New Aero "Real Deal"

[fedoralover]

Well I finally got my Aero "Real Deal" in russet horse hide with beacon rust knits. Let me say before I talk about it that I am not an A-2 know it all. All you jackaholics already know what is and is not period accurate on them. My comments are only in comparision to my Avirex and my US Authentic and mostly MY OWN personally likes and dislikes. I love the leather, the weight is much lighter than the US Authentic, but heavier than the Avirex. The color in the photos is dead on in my monitor. It has a fair amount of jerky graining. I would have preferred more, but you get what you get. The pics shown are after I wore it around for about 2 hours after I lightly dampened it. The sleeves are much narrower than I'm used to on my Avirex but obviously more true to the originals. I paid $200 more for it than the US Authentic and waited a little over 6 weeks to get it, verses one week for the US Auth. Was it worth it. For me definitely yes. The color is so much richer on it, plus the finish and weight are exactly what I wanted. It's not a perfect jacket, the Real Deal is made from a lower quality leather than they use on their other jackets and you can see some spots that were touched up, but its still miles ahead of the US Auth and the Avirex. Mark Moye was great to work with, he is such a great communicator that after the transaction is complete you feel more like friends than just buyer and seller. Here's some pics.

I edited this to put in this pic of me wearing the US Authentic so you can see the difference in color.

fedoralover

 

[Fletch]

Sharp. It's got that je ne sais quoi.

What lid are you wearing here?

 

[fedoralover]

Sharp. It's got that je ne sais quoi.

What lid are you wearing here?

It's a Stetson Royal Deluxe with a whipped stitch edge.

Here's a shot of the shoulder showing the graining.

Here's a shot of the pocket flap, it was actually more scalloped than I expected it to be.

fedoralover

 

[greyhound68]

Nice looking jacket. How does the length compare to your other jacket?

 

[Feraud]

Nice jacket! That is what I call russet.

 

[fedoralover]

Nice looking jacket. How does the length compare to your other jacket?

About the same as the Avirex and a little shorter than the US Authentic. It comes just to below my belt which is where I like them to be. I think the sleeves are maybe a bit long but I think that after they wrinkle up some more they will be fine.

fedoralover

 

[scotrace]

Woth every penny and every moment of wait

I'm beaming for you! The color is really, really fantastic. Fits you well, great hide, it has it all.


Wear it well.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I absolutely love the color of that jacket. It is everything a horsehide jacket should be. I amazed and I congratulate you on one of the most beautiful jackets I have ever seen.

 

[ldmax]

Oh my! That is a gorgeous jacket. It fits you perfectly. The color and grain is fabulous. I think I finally know what I want.

I'd like to see a report from you with photos as your jacket wears - maybe in 6 months or so.

Congrats on your jacket - you look great in it!

Anthony Clark

 

[Sefton]

It looks great on you. Perfect with the hat! I've got the Real Deal from Aero in a seal brown and I love it. I've had it for a year and a half and it really ages well. I wear it to work often and it can take serious wear and tear. I'll try to post some pictures of how mine's broken in soon. Again,great looking jacket sir!:eusa_clap

 

[Spitfire]

Wow!!! Nice jacket. Worth waiting for, I guesse.:eusa_clap
I had the same experience with the people at Aero, when bought my RAF 1936 pattern boots. Great communicators, serviceminded bunch.

 

[PADDY]

beautiful russet A-2

Wear it in good health :eusa_clap

 

[fedoralover]

It looks great on you. Perfect with the hat! I've got the Real Deal from Aero in a seal brown and I love it. I've had it for a year and a half and it really ages well. I wear it to work often and it can take serious wear and tear. I'll try to post some pictures of how mine's broken in soon. Again,great looking jacket sir!:eusa_clap

Please do post some pics of yours. I'd like to see the seal brown, especially after some breaking in. I've taken Marks advice and have been misting mine with tap water and then wearing it till it's dry. I did that about 6 times yesterday and it made a huge difference already.

fedoralover

 

[Feraud]

I've taken Marks advice and have been misting mine with tap water and then wearing it till it's dry. I did that about 6 times yesterday and it made a huge difference already.

fedoralover

Do you mean difference in terms of fit or finish?

 

[fedoralover]

The fit, it really helped the arm creases to set in. It didn't change the finish at all. It just helped the leather to break in and not be so stiff. I wore it about 7 hours yesterday and misted it 7 or 8 times and briefly wore it in the rain a couple times just to where it got damp. I then either drove around or sat and read a book, both thing helped me to keep my arms bent, sinking in the arm creases. I never drenched the jacket, I only dampened it. It would dry in about 10 to 15 minutes.

fedoralover

 

[Feraud]

Got it.
The knits on the Aero are great too! That color is one of my favorite details.

 

[Spitfire]

The fit, it really helped the arm creases to set in. It didn't change the finish at all. It just helped the leather to break in and not be so stiff. I wore it about 7 hours yesterday and misted it 7 or 8 times and briefly wore it in the rain a couple times just to where it got damp. I then either drove around or sat and read a book, both thing helped me to keep my arms bent, sinking in the arm creases. I never drenched the jacket, I only dampened it. It would dry in about 10 to 15 minutes.

fedoralover

The alternative to sweating it through in a narrow cockpit, with a ME109 on your tail. Right?lol

 

[Better Duck]

Great jacket, love the outfit, anybody ever tell you that, at least on this photograph you look a bit like David Niven in his better days? (at least with this hat on..)

Peter

 

[Mr. 'H']

Fedoralover - it looks great. Once again your garden is amazing, an inspiration!

I would love to see which lining you went for. I've ordered the blanket for my halfbelt.

 

[fedoralover]

It was just their standard mustard colored lining they use in their A-2s.

fedoralover