Next leather overcoat or jacket - seeking advise

[SkanningenLars]

Dear forum members,

Though I have tried to do my homework through reading well over a hundred forum posts, I need to ask some advice in choosing my next leather coat. Before I state my set of questions with some background, then more functional objectives.

I am 48 years, 175 cm tall, weighing about 65 kilos. That is, not a big guy, and not that young anymore. I live in Norway (which can have rather severe climate in the form of wind, snow, rain), but mainly travel to/from my office work in the city. This commute encompasses maybe 10 minutes of walk in any weather and some 20 minutes on local train. At office, dress-code is typically suit, and sometimes chinos and shirt, possibly a dress jacket. It is not a problem wearing climate-adjusted outerwear that does not match the suite.

I now look for some form of leather overcoat, that I want to last at least 20 years, provided I take appropriate care. I choose this in the belief that this is good for the wallet in the long run, and for the climate. I am vain enough to not choose the cheapest item, and must admit that I do like (in no particular order, as style examples) tweed jackets, understated elegance, simplicity. You would see me wearing a Grand Seiko (most people believe this is just a Seiko – only those who know what it is reacts to it), clothes that do not flash the brand, and as timeless as possible glasses without any visible brand.

So far, I have found that I probably am looking at the Aero Barnstormer, but not the one with a shearling lining. But there are some issues – possibly?

First, is the Barnstormer long enough to fully cover a typical suit jacket? Any thoughts on if I needed it longer?

Secondly, will a longer Barnstormer make a not tall person look even shorter? Should I go for a completely different style, or other adjustments? My initial choice is brown FQHH, but that may also create a too bulky, too heavy coat.

Thirdly, the reason I zoomed in onto the Barnstormer is mainly the threads in this forum. Is there any completely other type of leather jacket that you think I should consider? Or, some other Aero jacket?

Grateful for any advise. I tend to think for a very long time before shopping, and then I also tend to be happy for a long time.

 

[torfjord]

I don't own a Barnstormer, but I have a Blizzard which I believe is the same lenght as the barnstormer. It is not long enough to cover most suit jackets, it would need maybe an additional 2 inches in body length to do that. Measure the length of your suit jackets and ask Aero what length you'd need to order.
Secondly, I would advice against CXL in a longer style coat like the barnstormer or blizzard as I think it would be too heavy. Better go with a mid weight leather like Vicenza.
In terms of a leather overcoat, I don't think you can go wrong with either a barnstormer or a blizzard.

 

[jacketjunkie]

Frankly, I'm not a great fan of the Barnstormer coat. I owned one, sold it on. While it looked incrediblx cool when buttoned up, it just looked odd when worn open with the belt dangling around and the pocket set-up didn't suit my needs. The handwarmer pockets are positioned too high and too vertical to be very practical and the flap pockets on the waist didn't work for me either, hard to explain why. Owned a vtg german double breasted coat which was beltless and had the handwarmer pockets lower and closer to a 45° angle and I liked that design five times better.

Due to climate in Norway and weight, I would pick goatskin over CLX HH/SH. CLX leather is stiff in the cold due to all the waxed in it. Goatskin is among the most rugged leathers there is, as water-proof as leather gets. It doesn't have accelerated aging, so it won't look like a vintage jacket after one season of wear. Another option is Vicenca HH which is highly regarded by many in this forum (not by me though, would defo pick goat over it).

If I was to order a coat from Aero, I would go for a Cheyenne (size down at least one, probably better down two sizes) and ask them to change positioning of handwarmers as described above.

As for other makers, Vanson offers the Model J which is long, has a nice pocket set-up and will outlive your grandchildren. Unfortunately the pictures on Vansons website are sort of catastrophic. Look up pictures of Vanson jackets here on the Lounge to get a better impression of Vansons stuff.

White Feather Mfg offers a nice single button front coat in horsehide/goatskin. @Jejupe owns one I believe. Worth giving a look too.

Lost Worlds offers a number of longer coats in their indestructible horsehide or goatskin. The Pea Coat is a good alternative to the Aero Barnstormer if you insist on buying a double breasted coat.

 

[Harris HTM]

Look at the the Aero Mariner. I own one, I sized down as I didn't want it as an overcoat, but rather as a jacket. I'm shorter than you but I don't think it makes me look shorter.
If used as an overcoat, I would also advice against cxl, it would be too heavy. Ask whether you can get such a long jacket in goat (goatskin comes usually in small batches, well a goat is smaller than a cow or a horse!).

 

[Steven65]

I have owned two Barnstormers, one in FQHH and one in CXL. Although they were both great pieces of clothing they were impractical and just not warm enough for very inclement weather.

I wore my FQHH Barnstormer with Alpaca lining to New York City one January and I was just not warm enough in it. I found that the Barnstormer just did not give me the warmth I needed and it was just too impractical for daily edc.
I eventually sold both.

I concluded that Leather with suitable layering is fine down to about 5c, but lower than that its just not practical. You should also know that a Barnstormer in FQHH is a monster of a jacket. If I bought another Aero overcoat it would be in Vincenza.

I know its probably not practical for you but if you can you should try and visit the factory in Galashiels and order your coat there. Then you can see, feel and experience the various designs and weights for yourself.

Best of luck..............Steven

PS- The GS is an absolutely brilliant watch!!

 

[Jejupe]

Ok, maybe I could share couple of thoughts... I have had few barnstormers and I own quite a few car coat, work coat and Peacoat style overcoats. First of all I would like to say that if you want to wear your coat open often, I would choose a single button row style. Two row styles loose their form when worn open and so they tend to look less flattering on a person.

I would also recommend not to choose fqhh or heavy steer for a long coat. It's too heavy and cumbersome for most people's taste. Also noteworthy is that most or Aero's leathers, namely Horween CXL leathers and Vicenza hides are designed to age rather quickly to look like vintage jackets after only year or two of wear, so if you're looking for a jacket that would last 20 years and not look old and beaten for after two years, you might want the reconsider your choice of hide. Somebody recommended goathide and that would be an excellent choice for wearability and longevity, however Aero is usually reluctant on trying to build a overcoat from goat because the hides are usually too small for the large panels. It doesn't hurt to ask them though.

If I was looking for an allround overcoat that should last for 20 years, I would, however, choose a Lost worlds jacket. Either a Peacoat, Downtown or Bedford model would do the trick. For leather I would pick 3 to 3,5 oz horsehide or similar goathide - not heavier to keep the coat more wearable. LW has large goatskins so they can and will build overcoats of it. Stuart has also nice deerskin in black, navy and forest green but I'm not convinced its as durable as hh or goat. I own a downtown in black hh and a peacoat in green deer and they're both superb jackets. At least for my build they have much better pattern than any of the Aero overcoats I own or have tried on.

Also, like someone pointed out, its good to remember that a Leather jacket or a leather coat is really not a winter garment on its own. After all they're basically what people used to wear for hardshell jackets before there were synthetic materials for that purpose. So the jacketäs warmth is determined by layering underneath it' which includes the lining of the jacket. If you want to keep the coat as wearable as possible you should stay away from shearling, quilted lining and possibly also alpaca and planket linings. These linings are for most people only suitable for winter wear and too hot for milder weather.

 

[Goel]

Goatskin + shearling liner is the best choice for a cold winter leather jacket that isn't as heavy or stiff as CXL. Since OP is living in Norway I think the use of shearling in justified, shearling comes in multiple lengths so you can opt for a longer or shorter hair.

 

[zebedee]

An Aero Stockman is a good idea. It'll cover a suit, has patch pockets for your things and is a smart cut that can easily be dressed down, too. I asked Ken for the lightest black FQHH that Aero had- the result was a very sturdy overcoat that wasn't too heavy, kept Shanghai rain and cold off and worked well with jeans and a casual shirt, too. If I had my time again, though, I'd probably have got it in a dark brown- the black is definitely B-movie generic East European butcher/gangster, etc.

 

[Peacoat]

I have a mid thigh length waxed cotton Barbour. I can wear it over a suit or sport coat. I wore it one day with a suit when rain was forecast. Forecast was accurate, and it was raining hard when I reached my parking spot. Had a three minute walk to my office building. It was the first time I wore a suit and my Barbour in heavy rain. It was also the last. When I got to my office my exposed trouser knees were soaked. Seemed to take forever to dry. When finally dry, the wool trousers had lost the crease and were shapeless.

So a leather jacket worn over a suit may not be the best option during rain or snow. Not saying you shouldn't go that route, but just be aware that a leather jacket with a suit will be of limited utility during rain or snow.

 

[SkanningenLars]

Closing the thread with a grateful thank you!

By chance, I walked by Solsona Pell in Barcelona, resulting a lamb shearing coat for myself in dry, not too cold weather, a second one for my wife.

For wet weather, I have Drizabone waxed cotton coat. I have applied quite much Barbour wax on this, and it does the trick in my commuting use cases.

For colder weathers, I go for a wool coat, with more or less layers.

However, thanks to this thread, I have found I kind of miss a goat leather coat, preferably quite minimalistic, and will look for such. Thank you all advisors