New Aero Zip Sleeve Highwayman, LOVE IT!!!

[nick123]

The Comet! Stratospheric fit!

 

[navetsea]

all great fitting and look superb Mendel, the comet looks super cool around the shoulder and neck

 

[Monitor]

They're all really perfect, Mendel. I like Model B the most but the Two Tone is definitely you. It just aged so perfectly... Can't imagine how cool it will be after few more years. Makes me wish I had kept my J106 but then again it didn't fit me nowhere as cool as yours does. I wish I had been more dedicated to wearing and sticking by any of my jackets... But that's about to change. Comet looks killer and the HWM is seriously approaching Dav's jacket in terms of character and patina. Which is a great thing.

 

[Duck]

That Highwayman. ......

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T337A using Tapatalk

 

[dan_t]

Love that zip sleeve Highwayman, we just don't see enough of them around here. Not really sure why....
Here's mine, at more than 20 years old....
(not trying to hijack the thread, just show some lovin'...)

 

[mendelboaz]

^Lovely jacket, Dan! Can't even begin to imagine how wonderfully soft that steerhide must be after 20 years... Still a great score, that one. Your jacket is worthy of a hijack!

And thank you ALL! I am smitten with all of my jackets, but it just plain sucks I'm not wearing them as much as I'd like since there's four of them and I either am at work or sit at home watching How I Met Your Mother-- neither of which are very heavy jacket-wearing activities. Gosh, I sure miss high school... Nothing better than kicking it through the school hallways like a badass all day long with my bithcin' leather jackets.

Ivan, trust me... while my jackets may look the part in the photographs, they all have a LONG way before being properly broken in. Leather on all is still quite stiff at times and there's much to be desired in the grain/patina department. That said, I'm sticking by these jackets, weight loss or no weight loss. I just know that in 5 years, I'll be even more glad I did than I am right now. I've never hit the 2 year mark on any of my jackets. My Schott 618 Perfecto came close at 1 year 10 months (during that period I only wore one other jacket and I wore both all day, everyday), my HWM is almost at 1 year 11 months but with not even half as much wear. I'm still kicking myself for selling my Schott jackets... when I'm feeling down in the dumps I can just look at pictures of them and it's like I got dumped by every girl ever all over again. In case the fine folks whom I sold my Schott 618 and Schott 641HH to: I will GLADLY take them off your hands. Especially the 641HH.

Moral of the story: people, STICK BY YOUR JACKET(S). Don't be too nitpicky about fit, length, the way it looks on you or what other people may think of it. If it feels right, wear the frigging thing and never ever think about taking it off. You might even shower, sleep or make love in it. I have done two of those three, you figure out which ones. I have read way too many comments of people complimenting me on my HWM, and wishing they'd kept theirs. Give the tough son of a gun a chance to grow on you, don't judge it too much by its slight imperfections.. It's your jacket, and if you never fully embrace it as yours, how can it ever truly become YOUR jacket?

But then again, if it really doesn't feel right, it wasn't meant to be. Sell it on and learn from it. The more you own, the more you learn about what you want. My first one felt right immediately, though. That Schott 618 was MINE and mine alone, and I was stupid enough to sell it. Literally one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Yeah, sure, it's just a jacket. But I got it at a time when I was discovering a whole new world of awesome leather jackets, rock 'n roll and whiskey. The life of a 16 year old teenager finding himself in this crazy, fudged up world we call 'life'. That's what that jacket means to me. Haven't ever felt such a connection with any other jacket I got. Getting a new or other used Schott 618 isn't gonna cut it either, because it isn't mine.

Wear your jacket and live life together. Sentimental Mendel out.

 

[willyto]

I think when most of us admire vintage leather jackets and the guys in pictures wearing them we usually forget that it used to be their one and only leather jacket, they wore it everywhere, everyday doing almost everything so no wonder most of them have that awesome patina and are well broken in.

When you have a lot of jackets, neither of them get much use so the break in process takes years and it's there when people start to look for a fast alternative to reproduce that effect. We all have the collector bug in us but I wonder if we could stick with just one single jacket and wait for the results to show up.

 

[Harris HTM]

since there's four of them and I either am at work or sit at home watching How I Met Your Mother-- neither of which are very heavy jacket-wearing activities.

I usually go to work lightly dressed so I have a nice excuse to move around the office on my leather jacket - well today it was really warm to do so! Last week my boss dropped by, I was wearing my new Shackleton. His reaction was: "Again a new leather mr. Leather Jacket?".
By the way, I broke in my Mariner wearing it every evening at home. Imagine somebody in his underpants sitting on his sofa with a heavy leather peacoat.

 

[BobJ]

"Imagine somebody in his underpants sitting on his sofa with a heavy leather peacoat."

I didn't want to, but now I can't get it out of my brain!

 

[mendelboaz]

^^LOL been there, done that.

 

[nick123]

^^LOL been there, done that.

*Noted if any of your jackets end up in the classifieds.

 

[mendelboaz]

Ha! I'll see pigs fly before I'll consider selling any one of my jackets.

 

[navetsea]

agree, as long as the leather has grown to fit your frame, either through time or through rain/ wetting, they would look nice even when the fit is not 100 spot on. many of people here would have been a very happy person with his only one leather jacket in whatever hide and whatever fit it may be to go on with their life with a very healthy saving account, had they never found this site to hang around...
on the other hand leather jacket vendors probably wouldn't be as happy that way...

 

[Monitor]

^Lovely jacket, Dan! Can't even begin to imagine how wonderfully soft that steerhide must be after 20 years... Still a great score, that one. Your jacket is worthy of a hijack!

And thank you ALL! I am smitten with all of my jackets, but it just plain sucks I'm not wearing them as much as I'd like since there's four of them and I either am at work or sit at home watching How I Met Your Mother-- neither of which are very heavy jacket-wearing activities. Gosh, I sure miss high school... Nothing better than kicking it through the school hallways like a badass all day long with my bithcin' leather jackets.

Ivan, trust me... while my jackets may look the part in the photographs, they all have a LONG way before being properly broken in. Leather on all is still quite stiff at times and there's much to be desired in the grain/patina department. That said, I'm sticking by these jackets, weight loss or no weight loss. I just know that in 5 years, I'll be even more glad I did than I am right now. I've never hit the 2 year mark on any of my jackets. My Schott 618 Perfecto came close at 1 year 10 months (during that period I only wore one other jacket and I wore both all day, everyday), my HWM is almost at 1 year 11 months but with not even half as much wear. I'm still kicking myself for selling my Schott jackets... when I'm feeling down in the dumps I can just look at pictures of them and it's like I got dumped by every girl ever all over again. In case the fine folks whom I sold my Schott 618 and Schott 641HH to: I will GLADLY take them off your hands. Especially the 641HH.

Moral of the story: people, STICK BY YOUR JACKET(S). Don't be too nitpicky about fit, length, the way it looks on you or what other people may think of it. If it feels right, wear the frigging thing and never ever think about taking it off. You might even shower, sleep or make love in it. I have done two of those three, you figure out which ones. I have read way too many comments of people complimenting me on my HWM, and wishing they'd kept theirs. Give the tough son of a gun a chance to grow on you, don't judge it too much by its slight imperfections.. It's your jacket, and if you never fully embrace it as yours, how can it ever truly become YOUR jacket?

But then again, if it really doesn't feel right, it wasn't meant to be. Sell it on and learn from it. The more you own, the more you learn about what you want. My first one felt right immediately, though. That Schott 618 was MINE and mine alone, and I was stupid enough to sell it. Literally one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Yeah, sure, it's just a jacket. But I got it at a time when I was discovering a whole new world of awesome leather jackets, rock 'n roll and whiskey. The life of a 16 year old teenager finding himself in this crazy, fudged up world we call 'life'. That's what that jacket means to me. Haven't ever felt such a connection with any other jacket I got. Getting a new or other used Schott 618 isn't gonna cut it either, because it isn't mine.

Wear your jacket and live life together. Sentimental Mendel out.

This is exactly what I was thinking about a lot lately. It's all about sticking by your jackets. I think it was the movies for me that got me into this stupid hobby; Indiana Jones and that jacket of his for example. TBH I think I could've achieved what I'm after with just any decent looking jacket. But what do I do? I land some really great jacket and then sell them all without ever even giving it a chance.

One of those was the 618HH which I also infinitely regret selling. That jacket checked way too many boxes for me to give up on it so easily but I was dumb enough to fall for many uneducated opinions from people who didn't have a first clue about anything.
Sure, many jackets that I've been through were in many aspects better than that 618 but knowing that the perfection doesn't exist, I now know that that jacket was simply good enough. Perfect enough, even.

Same as how I'm still kicking myself for letting go of my Aero CR, which was also one of the best jackets I've ever seen - if not the best. I mean, look at this:



Seriously, can you imagine a better looking Cafe Racer? It's a perfection. I don't even want to think about how cool it would look by now if I decided to actually stick by it, instead of nitpick on some inane little detail I perceived as an issue at the time. I honestly hope Aero still has it somewhere so that when I earn some money some day, I could buy it back. I will gladly pay twice for it. Aero, if you're reading this, save it for me!

So yeah, sure, I could've just as easily saved myself a few (hundred) dollars but I take comfort in the fact that if I didn't take on this stupid quest, I probably would never have known what I know now and I never would've appreciate the things that I love about the jackets that I plan on making a keepers.

Well anyway, now I'm back to Schott. Not because I think they're the best but because I just happened to land one that is all that I had wanted from a jacket. It is a mere coincidence is made by Schott. Best part? It's got the same vibe as that 618 that I sold and just knowing that this jacket is gonna age the same way that 618 did, well, this alone makes it all worth it.

I gotta tell you though, Mendel; that 641HH... These are all beautiful jackets that you have posted here but that 641HH, man, that was it. And you sold it just when it really started turning into what I believe we all want from our jackets. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you selling it was a mistake. Heck I'm guilty of doing the same thing, so it would be hypocritical to even hint at it but I just think it was the best looking one you had. Well, with the Two Tone.

 

[Bern1]

Nice jacket Mendel, looks like it suits you perfectly! The others look killer as well! I have some catching up to do!

 

[jacketjunkie]

Thanks JJ, remember that all that matters is you feel good in a jacket!

I got my standard size 40 Comet through Thurston, as it makes for a shorter wait time than going through Vanson. It measures 24" in the back, Vanson lengthened the Conet by 1" last year. I'm 5'8" and wear mid to high-rise jeans. I think a 23" jacket would suit me better when I wear my t shirt tucked in. The Comet is pretty long in the front.

Thank you. Where do you have the Info from that Vanson added 1" to the length? Cannot find anything on their website and their measurement chart still puts the Comet at 22.5" backlength as opposed to your 24" backlength. I would instantly order a Comet/Mercury if I could be sure it's at least 23.5" and not 22.5 as in the chart.

 

[mendelboaz]

That Aero CR sure was very nice indeed, Ivan... why did you end up selling? Was it the back length or the brown hue coming through very fast on the black horsehide?

Please tell me you got a Schott 641xx in black horsehide!!

@jacketjunkie Carrie from Thurston Bros told me the info about the longer back length. The Vanson measurement chart is out of date. Your best bet would be to email Carrie or Wade and request an order for a regular Comet.

 

[Monitor]

That Aero CR sure was very nice indeed, Ivan... why did you end up selling? Was it the back length or the brown hue coming through very fast on the black horsehide?

Brown hue but the length was bothering me as well. It was the combination of the two. If I had kept it, I guess the wear would eventually even out but TBH I wasn't particularly happy with the accelerated wear.

And close, Mendel. It's the CM1 or slightly modified CAF1. Also in black horsehide!

 

[mendelboaz]

^ :O THAT'S PURE GOLD!!! IT'S GONNA BE PERFECT !!!!!

 

[davyjones007]

Mendelboaz: all your jackets look great. they seem to fit you like they were made for you and not just that tailored look but something more. anyway, wear the heck out of them and keep posting pics every couple of years just to show them off