New to the forum. Many many pics of 2 biker-style jackets.

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Hello.

I needed to have a new "to go" jacket that I will use for atleast 10 years and I searched the net for the best leather jackets and found this forum and Aero.

I didn't know there were companies like Aero anymore. I feel like I'm dreaming.
Where I live leather jackets are very expensive. The best one I ever saw was a Marlboro classic denim style jacket in very very hard dark bloodred leather.
It fit me like a glove and they had only 1 but it was $1200 and I didnt have the money at the time. Ever since I have been thinking about that jacket. (this was maybe 3 years ago)

I kinda forgot the color but I know I loved it and when I saw the cordovan from Aero I think that is close. I will order a custom Highwayman and all the time the cordovan have been the only color for me.....up until recently. It just hit me that its gonna be pretty hard to match with boots and everything if it ends up pretty purple like the used ones I have seen.
I have also just started breaking in a pair of new dry denim so washing them is out of the question for about a year and the eventual color rub off will not work out good. So now its gonna be a brown jacket.

I guess its not gonna be the last jacket so cordovan might still be for the future.

So finding Aero with this quality and to this price is simply amazing.
I actually think its cheap for this quality and not to mention the custom part.


I have only ever own 3 leather jackets and one of them was a 80´s pilot jacket in very soft leather so I gave that one away.


This is my "to go" jacket right now.
I have used it for about 7-8 years. Not hard, but alot.
t looks like new apart from some nice bulking on the arms.
I think its calf.
Set me back about $750

(sorry about the goofy smirk )

Will I ever look normal on a photo?

The jacket isnt that short, Im just stretching some.


In the pics are also my 2 weeks old Nudie jeans. Dry selvage.
Im aiming for a year hard use before first wash.

You can also see my Levis belt that I have had for about 16 years.
I never thought I would buy a Levis belt, but this is actually a nicely done belt.

You can spot the wallet chain fastening aswell.
This is attached to my 1week old raw saddle leather wallet that I hope will
be a dark brown color in a year time.

Some closeups and details:

The lining is holding very good.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Now this is a cheap jacket I found in a "cheap"-bin on the floor in a shop.
It cost me about $100

I tried to google it but I found nothing.
Its probably just some cheapo mark, but I wonder what leather it is.
Mostly because it is still very hard even after very much use.
Anyone?

I have used this jacket very hard in all kind of weather for almost 20
years, and just some weeks ago a friend told me its too big.
I never thought about it, but it is. Now I don't use it anymore.

The jacket was all black from the start. It has faded very nicely.

After 20 years its still hard. It does kinda almost stand by itself.

We can see the "bad" leather being used under the arm.

I have started a conversation with Amanda and will place an order
shortly for a brown custom Highwayman.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Hey welcome Griff
I like that Arturo Jacket...it has charactor. Maybe slightly big...but not overly so. Wear it..! It looks good!
You'll like the Highwayman..zip sleeve,I presume?
HD

 

[Edward]

Yes, I too like that second jacket. I can see how a size smaller would be closer to the traditionally snug motorcycle look, but really, it doesn't look at all wrong as is to me. If anything, the size gives it an added air of casualness, something you just lifted and threw on. I'd hang onto it, at least for those occasions where you might not want to be worried about an expensive jacket - going camping, or any othr time where you might take off a jacket and have to leave it somewhere that isn't best secure. [huh]

Aero's Cordovan I've never seen in person, but from everything I read it does wear to a reddy-purplish hue, which would be more challenging than the brown should you be looking to match boots to it exactly. Another issue that has cropped up in the past with this finish is bleed (there's a thread on it here in the FL, somewhere). A few folks - forum member Rufus is one, I believe - have had Cordovan jackets and found that the finish can, when newish, rub off on shirts, sofas... etc. Seems to be just the nature of that particular finish, as I've never heard of anyone having that issue with the brown. Aero's brown leathers wear in beautifully, with a really authentic vintage look to my eyes. I personally am a sucker for the earlier-period designs - 30s half belt, and the Trailrider (below) especially.


Aero Trailrider:

The Highwayman, more a fifties design, is slightly less neat-fitting in cut, and has a great 'Ace Cafe circa 1959' look to it to my eyes. Speaking of the Cafe, Aero also does a range of three jackets for the Ace, with joint branding between the two companies:

The "Ace":

The "Rocker":

They also do a cafe racer model in this series. Of course, Aero also have a whole range of more 'Brandoesque' jackets, but those I mention above are close to the Highwayman if that's the general style you're looking for.

Aero's one failing, in my opinion, is their website, which could be much easier to navigate (Eastman do the website thing well, IMO). That said, they are absolutely excellent at comnig back to you via email, very willing to discuss their products and happy to add/ customise certain details in your order. AFAIK, they operate on the basis that they will only charge what extra it costs them for any deviation from a standard design.

 

[JanSolo]

Welcome to the forum. You will soon find out that this is some strange but cosy place. Good luck with your first Aero. BTW: Tried the Nudie thing (my favourite brand apart from Lee Gold label and Atelier La Durance) myself but had to give up after 5 months. It think you will achieve a good result if you hand wash your denim jeans using cold water, wash inside out and use shower gel...

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Hey welcome Griff
I like that Arturo Jacket...it has charactor. Maybe slightly big...but not overly so. Wear it..! It looks good!
You'll like the Highwayman..zip sleeve,I presume?
HD

Thanks.
Yes Im thinking of zip sleeves, but I want the decor on the end aswell. If both cant be done at the same time then I have to think about it some more.

I want the arms to be slim, they don't have to taper to the same extreme as my HD jacket but thereabouts. Im also gonna ask if the jacket can be less loose, specifically in the higher back on the sides. Everything else on this jacket is just perfect, but sometimes I see pics of it where it is loose in the high back on the sides, and it looks just like its a bag that has been strapped at the waist and although its not bad in itself, on the contrary its kinda cool, but it just reminds me too much of all the 80´s jackets and their fit.

I have seen some of your jackets and your brown Highwayman looks very cool. I respect your love for these clothes.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

If anything, the size gives it an added air of casualness, something you just lifted and threw on. I'd hang onto it, at least for those occasions where you might not want to be worried about an expensive jacket

Yeah. This is just how I have used the jacket since it was cheap.
I think its one of the reasons it has aged so well.
I will save it, It has been in my closet a long time.

I personally am a sucker for the earlier-period designs - 30s half belt, and the Trailrider especially.

I also like the halfbelt, but it kinda feels like a jacket belonging to someone with more style then me. This is how I feel about it and that i the reason I wont get it just yet. I might turn into a gentleman and deserve it someday
I have considered the Trailrider, but the Highwayman won the battle.

Aero also does a range of three jackets for the Ace, with joint branding between the two companies

I love theese. The fit in the front is so nice.
This is kinda how I would want a Highwayman to look in the front.
I don't want the short collar tho, I have it on the HD jacket and I like the look on the Highwayman collar and this will make me own both a short and a longer collar jacket.
I know some of them have longer collars, but the main issue for me with the model is the back. Too much loose in the high back and since I have had a big lower end jacket for a long time, the Highwaymans low and even end is what I want at the moment.
The jackets also look a little too much as motorcycle jackets. I love it, but I gotta face reality that I don't own a bike so its gonna feel a lot more casual to get a jacket with a less biky look.

Aero's one failing, in my opinion, is their website, which could be much easier to navigate (Eastman do the website thing well, IMO). That said, they are absolutely excellent at comnig back to you via email, very willing to discuss their products and happy to add/ customise certain details in your order. AFAIK, they operate on the basis that they will only charge what extra it costs them for any deviation from a standard design.

I agree to all this.
Thank you for the long post.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Welcome to the forum. You will soon find out that this is some strange but cosy place. Good luck with your first Aero. BTW: Tried the Nudie thing (my favourite brand apart from Lee Gold label and Atelier La Durance) myself but had to give up after 5 months. It think you will achieve a good result if you hand wash your denim jeans using cold water, wash inside out and use shower gel...

Thank you.

So what made you want to wash them? How did they turn out?
This is a test of patience for me, I usually want to wash my jeans after 3 days because the bum gets so loose and like it to be a little snug in a way (not too snug, but in a "good fit"-way)
It is starting to feel nice not to wonder what jeans Im gonna wear every day and also just forget about the fit and just wear them.
Since the denim will shrink, these were too big from the start and has gotten even bigger in the weeks I have used them.

I gotta ask about the washing. I don't get this.
People want high contrast, that is why we do this, otherwise we could just wash them right away. But in the "manual" that came with, it says "wash in 30-60 degrees - higher temperature gives higher contrast"
So why not just wash them inside out in 60 degrees? (or 90 )

I have seen a pair used for a year and then washed and they are gorgeous, he also washed them in 30 and with some gentle soap.

I love your collection of jackets. Go go go lol

 

[JakeHolman]

Hi Griff, I have an Aero 30's Halfbelt in cordovan - it's a fantastic colour, sometimes purple, sometimes more brown depending on what light you're in.
Apart from some very light colour bleed from the collar onto a light coloured t-shirt in the first couple of weeks wear I personally haven't experienced any further colour bleed.

I've also been wearing dry denim for many years and haven't experienced excessive indigo wear on jackets, mainly as they sit on my hips and I wear a belt. My wallet which sits in my back pocket is, however, virtually black with indigo. But I don't mind this at all, it's all part of my clothing aging together and uniquely.

By the way - the whole wear for a year thing before washing, after much experience I just don't subscribe to it any more. They don't have to be washed frequently but wash when dirty, the vintage style fading will come, I guarantee.

 

[Edward]

The jackets also look a little too much as motorcycle jackets. I love it, but I gotta face reality that I don't own a bike so its gonna feel a lot more casual to get a jacket with a less biky look.

Glad to help.... I know exactly what you mean - I'm a non-biker myself, despite having long had an affection for bike-style jackets. Aside from one two year period in University days, I've not been without a Brando-style jacket in my wardrobe for about twenty years now.... first it was Alice Copper got me into them, the it was all about Dee Dee Ramone, nowadays, it's more Brando, but I still don't have the bike! lol Probably this is part of the reason I tend to veer towards the traditional and away from heavily armoured, modern style leathers. Thing about bike gear, though, is it's just so practical - I also have a Barbour International (Trail? Competition? Can't remember the model designation offhand, but it's the International that is medium weight, with the slightly trimmer cut....) - ideal for those milder days in Spring / Summer when it's just wet enough to require a waterproof jacket of some sort, but a full on trench isn't required...

 

[greeny]

.

I love jackets that have a lot of character! Who was the previous owner - Mad Max??

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Hi Griff, I have an Aero 30's Halfbelt in cordovan - it's a fantastic colour, sometimes purple, sometimes more brown depending on what light you're in.
Apart from some very light colour bleed from the collar onto a light coloured t-shirt in the first couple of weeks wear I personally haven't experienced any further colour bleed.

I've also been wearing dry denim for many years and haven't experienced excessive indigo wear on jackets, mainly as they sit on my hips and I wear a belt. My wallet which sits in my back pocket is, however, virtually black with indigo. But I don't mind this at all, it's all part of my clothing aging together and uniquely.

By the way - the whole wear for a year thing before washing, after much experience I just don't subscribe to it any more. They don't have to be washed frequently but wash when dirty, the vintage style fading will come, I guarantee.

Im definitely gonna get a cordovan jacket one time or another.
It could be a halfbelt or a barnstormer.

Yeah I know jeans should be worn long between washes and that they will age. I just saw this pic on the internet and had to try it out:

Dry, worn for a year, washed 8 times.
:cheers1:

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Glad to help.... I know exactly what you mean - I'm a non-biker myself, despite having long had an affection for bike-style jackets. Aside from one two year period in University days, I've not been without a Brando-style jacket in my wardrobe for about twenty years now.... first it was Alice Copper got me into them, the it was all about Dee Dee Ramone, nowadays, it's more Brando, but I still don't have the bike! lol Probably this is part of the reason I tend to veer towards the traditional and away from heavily armoured, modern style leathers. Thing about bike gear, though, is it's just so practical - I also have a Barbour International (Trail? Competition? Can't remember the model designation offhand, but it's the International that is medium weight, with the slightly trimmer cut....) - ideal for those milder days in Spring / Summer when it's just wet enough to require a waterproof jacket of some sort, but a full on trench isn't required...

Yes this is exactly it - I need a "to go" jacket that wont place me in a category as hard as with a biker jacket. I do love them, and the toughness is one of the appealing things for me aswell.

I cant wait for my new jacket, and I havent even placed the order yet

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

I love jackets that have a lot of character! Who was the previous owner - Mad Max??

Yeah it really aged well.
I have used it for almost 20 years and I use to have a Dobermann and we played alot in the gravel, mud, jumping around in all kind of weathers, and I used to just toss it on the floor or on the ground




So does anyone know what kind of leather it is?? [huh]
And does anyone know the brand from before?

 

[Edward]

Assuming it's not the papery-thin lambskin you see a lot of "mall-jackets" made out of, it's most likely to be cowhide, I shoul have thought. Impossible to tell without handling it, though (and even then, it can be hard to be sure).

 

[Seb Lucas]

Put yourself out of your misery and buy a good leather jacket... Aero? Perhaps, but heavy and cumbersome they are. Still, a well made jacket, like diamonds are forever. Maybe get a G&B Indy, strong, cheap, accessible.

 

[jac]

That scruffy Arturo is cool- wear it!
You need slightly longer sleeves when riding a motorcycle anyway to cover your wrists. Your friend doesn't know this.
Make sure you give Aero the right measurements & fit for the coat with a thick flannel underneath- remember to allow for it, unless you plan on only wearing an undershirt.

Jeans? Wear, wear, wear. When they stink, wash 'em, but don't overwash.
You just want to remove the dirt, not erode your fibers. And watch it with the dryer! 80% dry is good, than let air dry, or you'll shrink them.

Cordovan is pretty, but I wouldn't worry about matching everything. It's one thing to coordinate, but you don't want to appear a slave to fashion.

There's a lot to be said for the 'devil-may-care' look.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Assuming it's not the papery-thin lambskin you see a lot of "mall-jackets" made out of, it's most likely to be cowhide, I shoul have thought. Impossible to tell without handling it, though (and even then, it can be hard to be sure).

Its not lamb or calf.

Its not thin, as you can see where it "stands" it is still hard even after
all this use.

It could be cow. There is thinner leather in the highest part of the back.
I got a hole there when a cat tried to jump up and fell down and put a claw into the jacket and got hanging there until I helped it
Rest of the jacket is very very hard and it squeaks alot.
I did cover it in chao-co-line (spelling) once to soften it, but that's all I have ever done.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Put yourself out of your misery and buy a good leather jacket... Aero? Perhaps, but heavy and cumbersome they are. Still, a well made jacket, like diamonds are forever. Maybe get a G&B Indy, strong, cheap, accessible.

Im in the process of ordering an Aero.
Reason I only have these 2 is that I never found a good jacket.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

That scruffy Arturo is cool- wear it!
You need slightly longer sleeves when riding a motorcycle anyway to cover your wrists. Your friend doesn't know this.
Make sure you give Aero the right measurements & fit for the coat with a thick flannel underneath- remember to allow for it, unless you plan on only wearing an undershirt.

Jeans? Wear, wear, wear. When they stink, wash 'em, but don't overwash.
You just want to remove the dirt, not erode your fibers. And watch it with the dryer! 80% dry is good, than let air dry, or you'll shrink them.

Cordovan is pretty, but I wouldn't worry about matching everything. It's one thing to coordinate, but you don't want to appear a slave to fashion.

There's a lot to be said for the 'devil-may-care' look.

Thanks man.
Amanda asked me for measurements, so I should wear a t-shirt when measuring since that is what I plan on wearing under the jacket?

Yeah I know about the matching, its just many things that led me away from the cordovan as a first jacket. I still love the color and Im not letting it go lol