Himel "The Imperial"

[regius]

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Tom, would you mind posting a shot of the waist adjustment? How does it fit now? More molded to your body?

 

[regius]

I’ll soon receive John’s version, complete with cord inner collar

 

[handymike]

@regius, if you ordered a Hercules, it is not the same...What you will receive is a very close reproduction of the original. The Imperial pattern is different.

 

[regius]

handymike, right right, John's is the 30s early version, with lower set side buckles and a pair of single welt pocket, whereas the two jackets posted here have double welt pockets and halfbelt-level buckles.

 

[jonesy86]

The jacket JC used for a pattern is a sight to behold.

 

[jonesy86]

I'm pretty pleased with my Hercules, but the Imperial in Shinki is a beauty.

 

[Tom71]

Tom, would you mind posting a shot of the waist adjustment? How does it fit now? More molded to your body?

Here you go, Regius.

Jacket fits and feels just fine, but proper moulding will take time. I am really surprised, how stubborn the hide retains ist original shape despite regular wear. 180 degrees difference to Horween CXL, where the transformation starts literally within minutes of wear.

 

[Patek]

Very nice.

I have one of these on order but I requested a plain back as to me the cathedral back is my least favorite part of the jacket. I have a Himel Bros Kensington since 2012 and I agree these jackets wear extremely hard. I think my two-month-old FCL has more wear on it.

Thoughts on my choice of a plan back? Am I ruining a classic style?

 

[Carlos840]

Weird, my pigment Shinki Chevalier molded to me within hours, it took barely any wear at all for it to fully mold to my body:

Personally i think the back is the best bit of the Imperial, the front is pretty plain, so is the collar and the sleeves.
The back is literally the most interresting part of that jacket.
Also, the GW/Himel version actually respects the proportions of the original one.
I would understand dropping the back from the Aero version which IMO looks pretty poor in comparison, but that GW back is a thing of beauty!

 

[Patek]

Weird, my pigment Shinki Chevalier molded to me within hours, it took barely any wear at all for it to fully mold to my body:

Personally i think the back is the best bit of the Imperial, the front is pretty plain, so is the collar and the sleeves.
The back is literally the most interresting part of that jacket.
Also, the GW/Himel version actually respects the proportions of the original one.
I would understand dropping the back from the Aero version which IMO looks pretty poor in comparison, but that GW back is a thing of beauty!

I hear you. There are only 3 scallops which is better than some of the models which have 5 and are definitely too busyIMO. I think this leather speaks for itself and I did also request a light brown thread which will make it pop.

I'm not sure if they can even do it though as I never got confirmation. I do like the large panel of the Heron but now that I also picked up a James FCL which has exactly that style of back, I may want something different on the Imperial.

https://himelbros.com/collections/bespoke/products/heron

 

[handymike]

The back makes it special.

 

[Patek]

Here is my eight-year-old Himel vs. my two month old FCL.

Both great jackets and unique in their own way. The Himel is unlined and has molded well to me. The FCL is just a crazy leather that marks if you look at it too hard. It is more of a fun jacket. There are crazy tiger looking stripes in the leather and it looks almost like #8 in sunlight.

 

[tmitchell59]

Thoughts on my choice of a plan back? Am I ruining a classic style?

This Sears jacket was among the first to have a fancy back. They used the "fancy back" it in their advertising. There are no back shots of jackets in the Sears catalog prior to this picture in the 1936 catalog.

An original Sears Hercules. The lower adjustments have been removed

Goodwear Imperial

 

[HoosierDaddy]

IMO..the side adjusters look so much better aligned with the half belt.

 

[Patek]

IMO..the side adjusters look so much better aligned with the half belt.

I agree 100%. I had no idea they were originally offset.

 

[regius]

I'm pretty pleased with my Hercules, but the Imperial in Shinki is a beauty.
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what hide was on yours?

 

[regius]

Very nice.

I have one of these on order but I requested a plain back as to me the cathedral back is my least favorite part of the jacket. I have a Himel Bros Kensington since 2012 and I agree these jackets wear extremely hard. I think my two-month-old FCL has more wear on it.

Thoughts on my choice of a plan back? Am I ruining a classic style?

ooooooooh no no no, keep the french seam back, it's the signature of this jacket (and the low set buckles, and the inner collar)

 

[tmitchell59]

I agree 100%. I had no idea they were originally offset.

Makes for a very different fitting/feeling jacket too. The lower adjustments were used on a variety of jackets by different labels through the years.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I'm surprised to hear anyone experience Shinki that doesn't mold to the body well. It certainly does start off stiff, but all of my Shinki jackets start molding pretty much immediately. Arm creases are noticeable right away.

 

[Patek]

Alright, I have asked Parker at Himel to keep the traditional back. Partly due to the feedback here and partly due to picking up a used FCL James which is a sports style jacket with the plain back.

Since I have a few leather pieces, I try to keep them a bit different from each other to justify the variety.

This is the FCL back.