shrinking aero anyone?

[Monitor]

I think if anything it's the opposite. I've noticed my aeros seemed to gain about 1/8 - 1/4" after about a month of getting them. I've attributed this to the stitching pulling and settling in after being worn and hung on a hangar, and the leather flattening out

I keep forgetting what I initially said, but yeah, exactly my experience with Aero jackets - they do seem to get gain length. Schott too. 618 got longer by almost an inch and it was pissing me off because it started to resemble a coat. Makes sense, actually. I reckon the thing's supposed to get stretched from wear, not shrink. Either way, I've just measured the new jacket today, it's already 1/3 or 1/4 longer than it was when I got it so I won't worry about it anymore.

 

[FarWalker]

On the same topic, here's another guy whose jacket shrank so much he had to get rid of it. Bummer.

 

[handymike]

^^ I understand there were extenuating circumstances with that jacket.

 

[BobJ]

I just noticed that the body of Dav's Teamster shrunk two full inches, but his sleeves are the same length!

 

[Cyber Lip]

Interesting thread, so much so that I thought I'd take the tape to my Teamster and I'm now to say the least shocked!
The jacket when new measured 30", I know this as I checked the length because I asked for the remake to be longer than the original and it was. Well today I can only get it to measure 28.5" and that's with it stretched, it soon goes back to 28".

So still not believing what the tape was saying I dug out a pic when it was new and took a similar one today, same jeans btw,


As you can see, it has definitely got shorter, no wonder the lining sagged!

Edit
I should add, that it doesn't bother me I'm just surprised by how much.

You look taller in the last pic

 

[Sloan1874]

The photo above shows some serious creasing there, Dav. I'm not surprised you've lost some length, but it's looking good. My Board Racer is developing some dramatic creasing at the back and looking the better for it.

 

[schitzo]

^^ I understand there were extenuating circumstances with that jacket.

extenuating circumstances is one way to put it. Another way would be to say it didn't shrink

 

[trapp]

After considering all the anecdotal evidence in this thread, I'm going to conclude that quality leather is a beautiful organic material that behaves differently - sometimes shrinking in places, sometimes stretching, sometimes remaining quite stable - depending on numerous variables too complex to identify.

 

[Dav]

The photo above shows some serious creasing there, Dav. I'm not surprised you've lost some length, but it's looking good. My Board Racer is developing some dramatic creasing at the back and looking the better for it.

Yes, I suspect that is what is causing it. I assume that due to putting my hands in the pockets that the back may have got a bit wider also adding to the loss of length, but am unsure as I don't know what it measured when new. As I said before, it doesn't concern me I was just surprised that's all.

 

[nick123]

Random thought...I've always reminded myself that if I was to get into the car with a leather jacket after being outside in the rain with it on, to be sure to not accidentally turn on the car heater. That whole thing where you're not supposed to put wet leather next to a heat source.
Could this have happened? Would this shrink the leather?

 

[Seb Lucas]

Random thought...I've always reminded myself that if I was to get into the car with a leather jacket after being outside in the rain with it on, to be sure to not accidentally turn on the car heater. That whole thing where you're not supposed to put wet leather next to a heat source.
Could this have happened? Would this shrink the leather?

Probably not, Nick - I have put jackets in the wash and then stuck them in tumble dry on warm and they haven't shrunk. Stupid, I know but thankfully no impact. I think it has to be an intrinsic instability in the leather perhaps it was stretched out and flattened when sold in skins. I know from experience that if you stretch leather it often will shrink back over weeks or months. I've tried it out when trying to stretch sleeves that were too short. Initial success but months later they were too short again.

 

[Dav]

I don't think so, most of my journeys aren't really long enough to get the heater warm.

EDIT

I think it's me putting my hands in the pockets that has caused it mainly.
Like this.

 

[Monitor]

Fantastic boots, Dav!

 

[schitzo]

When you look at the jacket, do you notice any creases in the body anywhere?? Even on the side of the liner? Rub your fingers down it and look for a bulge.

I don't think so. but I'll have a look later to check and perhaps post a pic or two if I notice anything

 

[mowgli222]

@Dav really nice boots. What are those?

 

[Dav]

Thanks, they're these ones with a bit of wear on them.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?79304-Wesco-Boot-Thread/page2
Post 15

 

[schitzo]

Well, I've spoken with aero and the verdict is in. It shrank .75" from being folded in luggage. As some of you may know from experience, photographing black leather with the flash can be tricky, and with that in mind I'll try to post a video of it for readers to make up their own minds later on. This particular black leather is very soft and malleable now, which means that temporary creases are easily formed and captured by the lens if it's not laid out completely flat or if it is disturbed in any way- but these are the type that drop out easily. IMO, given that the sleeves are covered in larger more pronounced creases and that these have shrank less, I'm a little sceptical about this explanation.

Anyhow, I asked a couple of other leather professionals the same open question in relation to the same pictures. Opinion differed, but both were agreed that leather isn't supposed to shrink. One explanation proffered was that possibly Horween are drying some of their hides like this:
Toggle drying
http://horween.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/nah_1908.jpg
Apparently, it helps to maximise yield, though leather that has been stretched will inevitably want to return to its natural shape and so in time will shrink back. Moreover, I was advised that on the leather that this happens to (if it's on a jacket), wrinkling around the seams would be one tell tale sign to look out for. As you can see there is a good deal of wrinkling around the seams on my jacket, both front and back:
DSC00761 by misterschitzo, on Flickr
DSC00763 by misterschitzo, on Flickr

In answer to the question, does it feel tighter all over? Yes it does. I was hoping I might have filled out a but, alas I'm still the same skinny streak with a chest of around 38". If I could just access the photos from the original thread I'd compare those with some from now, but unfortunately photobucket has stopped working for me hence the move to flickr

Shinki, on the other hand, is hang dried like this so that it doesn't have initial stretch:
http://www.milqleather.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/foto-conceria-107_300x300px.jpg
And I am reliably informed by the guy who would know better than anyone, that shinki does not shrink period.

For clarity, I can add here that aero are adamant all of their Horween CXL horse hides are hang dried. I'm not saying any are toggle dried - how would I know - rather this was merely a bit of speculation put forward by an impartial observer who also works with leather, as part of his attempt to explain away something that's difficult to explain. Whether the speculation is wayward or warm, for me the explanation is at least a bit more palatable than the reckless folding version, since 1) It's only ever travelled in a suitcase once, 2) on that occasion it was very carefully wrapped around soft stuff in a curved shape so as not to inflict any ugly looking creases - though at that time I of course did not realise the danger I was dicing with, I was still careful cos based on previous experiences I know they can look bad, and 3) the creases on the back don't even look very severe

The other leather professional I spoke with took up a different stance. According to him, the industry standards state that toggle drying and hang drying are both acceptable methods so he doesn't think that's a factor. However, those same standards state too that leather is not supposed to shrink at temperatures below 97 degrees celsius. He said that 0.75" is too much - "surprisingly bad" - and that in his view the likely cause would have to be tanning that had not been carried out according to industry standards.

My view? I don't know what to think. As intimated above, I will try to upload a video soon that will hopefully offer the clearest view possible. But I can't help wondering if the arid Beijing climate has played a role, as I know that dries me out if I ever forget to moisturise. Yet the jacket doesn't look dried out! Perhaps if I condition it that might just help..

but basically, I'm running out of ideas. If it does hit the classifieds and it's your size, it is a real looker, that surely won't shrink any more. Plus there is a possibility I could get the sleeves shortened for you. All of that said, I haven't officially thrown the towel in just yet

 

[handymike]

Really sorry to hear that the search is inconclusive as to how this happened.
Maybe it might stretch out a bit given some wear and pulling. If you're about to throw in the towel, Try the HWT. Nothing to lose at that point. I hope it doesn't come to that though.

 

[Grayland]

Well, I've spoken with aero and the verdict is in. It shrank .75" from being folded in luggage.

So, in other words, Aero can't explain it either.

 

[Sloan1874]

All the skins I saw in Horween were drape dried. Maybe they do others differently[huh].