Hey all!
After a 6 month wait, my Aero ACE Half Belt is finally here! It is a size 44, with 1 inch added to the body and sleeves, a 30's half belt shoulder yoke, and a vertical inside pocket in the leather facing. The ACE Half Belt is based on the 50's half belt, but features zip cuffs and dual adjustment straps. I particularly like the dual straps - they perfectly match the width of the belt. I chose to forgo the collar snaps as I felt they were unneccessary and unattractive. In the following pics, I tucked in my shirt so you could see the length. I think my torso is a little short for my height (6 feet tall with a 34" inseam), but you can see that the hem comes about 2" below my belt. For this type of jacket, I think the length is perfect. The sleeves are cut long - I hate sleeves that ride up, and I need the extra length when I ride my motorcycle.
The fit is perfect, the sleeve length is just what I wanted, and it looks like all the details I requested are there. The only thing missing is the leather kidney panel on the inside, but I requested that fairly late in the game, so I sort of expected it would be forgotten. I really like some of the changes that Aero has made, like the warm, soft pocket linings. The Brown Drill Cloth in the sleeves seems much softer and smoother than the black drill in my Highwayman.
My only issue with the jacket is that the FQHH actually seems surprisingly thin. I must have gotten a thinner hide than the usual stuff, because it seems that most people say theat their horsehide is thick, stiff, and and armor-like. I have a recent (made in May 2009) Highwayman in Steerhide that I bought in December, and I have handled another steerhide Aero - both of these jackets are much heavier and the leather seems to be significantly thicker. The Highwayman in particular exhibits the stiffness, weight, and almost unwieldy thickness that I was expecting from Aero's Horse. The ACE Half belt that I received is actually quite easy to move in, and quite soft and pliable. I know it sounds odd to complain about a jacket that is easier to wear, but I was surprised.
Nonetheless, the jacket is a phenomenal piece of workmanship, and the fit is so much better than I expected. I didn't think it was possible to get this good of a fit through a mail-order company. It's absolutely perfect in cut - something I have never achieved before with a jacket. I thought that Aero took your measurements and assigned you a generic size, but Mark told me that my jacket was custom cut just for me.
The Locharron lining looks amazing, and I did some research so I could use my family tartan (MacNaughton Weathered). Luckily, the pattern happened to look good as well - I chose the weathered version of the tartan, and I am very happy with how it looks with the Brown Horsehide.
This is the jacket I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get for 10 years, and I am very satisfied with it. I'm really looking forward to giving it some good wear.
Anyway, here are some not so great pics - let me know what you think:
After a 6 month wait, my Aero ACE Half Belt is finally here! It is a size 44, with 1 inch added to the body and sleeves, a 30's half belt shoulder yoke, and a vertical inside pocket in the leather facing. The ACE Half Belt is based on the 50's half belt, but features zip cuffs and dual adjustment straps. I particularly like the dual straps - they perfectly match the width of the belt. I chose to forgo the collar snaps as I felt they were unneccessary and unattractive. In the following pics, I tucked in my shirt so you could see the length. I think my torso is a little short for my height (6 feet tall with a 34" inseam), but you can see that the hem comes about 2" below my belt. For this type of jacket, I think the length is perfect. The sleeves are cut long - I hate sleeves that ride up, and I need the extra length when I ride my motorcycle.
The fit is perfect, the sleeve length is just what I wanted, and it looks like all the details I requested are there. The only thing missing is the leather kidney panel on the inside, but I requested that fairly late in the game, so I sort of expected it would be forgotten. I really like some of the changes that Aero has made, like the warm, soft pocket linings. The Brown Drill Cloth in the sleeves seems much softer and smoother than the black drill in my Highwayman.
My only issue with the jacket is that the FQHH actually seems surprisingly thin. I must have gotten a thinner hide than the usual stuff, because it seems that most people say theat their horsehide is thick, stiff, and and armor-like. I have a recent (made in May 2009) Highwayman in Steerhide that I bought in December, and I have handled another steerhide Aero - both of these jackets are much heavier and the leather seems to be significantly thicker. The Highwayman in particular exhibits the stiffness, weight, and almost unwieldy thickness that I was expecting from Aero's Horse. The ACE Half belt that I received is actually quite easy to move in, and quite soft and pliable. I know it sounds odd to complain about a jacket that is easier to wear, but I was surprised.
Nonetheless, the jacket is a phenomenal piece of workmanship, and the fit is so much better than I expected. I didn't think it was possible to get this good of a fit through a mail-order company. It's absolutely perfect in cut - something I have never achieved before with a jacket. I thought that Aero took your measurements and assigned you a generic size, but Mark told me that my jacket was custom cut just for me.
The Locharron lining looks amazing, and I did some research so I could use my family tartan (MacNaughton Weathered). Luckily, the pattern happened to look good as well - I chose the weathered version of the tartan, and I am very happy with how it looks with the Brown Horsehide.
This is the jacket I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get for 10 years, and I am very satisfied with it. I'm really looking forward to giving it some good wear.
Anyway, here are some not so great pics - let me know what you think:
