Jin431
Call Me a Cab
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- 2,912
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- Bay Area CA
I have been looking forward to meeting Theodoros for a long time but unfortunately due to Covid we had to postpone our trip to Thessaloniki a couple of times. Last week I finally had the opportunity to enter 'leather jacket heaven' as @red devil rightfully coined it.
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The sweet smell of vegetable tanned leathers welcomes you into the store from the doorstep. The shop (that used to house the old workshop where the jackets were made) is foremost an 'experience store' because most of the jackets are display samples which are not for sale.
I knew that I would become overwhelmed by all the awesome jackets and that I would probably not be able to make rational spending decisions. Therefore I prepared a shortlist with jacket styles that would be good additions to my collection and set a limit for myself at two new jackets, three at most.
Most of the display pieces were in size M or L, some S. I quickly learned that those labels don't mean anything. Lucky for me most of them were a reasonable fit so I was able to try on different styles.
First up was the cossack with W collar. I love how it looks on @Mandarin @Maxwell Von Chesapeake and @Mrfrown . Wanting something slightly different, I imagined one for myself in hand dyed teacore black horsehide.
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They had three of these on hand, one in a green cowhide / goat suede combination, two in cowhide / canvas. One was a pre production sample that was used for trade shows, the other two are featured on their website.
When I tried on one of them, I didn't even have to take a look into the mirror to know it was a perfect fit. Theodoros and my girlfriend agreed so I said ok I'll take this one in black horsehide. Then there was silence lol. I looked at my girlfriend, she was shaking her head. Theodoros gave me a frown of disapproval lol. He said "Why in black, this one is perfect. I'll sell you this one". Who am I to argue with Theodoros
Next up was a mc jacket style that has been on my radar since Theodoros posted a pic of the jacket on his instagram more than a year ago. Unfortunately he didn't have the jacket on hand but Petros, Theodoros son in law who also came to the store for the occasion, was kind enough to go and pick it up from their workshop which is located just outside the city center.
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When we discussed different leathers and finishing options, Theodoros also showed me a couple of black Shinki swatches. I know (some) jackets enthousiast see Shinki leather as the best of the best. Surely, Shinki offers nice leathers, but next to all the beautiful hand finished and hand dyed leathers from French and Italian tanneries that Thedi offers, Shinki looks kind of dull. Theodoros has been working in the industry for decades. His personal contacts from the tanneries know exactly what he likes and offer him the best hides they have to offer. This is something Theodoros is very proud of, yet on Thedi's website they just call it 'black Italian horsehide' or 'UK domestic sheepskin'. Anyway, I don't think any description can describe how nice they really are, these leathers should be experienced in the flesh.
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This is Theodoros showing my custom order for the mc jacket, which will be in hand finished black Italian hh with brass hardware and a russet mouton collar. While Theodoros and I discussed all the options for leathers sizing and design, Alexandra (his lovely daughter) wrote everything down and made sure all details were well thought out: "Are you sure you want this snap here, it might feel uncomfortable while wearing the jacket without the collar".
Although the jackets come with a size tag, they don't mean much because for every custom order a custom pattern is made to perfectly fit the customer. Theodoros explained to me how pattern making takes up most of production time. "Sewing is easy" he told me lol.
I can't wait for this jacket to be ready. I have a feeling this custom 50s style mc jacket is going to be the pinnacle of my collection.
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^^This one might be a future order. I tried it on and it was absolutely awesome. Theodoros told me he recently made this jacket in dark brown horsehide for a guy from Australia, his name was Nick @nickv . Theodoros really knows his customers. He and his team / family are awesome. If you ever have the chance to visit them, you should. It's a must do experience for every leather jacket enthousiast.
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thanks for sharing, looks like you had a wonderful time. Again congratulations on your new jackets. that vest though that Theodoros is wearing looks so cool, I'd like to have that one lol
