Help out an Aero newbie

[El Marro]

If I don't enjoy the... floppiness/lack of stiffness of certain leather samples, is that a good indication that I wouldn't enjoy a jacket in that leather? Put another way, how closely does stiffness/softness of a leather sample correlate with the feel of a jacket made with it? Any thoughts out there?

Dbrn,
This is an interesting question, and I dug out my pile of assorted leather samples to review before composing my answer. The stiff substantial feeling of Horween CXL is quite obvious in the sample pieces I have, they are rigid enough that I could almost use them for a coaster on my coffee table.
On the other hand, most other leathers seem insubstantial when you match up samples of them side to side with heavy CXL This is certainly the case with the 3 oz Italian horsehide used to make my Good Wear Arcadia. If I went by samples alone I would probably say that a jacket made from this leather would not be as nice as one from CXL.
The fact of the matter is I love the leather on my Good Wear jacket. What seemed lightweight on a small sample actually feels quite robust when made into an entire jacket. It does not seem at all floppy or insubstantial.
Samples give you a great idea of the color, finish, and hand of a hide. They don’t necessarily give you the full picture of how a jacket made from that hide will feel and wear.

 

[Dbrn]

Dbrn,
This is an interesting question, and I dug out my pile of assorted leather samples to review before composing my answer. The stiff substantial feeling of Horween CXL is quite obvious in the sample pieces I have, they are rigid enough that I could almost use them for a coaster on my coffee table.
On the other hand, most other leathers seem insubstantial when you match up samples of them side to side with heavy CXL This is certainly the case with the 3 oz Italian horsehide used to make my Good Wear Arcadia. If I went by samples alone I would probably say that a jacket made from this leather would not be as nice as one from CXL.
The fact of the matter is I love the leather on my Good Wear jacket. What seemed lightweight on a small sample actually feels quite robust when made into an entire jacket. It does not seem at all floppy or insubstantial.
Samples give you a great idea of the color, finish, and hand of a hide. They don’t necessarily give you the full picture of how a jacket made from that hide will feel and wear.

Thanks El Marro, that's exactly what I was wondering about, and very helpful. Too bad though, as I thought I was making progress choosing a leather! The fit jacket Thurston is sending me is in Vincenza Seal, which is probably not what I'll go with. Still, I'm sure trying it on will help me make progress toward a decision.

 

[Dbrn]

Exciting next steps - I received my fit jacket from Thurston yesterday! I've emailed my initial thoughts to Carrie, and now I'd appreciate any and all comments from the forum experts.

My first thought is that the fit is good at the shoulders and the waist, but there's too much material around the armpits. This is pretty visible in the Front and Back pics. It's quite a bit worse when the jacket is unzipped, as a noticeable ridge forms at the outer chest area by the armpit. I assume my options would be to size down to a 38, but I'm worried that would make the the shoulders and waist too snug, or try a Premier fit HH. But then I'm worried I'd lose the general V-shape of the coat (which isn't very apparent in the photos, but is much more so in the mirror!). The sleeves are also too long, but I'm more concerned that they also seem roomier than I need.

So, I'd be curious to hear what others would do if this was your fit jacket. Obviously I'd like an overall clean look, snug but not tight, with as little rippling and bunching as possible (with leather). One thing worth mentioning is that this jacket is Vincenza leather, but I'll be ordering FQHH.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

It's not extremely big on you but I think one size down would be just the ticket, and of course the sleeves are to long. However, take Carrie's advice. She knows her stuff on sizing.
HD

 

[Seb Lucas]

Dbrn,
This is an interesting question, and I dug out my pile of assorted leather samples to review before composing my answer. The stiff substantial feeling of Horween CXL is quite obvious in the sample pieces I have, they are rigid enough that I could almost use them for a coaster on my coffee table.
On the other hand, most other leathers seem insubstantial when you match up samples of them side to side with heavy CXL This is certainly the case with the 3 oz Italian horsehide used to make my Good Wear Arcadia. If I went by samples alone I would probably say that a jacket made from this leather would not be as nice as one from CXL.
The fact of the matter is I love the leather on my Good Wear jacket. What seemed lightweight on a small sample actually feels quite robust when made into an entire jacket. It does not seem at all floppy or insubstantial.
Samples give you a great idea of the color, finish, and hand of a hide. They don’t necessarily give you the full picture of how a jacket made from that hide will feel and wear.

Totally agree - samples give you almost no idea what a jacket will be like - how can they? How can a little scrap tell you what a whole jacket will be like to wear? Not possible and every sample I have ever looked at has totally thrown me off. But yes, you get an idea of color and hand - which is only a small part of the process.

But the idea that one leather is much better than another is based on personal taste - I love goat - others hate it. I hate CHL, others love it. Direct experience is your best teacher.

 

[Mich486]

Looks a good fit through the body to me but yes the arms are too wide. I’m not sure if sizing down would help much in that regard. A premier pattern might be what you are after. The CXL also will make the bunching of leather look worst until it isn’t broken in.


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[jacketjunkie]

Tricky one. Personally, I think that's a perfectly fine fit for a non-biker jacket, doesn't have to be more snug. My Bootlegger fits just like that, I love it and have received most compliments out of all my jackets for it. If you do feel it's too big though, that's the only opinion that matters though. What bugs you now, will bug you forever.

Sizing down may not go the way you think it is. Looking at how the jacket fits in the waist, one size down may play out really awkward when trying to zip it up. Maybe one size down but ask them for extra +1" on each side panel to make it as roomy in the waist as this fit jacket. Only other option I see is to go for a different pattern, maybe the Premier STF Bootlegger. May also solve your sleeve width problem. You probably won't get the detailed Hooch Hauler back construction in that one though.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I agree that it looks fine as it. Photos are hard to judge by but that's how I would wear this. Apart from the too long sleeves. The strange thing about a new jacket is it can look too small or too large and then the leather relaxes and it seems totally fine.

 

[nick123]

Totally agree - samples give you almost no idea what a jacket will be like - how can they? How can a little scrap tell you what a whole jacket will be like to wear? Not possible and every sample I have ever looked at has totally thrown me off. But yes, you get an idea of color and hand - which is only a small part of the process.

But the idea that one leather is much better than another is based on personal taste - I love goat - others hate it. I hate CHL, others love it. Direct experience is your best teacher.

Agreed. And often (more applicable to natural leathers ie Vicenza) a small leather square omits possible features present on the whole hide of a completed jacket. And the variance of particular batches. You can get a sample that is an entirely different shade than your jacket.

 

[Dbrn]

@HoosierDaddy , @Mich486 , @jacketjunkie and @Seb Lucas , thank you all for your thoughts about fit! It helps to hear that folks more experienced than me think this fit isn't too off. Carrie at Thurston says the same thing. She had also suggested an STF Bootlegger as a possibility, so I'm following up on that right now.

@nick123 and @Seb Lucas , now that I have a jacket against which to compare the leather samples, I agree 100% about not expecting too much from samples. Based on everything so far, I still think I'm most interested in FQHH. The slightly lighter brown is more appealing than the Vincenza brown of my fit jacket, and the photos of color change and patina I've seen on others' jackets leave me drooling! I also really like the idea of breaking in my jacket myself, even if that will take a while and I'll have to be one of those 40-somethings in shiny leather for a while, first.

 

[ProteinNerd]

If you are thinking CXL, don't underestimate Steer. I know it doesn't sound as exotic as horse but in my experience it breaks in faster and much "nicer" ie: more colour variation than Horse, the brown steer in particular is unbeatable.

All of my Aeros are Vicenza now due to the climate here being so warm (except for a STF Bootlegger in Tumbled HH) but none of them compare to the CXL Steer CR I had that I unfortunately had to sell due to being a size too small....that thing looked hands down the best of all of them after only a few months wear.

 

[Dbrn]

If you are thinking CXL, don't underestimate Steer. I know it doesn't sound as exotic as horse but in my experience it breaks in faster and much "nicer" ie: more colour variation than Horse, the brown steer in particular is unbeatable.

All of my Aeros are Vicenza now due to the climate here being so warm (except for a STF Bootlegger in Tumbled HH) but none of them compare to the CXL Steer CR I had that I unfortunately had to sell due to being a size too small....that thing looked hands down the best of all of them after only a few months wear.

Thanks @ProteinNerd. I was initially leaning toward steer, because it looked at least as good as horse and seems to break in faster. The reason I'm going with horse is that it seems to be slightly lighter and thinner than steer, and in the long run I'd rather shave a bit of weight and deal with the longer break-in. I appreciate the expert advice though, as always,