Introduction, fit pics and a reqiest for guidance!

[Andrew Middleton]

Greetings to all! I have been lurking here for a bit. Suffice to say, I have spent FAR too much time peering at pictures and pondering choices for my first jacket...

After much deliberation, and an endless series of email correspondence with Thurston Brothers, I took the plunge and ordered a board racer from TB/Aero. Carrie was kind enough to post the size 38 fit jacket to the wilds of Tennessee, and I impatiently awaited its arrival.

Pics are shown below. In the first 2, the jacket was zipped; in the second set of 2, the jacket was unzipped.

My general reflections on the fit jacket were as follows, and in no particular order...
Vicenza leather was SO pebbly that I was taken aback. CXL was
my favorite (either HH or steer) but was advised against it in this
pattern (too stiff for first jacket)

Sleeves were roughly 1” too short (I do not ride MC)

Chest felt SO much tighter than it appears in pics!
I want to be able to layer a collared shirt and light merino wool
sweater, so moved up to 40 in final order

I can’t pull off zips on top of the sleeves...gotta move those to the
back!

Also can’t pull off the board racer look...decided to make it a
Seven (August collar, 1 horizontal chest pocket, handwarmers w/
zip closure (down in closed position)

Now here is where I most need your help!! My final reflection was that the jacket was too short. The fit jacket was listed as having a back length of 24.75”. When ordering with TB(Carrie), I kept increasing this number until I settled on 26.5”

Did I go too far in increasing the length?

I am hoping to end up with a length and fit similar to ProteinNerd and Mowgli. Saw pics of those 2 gents in their jackets (Sheene, I think...) and they look fantastic! I certainly don’t have the athletic physique of ProteinNerd, nor the tall and lean silhouette of Mowgli, but hope to get close!

Any other thoughts on overall fit or styling? I’ve only a 4-5” drop from chest to waist, so Carrie warned me against the Cafe Racer or Sheene and this seems sound advice to me

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far.

And thanks too for the knowledge you guys share with visitors and other forum members.

Your kindness and civility speak volumes to the character of the collective group.

-Andrew

 

[Jägernaut]

I think 26.5 sounds perfect when compared to fit of this one. First thing i thought when i saw the fit of the chest was that it would make me cclaustrophobic.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

IMO..and for my tastes...I think you need 'at least' 1 1/2 " in body length as well as the same in sleeve length for the jacket in your photos.
HD

 

[Guppy]

Those pictures look outstanding. Don't second guess anything.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Measurements are largely personal taste but almost everyone here will agree with your adding 1 inch to those sleeves and 2 inches to the body.

I generally need 27 inches for back length on any short jacket (I am six two) and 26 inches sleeves - measured from shoulder to end of cuff.

Pit to pit - across chest under arm pits - I can get away with 22.5 to 24 inches. I prefer a bit of room in the body.\

I have seen a few well-fitting jackets look pinched in at the shoulder in recent months. It can make the torso look a bit large I prefer slightly wider shoulders but not droopy ones. At 19 inches I am happy.

 

[Peacoat]

IMO..and for my tastes...I think you need 'at least' 1 1/2 " in body length as well as the same in sleeve length for the jacket in your photos.
HD

Exactly. HD is on the money. The fit jacket is too short in both the torso and the sleeves. The sleeves will only get shorter as they "wrinkle" up. The rear is already too short as is the front, but just barely in the front.

BTW. welcome to the Lounge.

 

[BobJ]

0. Welcome Andrew! Nice first post, thanks for sharing, and thanks for the general compliment to the board - I will selfishly apply it to myself!
1. The jacket in the photos looks sharp!
2. But it also looks so tight in the chest and shoulders that it would hinder and restrict your life activities.
3. Sleeve zips in the back are more discrete, for sure.
4. Listen to HoosierDaddy.
5. Listen to Carrie about the leather.
6. Can you live without handwarmer pockets? I can't.
7. And, finally, you can most definitely pull of the board/cafe racer look! You pull it off as well as anybody I have ever seen.
8. Oh, and the jacket doesn't go with the purse on the counter behind you... you need a black purse.

 

[technovox]

Here's my personal observation (and what I've been told)... Aero measures differently than you or I might. They really stretch the leather to its maximum length and then take the measurement at very the outer limit. Consequently, I've found that my measurement at 25 inches translates into their measurement at 26 inches. So I've learned, the hard way, to always add an inch to whatever seems like my perfect measurement for both sleeve length and body length, when I'm ordering an Aero jacket. Again, this is just my personal observation, but it works for me. So your 26.5 inches in Aero measurement sounds just about the right length.

 

[Andrew Middleton]

You guys are fast! Wow, so much feedback and I was worried it might take awhile for comments to come in...

So, everyone said at least 1" in sleeves, possibly 1.5-2.0". I ordered + 1" so sounds like I should consider an adjustment to that number.

It seems I should be okay with the added back length, as fit pic was 24.75" and ordered 26.5". I am just a bit over 6' with pretty average split between torso and lower body, so not sure why that 24.75" hit me so slow. Do you think the creases in back, due to my pudgy midsection and slightly too small size, made it seem shorter than it is in truth?

One last comment on the Vicenza leather if you can indulge a rank beginner such as I. In truth, I can see why Vicenza is prized for its weight, stiffness (lack there of) and break-in time but I find it lacking in the areas of color depth (non existent), handfeel/texture (that blasted pebbliness again!) uniformity. The dark seal of the fit coat was incredibly even in appearance. Online pics of earlier versions of Vicenza, as well as posts of cal ad shrinking had led me to more excited about seeing premium leather in the flesh. I was underwhelmed and wondering if I just don't know enough to appreciate the Vicenza. Or if perhaps it was a very poor sample. It seems others are quite enameled with the offering and I am sure there are qualities I am overlooking or perhaps misevaluating.

 

[Dav]

If you like the CXL HH I say go for it, it really is beautiful leather, just my 2 cents.

 

[Argos123]

As others said, jacket length and sleeves length are too short. By adding 1” to the sleeves and 1,5” to the jacket length your jacket would fit perfect imo. I’m 6”5 and have 27” for jacket length and 27,75” for sleeve length. Regarding the leather. I own both, chromexcel horsehide in brown and dark seal vicenza in dark seal. Both leathers are outstanding. Please note that chromexcel was very heavy and stiff but has aged wonderful within the last two years. I’m using my chromexcel jacket in 44 for winter and my vicenza jacket in 42 for summer time.

 

[handymike]

The seven feels great in FQHH!

 

[jacketjunkie]

If you size up to a 40, the additional room should make it easier to get away with the initially stiffer CLX. I say, go for it.

I agree about everything said above, some added length sure is good, even though I personally like my short jackets short and would've added only 1 inch to the body to have it completely cover the belt and that's it. 2" won't do any harm either though.

The only thing I strongly recommend you to change is the zippers on the handwarmer pockets. Remove them. Handwarmer pockets with zippers are terribly uncomfortable, the zippers will bite your wrist every time you try to rest your hands in there. You may think zippers are good to securely store stuff in those pockets, but the Seven is such a tight jacket, if you put stuff in these pockets, it won't look very favorable, so the pockets will remain empty for most of your time wearing it; it's a vanity thing. If you wear a 1k USD jacket, you don't want to look like a pack mule with those stuffed and baggy front pockets. So; get a internal pocket for your wallet and smartphone and leave the zippers of the handwarmer pockets.

 

[ton312]

You guys are fast! Wow, so much feedback and I was worried it might take awhile for comments to come in...

So, everyone said at least 1" in sleeves, possibly 1.5-2.0". I ordered + 1" so sounds like I should consider an adjustment to that number.

It seems I should be okay with the added back length, as fit pic was 24.75" and ordered 26.5". I am just a bit over 6' with pretty average split between torso and lower body, so not sure why that 24.75" hit me so slow. Do you think the creases in back, due to my pudgy midsection and slightly too small size, made it seem shorter than it is in truth?

One last comment on the Vicenza leather if you can indulge a rank beginner such as I. In truth, I can see why Vicenza is prized for its weight, stiffness (lack there of) and break-in time but I find it lacking in the areas of color depth (non existent), handfeel/texture (that blasted pebbliness again!) uniformity. The dark seal of the fit coat was incredibly even in appearance. Online pics of earlier versions of Vicenza, as well as posts of cal ad shrinking had led me to more excited about seeing premium leather in the flesh. I was underwhelmed and wondering if I just don't know enough to appreciate the Vicenza. Or if perhaps it was a very poor sample. It seems others are quite enameled with the offering and I am sure there are qualities I am overlooking or perhaps misevaluating.

I think you are right on target with your numbers. I'm only 5'11 and I spec all my sleeve and back lengths at 27". The fit for me is ideal. As far as the hide I think your observations are correct. I have yet to see any other leather on the planet pull up the way CXL does. The depth of color and variation... Its intoxicating and it's the signature feature of the hide. The weight is definitely noticeable but also greatly blown out of proportion (minus the super heavy steer, which is no joke).
CXL also has tremendous memory and will quickly retain your movements and form creases and wear patterns that will personalize the fit to a T. I would not shy away from CXL as a first jacket, unless you are worried you'll never find another hide as interesting, which is what happened to me.

 

[sweetfights]

Aside from lengthening the sleeves and back I think it is a great fit for you. But, I do like trim fitting jackets. My recent new Sheene was a trim fit (especially in the chest) but in the cxl horse and "loosened up" quite a bit with daily wear- now it feels and fits awesome. My game plan is to get a trim fitting jacket in choice of hide then break it in to form to my body. Worked like a charm.
On the issue of vicenza. It does seem earlier batches had less of a pebbled grain. It sounds as if you are looking for what cxl horse or steer has to offer. Nothing beats it really. And, the cxl is more weather (water) resistant- the vicenza not so much.

 

[red devil]

Just get the CXL, otherwise you always wonder about it.

 

[AeroFan_07]

I agree with what has been written above. I think a 4-pocket Cafe Racer would fit you great, and my first Aero, which I still own, is a 4-pocket CR in CXL Steerhide (see the Steer vs. Horsehide Cordovan thread for more details on the leather.) However I really like the process of breaking in a jacket too. Agree about the length, you'll tall and trim and Ideally the jacket should just cover your belt of standard jeans you wear. In my opinion at least. GL with the decision, what lining are you thinking about?

 

[dubpynchon]

I'd say the body length looks fine, cafe racers are meant to be short, but I'd add an inch to the sleeves. I'd go for CXL, it can take a while to break in, in my experience lots of rain helps, which you might not get in Tennessee, but it's the best leather there is when it has a year or two on it. I personally don't like the way Vicenza seems to age prematurely, your jacket has to earn that!

 

[handymike]

I have one for sale in the classifieds. You can view the gallery to see what the FQHH will look like with use and wear

 

[Edward]

I can see adding an inch or two to sleeve length to personal taste (though they don't look wrong to me). Lengthening the body would throw the proportions of the jacket off to my eye (those look like very low waisted jeans??).