Aero Leather 1930s half belt vs 1950s half belt

[Ganas21]

Hi all,

First time poster here.

I am looking to purchase an aero leather jacket, either in their 1930s or 1950s pattern. I am wondering about fit, I know the 30s is more slimmer overall compared to the 50s cut. Is their a large difference in their patters, say the dust bowl jacket

I am wondering if I can get away with smaller shoulders on either jacket

Here are my measurements:

17.5 inch shoulders

22.5-23 inch arm length

39.5 inch chest

I am willing to compromise on sleeve size. I do not want to go custom as this will be my first real leather jacket. My type 2 denim jacket repro from Warehouse Japan fits great; but the shoulders are a little large

Is it permissible to have smaller shoulders depending on the cut is my question

Thanks everyone

 

[Edward]

The best option is to talk to Aero directly, Holly will be able to clarify for you exactly what's possible. I wouldn't suggest messing around too much with standard, though - if you want a trimmer fit, the 30s is the one to go for; slightly more room, the 50s. The 50s HB has a bit more room in the shoulders, like a Highwayman, with an overall fit somewhere between the roominess of the HWM and the neater-fitting 30s HB.

 

[photo2u]

Hi all,

First time poster here.

I am looking to purchase an aero leather jacket, either in their 1930s or 1950s pattern. I am wondering about fit, I know the 30s is more slimmer overall compared to the 50s cut. Is their a large difference in their patters, say the dust bowl jacket

I am wondering if I can get away with smaller shoulders on either jacket

Here are my measurements:

17.5 inch shoulders

22.5-23 inch arm length

39.5 inch chest

I am willing to compromise on sleeve size. I do not want to go custom as this will be my first real leather jacket. My type 2 denim jacket repro from Warehouse Japan fits great; but the shoulders are a little large

Is it permissible to have smaller shoulders depending on the cut is my question

Thanks everyone

Buy the vintage one. Your size should be easy to find. Have you seen:https://thedi-leathers.com/
I personally LOVE his work: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/my-new-dave-sheeley-custom-jacket-lots-of-pics.91707/

 

[Ganas21]

Yes I have seen his work, he makes some great stuff

Was looking at him too, for later down the road

What do you mean by “vintage one” as in buying an actual jacket from the 30s-50s or Aero makes a fit That’s called “vintage”

 

[Marc mndt]

What do you mean by “vintage one” as in buying an actual jacket from the 30s-50s

Yes, an actual vintage halfbelt. Nothing beats the real deal. Here's a VERY nice one in your size:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...nd-how-many-potential-ones.89562/post-2929952

 

[Ganas21]

Yes, an actual vintage halfbelt. Nothing beats the real deal. Here's a VERY nice one in your size:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...nd-how-many-potential-ones.89562/post-2929952

Thank you.

That looks beautiful

I think I may have found my jacket. And I agree, nothing beats vintage

 

[handymike]

If that one fits- GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!

 

[willyto]

Be careful with the sleeves measurement though.

 

[El Marro]

Is it permissible to have smaller shoulders depending on the cut is my question

In my experience the answer is no. It is easy to adjust sleeve and back length of a jacket without affecting the pattern but changing the shoulder measurement means that the armholes need to be modified and now you are getting into custom territory.
I once asked Aero about this because I had the opposite problem as you. I had tried an A-2 and found that everything fit well except for the fact that the shoulders were at least 1.5” too narrow. They politely explainEd to me that making them that much wider was too significant a modification to undertake.

 

[Edward]

In my experience the answer is no. It is easy to adjust sleeve and back length of a jacket without affecting the pattern but changing the shoulder measurement means that the armholes need to be modified and now you are getting into custom territory.
I once asked Aero about this because I had the opposite problem as you. I had tried an A-2 and found that everything fit well except for the fact that the shoulders were at least 1.5” too narrow. They politely explainEd to me that making them that much wider was too significant a modification to undertake.

As a rule, Aero will tweak some things (subject to their own discretion on the integrity of the design, which is fair enough), but they do draw the line at something which would require a new pattern to be drafted. Same reason why not all collar shapes are available on all jackets. That of course gets into the bespoke business, which is very different than made to measure or OTR on the basis of a standard pattern. Just different business models.

With civilian designs, that'll be why there are variations and not every pattern suits every one, but more significantly, when you're aware of the sort of issues you note, it does very quickly explain why there was such a variation in wartime A2 fits - given the variation in people! It is frustrating, all the same, when a much desired jacket design just doesn't 'work' on the body, I've had that in the past myself (mainly because I don't have a huge chest to waist drop in my middle age, though at least nowadays, after a lot of work, there *is* a drop again (not a rise!), and I plan on keeping it that way!

 

[Pandemic]

As a rule, Aero will tweak some things (subject to their own discretion on the integrity of the design, which is fair enough), but they do draw the line at something which would require a new pattern to be drafted. Same reason why not all collar shapes are available on all jackets. That of course gets into the bespoke business, which is very different than made to measure or OTR on the basis of a standard pattern. Just different business models.

Interesting. I just placed an order for a Rockafella and will see how much modification they will allow. I exchanged a few messages with Julie over Instagram, since I know she will ultimately be the one making it. To my surprise, she started making suggestions about bringing in the shoulders and adding additional taper to the pattern. However, she was clear that while she could make these changes, approval comes from the front of house team.

 

[ton312]

Aero modified the shoulders on my wool Halfbelt. I needed maybe 1” more than the tag size spec’d. I suppose it just depends on the jacket in question. They have always been willing to drop size the waist too.

I’m curious to know if they have brought the shoulders in on most models. The 42” sizes seem to be in the 18-18.5” range (stock page) and I’m used to at least an inch more in my size 42” Aero’s. There is a very tempting 30’s HB on the site in a 44”, that measures exactly like my old 42”.
The STF jackets go down to 17.5” which is a shoulder size I’d expect in a 36”-38”.

 

[Edward]

Aero modified the shoulders on my wool Halfbelt. I needed maybe 1” more than the tag size spec’d. I suppose it just depends on the jacket in question. They have always been willing to drop size the waist too.

I’m curious to know if they have brought the shoulders in on most models. The 42” sizes seem to be in the 18-18.5” range (stock page) and I’m used to at least an inch more in my size 42” Aero’s. There is a very tempting 30’s HB on the site in a 44”, that measures exactly like my old 42”.
The STF jackets go down to 17.5” which is a shoulder size I’d expect in a 36”-38”.

My understanding is that Ken revamped at least some of the patterns across the board after returning in 2012; I know a lot of work was done on the A2 patterns at that point, updating their accuracy with a lot of new information having come available since 2004 when Ken first retired. As ever, if you know what measurements work for you, the best thing to do is contact Aero and they will be able to advise on correct size.