Dear Friends,
My first AERO (1930s Halfbelt) arrived just after Christmas:
Order placed Oct 18th 2010
Shipped Dec 22nd 2010
This jacket is a "JanSolo redux". I chose to go with most of his specifications from his recent jacket.
- Size 42 1930s Halfbelt in seal goatskin.
- 26 inch sleeves
- 27 inch body length. front and back the same length.
- Double leather (leather lined) button cuffs
- All pockets lined with heavy brown corduroy
- Left breast pocket with nickel ball and chain zip
-G1/ M422a style inside pockets in the facing with stud closures.
-Jacket lined with olive Gabardine (B10 cloth).
-“Hangar and two Airmen” label
- 2 inch leather facing on the inside bottom hem.
-Nickel AERO zip and nickel side buckles.
- jacket top stitched with olive drab thread for all seams
-Jacket made by Vicki
The final cost was 580 GBP (550 plus 30 shipping). Plus I was hit w/ another $30 US at my doorstep by the UPS guy!
I have been wearing the jacket almost daily over the last few weeks. It is quite warm. The temps here have gone down into the 20's F and I have been comfortable w/ a light sweater.
Initially the Goat leather was quite stiff, but after only 2 wks you can see that it is conforming nicely to arms. I added 1inch to arms and 2inch to body as JanSolo advised. I think this was a great idea.
The size is a 42. I am 6'1 and 190#. I wear a 43 suit jacket and was a little worried this would be too *slim fit* for me. Thus, I asked Amanda/Vickie to "take tighter turns" in the body to perhaps make it more like a 43. I do not know how much difference this had made, but the jacket certainly is not too tight. I wonder if a 42 would have been? Another forum member had a 42 and was a little lighter than me but said it was a "tight fit", so that is why I made the request.
The only thing I *might* have done differently would be to line the interior pockets w/ a lighter cloth than the corduroy. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the corduroy in the handwarmer pockets! But having internal G1/gun pockets on both sides *plus* handwarmer pockets all lined in corduroy, I can feel a good bit of bulk between the leather and the liner in the front chest/midsection. That said, I think it actually adds INSULATION in that area, and maybe that is why it seems nicely warm??
Here are some pictures:
Thanks for looking,
HC
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