New owner of an old Aero Highwayman

[Guppy]

I'm not sure how old, exactly. Probably not very, considering the condition it's in. I quite like it.

I'd been watching eBay for most of the last year, hoping that a nice, yet affordable Highwayman jacket might appear. I missed on one that was listed at $200 about a year ago.

About a month ago, I passed on one at $360 that I felt was questionable (in terms of measurements; it was close enough to be tempting, but it also looked a bit dirty, and had a damaged zipper pull on the chest pocket, and no inside pocket, which is a feature I like), only to see it listed again immediately by the buyer at $650. I wasn't about to pay that much for it.

But then over the weekend, I saw another one that I grabbed for $499 BIN. Listing photos follow; I am not the model. If you are, and happen to read this, thanks for the jacket.



This one is a 40; I normally wear a 42 or 44 in most jackets, but as we know the Highwayman is big for its size, and the measurements listed looked right for me. As it turns out, it fits like a bespoke item.

The leather feels like it's lighter than my other Aero FQHH jackets, so I'm guessing it's either light or midweight Horween CXL brown. It feels pretty broken in, not stiff like new, but not a lot of wear either. I notice the chest panels are a bit different in character -- the right side is much grainier than the left, which is smooth. This doesn't bother me at all, but I wonder if that might have been why the owner decided to move it on.

It features an inside pocket on the left side with snap closure, hidden storm cuffs in the sleeves, the outer chest pocket is omitted. I quite like the look, and I think if I had ordered it custom, I might have gone this way too. Pockets are moleskin lined, jacket is lined with brown cotton duck, but with a strip of corduroy at the bottom, which is a nice touch although I wonder whether it is original, or if it might be covering up holes in the cotton underneath. If it is a repair, it is very well done, so you'd never know.

In the pocket, I found a ziplock bag with the remnant of a paper tag with the handwritten words Paula and Insurrection, so this must have come from Thurston in Seattle when it was new. I wonder if Carrie might have some knowledge about this Paula, or about the jacket itself.

This one's not for sale. I'll be posting some fit pics when I have some good light.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Very nice here too Guppy! I just picked up a rather similar color Highwayman also a size 40 that has been bought from, then rather quickly traded back into to Insurrection. Hope to see fit photos, you can see mine in another Highwayman thread with "fit photos, feedback wanted." I am not OP in that thread.

To the cordoroy near the bottom of the lining. My Cafe Racer has this, and it's helpful as I also agree it could help prevent hole in the lining (wool tartan, in both these jacket's of mine cases). I could see it being added, however it could be a bit challenging to do and make it look and feel right. Enjoy!

 

[nick123]

Very nice jacket. Looks a lot like mine I owned briefly. I had one in a size 38. Re the mismatched panels, could be a steer/horse (storse) jacket? I hate to be that guy but I'm sure it will come up. Either way it's lovely. Enjoy the thing.

 

[OceanBreeze]

Nice looking jacket. Aero makes some good stuff. I might have to pick one up sometime.

 

[robrinay]

From posts elsewhere on TFL I believe the corduroy is a feature added by Aero at the request of the original buyers. It was supposed to prevent the lining sagging at the bottom.
I recently bought a used brown fq horsehide Highwayman from Jojo's General Store in Sheffield, (he's got a few used jackets direct from Aero) and it's a good bit heavier than my steer and my Connelly versions (one for any weather theory?). I'm getting used to the scratchy alpaca lining - any tips on coping with this other than wearing a thicker shirt?

 

[rocketeer]

From posts elsewhere on TFL I believe the corduroy is a feature added by Aero at the request of the original buyers. It was supposed to prevent the lining sagging at the bottom.
I recently bought a used brown fq horsehide Highwayman from Jojo's General Store in Sheffield, (he's got a few used jackets direct from Aero) and it's a good bit heavier than my steer and my Connelly versions (one for any weather theory?). I'm getting used to the scratchy alpaca lining - any tips on coping with this other than wearing a thicker shirt?

I popped in to Jojo's on the Monday after the sale. He has some wonderful stuff there though I just popped in for a chat as I was linked on the Faceache page to them via Aero.(I was heading for the Cat and Fiddle), I dared not look at the jacket rail as I had just spent a fortune at the sale.
The brown is a gorgeous colour, when new it looks like a freshly dropped conker, a kind of dark wood blending with lighter and darker shades. My Front Quarter Highwayman I bought new from a store in Oxford Street, it didn't have any corduroy and has worn through, mainly in the hip area there the panels join in the body. And yes the lining has sagged a bit.

 

[Fanch]

Nice acquisition. The corduroy lining at the bottom hem is a nice touch specifically in the HWM since the cinch buckles can cause premature wear on the lining at that pressure point from bunching up and rubbing against the belt. If given a choice I would always opt for a 2" cord lining at the bottom hem in a HWM.

 

[Guppy]

From posts elsewhere on TFL I believe the corduroy is a feature added by Aero at the request of the original buyers. It was supposed to prevent the lining sagging at the bottom.

I've seen said sagging, in another Aero jacket that I own, and agree this appears to be an effective countermeasure.

I recently bought a used brown fq horsehide Highwayman [...] I'm getting used to the scratchy alpaca lining - any tips on coping with this other than wearing a thicker shirt?

I don't know how it'd affect the leather, probably wouldn't affect it much if at all, but I've had some success with scratchy wool sweaters by treating them with hair conditioner (like what you'd use in the shower) to soften them up. You'd want to make sure that it doesn't affect the dye.

Nice acquisition. The corduroy lining at the bottom hem is a nice touch specifically in the HWM since the cinch buckles can cause premature wear on the lining at that pressure point from bunching up and rubbing against the belt. If given a choice I would always opt for a 2" cord lining at the bottom hem in a HWM.

I'd prefer that the bottom 1-2" of lining simply be leather, personally, but I don't have a problem with the corduroy.

Re the mismatched panels, could be a steer/horse (storse) jacket? I hate to be that guy but I'm sure it will come up. Either way it's lovely. Enjoy the thing.

The thought occurred to me, and it could be. I don't think it detracts from the appearance of the jacket, so I'm not concerned about it. In reading about the storse jackets, I don't recall whether those were a case of steer hide and horse hide being mixed up in the same jacket, or of a pure steer jacket being passed off as horse. Ultimately, what's done is done and it is what it is, which is a finely made jacket in great shape that I got for about half of what it cost when new. You bet I'm going to enjoy it

 

[Guppy]

Here are some fit pics taken via selfie stick... I wish I had a tripod so I could get the entire jacket in view without chopping off an arm.

Remnants of the Insurrection tag found in pocket:

 

[handymike]

Looks good!

 

[AeroFan_07]

Nice Shots Guppy! Nice fitting Highwayman that will get better and better with time.

 

[Edward]

I'd say this one was made to order - at least for Insurrection, as strictly speaking the HWM pattern as stock has no inner pocket. Of course, the other dead giveaway is the lack of an outer pocket as well. The corduroy strip might help date it. They have indeed been aded to jacket in the past to cover small spotsof wear on thed bottom of the lining, though as others have said they were often added new to prevent sagging. I've never experienced saggy lining in any of my Aeros, but others have. Under the 2004-2011 management, there was a fashion for a 2" leather strip of the same leather as the outer shell to be added; the upcharge for this was GBP50 (in 2008, this was around USD 110). When Ken came back, he put a stop to this as he felt it was an unnecessary expense for the buyer. It also made it much harder to reline a jacket in future, as the strip had to be removed and then resewn. Corduroy strips at a much smaller upcharge (if any at all?) were used for a while as a sweetner to wean the market off the idea. Could be your jacket is from that era.

The maker label would have carried a completion date originally, I believe, but I can't quite make it out.

Lovely jacket, though - enjoy!

 

[Guppy]

I'd say this one was made to order - at least for Insurrection, as strictly speaking the HWM pattern as stock has no inner pocket. Of course, the other dead giveaway is the lack of an outer pocket as well. The corduroy strip might help date it. They have indeed been aded to jacket in the past to cover small spotsof wear on thed bottom of the lining, though as others have said they were often added new to prevent sagging. I've never experienced saggy lining in any of my Aeros, but others have. Under the 2004-2011 management, there was a fashion for a 2" leather strip of the same leather as the outer shell to be added; the upcharge for this was GBP50 (in 2008, this was around USD 110). When Ken came back, he put a stop to this as he felt it was an unnecessary expense for the buyer. It also made it much harder to reline a jacket in future, as the strip had to be removed and then resewn. Corduroy strips at a much smaller upcharge (if any at all?) were used for a while as a sweetner to wean the market off the idea. Could be your jacket is from that era.

The maker label would have carried a completion date originally, I believe, but I can't quite make it out.

Lovely jacket, though - enjoy!

That's good information, Edward. Thanks for sharing. I've been wearing it for the last few days, and it's quickly become one of my favorites. I concur, it surely was made as a custom order.

 

[Sloan1874]

The cord strip stops roughly around the end of 2012, I've got it on my LHB, but it ended shortly after as a standard feature. I have to say, I've had no problems since. Interestingly, my HWM has no internal strip of any type, bit I'm fairly certain it's a few years old.