Thin, lightweight cafe racer jacket?

[SklounstDraxxer]

considered mid weight by most, Lost Worlds 3oz is amazing. My best jacket from Stuart- Buco J100

Any idea how Lost Worlds' 3 oz. horsehide compares to Aero's Vicenza horsehide?

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

The Vicenza seems a little thicker. Not sure I'd want a Cafe Racer in anything thinner than that. But the ELMC may be worth looking into. Eastman uses some very pretty leather btw. Doesn't get talked about enough on here.

Got it! I'm trying my best to collect data points based on everyone's experiences (which, admittedly, is somewhat subjective). So far I've got that Aero's Vicenza horsehide is pretty similar to their goatskin, which are both a little thicker than Eastman's Italian horsehide.

 

[Fanch]

For what it's worth, my favorite color of all the Vicenza HH's is the seal Vicenza, which I don't currently have. I did have the opportunity to see an Aero Premier HWM made from seal Vicenza and was blown away by the overall appearance.

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

I recently bought a new Schott 654 (the standard version, not the VN) and am enjoying wearing it. It seems to meet most of your criteria, SklounstDraxxer. Yes, there is some sheen to the leather on mine, but my understanding is exposure to water (as in light rainfall) will reduce that characteristic.

Here's a photo of mine, along with the link to the accompanying thread: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/schott-654-casual-racer.90415/

Thanks Gamma68! I did catch your thread, and really appreciated it. You're right that the 654 meets MOST of my criteria--I mainly just wish it had chest pockets!

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

For what it's worth, my favorite of all the Vicenza HH's is the seal Vicenza, which I don't currently have. I did have the opportunity to see an Aero Premier HWM made from seal Vicenza and was blown away by the overall appearance.

Ooh, I've seen pics of Aero's seal goatskin, which I love! I'm sure the seal Vicenza is similarly great. Now, I notice for Vicenza they also do a DARK seal, which is very intriguing to me.

 

[bn1966]

Beautiful jacket! Where is the best place to find these, and is there any way to try them on?

EBay is a good source, I've had three: two 'Gold Label' (size 48) & one (size 50) more modern version. Personally I prefer the sleeve cut & hide of the Vintage jackets & am now down to just the jacket pictured. I paid around £130.00 to £150.00 each & for the money have been more than pleased

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

EBay is a good source, I've had three: two 'Gold Label' (size 48) & one (size 50) more modern version. Personally I prefer the sleeve cut & hide of the Vintage jackets & am now down to just the jacket pictured. I paid around £130.00 to £150.00 each & for the money have been more than pleased

Wow, those prices are phenomenal! Unfortunately I'll need to rule this option out as it's important to me to get the perfect fit nailed down.

 

[bn1966]

Fair enough.......one thing the Brooks did for me was allowed me to suss out whether or not Cafe Racers work for me Makes for a pleasant cheap Racer.

I'm currently very much into the early French Motorcycle jacket look & have two Eastman's in the style (Luftwaffe & Hartmann models).

 

[nick123]

Got it! I'm trying my best to collect data points based on everyone's experiences (which, admittedly, is somewhat subjective). So far I've got that Aero's Vicenza horsehide is pretty similar to their goatskin, which are both a little thicker than Eastman's Italian horsehide.

I don't know if the ELMC labeled jackets are lighter, but my A-2 weight leather feels lighter than the Vicenza.

 

[lina]

In addition to Brooks, you can check on eBay and etsy for Bates, Kehoe, Reed, and Brimaco. All are nice vintage cr's often for a good price. And maybe Fidelity, though not sure they're in the same class - others may know.

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

I don't know if the ELMC labeled jackets are lighter, but my A-2 weight leather feels lighter than the Vicenza.

Good point--I emailed ELMC to see if the Italian horsehide they use on their J-100 is the same as Eastman uses on the A-2.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Owning a few jackets in some of the leathers you were curious about I can offer the following opinions on weight.

Vicenza is slightly thicker and heavier than both Diamond Dave's Shinki and ELMC's Italian Horse. While the last 2 are pretty damn similar I'd say the ELMC is slightly thinner than the Shinki but only marginally.

If you are after a light weight jacket, I'd second (third?) the Brooks Gold Label option tbh. For the price, you could order 2 jackets 1 size apart and then simply resell the one that doesn't fit.

They come up regularly on ebay, a lot in great condition


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

Owning a few jackets in some of the leathers you were curious about I can offer the following opinions on weight.

Vicenza is slightly thicker and heavier than both Diamond Dave's Shinki and ELMC's Italian Horse. While the last 2 are pretty damn similar I'd say the ELMC is slightly thinner than the Shinki but only marginally.

If you are after a light weight jacket, I'd second (third?) the Brooks Gold Label option tbh. For the price, you could order 2 jackets 1 size apart and then simply resell the one that doesn't fit.

They come up regularly on ebay, a lot in great condition


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks ProteinNerd, very solid info! Have you ever compared Vicenza to Aero's goatskin? Also, is Diamond Dave's Shinki only available in black?

The Brooks is getting a lot of love, so maybe I'll keep an eye on out on eBay.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I did have an Aero Goat jacket for a short time but it was a special case.

It was the Blue-Black Goat from their collaboration with Levi Vintage Clothing in the early 2000's so I'm not sure how it compares to their current regular goat.

It was thin but tough (in a good way) but I didn't like the pebbling pattern that is apparently standard on most goat. I haven't really considered goat since. From memory, it was a bit thinner than the Vicenza. Probably between the Vicenza and Shinki/ELMC.

I'm pretty sure Diamond Dave can get brown Shinki, he usually has to order in whatever leather you want.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

I did have an Aero Goat jacket for a short time but it was a special case.

It was the Blue-Black Goat from their collaboration with Levi Vintage Clothing in the early 2000's so I'm not sure how it compares to their current regular goat.

It was thin but tough (in a good way) but I didn't like the pebbling pattern that is apparently standard on most goat. I haven't really considered goat since. From memory, it was a bit thinner than the Vicenza. Probably between the Vicenza and Shinki/ELMC.

I'm pretty sure Diamond Dave can get brown Shinki, he usually has to order in whatever leather you want.

Ah yes, the pebbling of goat! I've read about that a lot here but haven't found any really good pictures. I'm not sure if I would like pebbling--is it just as it sounds? Kind of hard to picture.

And I just reached out to Dave, and he can get black, russet, and seal Shinki--so that's great!

 

[Seb Lucas]

We have a similar climate here. I can wear a Brooks for more days than any others. Remember Brooks jackets are sized small. I generally wear a 42. I wear a 44 or 46 in the Brooks.

I would say the leather is around or under 2oz weight. Some fashion leather is thicker. I find anything over 2.5oz is not useful here.

Some of the goat options (which are usually 2.5oz) mentioned are too warm also. I had a lovely goatskin half-belt that was made out of Aero's older goat-hide. Even with a cotton lining it was uncomfortable a lot of the time. I sold it because I didn't wear it.

I recently bought a Beau Breed cafe racer (as worn by Bronson in the 70's The Mechanic). It is the thinnest leather I have ever owned on a jacket. Turns out it's not my thing. It's quilted and feels puffy and the shoulders are very wide and it looks wrong on me.

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

We have a similar climate here. I can wear a Brooks for more days than any others. Remember Brooks jackets are sized small. I generally wear a 42. I wear a 44 or 46 in the Brooks.

I would say the leather is around or under 2oz weight. Some fashion leather is thicker. I find anything over 2.5oz is not useful here.

Some of the goat options (which are usually 2.5oz) mentioned are too warm also. I had a lovely goatskin half-belt that was made out of Aero's older goat-hide. Even with a cotton lining it was uncomfortable a lot of the time. I sold it because I didn't wear it.

I recently bought a Beau Breed cafe racer (as worn by Bronson in the 70's The Mechanic). It is the thinnest leather I have ever owned on a jacket. Turns out it's not my thing. It's quilted and feels puffy and the shoulders are very wide and it looks wrong on me.

Thanks for the discussion on specific weights--that is very helpful to know.

 

[SklounstDraxxer]

Guys, I've just had some very interesting correspondence with Diamond Dave, where I posed to him some of my same questions from here. Currently he only has Shinki and Horween Chromexcel horsehide available for jackets (no goatskin), and the Horween is actually a lighter weight! The Shinki is 3.25 to 3.5 oz., whereas the Horween is more like 2.5 to 3 oz. (which he pointed out is lighter than the 4 oz. that Aero uses) and "drapes like originals" (not sure what that means?).

Anyhow, I find this enlightening--based on my reading here, I thought that "specialty" horsehide like Shinki and Vicenza were thinner than something like Horween.

So Diamond Dave is making the case for Horween horsehide!

 

[ProteinNerd]

Horween is a Tannery brand-name not a particular type of leather. They make a lot of different types and weights.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yep and Aero's FQHH is 3oz. That's a heavy hide in a warmer place. I've tried to wear 3oz jackets on and off since 1983. It's a pleasing thickness and I always think I know better than nature. But every 3oz jacket I've owned I've sold - the weather just isn't cold enough. Even my nice soft 3oz steer went off to Chicago where it might do some good.