Edward
Bartender
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- London, UK
Are Langlitz more of a 'mainstream' affair than the other premium companies about which we rave on FL? I ask as if they are seeking a bigger market than John, Stuart or the folks at Aero, I could understand that they might want to avoid horse. It's bound to be much more expensive and less plentiful than once it was since, as far as I am aware, in recent years the slaughter of horses in the US has been banned, so they now have to be taken over the border to be processed, then brought back?
I've gone through the same thing that a lot of us do, I think - preferring horse by a long way as I learned a little, and with more experience coming back to appreciate the differing qualities of other hides too. My Aero mc is steer (of course, finding a used one that had been worn precisely twice for half the price of buying the same jacket direct from Aero in whatever hide made a big difference there too...
).
I know where you're coming from, but I don't see it happening. I know folks who have asked Stuart about the possibility of a lighter version of his Buco repros, only to be given short shrift and a lecture speculating that the customer was, perhaps, insufficiently manly for a LW jacket. lol It seems to me that the very heavy nature of LW jackets is something they see as a plus: certainly, their marketing does seem to be heavily focussed on the 'heavy is Manly and Good' side of things. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's a bad thing personally, just that if I wanted something different, I'd expect to always have to go elsewhere.
Amanda deals with all enquiries, so most likely it'll be her from whom you hear from the generic address anyhow. Her own is amanda@aeroleather.com.
They certainly are cracking jackets... I'd be tempted by one myself if they worked out a fair bit cheaper - which is the fault of the weak pound against the dollar, not the company.
Interesting, the discussion on HH. Has Stuart found an alternative source, or was that only ever a rumour?
AFAIK, LW will do other sizes custom; their OTR sizes are, I suppose, limited to what will sell most quickly. Goodwear I could understand not going up that far - John's business model is, in the main, concerned with very historically accurate repros. Of the surviving examples of originals, there just aren't (m)any (never say never!) of that sort of size. With A2s, especially, remember how young and skinny the typical 30s/40s kid in the USAAF would have been....
Can't fault your logic, though you might want to make allowance for 'post 25 spread' - it comes to us all! I am by no means fat or even 'plump', but I'm wearing a waist size now that is ten inches bigger than I did at 18 (I was basically a twig back then).
It's difficult to tell from the swatches sometimes - Amanda (rightly) advised me to go for cordovan in my Bootlegger over cherry as the cherry made up in a jacket looks much brighter than in a small, sample strip. It does seem to me, though, that the finish used on Aero's FQHH as standard is designed to give a 'broken in' (though not 'broken down') look quite quickly, whereas I get the impression LW stuff is design to have that 'new' look for much longer. Different Strokes, and all that.... I can see a place for both.
I've gone through the same thing that a lot of us do, I think - preferring horse by a long way as I learned a little, and with more experience coming back to appreciate the differing qualities of other hides too. My Aero mc is steer (of course, finding a used one that had been worn precisely twice for half the price of buying the same jacket direct from Aero in whatever hide made a big difference there too...
). I know where you're coming from, but I don't see it happening. I know folks who have asked Stuart about the possibility of a lighter version of his Buco repros, only to be given short shrift and a lecture speculating that the customer was, perhaps, insufficiently manly for a LW jacket. lol It seems to me that the very heavy nature of LW jackets is something they see as a plus: certainly, their marketing does seem to be heavily focussed on the 'heavy is Manly and Good' side of things. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's a bad thing personally, just that if I wanted something different, I'd expect to always have to go elsewhere.
Amanda deals with all enquiries, so most likely it'll be her from whom you hear from the generic address anyhow. Her own is amanda@aeroleather.com.
Some people complain that LW HH is just too stiff and difficult to break in, but I love it. Nothing else develops the deep, laser-sharp grain that's practically a LW trademark. I've found that a LW jacket will break in quite nicely with 6 months or less of regular use (maybe I should mention that I'm not just a weekend rider, so my jackets get a lot of hard use in 6 months, even when used in rotation with other jackets), and tough enough to abuse in reckless fashion (apparently nothing short of C4 explosive can damage the stuff
They certainly are cracking jackets... I'd be tempted by one myself if they worked out a fair bit cheaper - which is the fault of the weak pound against the dollar, not the company.
Interesting, the discussion on HH. Has Stuart found an alternative source, or was that only ever a rumour?
Sadly, given my size, I've been shot down by Good Wear and Lost Worlds. Pretty disappointing. I mean, they make horses and cows bigger than me, so can they not really get hides big enough for me? I'm a 50-52L. I come in at 6'-4", 240. Not a fat guy, just big. I can't believe that I'm that much of a freak in the custom jacket world!
Anyone have any other suggestions? Other than shrinking
AFAIK, LW will do other sizes custom; their OTR sizes are, I suppose, limited to what will sell most quickly. Goodwear I could understand not going up that far - John's business model is, in the main, concerned with very historically accurate repros. Of the surviving examples of originals, there just aren't (m)any (never say never!) of that sort of size. With A2s, especially, remember how young and skinny the typical 30s/40s kid in the USAAF would have been....
Just to clarify a few points... I'm not anywhere near the UK, I'm actually from Mexico. I am both on the petit side, being 5'4" and currently weighting somethig around 110 and 115 lbs, currently 21 years old. I don't think I'll grow more (vertically, that is!) and I think in british pounds because it's easier for me to make the conversion. The truth about my budget is that I'm a student on a very tight budget, yet, I don't really mind spending that money (That I've been saving up since the very beginning of the year) because it's something I simply love. =D Besides... I want that to be the only "premium" jacket in my wardrobe and very possibly the ONLY one I'll ever have, so why not have the best?
Can't fault your logic, though you might want to make allowance for 'post 25 spread' - it comes to us all! I am by no means fat or even 'plump', but I'm wearing a waist size now that is ten inches bigger than I did at 18 (I was basically a twig back then).
It's difficult to tell from the swatches sometimes - Amanda (rightly) advised me to go for cordovan in my Bootlegger over cherry as the cherry made up in a jacket looks much brighter than in a small, sample strip. It does seem to me, though, that the finish used on Aero's FQHH as standard is designed to give a 'broken in' (though not 'broken down') look quite quickly, whereas I get the impression LW stuff is design to have that 'new' look for much longer. Different Strokes, and all that.... I can see a place for both.
