Let Photoshop Design your Aero!

[Ixion]

So, I after a couple years of hem-and-haw, I am finally going to purchase a new Aero. I have held off, because I had a really excellent cow-hide car coat that I purchased in Argentina about five years ago.

Unfortunately, two years after I bought it, a cleaning disaster left me with a misshapen, discolored vestige of my favorite coat. Over the last three years, I have tried to convince myself that it still works, massaged it with precious oils, and generally just tried not to look too closely at it.

This Spring, however, my wife finally said the magic words: "you need a new jacket." Somehow, I've convinced her that Aero would be the only thing worth replacing it with, and so, now I'm swimming in options: style, fit, length, color, lining, zippers, buttons, inner pockets, bi-swing backs, and on and on.

Even though I find these details endlessly fascinating, for some reason, they cause my beloved to grace me with an impatient frown whenever I start listing them. Since she's the one who will have to look at it most often, I value her opinion on the style of the jacket, but we needed a way to visualize it.

Enter Photoshop! Two jackets that I have started to focus on are the Long Half-Belt and the Stuart (which I only see on the US Aero site). The Stuart is much more like the coat I have lost, but I like the length and clean look of the LHB. Still there were some small tweaks that I wanted to see, so I fired up Photoshop to try some out:

First, the Long Half-Belt.
Very different from my last coat, and my wife instantly disliked the top pocket. Easy enough for the Patch Tool. I also straightened the left pocket-flap to see what a more triangular pocket would look like.

The original:


With modifications:

Click for full size - Uploaded with plasq's Skitch
Result: Now it looks like the jacket could use a pocket up there...


The Stuart was a bit trickier. Here's the original.


I liked the button-up front on the Stuart, but I am looking for a slightly longer jacket--more like the LHB. Also, I'm more interested in brown leather, than black. So, back to Photoshop:



So. After all that work, I think I've decided to go with an unmodified Long Half-Belt in brown.

Still, it was a good way to keep the discussion going with my wife, who suddenly had all kinds of suggestions. Also, it's always fun to try out a Photoshop project.

If anyone else wants to give this a try, I'd be happy to post more information about the process. Also, if you don't have Photoshop (thank you, Academic Licensing!), you can do all of this in the cheaper Photoshop Elements or even the free GiMP program.

Love to hear any comments or suggestions.

 

[OneEyeMan]

Good choice with the Long Half Belt.
And good Photoshop skills.
You really got me thinking with the straightened out, more triangular pocket flap though. I kinda like it on that jacket.
But you're getting a totally unmodified LHB, with the breast pocket, right.
That's a beautiful jacket.
Let us see it when it finally arrives.
Lenny

 

[Ixion]

Not set yet

Thanks!

I actually haven't decided on the bottom pockets, yet. I like the shape of the straighter edge, but then it makes the flap look larger and, well, flappy.

I'll definitely be going with the chest pocket, however.

In fact, the more I tinker with these, the more I like the original designs. Every time I change something, I start to see why the Aero designers did it their way in the first place.

Well, it will give me something to do between rounds of digging under my couch cushions for loose change to send to Scotland.

 

[Creeping Past]

I've had a similar experience trying to reinvent the Aero wheel.

How about something like this old RM Williams jacket?

 

[Fenton]

whatever your preferences, Aero's team will do its best to meet them. It's been 3 weeks since I've ordered my last jacket and it was a long process of modifying the jacket to my liking. Amanda from Aero was very helpful and I'm very condifent that it'll be an awesome jacket.
The LHB is defintely a good choice. However, you shouldn't hesitate to get it modified if you wanted to ... Aero will do the job!

 

[bobjones]

The more posts I read from Jansolo, Ixion, and others, the more I realize that while Aero offers a tremendous array of choices, there is one style that it seems alot of people are interested in, but isn't available.

The jacket style to which I refer (as I have been thinking along the same lines myself for my 2010/2011 Aero) would be to start with a LHB and make some significant changes:

- top pocket that is level, not slanted

- front patch pockets but no slanted handwarmer pockets underneath the flap

- not as long as a Cheyenne/Stockman/Veste but much longer than the Hwyman, etc., the "shorter" range of jackets, kind of a mid-range length

- a plain back without a half belt, with the 3 panel back as in the longer coats

- perhaps a side cinch strap like the Hwyman's, which since there would be no side panels between the front and back ones would be more decorative than functional

- plain to the bottom edge (no designs added like the sewn-on waistband of the Hwyman) - see the 30s HB in the front

- level bottom (no forward lean like the 30s HB)

- a narrower fitting 30s Cossack style sleeve with button closure

- overall, a slimmer fitting jacket meant for just a shirt underneath

- zip-front (no HG-5 flap)

All in all, I think this is what many people are thinking of, just like Jansolo's Cheyenne hybrid, a jacket longer than the HBs but shorter than the car coats.

What do y'all think?

 

[Ixion]

Perhaps...

...something like this?


Click for full size - Uploaded with plasq's Skitch

The Photoshopping is a little rough here. The back seams and missing belt aren't all that convincing. Neither did I feel man enough to try and remove the bi-swing back, but it doesn't make much sense without the half-belt to end it.

Still, I think it gives a decent picture of bobjones's idea. And it's not a bad looking jacket, to my eye. The back looks much more imposing with the three panels in place.

I am pretty intrigued by the straightened chest pocket. I can tell that pocket is going to cause the people at Aero no end of frustration when the time comes.

 

[Creeping Past]

"I can tell that pocket is going to cause the people at Aero no end of frustration when the time comes."

I doubt it.

I don't want to seem like a spoilsport, but Aero's just one company and they offer a fair range of jackets, all of which can be modified to order.

If you want it, order it...

 

[H.Johnson]

One long jacket option that is rarely considered but which I, personally feel has merit is the true half belt style. This was very popular in the 1940s and early 1950s, but the original examples that surface from that era have often lost their belts. People often ask what 'those two buttons are for'! True HBs are not often reproduced, for some reason, but are both attractive and practical. I understand that Eastman does a DB version of a true HB and I have seen modern examples from Vanson.

I have an original Rich-Sher from the early 50s in superb condition, which unfortunately I have 'shrunk out of'. I don't buy new jackets, but if I did, I would consider asking Aero to modify one of their long HBs to a true HB style. It shouldn't be much more expensive that their current version, apart from the cost of the belts.

 

[bobjones]

...something like this?

The Photoshopping is a little rough here. The back seams and missing belt aren't all that convincing. Neither did I feel man enough to try and remove the bi-swing back, but it doesn't make much sense without the half-belt to end it.

Still, I think it gives a decent picture of bobjones's idea. And it's not a bad looking jacket, to my eye. The back looks much more imposing with the three panels in place.

I am pretty intrigued by the straightened chest pocket. I can tell that pocket is going to cause the people at Aero no end of frustration when the time comes.

Good take on what I described, maybe you should work for Aero?

A few edits though:

-the front pockets would be patch ones, and the flaps would be flat, not scalloped

-the pockets should also be further down than how they appear on the LHB

-the cinch straps on back would be on the bottom of the jacket, like the Hwyman, and more for aesthetics than function

-no action back

-jacket should flow straight down, not in the hourglass shape shown.

 

[Sir Jacket]

I think bobjones has it spot on in the post above. I've been trying to convey the idea to Aero. A lengthened Stuart might do it, and that is what I am considering going for.

Sir J

 

[Sir Jacket]

The idea really is brilliant. Here is a before and after shot of the Stuart as I conceive it:

Except that doesn't work. Can anybody explain how to insert pix here? Thanks.