Simmons Bilt

[oskar]

Did not have a good experience with SB. Better spend 100 more on aero leather. They wont take back any jackets and its hard to get the fit right.

 

[Exiton]

I've got 5 AL/SB jackets (2x J100, D1, B6, Standard&Strange Vanishing point collab). I love them all. I like the vanishing point over the Mr Freedom Campus Jacket and a Tenjin JS02 jackets I've had in the past. Deb has always had great customer service. I messed up a zipper and she sent me a replacement free of charge via international mail. I know they have been really slow responding recently because of their national lock down. For the price, I'd put SB as the highest value bespoke maker out there. Thedi is still my favorite, but I love the jackets I've gotten from SB.

 

[nattevagten]

Does anyone have any pics of jackets made of Ranger horsehide or Horween Milan? Only found two threads so far (https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/simmons-bilt-tailgunner.95435/ - https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/horween-milano-horsehide-in-havana-brown.101386/) but it would be helpful to see a few more pics.

 

[Pandemic]

Does anyone have any pics of jackets made of Ranger horsehide or Horween Milan? Only found two threads so far (https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/simmons-bilt-tailgunner.95435/ - https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/horween-milano-horsehide-in-havana-brown.101386/) but it would be helpful to see a few more pics.

Milano: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/custom-simmons-bilt-cross-zip-fit-seeking-opinions.102341/

 

[Tom71]

Horween Milan on a modified „Maverick“.

Interesting hide if you are after the heft of Horween CXL but want less break-in and more breathability. Heavy, substantial leather but very pliable, almost soft right from the get go.
Moulds very nicely to the body. Looks pretty dull and lifeless at first, but I am placing my hopes in the aging process.

 

[ton312]

Horween Milan on a modified „Maverick“.

Interesting hide if you are after the heft of Horween CXL but want less break-in and more breathability. Heavy, substantial leather but very pliable, almost soft right from the get go.
Moulds very nicely to the body. Looks pretty dull and lifeless at first, but I am placing my hopes in the aging process.

View attachment 328485

They certainly got the fit right on that one!

 

[hondurasdave47]

Horween Milan on a modified „Maverick“.

Interesting hide if you are after the heft of Horween CXL but want less break-in and more breathability. Heavy, substantial leather but very pliable, almost soft right from the get go.
Moulds very nicely to the body. Looks pretty dull and lifeless at first, but I am placing my hopes in the aging process.

View attachment 328485

Tell me more about this guy! Can you post some more pictures?

 

[nattevagten]

Milano: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/custom-simmons-bilt-cross-zip-fit-seeking-opinions.102341/

Ah yes, that thread.. Interesting, the brown version doesn't look dull at all compared to what Tom71 said, but perhaps it's the lighting or maybe the brown hide looks a bit different.

 

[Tom71]

They certainly got the fit right on that one!

It´s a stock size 42 with alterations to sleeve and body and some mods re design feastures. It´s actually a bit generous in the chest/shoulder area, but not dramatically so. Just need to hit the gym again after 14 months of Covid-absence. Or layer properly.

 

[Tom71]

Tell me more about this guy! Can you post some more pictures?

Only a few pictures, all in that gloomy light and with an odd angle. Still deciding how to fit this one in. Feels like a good layering piece for hard wear and foul weather.

 

[hondurasdave47]

Only a few pictures, all in that gloomy light and with an odd angle. Still deciding how to fit this one in. Feels like a good layering piece for hard wear and foul weather.

View attachment 328642 View attachment 328644

Nice! I dig it.

 

[Tom71]

Update picture of the Milan HH in sunlight.

I called the hide "dull" in my previous post. Let´s change that to "matte", shall we . I have only worn the jacket three times yet, and it is really coming along very nicely indeed...

 

[Leadfoot]

Does anyone have any pics of jackets made of Ranger horsehide or Horween Milan?

Here are some pics of my Ranger J-100. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a good shot of this jacket to accurately capture the color of the leather. It's jet black in person. But under certain lighting there is a purple-ish hue. And in direct sunlight you can see some brown undertones beneath the black.

The leather is very pliable and super soft. If does not require any break in time to wear comfortably but it appears to require some weartime before the leather starts developing some really nice graining. I've been wearing mine regularly for about 6 months and it is still relatively smooth on the outside. But there are spots where it is starting to give a glimpse of what is to come. It is really noticeable on the interior facings and the inside of the collar.

Also note that it is a bit thinner (1-1.1mm) than their other horsehides.

 

[nattevagten]

Here are some pics of my Ranger J-100. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a good shot of this jacket to accurately capture the color of the leather. It's jet black in person. But under certain lighting there is a purple-ish hue. And in direct sunlight you can see some brown undertones beneath the black.

The leather is very pliable and super soft. If does not require any break in time to wear comfortably but it appears to require some weartime before the leather starts developing some really nice graining. I've been wearing mine regularly for about 6 months and it is still relatively smooth on the outside. But there are spots where it is starting to give a glimpse of what is to come. It is really noticeable on the interior facings and the inside of the collar.

Also note that it is a bit thinner (1-1.1mm) than their other horsehides.

View attachment 333232 View attachment 333233 View attachment 333234 View attachment 333235 View attachment 333236

Thanks!

 

[Tom71]

Milan HH coming along nicely after some wear in difficult weather...

 

[MoFo]

I just love my SB A-2!

You can read about it here:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ttwerk-veg-tan-horsehide.102151/#post-2729821

 

[Corsair42]

SB experiences have been uniformly positive, its a smaller operation than other makers and so expectations have to be managed accordingly with regards to comms etc. I think you definitely have to be very detailed in your requests and just talk through what you want very precisely before committing.

I recently had a custom roadster made in the brown Horween Milan and have to say this is the final word in hide for me, I've chopped and changed similarly styled jackets over the years but this is what I have been looking for. The Milan is beautiful, has some of that heft you get in CXL but more pliable, richer colour and better creasing, it has a lot of cxls good points, none of the bad and looks like its going to age beautifully. I don't have any decent pictures yet but will post a couple later to give an idea what it's like after a few weeks of wear.

 

[nattevagten]

Will definitely go for Horween Milan on a J100. Some excellent advertising here for that leather, lol.

 

[Bbrtns]

I ordered a jacket from the outlet yesterday. First leather jacket, price was right so this seemed like a good introduction.

 

[Corsair42]

My Roadster in brown Horween Milan Horsehide. Not the best picture and the jacket had been crumpled up in my car immediately beforehand but you get the idea. Its had a few weeks of wear and breaks in a lot quicker than CXL slightly softer drape. It's got aspects of all my favourite hides while being unique in itself. The jacket fit was 100%, a bit less 'boxy' than my old Highwayman jacket, its a true 42 fit from what I can see, I'm a 40/42 chest, basically a 41 and the jacket has enough room to layer a light sweater under but generally wear it with a denim shirt. I had a few customisations done - a larger gauge main zip, a slight drop tail for riding (and aesthetics - it just looks better) and a mix of satin in the sleeves and gabardine in the body. Overall it feels like Horween have produced a hide for people looking for a veg-tan, easier to wear version of CXL.