Himel "The Imperial"

58panheadfan said:

Side by Side comparison

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dudewuttheheck said:

That is one beautiful jacket. In fact, both of them are incredible. This is a jacket I would really like to have, but I have absolutely no need for one with my Caboose.

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Tom71 said:

Thanks for the comparison. That is immensely helpful!

The „true Color“ of my jacket it somewhere in between the two pictures. Still trying to capture the deepness and variations, but so far no luck. By now I have accumulated pictures where the Color looks so different that you wouldn’t believe it can be the same jacket.

Jeo, I now get your point about the hand warmers. Clearly, mine are set at a more horizontal angle, thereby creating a somewhat “shrunken” appearance, if that makes any sense.
When I look at where the chest pocket is placed relative to the insertion of the sleeve to the front panel, I believe our jackets are pretty much the same though.

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Tom71 said:

Thank you very much! In fact it was your pictures of your Caboose(s) that made me look for a pattern like this in the first place.

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handymike said:

What a beautiful color! The ultimate brown leather for a jacket.

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Mich486 said:

Beautiful jacket and beautiful leather!

I’ve just seen on Instagram that Himel announced officially this is now part of their regular line up.

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JMax said:

I’ll echo what everyone else has said...effin spectacular. You’ve got quite the collection going.

Apparently Himel has yet another model coming out in the next few weeks. Any idea what that may be? Someone on IG guessed it would be a Beck cross zip of some kind. Himel’s response was close but not quite.

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Tom71 said:

Himel „The Imperial“



So it has arrived. Just one week in transit from Canada to my doorstep including custom clearance. Must be a record.


Jacket is “The Imperial” which is basically a design from John at Good Wear leather that Himel is able to share with its customers.


Specs are as follows:

- Dark Brown oil-tan Shinki Horsehide

- Mitchell-Camo liner

- 2 inside pockets (stud-closings)

- Brass Hardware

- Chest: 23,5”

- Shoulder: 19”

- Back: 25,75”

- Sleeve: 25,5”

Sizing is basically following the stock sizes of a “42”, with some add-ons to Sleeves and Back.


I first came across this pattern searching for an alternative to the Freewheelers “Caboose”, which I like a lot for the looks but didn’t quite trust with the sizes.

I am not really sure if Himel treats The Imperial as a “regular, regular” stock item, but when I asked Eli at Himels shortly after New Year’s Day if I could have one, it was no problem whatsoever. Since I just had received my “Nipsissing Rider” jacket, I was fairly sure about sizing too.


Dealing with Himel (in my case that has always been Eli) is totally easy and extremely friendly. I increasingly find that I much enjoy dealing with people who have an obvious passion and pride in what they are doing. I find that to be the case with every single of the “leather-guys” I have yet come across and Himel is no different.


Now to the jacket: I don’t think I am too good with words, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves (What would be the gain in trying to explain clumsily what is plain to your collective eye…?). There is also an episode of “Himel TV” dedicated to this very jacket with tons of “deep-dive” info on pattern, origin, leather etc.).

Anyway, if there is anything you would like to know – just ask.


There are a few observations, I would like to share with you:


The leather feels quite a bit more substantial than the black (teacore) Nipissing Rider from Himel. Dave explain on “Himel TV”, that this is due to the oils and waxes used in the coating, so this is no great revelation, but I found it noteworthy still. I quite like the heft of the jacket, as it is.

Smell is really intoxicating. I don’t know if there is a specific “Shinki-aroma”, but the smell is the same as the Nipissing, only much more intense. Jacket is still only in use for three days, and when I have it with me in the same room, the aroma gets quite strong after a few hours.


The look of the hide has a deep, dull shine that looks absolutely luxurious and is hard to compare with other leathers I have seen. I am positive that every single jacket in this hide would look just great, but for The Imperial being a classic sports jacket this is the perfect color, IMHO. For your “Rude-Rider” MC jacket, I would always opt for black, but the dark-brown just adds to the overall subtle “smart-casual” appearance of The Imperial.

I notice that the hide marks very easily. Part of the evolution, of course and nothing that normally bothers me.


Fit: Straight out of the box, my initial feeling was, “Man, is that snug”. I could zip it up without a problem, but it felt pretty tight, especially across the midsection. By now, the jacket feels just fine, which may or may not be due to some “loosening” of the leather, or simply to the fact that I am not wearing the piece with much more than a T-Shirt or a thin sports-shirt. Most important, having worn the jacket for the third day now is that I feel good in it.

Sleeve- and body length is spot-on, I believe. I like to wear my jackets on the shorter side, but decided that with a non-MC-Jacket I should perhaps add an inch in the body to have the belt covered. Looking at the pictures, I believe the jacket looks just right.


What else is there? I am really useless in judging artisanship, construction and the like. I need to “feel” a jacket and have never counted stitches or examined a jacket for construction defects. Obviously, a jacket as “classy” or “sophisticated” as The Imperial needs to follow a different esthetics than a very rough, heavy Horween CXL-hide jacket, and The Imperial ticks all my boxes in that respect. I could not find a flaw in jacket in terms of what is important to me personally, but I know that we are all different here.

Admittedly, the price that Himel charges means that the jacket is quite an investment for me. If some of you feel that with a price like this, the expectations need to be in a different ballpark, I couldn’t disagree. It´s just that wearing the jacket, I don’t have a single regret and I have the feeling that The Imperial is good value for money even if compared to a substantially cheaper maker (I do find my Aeros are “perfect” in their own right too, but I don’t see that as a contradiction).


It’s always hard to say which jacket is or becomes your ultimate favorite. Even harder to predict, which jacket gets picked for daily use most. The Imperial certainly deserves to be in both categories.


So what sets it apart from my other jackets? I believe, for me it’s mostly two things:

- The design/pattern: the silhouette with a slight hour-glass shape; the feisty waistband; the elegant slant of the handwarmer pocket and the other details like cuffs, collar, armcurve that all add to the notion of refined and subtle elegance.

- The hide: I am a Horween guy and will be. Yet, I have come across some Japanese hides that I liked very much. The brown oil-tan shinki is something else, IMO. The outer texture, that incredible yet unobtrusive shine and that marvelous graining. Compared to Horween CXL it’s like comparing a Kobe-steak to a huge Nebraska corn-fed T-bone. It’s not that one is naturally better for every occasion, it’s just that the one of them is a really, really special and rare treat. This is the one time that I am actually a bit worried about the aging process, as I like the hide so much as it is.


Thank you for bearing with me through this lengthy text. I am not entirely convinced that this review creates value for you guys, but I somehow felt like The Imperial deserves the “extra-mile”. I am sure there is lot of info that is missing, and I can only repeat that I will happily answer any queries you may have.

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ton312 said:

That’s a beauty! Spot on fit. Did Dave alter the pattern? This one looks a little better to me. The shoulders look more squared off. Maybe it’s just the hide being more robust? I’d imagine this will be a popular choice for those not wanting to fall into a bottomless queue. Well done!

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ton312 said:

Yep that top seam is indeed a French seam. I don’t think that type of seam would be a good choice for attaching a sleeve. I’ve never seen one that way from any maker. Both gorgeous jackets here. Wonder if there’s a Himel Arcadia possibility?

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sweetfights said:

Two days ago I met with Dave to pick up my new Kensington.
One pleasant surprise is that Himel Shinki aroma! It does fill a room and if anyone is near you, within 10 feet, they can smell it too. Addicting really. Picking up my Kensington I spotted a new "Imperial" and tried it on. Wow- I had to come back to this thread and tell everyone that as nice as your photos are it does not even slightly do justice to what this leather and pattern look like in person. Really, really, stunning!! I can relate to your concern about the ageing process and not wanting this jacket to change. But I feel that the jacket will only get better as it forms to your body and develop a rich and extremely attractive graining. Wear this jacket to death. It will only get better.
The oil tanned is my favorite.
Enjoy this masterpiece.

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Tom71 said:

Hey Sweetfights! Thanks for reaching out. I do wear the jacket as much as I possibly can and really, really enjoy every minute with it. I stand by every word I originally posted and for some reason, the jacket still looks brand new. Could be the oil tan finish.

i take it there will be pix of your new Kensington to come?! Great that you had the chance to pick it up in person

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Bfd70 said:

^ i have not had the nerve to try that yet.

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