New Leather Jacket

[jdj]

After countless hours of research and reading post after post from various forums I finally got a jacket I like and did it within my budget. I must say this probably one of the best forums for info any where on the net. I looked at quite a few jackets but came to the conclusion that the Highwayman was the style I liked the best. However budget restrictions and long lead times forced me to seek a vendor other than Aero. The only place that would make it for me was San Diego Leather Jacket. The samples they sent were first rate and I finally decided on a very heavy top grain cowhide not shown on their website. Nancy was exceptional as far as customer service and the price was very reasonable. While they don't do custom she did taper the jacket, add an inch to the sleeves and make the neck hole to the correct size. I also added a thinsulate lining and eliminated the inner knit cuff. I apologize for my poor photography skills and will try and post some better pictures. I know they got some bad reviews but in all fairness the jacket I received and the service made this a great deal.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36920064@N02/3401298645/

 

[OneEyeMan]

That's a great looking jacket!
Just curious why you eliminated the inner knit cuffs?
And your picture looks fine.
Take some other views and close ups.
And, finally, if you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost?
Be gentle cuz I have an Aero Highwayman coming and my wife doesn't appreciate how much it cost! :eusa_doh:
Lenny

 

[Flitcraft]

Wow! You didn't say what it cost, but thats a pretty sweet looking jacket.
Good job!

 

[jdj]

Cost

Gentlemen,

It cost a little over $320.00 with shipping. And I sent it back once to have it tapered an 1.5 inches (zero at the armpit down to 1.5 at the waist). I think the leather is probably 3.5 to 4 oz. . The grain is excellent although the pictures really don't come close to doing it justice and I plan to have some one a bit better with a camera than shot it. The fit is pretty good although I probably could have got away with a 42 but the 44 will allow for a sweater underneath come winter. They turned it around in two weeks and Nancy kept in contact the entire time, her and Tony really are some very nice people. The leather will have to break in as it creaks and squeaks like it should. It is supple but tough and the finish is very uniform as is the thickness. I compared their basic cowhide to G&B and found it nicer and this stuff blew away quite a few premium manufacturers samples.

As for the knit cuffs, I find them bit cumbersome when driving and even putting the jacket on and taking it off. I also like the satin lining for ease of removal and the thinsulate gives it some structure and adds some additional warmth for the winter months in the northeast. The only option I probably should have gotten was leather lined pockets.

This the first one they ever made and they did it from a picture I sent them and a phone call. So for anybody on a budget or in a hurry here's an alternative. I would recommend specifying the heavy steerhide, the stock offering is nice but this stuff is much nicer. This thing weighs in at 5lbs.

 

[omar]

That sounds custom to me! I'll take a second look at San Diego after this, I had a similar experience with Leather coats etc. {Excelled} A little personal contact goes a long way; best wishes, Omar

 

[alden405]

looks like a million $

be proud,good price as well!

 

[buler]

That looks great. Having just done a custom jacket with Johnson Leathers in San Fran, I know what a process it is. Its such a pleasure when the final product turns out so well.

B

 

[jdj]

That sounds custom to me! I'll take a second look at San Diego after this, I had a similar experience with Leather coats etc. {Excelled} A little personal contact goes a long way; best wishes, Omar

They don't seem to offer authentic mil spec or screen correct Indy jackets but their motorcycle jackets looked pretty good. I think they are family owned company so that usually means pride in workmanship. I was pretty specific and they seem to have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to explaining what they can do and what to expect.

 

[bobjones]

They don't seem to offer authentic mil spec or screen correct Indy jackets but their motorcycle jackets looked pretty good. I think they are family owned company so that usually means pride in workmanship. I was pretty specific and they seem to have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to explaining what they can do and what to expect.

Depending upon what you were looking for in a hide, the G&B goat is stupendous, second only to Aero FQHH. It is lightweight and very strong, and the G&B Expo was about $150 more than you paid.

To be fair, it is exceedingly difficult to judge a vendor's hide qualities by swatches alone, though unfortunately, it may be all one has to go by to make a decision.

BTW Buler, how did it go with Johnson, I've spoken with them before and they were moderate to expensive, but look like they did excellent work.

 

[cloudspotter]

cost

jdj - congrats to your beautiful jacket! may it keep you warm and protect you from the wrath of today's world! good job, well done .

for the cost: this is absolutely OK from my point of view. even in cheap discount, over here in germany, you'll get nothing reasonnable below 250 euro's - which must be around 325 bucks for you guys. i wonder how belstaff is gettin' rid of its stuff - they retail it over here for over 1000 euro's per jacket, and the leather is scrap for my use.

i really fear (but hope they do not!) that aero walks the usual way with big order books: turn down quality, rise prices. that would be really sad, i hope they stick with their top-quality-for-reasonnable-price approach. world economics need more of this thinking (sorry for beeing off-topic, but all this comes into my mind when i look at such a really nice made peace of clothing).

 

[buler]

Depending upon what you were looking for in a hide, the G&B goat is stupendous, second only to Aero FQHH. It is lightweight and very strong, and the G&B Expo was about $150 more than you paid.

To be fair, it is exceedingly difficult to judge a vendor's hide qualities by swatches alone, though unfortunately, it may be all one has to go by to make a decision.

BTW Buler, how did it go with Johnson, I've spoken with them before and they were moderate to expensive, but look like they did excellent work.

I couldn't be happier with the jacket Johnson Leathers made for me. Here is the thread on it.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=39328&highlight=johnson

B

 

[Fenton]

great jacket! does Johnson Leathers also deal with foreign customers? I'm tempted .... haha

 

[buler]

great jacket! does Johnson Leathers also deal with foreign customers? I'm tempted .... haha

Fenton, call or email Alan. I know they deal a lot with Japan.

http://www.johnsonleather.com/index.html

B

 

[bfrench]

After countless hours of research and reading post after post from various forums I finally got a jacket I like and did it within my budget. I must say this probably one of the best forums for info any where on the net. I looked at quite a few jackets but came to the conclusion that the Highwayman was the style I liked the best. However budget restrictions and long lead times forced me to seek a vendor other than Aero. The only place that would make it for me was San Diego Leather Jacket. The samples they sent were first rate and I finally decided on a very heavy top grain cowhide not shown on their website. Nancy was exceptional as far as customer service and the price was very reasonable. While they don't do custom she did taper the jacket, add an inch to the sleeves and make the neck hole to the correct size. I also added a thinsulate lining and eliminated the inner knit cuff. I apologize for my poor photography skills and will try and post some better pictures. I know they got some bad reviews but in all fairness the jacket I received and the service made this a great deal.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36920064@N02/3401298645/

Hi, Jdj,

I know its been a long time since you had the San Diego Leather Highwayman made but what did you mean when so said about having the neck hole done to the correct size?

I'm going through the same things you did 6 or 7 years ago.

Bill

PS - Sorry guys - just looked at the members list and JDJ hasn't posted since 03 / 2009 - if anyone can shed some light on the neck hole sizing I'd really appreciate it.

 

[ButteMT61]

Looks great! I'm with you, I generally hate storm cuffs too.

 

[Edward]

i really fear (but hope they do not!) that aero walks the usual way with big order books: turn down quality, rise prices. that would be really sad, i hope they stick with their top-quality-for-reasonnable-price approach. world economics need more of this thinking (sorry for beeing off-topic, but all this comes into my mind when i look at such a really nice made peace of clothing).

I can't see it happening. Even if it did after Ken's gone, I'm sure he'd come back to haunt them. Seriously, though, Aero has been around for over twenty years now; I think if they were gonig to go that route, they'd have done it by now. (If anything, I think they're getting better - the range of stock designs has almost trebled since I first bought an Aero in 2010.)

I've only ever handled one Johnson jacket, which I own. Beautiful D-pocket, Buco -style, with some rhinestones and studding. I don't know if those were done by Johnson or the first owner (I'm the third owner; the second bought it from the original US buyer and shipped it to the UK. Second didn't wear it, I think, owing to fit; I doubt the original owner wore it much either. Very nice jacket indeed. I can't comment on Johnson's service, not having directly dealt with them myself, but if my jacket is typical of what they can do, I would certainly recommend their product. If I ever make it to SF, I'll probably drop by.