My new Horsehide Vest courtesy of Hillside USA

[Navin323i]

I have to admit that my Aero leather jacket has developed an interest in me for horsehide products, so I decided to add to my wardrobe.

This horsehide vest arrived yesterday and I'm extremely happy with the quality and fitment of the vest. The horsehide is supple and has the distinctive horsehide scent to it.

I ordered the vest from Hillside USA, who are based out of Brooklyn, NY. They make their jackets, vests, and other items in-house.

Customer service was top notch - I spoke with Joseph who I believe is the owner... very easy to deal with.

I ordered their "Basic" horsehide vest but had the button snaps customized using genuine Indian-head nickels. I will not hesitate to buy from them again.

Pictures are below...

Made in the good old USA...

Love the Indian head nickels...

They include a certificate of authenticity for the nickels...

Thanks for looking.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Looks good..and great fit..!!
HD

 

[Edward]

Had a leather waistcoat years ago - think I was about eighteen at the time, and Bob Dylan had recently worn one on an album cover.... gave it away to a friend a few years ago. Mine was satin backed, though - I always thought the leather-backed ones just have abit more of an edge, better suited to being worn as an outer layer themselves. Looks good!

You gonig to have your colours sprayed up on the back?

 

[too much coffee]

Navin;
Very good looking vest! Everytime I watch an old western movie and see the actors wearing vests I always wonder why we don't see more vests today......a great functional garment.

You might wanna link up with Peacoat and HoosierDaddy to go and pick out a new Harley. Seriously, you'd look good on a hawg!

Enjoy it............coffee

 

[Navin323i]

Looks good..and great fit..!!
HD

Thanks HD!!

 

[Navin323i]

Had a leather waistcoat years ago - think I was about eighteen at the time, and Bob Dylan had recently worn one on an album cover.... gave it away to a friend a few years ago. Mine was satin backed, though - I always thought the leather-backed ones just have abit more of an edge, better suited to being worn as an outer layer themselves. Looks good!

You gonig to have your colours sprayed up on the back?

Thanks Edward! What colours are you referring to? Sorry that I missed the joke... I'm having one of those days.

 

[Navin323i]

Navin;
Very good looking vest! Everytime I watch an old western movie and see the actors wearing vests I always wonder why we don't see more vests today......a great functional garment.

You might wanna link up with Peacoat and HoosierDaddy to go and pick out a new Harley. Seriously, you'd look good on a hawg!

Enjoy it............coffee

Thanks Coffee! I agree that the vests are great functional garments, plus I can wear them even in the hot weather we're having now (like under a short sleeve collared polo shirt or something when I'm at work).

I'm afraid I'll have to stick to my BMW daily-driver/showcar sedan... no chance for me being able to ride a hawg or any other bike... because of my blood thinning medication due to my mechanical heart implants make any risk of me falling off the bike a potentially fatal risk for me.

 

[Navin323i]

Have others here ordered from this company before or am I the very first from our site to order from Hillside USA?

 

[jon z]

Have others here ordered from this company before or am I the very first from our site to order from Hillside USA?

Another original item to keep up the interest Navin. Man, they've nailed the fit. Could've have been tailored for you specifically. Not heard of Hillside but I'm sure gonna check out their offerings based on your experience with them.
John

 

[Navin323i]

Another original item to keep up the interest Navin. Man, they've nailed the fit. Could've have been tailored for you specifically. Not heard of Hillside but I'm sure gonna check out their offerings based on your experience with them.
John

Thanks John! The first time they actually sent me a size 46 which is the size indicated on my Aero jacket. However that vest was too tight in my abdominal area so I went up a size to a 48 and the fitment is perfect!

Definitely check them out... their pricing is quite good for their horsehide products, plus they'll send out free samples of their horsehide (not sure about international customers though... definitely for their domestic customers).

I didn't see the option for ordering their basic vest with the Indian head nickel snap buttons, but I called Joseph at Hillside USA and told him that's what I wanted and he was more than willing to oblige me (I paid $20 extra for the custom snap buttons, but that was worth it for me).

 

[jon z]

Hey $20 is a steal for such a nice customisation detail. What inspired you Navin?
John

 

[roadking04]

Hi Navin. Glad you liked your hillside vest. I had one of thier ultimate horsehide vest and was very disapointed. First, I'm not really sure that it was horsehide. Some sections on the inside appeared to be a rubbery substance. Also looked like it was pieced together. It was made of smaller scrap sections that didn't match. And it was also very thin. Two of the four snaps had a very weak closure. I bought a vest from foxcreek and it was far better in my opinion, for about the same price. By the way, I like your NYPD jacket. I have a motorcycle jacket on order and I hope mine turns out as great as yours.

 

[1087]

Here is mine, Russet Horsehide,
Love it!

 

[andy richards]

Very nice vest, Navin! Looks good on you. Congrats!
Andy

 

[andy richards]

Very nice vest, Navin! Looks good on you. Congrats!
Andy

 

[Navin323i]

Hey $20 is a steal for such a nice customisation detail. What inspired you Navin?
John

Inspiration for the vest itself or the snap buttons? My inspiration for the vest came from the fact I used to wear vests when performing on stage in my younger years (prior to me getting married I'd perform both live and on television both singing and playing the electric violin... mostly to Bollywood film music but my violin training was specifically in western classical music).

Years back when I was in college I had a cool looking rust colored leather vest that I bought from a vendor from India but is now gone (must have donated it years back when it got too small for me). I also have a camel hair vest that I got at an outdoor shopping festival in New Delhi, India back in 2000, which I still have in my closet.

Inspiration for the snap buttons probably comes from the fact that I collect coins, plus the fact that I wanted to customize my horsehide vest to be a bit different from the norm, hence my decision to go with the Indian head nickels.

 

[Navin323i]

Hi Navin. Glad you liked your hillside vest. I had one of thier ultimate horsehide vest and was very disapointed. First, I'm not really sure that it was horsehide. Some sections on the inside appeared to be a rubbery substance. Also looked like it was pieced together. It was made of smaller scrap sections that didn't match. And it was also very thin. Two of the four snaps had a very weak closure. I bought a vest from foxcreek and it was far better in my opinion, for about the same price. By the way, I like your NYPD jacket. I have a motorcycle jacket on order and I hope mine turns out as great as yours.

Hi Roadking,

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with their ultimate horsehide vest. Did you communicate your experiences to Hillside USA? Joseph, the owner, made it clear to me that his goal is to ensure that every customer is happy in the end. Fortunately I haven't encountered any of the issues you had like the weak button snap closures nor any mismatched panels. The horsehide definitely feels real to me and smells like horsehide. I know they have their own dedicated supplier for horsehide and that the supplier is based out of the U.S.

Thank you so much for the kind words about my NYPD jacket. I swear that everytime I put that jacket on I can feel my grandfather's presence by my side, plus it's definitely the best-fitting jacket I've ever owned.

Congrats on the motorcycle jacket!! Is it an Aero jacket? Please do post up pics when you get the jacket and if you don't mind, shoot me a PM letting me know you've posted up the pics... I'm getting so old that I'd probably miss seeing your post. lol

 

[Navin323i]

Here is mine, Russet Horsehide,
Love it!

WOW!!!!!!!

What a beautiful colored vest!!! If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the vest from?

 

[Navin323i]

Very nice vest, Navin! Looks good on you. Congrats!
Andy

Thank you so much, Andy!!

 

[jon z]

Inspiration for the vest itself or the snap buttons? My inspiration for the vest came from the fact I used to wear vests when performing on stage in my younger years (prior to me getting married I'd perform both live and on television both singing and playing the electric violin... mostly to Bollywood film music but my violin training was specifically in western classical music).

Years back when I was in college I had a cool looking rust colored leather vest that I bought from a vendor from India but is now gone (must have donated it years back when it got too small for me). I also have a camel hair vest that I got at an outdoor shopping festival in New Delhi, India back in 2000, which I still have in my closet.

Inspiration for the snap buttons probably comes from the fact that I collect coins, plus the fact that I wanted to customize my horsehide vest to be a bit different from the norm, hence my decision to go with the Indian head nickels.

I meant inspiration for the buttons as it intrigued me as to why anyone would think of such a snappy idea.

It's also very interesting to know the background of your passion for vests as well as finding out your not only a talented musician but a TV star to boot.

I'm humbled Navin
John