Proof of concept : Aero "ready-to-wear" scanner / watcher

[TartuWolf]

Greetings from Estonia!

While planning my first "real leather jacket" purchase I found out about Aero Leathers. One neat thing they have going for them is their "ready-to-wear" section which get's regularly updated with newly available listings. I wish all makers would have something like that..
Anyway, several things make it annoying to use. For example "SOLD" listings remaining there (could have their own section for historic purposes for example, or at least a filter to filter them out). Or the fact that the "sizing" is rather useless in terms of trying to guess the primary measurements and whether it would fit us or not.
I decided that I could make my life easier in terms of keeping an eye out on these listings and do something about the user experience of this Aero Leathers feature.

My background is data science and data engineering. And this is the skillset that I used for this endeavor.

My current proof of concept does the following:
- Scan all sections of the "ready-to-wear" page.
- Gather all listings and related important information (model, leather, measurements). Exclude "SOLD" ones.
- Save it to a file.
- Allow the user to input what criteria needs to be met (for example pit-to-pit has to be between 20" and 21" and shoulder width needs to be between 17" and 18")
- Spits out a list of listings / URLs that meet that criteria.

Currently it works only locally on my laptop as it is only a proof of concept. Has to be run manually.

IF there would be interest in this functionality from Aero themselves (already emailed them about it) I would work with them to implement it in their own page for the comfort of all customers. No answer so far.

IF I don't get any answer (or a negative one), but there would be enough interest from the lounge members - I could turn this into a full service usable by anyone online. A free website / webpage that anyone can use to easily scan the listings for suitable items.
Maybe even create a watcher functionality where you could add your email and be notified if a new listing comes up that meets your saved criteria.

Note that this could be done for other listing websites like thurston-bros.

Thoughts?

 

[Guppy]

Greetings from Estonia!

While planning my first "real leather jacket" purchase I found out about Aero Leathers. One neat thing they have going for them is their "ready-to-wear" section which get's regularly updated with newly available listings. I wish all makers would have something like that..
Anyway, several things make it annoying to use. For example "SOLD" listings remaining there (could have their own section for historic purposes for example, or at least a filter to filter them out). Or the fact that the "sizing" is rather useless in terms of trying to guess the primary measurements and whether it would fit us or not.
I decided that I could make my life easier in terms of keeping an eye out on these listings and do something about the user experience of this Aero Leathers feature.

My background is data science and data engineering. And this is the skillset that I used for this endeavor.

My current proof of concept does the following:
- Scan all sections of the "ready-to-wear" page.
- Gather all listings and related important information (model, leather, measurements). Exclude "SOLD" ones.
- Save it to a file.
- Allow the user to input what criteria needs to be met (for example pit-to-pit has to be between 20" and 21" and shoulder width needs to be between 17" and 18")
- Spits out a list of listings / URLs that meet that criteria.

Currently it works only locally on my laptop as it is only a proof of concept. Has to be run manually.

IF there would be interest in this functionality from Aero themselves (already emailed them about it) I would work with them to implement it in their own page for the comfort of all customers. No answer so far.

IF I don't get any answer (or a negative one), but there would be enough interest from the lounge members - I could turn this into a full service usable by anyone online. A free website / webpage that anyone can use to easily scan the listings for suitable items.
Maybe even create a watcher functionality where you could add your email and be notified if a new listing comes up that meets your saved criteria.

Note that this could be done for other listing websites like thurston-bros.

Thoughts?

I've also written to Aero to tell them these suggestions. I would be happy if they did the following things:

* Tied your search/filter settings to your user account/session cookies, so that you don't have to re-apply the filters every time you visit the site.
* Allow you to combine search of the various categories, so you can search them all at once, rather than having to go through Stock, Militaria, Used, Apprentice, and Blue Label separately one at a time.
* Hide sold items
* Add filters for size, color, style, leather type
* SMS/email notifications when newly listed inventory matches my filter criteria.

They tell me these suggestions are being passed along to their developer, but it seems they work slowly. I like the idea to filter on measurements as well, but that data is less reliable (both in format of how it's presented in the page and in accuracy of the actual measurement.)

I've slowed way down in how many jackets I buy in recent years, and am pretty close to being done with being a consumer of them, as I should be pretty well set for life in this department, but something like this would have probably led to me going bankrupt 4-5 years ago.

 

[TartuWolf]

I've also written to Aero to tell them these suggestions. I would be happy if they did the following things:

* Tied your search/filter settings to your user account/session cookies, so that you don't have to re-apply the filters every time you visit the site.
* Allow you to combine search of the various categories, so you can search them all at once, rather than having to go through Stock, Militaria, Used, Apprentice, and Blue Label separately one at a time.
* Hide sold items
* Add filters for size, color, style, leather type

They tell me these suggestions are being passed along to their developer, but it seems they work slowly. I like the idea to filter on measurements as well, but that data is less reliable (both in format of how it's presented in the page and in accuracy of the actual measurement.)

I've slowed way down in how many jackets I buy in recent years, and am pretty close to being done with being a consumer of them, as I should be pretty well set for life in this department, but something like this would have probably led to me going bankrupt 4-5 years ago.

When did they tell you that "these suggestions are being passed along to their developer"? Wondering just HOW slow they work with this kind of stuff.
I'm not sure if it is too useful to filter based on size as the same sizes fits very differently in different models. Color is also not very meaningful, apart from black/brown/other.
But in general, yeah, more filters would be great. Account / session cookie related filter saving would be great as well.

If measurement data is not reliable in terms of the accuracy of the actual measurements then I feel very pessimistic in general about buying anything from them...
Consistency of presenting the measurements - that's another thing. But it seem reasonably consistent.

Personally I have no interest in becoming a collector or going through dozens of jackets. Would love to skip the whole "you will understand what you want and what you need after 5 years and 100+ jackets" deal. Hopefully if I play my cards rights I'll get one or two jackets that fit me really well and be done with this business for a long while. That's why I'm taking it slow, measuring my existing jackets by adding clips here and there to slim certain areas down and trying to really nail down the "perfect measurements" before I order anything from anyone. Might be a bit too optimistic, but we shall see.

 

[Wildhorses]

I am not sure that automatic selection in measurements "(for example pit-to-pit has to be between 20" and 21" and shoulder width needs to be between 17" and 18")" would work with Aero jackets. I know I can wear a shearling lined highwayman with a 24 inches pit to pit measurement,
where it sometimes should be less than 22 inches in some STF bootlegger. Depending on the lining, the leather thickness and cut/period style of the jacket, sleeves may vary from 23 to 26,5 inches, shoulders from 17,5 to 19,5, same thing with the back length, chest, etc... All of this depends on the model, customisations, and sometimes measurements are more or less exact, there are some mistakes in description. In short worlds, it's like searching by only one tag size, which is useless with Aero. The sale page is interesting the way it is, it shows the variety of options Aero has to offer, and the pricing, even with recent sold items, it's not really an issue. There aren't thousands of jackets for sale.

 

[Guppy]

When did they tell you that "these suggestions are being passed along to their developer"?

Probably about a month ago.

 

[ton312]

Filtering by size is easy and quick enough for me. If I look through the entire page, it's not even 5 minutes.

 

[TartuWolf]

I am not sure that automatic selection in measurements "(for example pit-to-pit has to be between 20" and 21" and shoulder width needs to be between 17" and 18")" would work with Aero jackets. I know I can wear a shearling lined highwayman with a 24 inches pit to pit measurement,
where it sometimes should be less than 22 inches in some STF bootlegger. Depending on the lining, the leather thickness and cut/period style of the jacket, sleeves may vary from 23 to 26,5 inches, shoulders from 17,5 to 19,5, same thing with the back length, chest, etc... All of this depends on the model, customisations, and sometimes measurements are more or less exact, there are some mistakes in description. In short worlds, it's like searching by only one tag size, which is useless with Aero. The sale page is interesting the way it is, it shows the variety of options Aero has to offer, and the pricing, even with recent sold items, it's not really an issue. There aren't thousands of jackets for sale.

I understand that in some corner cases the measurements stray from the norm that one would expect from a well fitting jacket. Mainly being shearling / winter jackets. Or very thick leather jackets.
But if we exclude those then most other jackets should fall inside the measurement brackets that you have determined for your body.

So assuming similar thickness leather (1.1-1,3mm) and similar thickness lining. .
At least for me that is the only sane way of trying to find a well fitting jacket. Nail down shoulders, chest, waist sleeve length and back length(the most subjective/variable I suppose) to about 1" brackets and look for a jacket that would fall correctly within those specified limits.

Those huge variations of sleeve length and shoulder width make absolutely no sense to me, but I am still learning and trying to understand this topic. The shoulder seem should land on your shoulder bones. Those don't move. Therefore the shoulder width should never change no matter what cut, what style, what leather thickness. How could you ever have 2" shoulder width variation and still call it a well fitting jacket is CURRENTLY beyond my understanding.

Poor measurements / wrongly filled descriptions are things I don't take into account because it is not possible to take that into account by definition.

Filtering by size is easy and quick enough for me. If I look through the entire page, it's not even 5 minutes.

I feel blessed getting a comment from you sir. You're as close to a FL rock star as it gets in my view.
But even then, if one is "hunting" for a jacket in Aero ready-to-wear pages constantly then those 5 minutes every week (I guess they put up new listings every week) eventually turn into a lot of wasted time. Ideally with the right automation tedious repetitive manual work is eliminated.

 

[Wildhorses]

"Those huge variations of sleeve length and shoulder width make absolutely no sense to me, but I am still learning and trying to understand this topic. The shoulder seem should land on your shoulder bones. Those don't move. Therefore the shoulder width should never change no matter what cut, what style, what leather thickness. How could you ever have 2" shoulder width variation and still call it a well fitting jacket is CURRENTLY beyond my understanding."

In that case you might have some surprises between an A2, a HWMN or a car coat. Or a MC jacket if you actually ride.

 

[MrProper]

Hopefully if I play my cards rights I'll get one or two jackets that fit me really well and be done with this business for a long while.

 

[Wildhorses]

I think I have been reading this many times...

 

[ton312]

I feel blessed getting a comment from you sir. You're as close to a FL rock star as it gets in my view.
But even then, if one is "hunting" for a jacket in Aero ready-to-wear pages constantly then those 5 minutes every week (I guess they put up new listings every week) eventually turn into a lot of wasted time. Ideally with the right automation tedious repetitive manual work is eliminated.

LOL...I can assure you I am most certainly not a rock star, here or anywhere...but you may actually find that time spent perusing through various jackets (even one's that won't fit) may turn you on to styles or design features you had not considered and you'll be glad to have spent it!

 

[TartuWolf]

"In that case you might have some surprises between an A2, a HWMN or a car coat. Or a MC jacket if you actually ride."
To me shoulders on an A2, HWMN and a car coat should all fall on the same place - the shoulder bones. MC jacket used for riding - okay, sure, that will have a different shoulder seam location when standing up relaxed, I agree.
Again, I might be naïve / optimistic but that's what a new comer should be I suppose, to give experienced wolves something to have some loughs about

I do think that going through jackets can teach many valuable lessons, don't get me wrong. Both in terms of fit and in terms of style. But so far I have had very poor experience in terms of re-selling any items in life for any reasonable price and it requires quite a bit of time. Sure you could say that the time/money lost is an INVESTMENT into knowledge.

Anyway, this is getting way off topic in terms of what I created this thread for.

 

[Wildhorses]

"In that case you might have some surprises between an A2, a HWMN or a car coat. Or a MC jacket if you actually ride."
To me shoulders on an A2, HWMN and a car coat should all fall on the same place - the shoulder bones. MC jacket used for riding - okay, sure, that will have a different shoulder seam location when standing up relaxed, I agree.
Again, I might be naïve / optimistic but that's what a new comer should be I suppose, to give experienced wolves something to have some loughs about

I do think that going through jackets can teach many valuable lessons, don't get me wrong. Both in terms of fit and in terms of style. But so far I have had very poor experience in terms of re-selling any items in life for any reasonable price and it requires quite a bit of time. Sure you could say that the time/money lost is an INVESTMENT into knowledge.

Anyway, this is getting way off topic in terms of what I created this thread for.

I think you will appear in the classifieds soon

 

[Aloysius]

Or very thick leather jackets.
But if we exclude those

They're Aero's bread and butter…

As the great Hugh Laurie put it, "Aero Leathers make the best jackets in the world. Fall off a bike in one of these and they have to carry the road away on a stretcher."

CURRENTLY beyond my understanding.

Indeed.

Anyway, the entire premise of this thread is off because Aero makes a post to their social platforms announcing each restock of the sale page. That pretty much covers it.

 

[TartuWolf]

I know that Aero is mostly about the CXL FQHH/SH heavyweight stuff. But I don't ride and I would rather go with their midweight leathers if I end up ordering custom from them. Kelpie, battered HH, maybe thinner tumbled CXL HH. Currently having discussions with Holly, she's quite helpful.
Nice quote from Hugh though!

And yes, I already gathered that the basic response to my idea is that there is not enough need for it. Clear.

 

[Monitor]

They're Aero's bread and butter…

As the great Hugh Laurie put it, "Aero Leathers make the best jackets in the world. Fall off a bike in one of these and they have to carry the road away on a stretcher."

Lol! He actually said that. Well, they are tough, there's no debate there.

As for the thread, I don't understand a single thing going on here but it looks helpful and nice so I'm down with that sort of thing 100%.