New Johnson Leather Custom Half Belt Pictorial

[Cooperson]

Stunning jacket!

 

[Vespizzare]

I, too, want to add my voice to the choir of praise. I've been thinking of getting almost the exact same jacket from JL and you provide a great example. I'd like to know about the lining and how warm it is in what kind of weather. Thanks in advance.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

I have a JL half belt and an Aero. I think the JL is better made. And the pattern is better too. If I lift up my arms in the Aero, the whole jacket rises up to my head. I do the same with the JL and the jacket sits where it's supposed to be - around my torso.

JL's build quality is indeed very impressive. Based on the jackets I've owned, I would agree that JL edges out Aero (and Langlitz) when it comes to the quality of construction. Regarding the half belts, I wonder how much your situation had to do with the pattern versus JL simply fitting better?

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

I, too, want to add my voice to the choir of praise. I've been thinking of getting almost the exact same jacket from JL and you provide a great example. I'd like to know about the lining and how warm it is in what kind of weather. Thanks in advance.

The lining is a merino wool with a backing material to increase durability. It's very comfortable against the skin and and has proven to be warm at temperatures around freezing. I called Alan yesterday to thank him for the jacket and he informed me that he thought he still had enough of that particular wool to make one more jacket.

 

[majormajor]

A very nice looking jacket

 

[Fanch]

Yep, it is a very good looking jacket, and the fit appears to be spot on. I really like the body length as well, which seems to be somewhere between an Aero Half Belt and LHB. Accurate assessment? Forest, do you know off hand what the back length is? Anyhow, the overall effect is A-OK!:thumb:

 

[Vespizzare]

I'm also very attuned to the length and it being between a HB and LHB sums up my concept totally. My JL M-200 is 22" in back and there's 4" between the back hem and my saddle so I figure 26" (or maybe 25 1/2) in back will be perfect (with a 2-way zipper in front). I have to admit, though, that while every bit of logic says to go with JL, I'm curious about what the Alexander Leathers website will look like in just a few days.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Well for a jacket length to end just where a customer wants is probably different for each individual. Most of us may have different body measurements. I like mine at 26 1/2". That lays right on top of my back pockets(for me)with the HalfBelt style. Rather than guessing..just ask the jacket maker exactly where to measure from down to the top of your back pockets(or where ever you want it to end). He should then be able to easily meet those measurements. Afterall 'Made to measurements'..or custom made means just that.
HD

 

[Seb Lucas]

JL's build quality is indeed very impressive. Based on the jackets I've owned, I would agree that JL edges out Aero (and Langlitz) when it comes to the quality of construction. Regarding the half belts, I wonder how much your situation had to do with the pattern versus JL simply fitting better?

It's the pattern. Both jackets fit properly. It is a real artform making a leather jacket that doesn't ride up when you lift your arms. The only other company that understands this is Gibson and Barnes. You lift up your arms in one of theirs and the jacket stays put.

 

[Cooperson]

It is a good looking pattern, doesn't have any of those unsightly folds and creases you so often see running up from the arm pits to the shoulders. Great cut!

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

Regarding the jacket length:

My black M-200 based jacket is 23" from the collar seam to the bottom of the jacket, while my brown M-200L based half belt is 25". When I called Alan to start to work through the details of this jacket, I told him I wanted something a couple of inches longer than the first jacket. He steered me right to the M-200L as a base to work from. Based on the cut of the jacket and what I was after, he recommended that I go down to a size 40 as a starting point (as opposed to the 42 I started with on the M-200). The test fit jacket confirmed that his suggestion was spot on - I stuck with the stock body length.

 

[Fanch]

I really like the jacket length on you. As HD pointed out a day or so ago, the optimal back length of a jacket will vary according to the height of the individual. My "sweet spot" for a jacket that hits an inch or so below my belt is the same as that of HD: 26.5 inches. For your latest JL jacket, I would need about 28.5 inches. Any longer might make sitting on a heavy leather jacket a problem for me.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

Yes, I agree with HD as well. As stated, In my case, all modifications were based off of the fit of the test fit jacket and the pictures I sent back to JL to determine how the stock dimensions would need to vary to ensure the fit I was after. So while I never talked to Alan about specific final dimension, we did talk about things like shortening the sleeves by one inch, taking in the shoulders by .5 inches per side, etc. the end result is the same when executed properly. Knowing what you want and being able to communicate that with the maker is key, regardless of the method used. The rest is in their hands.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

I've received a few inquiries about ordering leather directly from Horween. I would mention that the leather is sold in Single Horse Front units (hides) which are 9 square feet to 11 square feet per hide on average. So you don't order a specific number of square feet, but instead the number of hides needed (based on that average) to cover the amount required for the given jacket plus some extra so that the cutter can select the most suitable parts of the hide.

Horween sends out plenty of swatches for the finishes and colors they have available once you've decided on a certain hide. This is what they had available for Chromexcel horse hide when I contacted them:

 

[Deleted member 16736]

One of the neat things about Alan's shop is he will take a trashed old jacket off eBay or wherever and make you a new one in your size for the charge of making a cloth mark-up. If the jacket is in your size, he may not even charge it, I don't know. But you shouldn't feel constrained by his patterns. If you find something else you like better, send it to Alan and he can probably make it for you.

In my case, he took an old jacket in his possession and copied it. I didn't even need a mark-up, and it fit perfectly. The problem is, it's very heavy (black steer). It's based on a 30's motorcycle jacket that we added a half-belt to. I'll sell at some point and have him make another one in horsehide (he didn't have any at the time).

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

Yes, it seems that Alan has developed a good feel for when a mock-up piece is needed, or if he can use a different, less time-intensive method to determine the best fit. I'm guessing that depends a lot on how much the design a person has in mind varies from one of their stock jackets, which aren't even all listed on their website. For those that like to obsess over every small detail of their jacket design, I have a hard time imagining finding a more patient person to work with.