New jacket issues

[Harris HTM]

Man, the fit is more than perfect. Do yourself a favour and don't throw this jacket away!

 

[Harris HTM]

In this hobby, you will find yourself in situations where you'll feel like a dork here and there (or all the time). But the payoff is worth it!

I remember me trying to break my Mariner in: I kept on wearing it indoors everyday after work and all day long during weekends. I think the sight of a guy on his underpants and socks wearing a leather peacoat reading a book seated in his sofa would be more than laughable.

 

[Guppy]

Here are some better pics showing fit, I tucked the shirt in so the belt line is visible, pardon the mini gut, it's winter, this will be gone by late spring if I can stay healthy enough to run consistently. We also just moved into this old victorian in August so other than paint I haven't gotten to our bedroom yet, that's why it's so spartan.

My only question on fit was the length of the jacket, I think for this style it's right on the money. I think I gotta stick it out!

If you do decide to move it, I doubt you'll have any problem.

 

[Monitor]

Fit is 11.5/10. Do you know how tough it is to get a HWM to fit this good? It's downright impossible. Many... Most tried and failed, never to be heard from again. Perfect length. Perfect jacket!

 

[tmitchell59]

My only question on fit was the length of the jacket, I think for this style it's right on the money. I think I gotta stick it out!

Yep.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Its going to get easier with each wear, not more difficult. Stick it out for a few months and make up your mind then....its a great fit.

 

[GregO]

Fit is 11.5/10. Do you know how tough it is to get a HWM to fit this good? It's downright impossible. Many... Most tried and failed, never to be heard from again.

Yep. Take a look at eBay right now. I bet more than 50% of the Aeros for sale are Highwayman...and its always like that. They just don't work for many people. But you sir...it doesn't get any better than that fit for that style of jacket.

 

[ton312]

^exactamundo^

 

[walterwhyte]

Yep. Take a look at eBay right now. I bet more than 50% of the Aeros for sale are Highwayman...and its always like that. They just don't work for many people. But you sir...it doesn't get any better than that fit for that style of jacket.

What you need to consider is that the Highwayman is still and always has been Aero's best seller so obviously when it comes to ebay the Highwayman is going to feature heavily.

 

[GregO]

^ True. Good point. But I still think that the Highwayman is a tough style for most of us to pull off well. I've tried, and certainly had zero success.

 

[Hide'n'seek]

^ True. Good point. But I still think that the Highwayman is a tough style for most of us to pull off well. I've tried, and certainly had zero success.

We do understand that our classic Highwayman fit isn't to everyone's taste hence why we recently released our Premier Highwayman as another option. It is a much trimmer fitting jacket with slimmer sleeves, raised arm holes, narrower shoulders etc ......

 

[jacketjunkie]

I feel the HWM is not for slender people, who will always look better in a slim fitted jacket that favors their narrow waist and shoulder waist drop. However it's a great style for more regular built and stout people who aim for a "sturdy" appearance because it accentuates broad shoulders and big upper arms and hides a bit of belly under its wide body.

Example: I am 5'9", 185 pounds and if I wear a cafe racer in my chest size, i'll look like a sausage if i zip it up. So I go for broad shouldered wider styles. On the opposite, Sloan looks great in his Aero Cafe Racer but I do not see him pulling off a HWM with same success.

 

[zebedee]

Leather jackets are hard for anyone to pull off perfectly. I tend to think of the jacket as being a beautiful thing and the problem being the unlovely, lumpen cretin inside it, i.e. me.

I am not absolutely sure that I have ever bought an item of clothing that has immediately had the kind of appeal it would subsequently develop.

 

[navetsea]

about breaking in a jacket in the rain...
2 weeks ago I was at a tire repair shop to buy new tires and then their card reader broke, so I walked to nearby atm, on the way back suddenly it was raining hard, I was wearing my goat jacket.
after that I still had to sit in an air conditioned room for 1 and half hour because the stabilizer bar on one of the wheel need to be replaced.
result:
-no visible result on the jacket
-was down with cold & throat inflammation for a week

 

[Peacoat]

about breaking in a jacket in the rain...
2 weeks ago I was at a tire repair shop to buy new tires and then their card reader broke, so I walked to nearby atm, on the way back suddenly it was raining hard, I was wearing my goat jacket.
after that I still had to sit in an air conditioned room for 1 and half hour because the stabilizer bar on one of the wheel need to be replaced.
result:
-no visible result on the jacket
-was down with cold & throat inflammation for a week

Goat is like that. Hard to get it to do much of anything, except stay new looking.

 

[cuchulain]

I feel the HWM is not for slender people, who will always look better in a slim fitted jacket that favors their narrow waist and shoulder waist drop. However it's a great style for more regular built and stout people who aim for a "sturdy" appearance because it accentuates broad shoulders and big upper arms and hides a bit of belly under its wide body.

Example: I am 5'9", 185 pounds and if I wear a cafe racer in my chest size, i'll look like a sausage if i zip it up. So I go for broad shouldered wider styles. On the opposite, Sloan looks great in his Aero Cafe Racer but I do not see him pulling off a HWM with same success.

This is a good point, I'm 5'9 178 lbs, which is actually considerably lighter than I was for many years. I used to lift weights competitively in power lifting competitions and walked around at 225 - 230. After dealing with some health issues I decided to take up running and just get to a healthier weight. I went all the way down to 162 lbs while training for a marathon, but have evened out in the 175 area which I think is where my body wants to be. It's an incredible struggle to stay lighter, like I have to eat nothing but salads and run ~35-40 miles a week to maintain a 160 something body weight.

So I'll never be long and lean (or short and lean), so I've written off cafe racers, and I'm on the face with a 1930's halfbelt and may opt for the 1950's cut (I like the cuffs better on the 1950's HB anyway).

 

[Fanch]

I have been mostly silent in this thread but am wondering exactly how this jacket is uncomfortable to the OP? Looking at the pictures while being worn, the fit looks OK to me but wonder if there might be some binding present in the chest and shoulders that might give the perception of discomfort?

My experience with a black vintage (tumbled?) FQHH size 42 (my usual size) HWM is that it was a somewhat loose fit. The particular FQHH was unusually stiff. However, I noticed no discomfort whatsoever when I wore it. My brown FQHH size 42 Teamster has a hide much more supple than the black vintage FQHH. The Teamster is extremely pliable now with no treatment other than being worn, occasionally in the rain, but never soaked. Even when new, the Teamster was still comfortable though.

Having said all that, I wonder exactly how the OP's jacket is uncomfortable? The only discomfort I have ever perceived in a jacket being worn was when trying on a friend's Premier HWM with 18" shoulders and 22" P2P that was at least one size too small and couldn't move my arms and shoulders in it, although the discomfort even then wasn't intolerable - just too tight. Comments?

 

[Harris HTM]

So I'll never be long and lean (or short and lean), so I've written off cafe racers, and I'm on the face with a 1930's halfbelt and may opt for the 1950's cut (I like the cuffs better on the 1950's HB anyway).

Maybe you can modify a 30'sHB with the stormcuffs of the 50's?

 

[tnjyoung]

You have heard this over and over, but here is my opinion: Your jacket is beautiful. Your jacket is a perfect fit. Horsehide is overkill for most people, but it truly becomes a heirloom piece with time. There is no doubt that these jackets are made to last for 30+ years, so it's no wonder they are so hard to "break in". When these jackets were sold back in the 1950s-60s they were $40 or $50. While expensive for their time, they were a far cry from unobtainable. With prices of $1000+, now, they can only be had by the wealthy or, at least, those who 1. are willing to go into debt, or 2. those who save for a grand purchase. The ONLY way to get that jacket to act and wear as you had imagined when you purchased it is to wear it hard and often. If you bought it for an "out of the box" "perfect" jacket, you probably should have gone with a slightly oversized goatskin. My jacket (Aero FQHH CXL) still feels stiff sometimes. It still has days where it feels too snug. I have had it a little over a year now and wear it regularly. It has softened, creased, taken on scratches and the like, but it is still heavy and more restrictive than a fabric jacket. But EVERY TIME I wear it I get compliments. It is the look that I like and want, and I believe it will continue to get better. Onlookers can't tell how it "feels", only how it looks. So if you can stand it, and want a heirloom-quality piece, keep it and wear it. If not, sell it, do more research, and buy what will make you happy. It does LOOK tremendous, though.

 

[ButteMT61]

Yep, agree that typically, the HWM is much better suited for a guy that wrestled in school than a basketball player.
I got one once that was second hand, but new. While I liked the board shoulders, it looked like a sack on me.
Bummed I was, but passed it on. Maybe the new cut will work better - you can't argue with the simple design and classic looks.