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I have had a love hate relationship with my Good Wear Imperial. When ordering the jacket, I specified the back length, but not the front length. Different jackets have different deltas between the front and the back length (and I forgot to ask JC about this delta). When the jacket arrived, the back length was just as I had specified and desired. However, the front length was too long. I tried to ignore the undesirable front length. Predictably, that did not work and, over time, the excessive front length continued to gnaw at me.
Having already asked JC to change the placement of the front chest pocket, I did not want to request yet another tweak from him – particularly for something that was completely my fault. Moreover, given his production delays and the resulting backlog of jacket orders, I did not want to ask him to further delay his other customers in order to attend to my jacket.
Thus, earlier this year, I decided to sell my Imperial even though, in certain respects, it was my favorite jacket. In response to my listing, many here urged me to reconsider and explore other options. So I did.
Given the layout of the front of my Imperial, including the lower panel, seams, and zipper placement, shortening the front was no easy task. My local guy, who is a master leather tailor, respectfully declined. With few, if any, other options, I turned to the one guy that I knew had the requisite skill set to replicate JC’s craftsmanship and I was confident could do the job right: David Himel. Much to my surprise, Dave agreed to tackle the job.
I sent Dave detailed instructions, including the following diagram:
I received the jacket back from Dave earlier this week. His work is superlative. The jacket is the exact length I requested, but there is zero evidence that he worked on the jacket. No sign whatsoever of any alteration or modification. The seams and stitching are identical to JC's original work. The shortened zipper is imperceptible. If not for the fact that the front is now measurably shorter, I would swear that Himel never touched the jacket.
My Imperial has been resurrected and given a new life. It is still longer than some here prefer, but that is because I prefer longer jackets. It is now my preferred length, which is precisely what I wanted. Thus, if anyone comes across my old for sale listing, be forewarned that the jacket is sold – back to me.
Having already asked JC to change the placement of the front chest pocket, I did not want to request yet another tweak from him – particularly for something that was completely my fault. Moreover, given his production delays and the resulting backlog of jacket orders, I did not want to ask him to further delay his other customers in order to attend to my jacket.
Thus, earlier this year, I decided to sell my Imperial even though, in certain respects, it was my favorite jacket. In response to my listing, many here urged me to reconsider and explore other options. So I did.
Given the layout of the front of my Imperial, including the lower panel, seams, and zipper placement, shortening the front was no easy task. My local guy, who is a master leather tailor, respectfully declined. With few, if any, other options, I turned to the one guy that I knew had the requisite skill set to replicate JC’s craftsmanship and I was confident could do the job right: David Himel. Much to my surprise, Dave agreed to tackle the job.
I sent Dave detailed instructions, including the following diagram:
I received the jacket back from Dave earlier this week. His work is superlative. The jacket is the exact length I requested, but there is zero evidence that he worked on the jacket. No sign whatsoever of any alteration or modification. The seams and stitching are identical to JC's original work. The shortened zipper is imperceptible. If not for the fact that the front is now measurably shorter, I would swear that Himel never touched the jacket.
My Imperial has been resurrected and given a new life. It is still longer than some here prefer, but that is because I prefer longer jackets. It is now my preferred length, which is precisely what I wanted. Thus, if anyone comes across my old for sale listing, be forewarned that the jacket is sold – back to me.
