InsOma
New in Town
- Messages
- 25
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
As SWMBO was doing some shopping downtown this afternoon, I wandered around with my daughter and stumbled onto a shop that's only been open in Portland for 7 months: Self Edge. They carry a wide range of cool Japanese-style denim jeans, leather accessories, and, what caught my eye as I got near, a rack full of Himmel Heron and Cafe Racer jackets. A brown Heron was displayed on a table inside the shop, and I noticed it from about half- a block away. Even from a distance it was obviously nice leather, and as I got closer I recognized the collar profile of the Heron. With a little coaxing, my 2 year-old agreed to accompany me inside to get a better look, and lo and behold, they have a rolling rack full Himmels: brown Herons and black Cafe Racers.
I've been wanting to get my hands on some Japanese horse, as I own a FQHH Aero, and I was not disappointed. I tried on a couple Herons and they initially seemed to weigh about half of what my Highwayman does, although the fit was terrible in both the 44 and the 46 they had in stock. I can't blame this on the Himmel Bros, as my Aero is a custom-job due to my height and length of arm, and personally I can't imagine spending that kind of cash on a jacket without at least getting measured for it, but I digress. The guy working the shop was very knowledgable about the products, and as it turns out, it's his personal Heron that they're using for the table display, because it shows more wear and grain than the brand-new ones on the rack. The grain and pebbling in his jacket are fantastic, and it was startling to hear him say that he's only had it for 6 months, with "light" wear at that. My Aero's Horween doesn't have pebbling or grain anything like his Heron, and I've been wearing it in the rain whenever possible on purpose for the last 5 years. I don't mean that as a criticism of the Aero at all, I think the heavier weight of the Highwayman hide logically results in different (and reduced) wear characteristics, but it was enlightening to see what the vaunted Japanese horsehide feels like in-hand. Although, while it wasn't hard to imagine damaging the Heron as i moved my arms around experimentally in the shop, I'm pretty sure my Highwayman will outlast me and then some regardless of what happens to it.
All in all it was a good experience to finally find a brick-and-mortar shop that carries stuff like this. The Japanese horsehide is as good as I'd thought, and it's definitely food for thought regarding my next "big" jacket purchase. I know this post is probably "useless without pics" in it's current state, but if I think of it I'll try to snap a couple the next time I wander past that neighborhood.
*** In retrospect, after typing this out, I got up and put on my Highwayman, for contrast with the Herons I'd just tried on. It slipped on like butter and actually made me grin, because it fit me like only my jacket does, and despite my initial impression that the Heron weighed a LOT less, I've reconsidered, and now put it at 1/3 more at most.
I've been wanting to get my hands on some Japanese horse, as I own a FQHH Aero, and I was not disappointed. I tried on a couple Herons and they initially seemed to weigh about half of what my Highwayman does, although the fit was terrible in both the 44 and the 46 they had in stock. I can't blame this on the Himmel Bros, as my Aero is a custom-job due to my height and length of arm, and personally I can't imagine spending that kind of cash on a jacket without at least getting measured for it, but I digress. The guy working the shop was very knowledgable about the products, and as it turns out, it's his personal Heron that they're using for the table display, because it shows more wear and grain than the brand-new ones on the rack. The grain and pebbling in his jacket are fantastic, and it was startling to hear him say that he's only had it for 6 months, with "light" wear at that. My Aero's Horween doesn't have pebbling or grain anything like his Heron, and I've been wearing it in the rain whenever possible on purpose for the last 5 years. I don't mean that as a criticism of the Aero at all, I think the heavier weight of the Highwayman hide logically results in different (and reduced) wear characteristics, but it was enlightening to see what the vaunted Japanese horsehide feels like in-hand. Although, while it wasn't hard to imagine damaging the Heron as i moved my arms around experimentally in the shop, I'm pretty sure my Highwayman will outlast me and then some regardless of what happens to it.
All in all it was a good experience to finally find a brick-and-mortar shop that carries stuff like this. The Japanese horsehide is as good as I'd thought, and it's definitely food for thought regarding my next "big" jacket purchase. I know this post is probably "useless without pics" in it's current state, but if I think of it I'll try to snap a couple the next time I wander past that neighborhood.
*** In retrospect, after typing this out, I got up and put on my Highwayman, for contrast with the Herons I'd just tried on. It slipped on like butter and actually made me grin, because it fit me like only my jacket does, and despite my initial impression that the Heron weighed a LOT less, I've reconsidered, and now put it at 1/3 more at most.
