You can't go wrong with either of those - tossing a coin is probably your best option! I nearly went with the green for my Dominator but opted for the vegecow in black in the end as I already had the Super Phantom in green, but it was a close call. I have seen both Dominators and Lightnings in green in the London shop (luckily not in my size!) and both look great. I am v intrigued to see Marc's too, as I havent yet seen a Cyclone in the green. Good luck!
Tomorrow I will try to take few shots of the green sheep SP next to a vintage black Monza I have from the 70s in cowhide, if the light outside is suitable - hopefully that will help for comparison if I post them here?
You might want to get an accessory or two to go with the green jacket…..
Or even….
The green sheepskin is really nice, and it's not too much over the top for a cross zip as evidenced by a handsome looking green Thedi cross zip recently. That's so TFL to change your mind about certain details lol and go for it with all the LL details because why not!
One tweak they did for me was to shift the sleeve pockets on my Super Phantoms to the right arm, as I'm a southpaw, so these look like mirror images of the stock items. I did think about leaving off the label too, but I have actually grown to really like it now on my LL jackets and it is also there on the three vintage ones I have from the 70s, so I will keep it on any future orders - it is actually a lot more subtle in the flesh than in photos. It seems very much part of these jackets now to me.
You just reminded me of the other tweak I had done on my new LLs - I asked them to leave out the inside pocket, as I prefer to get the fit as close as possible - my older vintage LLs have it however, but I prefer mine without. I have a Vanson Mercury with an inside pocket but it creates an unsightly bulge and is quite lumpy when zipped up, so when it is time for relining I will leave it off….these are just my personal preferences - I don't carry much in my pockets anyway and tend to use my trousers for that - an exception is in my Aeros where I ask for enlarged breast pockets inners so they can hold my phone, as the standard offerings are too tiny to be of much use for that purpose otherwise. LL actually do two nice versions of belt loop key holders and I use the quick release version of those for my keys. I use the LL sleeve pocket for my automated entrance card - it is actually really handy for that. I almost never use handwarmer pockets at all on my jackets….I would be interested to hear if others on FL use them much, as on a lot of jackets I find them to be more aesthetic than practical...
I prefer the plain Lightnings to the padded Star Lightning - I think it gets too busy imo and if going for a lancer and collar jacket would look at the Europa. I think the nicest padded jackets are the ones with the mandarin collars - the Super Phantom, Racing Jacket and Super Monza. The latter is the coolest looking jacket LL offer in my view - it even edges the Dominator and Lightning for me, and is on the hitlist for a few months down the line. I would say the sheep is the most forgiving hide for a close fit - my SP is my most comfortable jacket and one of the tightest. I would trust Rip on the fit - just take “honest” measurements rather than trying to second guess if it will be tight or loose and they will dial it in. It is worth checking each model carefully with him as they do have different patterns - the stock SM is v v-shaped, the Racing Jacket more tubular etc - so to get your ideal fit you may have to subtract from some measures in one pattern but add in another. I typically need a shortening in the arms and body and narrowing in the shoulders relative to the stock sizes. The sheep will mould to you and it has more elasticity than other hides, so is perfect for a close fit without ending up with the “tin-man” effects - these properties no doubt explain why it was used for riding in the first place, where a streamlined profile is key, especially in the racers. They won't fit zips in the Dominator handwarmers - so if you want zips there try one of the other models - as you say you could get them added aftermarket though. I would ask Rip as they might trim the measurements with that in mind and whether you wear zipped or unzipped - I rarely zip mine tbh, so I don't worry about the handwarmers too much, which I never use anyway….if you prefer them zipped ask Rip what he recommends to minimise potential flaring when sizing it up….thanks for the shots. I think I'm pretty much sold on the green. But will wait to see Marc's masterpiece hopefully on MOnday
Now to focus on the style. 392 caught my eye from the beginning. I've got a brown Thedi racer with similar padding and I like the look but remain curious how it's going to break down with time. A little worried it'll keep the shoulders from drooping down properly on the curve where it meets the sleeve and kind of give a permanent 1980s shoulder pad sort of look. Not really something I'd want two jackets to have in the style department. Anyone got a 392 in sheep with some wears on it? Few decent pics on google images, but nothing that makes we drool or gives insight into what the future shape holds.
Of course 402 would be solid. And Dominator maybe with the zip up hand warmers is the "safest" option of the lot. I've already got a couple bold color racers, so want to try something different here.
Last question for those who went through the measurements. Did you go kind of tight on the measuring tape? I'm purely guessing here and it might just be a mental association with the word sheepskin, but is the leather kind of stretchy? In that case I'd prefer to go a little tighter to get a tshirt fit. Or is LL making the calculations. I got to admit, the recent photos from Justin and Thomas give me faith that they know how to hit your size.
thanks for the shots. I think I'm pretty much sold on the green. But will wait to see Marc's masterpiece hopefully on MOnday
Now to focus on the style. 392 caught my eye from the beginning. I've got a brown Thedi racer with similar padding and I like the look but remain curious how it's going to break down with time. A little worried it'll keep the shoulders from drooping down properly on the curve where it meets the sleeve and kind of give a permanent 1980s shoulder pad sort of look. Not really something I'd want two jackets to have in the style department. Anyone got a 392 in sheep with some wears on it? Few decent pics on google images, but nothing that makes we drool or gives insight into what the future shape holds.
Of course 402 would be solid. And Dominator maybe with the zip up hand warmers is the "safest" option of the lot. I've already got a couple bold color racers, so want to try something different
Last question for those who went through the measurements. Did you go kind of tight on the measuring tape? I'm purely guessing here and it might just be a mental association with the word sheepskin, but is the leather kind of stretchy? In that case I'd prefer to go a little tighter to get a tshirt fit. Or is LL making the calculations. I got to admit, the recent photos from Justin and Thomas give me faith that they know how to hit your size.
This is exactly what I did - I used my own measurements to get the first custom jacket (Super Sportsman) and then used that as a baseline for the others. Rip is v helpful - discuss it with him and explain if you want a t shirt fit or room for layering, whether you wear it zipped or not etc and he will guide you. LL jackets are much closer fitting by default than many other makers - but, like Vanson, they are great at moulding the leather to human anatomy, unlike some others where it feels like you need to mould to the jacket instead! No doubt this is where all the decades of expertise in making racing suits etc pays off.
Both the RJ and Super Sportsman are similar models (the former is effectively the latter with padding) and more tubular than strongly V shaped in the base pattern - the Super Phantom or Super Monza are more V shaped - of course you can select your custom hem and shoulder size to adjust as you prefer - I was simply referring to the default settings. I think the strongest V is in the Super Monza.
Ps - just ask Rip for the baseline dimensions and you can tweak them from there to get your preferred fit. I would think with your frame it should be easy enough to get it dialled in without too much trouble tbh.
