New Veste de Rallye arrived today (Nov 5 2009)

[Lear]

Remember, remember the 5th of November. The gunpowder, treason, and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.



I sold my size 48 Veste de Rallye and replaced it with pretty much the same model, but for a few important differences.

The changes were:

* Size 46 instead of size 48. This meant 1.5 inches added to body and sleeves instead of just 1 inch.

* Olive drab gabardine lining instead of brown cotton twill (thanks JanSolo)

* One piece lower back panel (thanks again JanSolo)

The remaining features as before were:

* FQHH (Cordovan colour)

* Roll-over stitching throughout

* Name tag, but this time just my initials

* Two internal pockets: left zip, right stud

* No storm cuffs

The first thing I noticed, it just hangs better. It really does feel like a completely different jacket. The old one felt as if it was shifting about on my body. This 46 feels as if I'm in control. There was simply too much excess hide floating around on the 48. I normally take a size 48 suit jacket.

This hide is of a darker, richer colour. There's less of a purple hue to it, and It feels as if it has more wax. I liked both, but prefer this. I have yet to see what it's like in daylight though.

To be of help to other potential buyers of this jacket, I'll try to post pics of my wearing it. You'll then be able to compare the same model in sizes 46 and 48. Can't say when that'll be though.

The worst part was staring at the box, wondering if all my extra customizations had been added. Well, it's PERFECT!

Hope these pics help. You all know how the Veste de Rallye looks. I want to show how cordovan appears when lined with olive drab gabardine. Also the two piece lower back. Apologies again for the pathetic picture quality. Claret RMW boots are shown again, because I think they go so well with this colour coat.

 

[Southernwayfare]

Nice to hear you're satisfied with the fit. Coat looks great.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Lear, nice jacket! Glad things turned out well for you. I especially like the OD lining!

If your jacket just came in, I hope this means my Veste de Rallye is right around the corner as I believe you and I ordered at about the same time (late June 2009).

PS nice RMW (?) boots. I was walking by the RMW store on Bond Street in London about a month ago but couldn't bring myself to go in and buy a pair of Craftsmans. I had already blown too much money gallivanting around Europe so I had to stop myself from getting myself further into a financial hole. lol

 

[Cooperson]

Congratulations on a very nice Rallye Lear. Love the combination of the cordoven and the olive lining. Look forward to seeing it on - enjoy!

Cheers

 

[andy richards]

Congratulations! The brown leather and OD lining matches perfectly, an excellent choice. Hope you will post some pics in the future when the jacket has a worn look. Thanks for posting!

 

[Lear]

Nice to hear you're satisfied with the fit. Coat looks great.

Thanks. I'm glad I sent it back now. It would've bugged me, not knowing how the smaller size fitted.

Lear, nice jacket! Glad things turned out well for you. I especially like the OD lining!

If your jacket just came in, I hope this means my Veste de Rallye is right around the corner as I believe you and I ordered at about the same time (late June 2009).

PS nice RMW (?) boots. I was walking by the RMW store on Bond Street in London about a month ago but couldn't bring myself to go in and buy a pair of Craftsmans. I had already blown too much money gallivanting around Europe so I had to stop myself from getting myself further into a financial hole. lol

I'm curious to see how yours turns out . I pray that it'll be to your liking. you MUST post pics. It'll be a great resource for others. The Highwayman and other jackets get a lot of coverage. Not so much the Veste de Rallye. The olive drab lining & one piece lower back suggestions were stolen from JanSolo. Yes, we both ordered around the same time. You should have at least tried on the RMW boots to realize your UK size. Hope you enjoyed Europe. Edit: They are R M Williams, Comfort Craftsman in claret colour. They develop pink spots in the rain. You have been warned!

Congratulations on a very nice Rallye Lear. Love the combination of the cordoven and the olive lining. Look forward to seeing it on - enjoy!

Cheers

Thanks. I will of course post.

Congratulations! The brown leather and OD lining matches perfectly, an excellent choice. Hope you will post some pics in the future when the jacket has a worn look. Thanks for posting!

Thanks again. This cordovan is much darker than my previous Veste. More of a brownish tint. The purple is still there, but much darker. Shows what a variation in colour there is. Yep, pics when worn to follow.

 

[Lear]

Your thoughts on this please...

The old 48 Veste had a 5 inch strip of FQHH running down each side (shown below):

I thought this might be the reason for so much front to rear depth, and the cause of the bell shaped look. I don't think the Stockman has these side strips. When I asked Aero for a one piece lower back on the new 46, I assumed that they'd attach it to the same side strips. I was wrong. The one piece lower back extends around and replaces those side strips as well (shown below):

Does this help in giving the coat a slimmer front to back profile. Of course, I could be wrong. I mean, it might not make the slightest bit of difference, other than it looks cleaner. It could all be due to the sizing down a size, nothing more. Your thoughts on this please...

 

[Creeping Past]

Does this help in giving the coat a slimmer front to back profile. ... It could all be due to the sizing down a size, nothing more. Your thoughts on this please...

I'd say so. The side panels on my Highwayman are there for possible adjustments around waist and chest. Without them, it would be a slimmer fit and would have a slimmer profile.

 

[Smithy]

Absolute cracker of a coat, well done.

I'm leaning towards getting an Aero as my next purchase with the Cheyenne top of my list at the mo.

 

[Windward]

Thanks for sharing

Hi Lear,

thanks for sharing .. BTW: Must say a nice idea to show your jacket with a matching pair of shoes/boots. As I see you are also a pro regarding in (water) shoe polishing!? Looks great!
Enjoy it.

 

[bgnmi]

from 48-46

what is your height and weight, if you donot mind divulging

48 to 46 seems like a drastic risk. these jackets are hard to pin down size wise

 

[Lear]

Don't want to quote everyone just to say thanks; but thanks.

what is your height and weight, if you donot mind divulging

48 to 46 seems like a drastic risk. these jackets are hard to pin down size wise

Height 6'2"

Weight 15 Stones exactly

My peculiarity (apart from the fact that I post on FL) is that I have the chest of a 48 (suit), but the shoulders of a 46 (suit). Have been told this by two different tailors.

Yes, it was a risk. I've read accounts of other buyers doing the same with this particular model. It's built as an over-jacket, meaning you can wear bulky clothing underneath. I'll never wear anything thicker than a lumberjack flannel shirt anyway. Hence no need for that extra room. When it gets very cold, I switch to proper cold weather gear.

Put another way, I knew it was too big, when I was able to wear a lightly quilted leather jacket underneath the 48 FQHH, and still have room to spare . I had been generous on my initial requirements to Aero. I didn't send in actual measurements, just the size of suit jackets I wore and a general description of my build. I probably should have put more trust in their years of experience, in dealing with odd sizes and even odder customers lol

 

[Lear]

After six months of wear, this jacket now fits like a glove. During the first few weeks, the horsehide would stress the sloping muscles across the top of my neck (trapezius). I knew that in every other aspect the jacket was indeed the correct size, but just prayed that the discomfort would go away. Thankfully, after a few months of wear it's cured itself. The FQHH is now soft and pliable across the neck.

I've lost some length on the arms due to creasing etc. However, I'm not an expert in these matters, and many Aero customers do not suffer such loss in length. I don't know if arm width (diameter) affects the amount by which this happens. Anyway, on my soon to arrive black VdR, I've added an extra inch on top of the cordovan specs. This means it'll be a standard length coat, with 2.5 inches added to arms and body. So... please don't go adding even more length to your arm specs, just because you've read this post. My body (and face) are odd, resulting in differences of stretch and stress on the horsehide.

I'll wait until the cordovan model is one year old before posting 'wear & tear' pics.

The black FQHH VdR is still due any day now Better than Christmas, and without that annoying bloke in the white beard trying to cram himself down the chimney.

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone on FL for providing extremely useful information (sounds like an Oscar speech). I've incorporated many of JanSolo's ideas into this masterpiece. I now consider my Aero posts/pics to be payback, and hopefully useful to the many lurkers and regulars out there.

Lear (who still wishes that Aero would come to London once a year, with a truck load of various models/sizes to try on)

 

[saucerfiend]

Man, that is one sweet lookin' jacket. Enjoy it in good health!


Brian