The long and winding road (another aero thread)

[schitzo]

Evening all

I've been reading these threads for a month or two and have found this place useful. First off I'd like to say hello to all the regulars – especially Peacoat, Hosier daddy, Butte, Sir Jacket, coffee and Andrew – you guys all talk a lot of sense, and doubtless I have missed a few names out here so apologies if yours is one of them. I shall begin

The road was long and hard. And expensive also. But our hero, the proverbial tortoise, always believed that if he kept going he would get there in the end This journey started 6 (SIX) years ago with a highwayman bought from Aero USA off ebay. MM took all of my measurements but my size 40 jacket arrived with a 50 inch chest?! 5 custom made jackets direct from the factory later and still none had satisfied me. My thinking is that if I am to commit to breaking in a FQHH jacket then the thing has to be a pretty good fit to begin with. Well yesterday, in what is frankly bizarre fashion, the journey ended!

I have a jacket on order now that's almost due, which I am very optimistic about (unlike the previous 6 that isn't FQHH) but then I saw a 50s halfbelt on ebay that appeared simply too good to look past. The pictures I received bore out the sellers claim that it was unworn new and the measurements seemed as though the thing might just be bang on the money for me. However, I was a tad concerned about the sleeves. The longest I've ever had were 26.75” yet these were 28” - but I figured an extra inch wouldn't make a lot of difference and that if they were too long I could always try my hardest to develop mega inch depriving creases or alternatively plead with the factory to take them up a bit. The other thing that made me slightly anxious was that the seller fudged the measurements a few times. In the end I decided to go in hard for it regardless, as being a veteran of moving on jackets that don't fit right, I knew that if needs be I could always take a small hit and flog it on myself later. I decided this jacket would be worth that risk.

Well, the news is that this jacket, that was custom made for a dude over 2 inches taller than I am, fits me like a glove! The sleeves are great and I am basically thrilled with this fit + the brown FQHH isn't bad either. Before now I've only ever had black, cordovan and mostly cherry, but never brown.

Apparently the original owner went to Scotland and was measured up by Will. My guess would be that on him he felt it was a bit too short. Which brings me to the only (minuscule) bone of contention with it. As it was custom made for him after a visit in person it has his name on a small leather name tag sewn inside. Ideally of course that wouldn't be there but tbh it doesn't really bother me + this bloke is a thoroughly decent chap with whom I am rather pleased thus the reminder of him doesn't especially upset me. It really doesn't! Though obviously that I would mention it in the first place I will admit is confirmation that it does sit there in direct opposition to my OCD/perfectionist tendencies! So, all I would like to know I suppose is, if anyone else has been in this situation, can one of those be removed without too much trouble? i.e. if I cut those stitches off it will that leave holes in the cotton drill lining that'll basically get bigger and end up causing me a problem later? Or would I have to have another tag sewn through those same holes to avoid such a fate? As may be apparent, stitching stuff is not my forte, as much as I wish it was. In fact, at school as I recall I didn't get very far in textiles and fabrics class because I never could get the thread through the hole in the needle! Thankfully however there are less useless people around me who can sew and so if this is a relatively simple and danger free task I am sure one of them can be persuaded to help me out. I just don't know if it's a task I should be bothering somebody else with or not. Do any of you lot have an opinion?

In conclusion, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all who make this place the useful resource it is. For me, looking at pictures here is definitely helpful. And with that in mind I will of course now reciprocate.

They had to be taken under my porch cos it was monsooning it down this afternoon. Ignore my rather stylish wheelie bin I only noticed that afterwards. I know some of you like to take belts into consideration, so just for you guys I put one on today and tucked my shirt in – neither of which I would normally bother with. It may also be worth pointing out that as an 80s child I like to wear my jeans and trousers low. I wore a white shirt deliberately to test for 'bleeding' and am pleased to report there is none so far, unlike cherry which in my experience bleeds loads

Apologies for my word count here but let's just say the devil is in the detail!

Last thing to add is that I have stuck with aero for this long because they are a first class company with service that is second to none. The problems I have experienced have been of my own making i.e. my inability to measure myself properly and my failure to fully understand how these jackets are intended to fit

[ButteMT61]

Congrat's on the Aero! I'm flattered that you included me in your group of helpfuls, but I'd say it fits just fine - and with wear, etc. the sleeves should end up perfect (for what I like anyways).
It's an awesome hide that takes some work to break, and don't forget to get 'er wet and beat it to a pulp. It's darn near impossible to hurt it. As for the tag - can you take some pics of that? Often, they're easy to remove without issue when new...
Glad it worked out for you!

[schitzo]

i thought about taking a pic of the tag but it would show the other guy's name, and maybe he isn't cool with that. To be clear Butte there isn't a thing about this jacket that I would change and if I ever order another I'll be sending this one up to Scotland and requesting an exact replica. It's so damn perfect in fact i think it even affords me the option of developing a gut with middle age, as atm the side buckles have a good chuck of slack left. Rest assured y'all this one isn't going anywhere. Rain isn't a bad shout tho, and I realise now I missed that opportunity this afternoon. Fortunately for me however where I live there'll be plenty more 'opportunities'. Cheers

[Edward]

Nice jacket - you don't see so many of the Fifties Halfbelts around these parts. I suspect that the body is a little longer than the standard on this one? Definitely, going from your photos, a touch longer than my Thirties Halfbelt and my Highwayman, and about the same length as my Bootlegger (which is just a touch longer as a standard pattern). It looks grand on you. The sleeves would be a little longer than I personally would go for, but as you're already aware, they'll ride up with wear (as Mr Humphries would say), so I wouldn't think twice about it from that POV. Now all you have to do is get it out there and get it wearing. Enjoy!

[too much coffee]

Hello schitzo;

What a great looking HB and it fits like it was made for you..........Congratulations!

Enjoy the break in and get used to folks coming up to you and asking, "Can I touch it?"

Welcome to the Lounge

Regards,
coffee

[Fanch]

That jacket looks great. I think that maybe I would want the HB to be a bit longer in the body than the Highwayman. Maybe the sleeves would be a bit long for my taste but maybe not with the stiffer, heavier FQHH that might be less likely to flop over by wrists the way the thinner goatskin does on me. In any case, one can always make the sleeves shorter but not longer! Congratulations on a great looking jacket and thanks for the great pictures too.

[wild_balls]

Beautiful hide on that jacket! Congratulations!

Cheers Joakim

[Hammer Down]

Fantastic hide, and a nice fit, aside from the sleeves, which look too long to me.

Here is a quote from the below source. Most experts agree with this fairly standard opinion:

Buy a leather jacket with the proper sleeve length. The sleeves on any jacket you buy should not extend past your actual wrist line; otherwise the jacket may look too small or too large for your frame.

http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-Leather-Jacket-for-Men

[ButteMT61]

I'll pass on wikis for my clothing fit...

[Lungomare]

Perfect fit! Aero's FQHH is great, but their midweight hides are not entirely convincing (for me!).

So, all I would like to know I suppose is, if anyone else has been in this situation, can one of those be removed without too much trouble? i.e. if I cut those stitches off it will that leave holes in the cotton drill lining that'll basically get bigger and end up causing me a problem later? Or would I have to have another tag sewn through those same holes to avoid such a fate?

No problem! Just remove the thread carefully without drawing too violently. The stiching holes will stay as they are and won't tear bigger holes. I experienced the thread of the cotton drill to be very strong. What you can try is to wet the part with the stitching holes with warm water (40 deg. centigrade) - e.g. a handkerchief wetted with warm water, press it against the cotton drill where the stitch holes are and let it dry naturally, and the holes will get smaller (if this is what you'll get).

Be careful not to soak the drill, because you'd soak also the leather behind - wont't do any harm to the FQHH, but this part could appear with another shade of colour after drying.

Regards,

Johannes