Thin, lightweight cafe racer jacket?

[InsOma]

I've owned a custom Aero Highwayman in FQHH for the past 10 years, and while I like it, I don't spend much time actually wearing it. I don't ride, and don't really have any need for heavy bullet-proof leather, but when I ordered it, I thought I wanted something really heavy and substantial. The Aero is that and more, to the point that I find it inconvenient to wear. On planes, if I fold it up and put it in an overhead bin, it takes up nearly as much space by itself as my carry-on suitcase. It's too big to fit in a backpack, and heavy to carry around with other stuff when you find yourself in a hot place (like an airport) and need to take it off.

As such, I've been on the hunt for a lightweight leather jacket for several years. About a month ago I found a cafe racer from a fashion brand which was beautiful: buttery soft, super light leather, perfect drape and hand, and made from what the saleslady assured me was goat. It fit me perfectly, smelled amazing, and practically every woman I encountered while wearing it felt compelled to touch it repeatedly. It even had a quirky satin lining that I was oddly fond of. It was frigging perfect. And then I spent a day furniture shopping, and discovered that somehow I'd ripped the leather, right in the front, by doing nothing at all besides walking around showrooms of high-end furniture. I hadn't even lifted anything. My confidence in the jacket was destroyed, and I immediately stopped wearing it, put it in the closet, and felt like a fool for wasting $800 on a black leather jacket so fragile that it couldn't withstand a day out shopping in the suburbs.

Fast forward a couple weeks, and it occurred to me that I might be able to return the jacket. I took it back to the store where I bought it, with a whole spiel mentally prepared about how I wasn't "satisfied" with my purchase, and before I could even get started the salesperson was refunding the purchase price to my card. When I bought the jacket, a close runner-up was a black Schott 654 cafe racer, and after I gave the fashion jacket back I purchased the Schott on the spot, and so far I'm very happy with it. The XL off the rack fits me far better than my custom Aero, is significantly lighter, and I'm pretty sure that with a little wear, it will soften up and become what I was looking for all along. I might be lucky in that Schott's XL in this style fits me perfectly, and I might've botched my own measurements when I ordered my Aero, but so far I feel that I've found exactly what I've been looking for all these years. The 654 has no extra material anywhere and is a very clean, tailored-looking design.

I even saved $100 by basically exchanging the fashion brand for a Schott, which I have no doubt will outlast the former by a matter of decades. It was also significantly cheaper than my Aero was.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I’m stunned a store would take back a damaged jacket. Here in Oz they would laugh you out of the store for even considering such a thing.

 

[Downunder G Man]

I had a Schott 654 in Cordovan colour ( sorry "color" !) ( Oxblood to us "Aussies" ).

Lovely article indeed. Good mate of mine liked it so much I sold it to him and it's his "good" jacket now for social gatherings

 

[InsOma]

I’m stunned a store would take back a damaged jacket. Here in Oz they would laugh you out of the store for even considering such a thing.

Even though the store I was dealing with is kind of known for it's customer service, I had my doubts about this working at all. To make matters worse, I'd actually cut the tags (size, care, etc.) out of the jacket I was returning, but the salesperson didn't even take it out of the bag I used to return it before refunding me. Didn't blink, didn't look at it, nada. I guess customer service is alive and well in some places.

 

[Doctor Strange]

A couple of years down the road, I'm very happy with my Schott 654, it's a sweet spring and fall jacket. It's too cold here to wear it now, but it got plenty of use a couple of months ago - selfie from October:



(The hat's a Glen Grey Akubra Stockman I've had for 11 years.)