The leather on this jacket is gorgeous. The reddish tone in the brown make it look much more luxurious than the jacket you had it modeled after with its fairly bland washed out brown you get from many (cheaper) brands. That being said, if I had ordered a jacket in said washed out brown, had made a point about the leather being the same and received your jacket? I probably wouldn’t be happy either. It’s a flashier look that’s for sure.

As for the fit issues, hard to judge without fit pictures...

 

[Carlos840]

I have to say i much prefer the jacket you received, i am really not a fan of the plain brown + OD green stitching.
BUT, if it doesn't fit it doesn't fit...

Maybe take some fit pics, if only for yourself, i found that your opinion on how a jacket fits might change when you see it in pictures as opposed to just seeing it in a mirror.
That's why i like to take fit pics, its when i see them that i really know if i like how a jacket fits me.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

I would talk to Carrie. I have a custom Thedi on order with her right now with every conceivable option detailed and many specific custom options and if the thread color or other item came out incorrectly (like the name) I’d send it back. From everything I’ve heard on this site from others Carrie will work with you. If it’s not an issue you can live with, it’s worth the wait to get it right. I’m a believer that while these makers are artists doing an amazing craft, they are making functional clothing to be worn and appreciated, not hung in a museum. My expectations are it’s done right or any good company/individual will respond accordingly because that’s what makes a good company, wanting to make it right. I get there are tolerances in size which I accept but not mistakes or “artistic license”.

 

[Mandarin]

As others have pointed out, it's difficult to judge without fit pics, but I understand your disappointment concerning color and fit not being exactly what you expected.
I somehow went through the same experience of doubt when I received mine, except I felt it was too snug (the measurements are almost exactly the same as yours, mine being slightly shorter in length).
I overcame that feeling by wearing the jacket and pretty soon, I was convinced Theodoros did it right.
So, my advice is give it another try, see if you get used to it. It truly looks fantastic.

 

[Adence]

I concur, fantastic jacket and leather color/artistic color combination choices

 

[58panheadfan]

... I've never done anything like this before, and yeah, it just didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. The reason I haven't mentioned it to Carrie yet is because I opened the box, tried it on, felt the disappointment wash over me, and then just hung the jacket up and walked away for a few days...

I understand exactly what do you mean ... from my experience: whenever I received a jacket with this kind of "disappointment", this feeling has not changed over time ... I no longer have any jacket which I had such a feeling from the beginning ...

 

[Bfd70]

Agree it’s a great looking jacket but the whole post is why I’ll only go OTR unless I’m being measured in person by the person cutting and seeing (which will likely never occur for me.)

 

[Grayland]

My experience is that if you don't like it immediately, you won't grow any fonder.