Aero/Thurston: How customizable is customizable?

[Dennis M]

Good evening Lounge Lizards,

Newbie here, about to be graced with a 1930's half belt fitting jacket. In reference to the thread title, how far can I go/will Aero/Thurston allow when it comes to customizing a jacket? For example (and these are just whimsical ideas pulled out of thin air, by no means realistic...or are they?), a highwayman back on a half belt cut? A maxwell collar on a highwayman? A half belt without the yoke or without the belt panel?

Or should I just concentrate on having a fine fitting and tailored jacket first?

 

[Dennis M]

Btw I do realise that customising a particular model out of existance begs the question...why not just get the model with the features I want customised already on it?... I just want to find out where the customization limits are.

 

[Carlos840]

I have not dealt with Thurston, but from experience with Aero all i can say is "it depends"
Some things they do, some they don't, you can usually swap back yokes/gussets, collars and cuffs, and sometimes pocket layout.
If they feel that your idea isn't a good one, they will say no. If they feel your idea works they will most likely say yes.
It's really a case by case thing.
I ordered a bootlegger with a double point back yoke, a D pocket and no chest pocket and they said yes, but i have also heard of them saying no to other people for things that sounded like similar ideas.

Fit is more important than anything else, so if it was my first jacket with them i would probably keep it simple...

 

[Edward]

At the end of the day, whatever leaves the factory has Aero's name on it and could well be the first example of their work some potential customers are exposed to, so it's not in their interests to do something which, even if what the customer wants, they are not happy with being out there representing the brand.

Also worth bearing in mind: strictly speaking, the custom orders Aero sell to the public (as distinct from buying from stock) are made to measure. They don't do a 'full bespoke' service. Full bespoke involves drafting a pattern specifically to and for the individual customer (anything else such as King & Allen, curse them, which claims to be bespoke simply isn't). This is not by any means a criticism of Aero, but a clarification of their business model. Because they base their jacket on sized (and sometimes tweaked) stock patterns, some elements are interchangeable as there are several models which share the same base pattern. E.g. the Bootlegger and the 50s Half belt are the same pattern with a different front. Where two jackets are essentially the same pattern, it's easier to switch details between them. If, however, you wanted something like (from memory) a Seabiscuit collar on a 50s half belt, that's not an option because they sit at different angles and the patterns are different. Obviously it would be theoretically possible to adapt the patterns to accomodate, but that gets into a full bespoke type of service which is not the business model, and which in any case would mean either Aero losing out significantly (given the additional working hours needed to do this - this is why a bespoke suit from a tailor will cost you much more than an equivalent qualityh suit off the rack), or having to raise the price to a markedly higher level. Obviously they've chosen not to go down that road as a business, which makes sense.

Since the changes at the company in 2012, they've gone over to more of an approach of offering less tweaking on a small range of jackets to instead offering a much wider range of designs thus enlargening the range of choice significantly that way. For a first jacket especially my inclination would be to obsess less over customising and pick one of the standard models that fits the look you're after. With - what, well over a dozen? - pre-war halfbelty styles alone available and sometihng upwards of a hundred different jackets across all ranges, there must be something that comes to what you have in mind!

 

[handymike]

Go for a Seabiscuit!
The collar is absolutely incredible.

 

[El Marro]

Or should I just concentrate on having a fine fitting and tailored jacket first?

Focus on fit first and foremost. You are in good hands with Carrie since she has seen almost any imaginable modification that one could make to an Aero jacket. She can tell you right off the bat if your modification is doable and also whether or not it sounds like a good one.
As someone who has bought two custom Aero’s (and another half a dozen custom jackets from other makers) I would advise you to keep it simple on your first jacket. Focus on getting the fit you want and deciding on which leather will best suit you.
Good luck!

 

[AlexB]

As the others mentioned before it depends.
This jacket, a J-106K/King of the Road/Indian Mix Biker Jacket, is a very tasteful combination of various elements and includes some more major changes. Aero did well with satisfying this customer request as the jacket got quite some positive attention.
I also just recently ordered a Premier HWY and did some minor modifications.
But in the end, fit is most important! Start out easy and get more creative with jacket #2 and #3 etc. I can assure you it will happen. When I got my first jacket I was targeting "The One" jacket that will do everything. I still have the jacket, I love the jacket, but for sure at some point you just want something new
Go with Carrie, she it beautiful to deal with!

 

[AeroFan_07]

You are starting off the right way, by talking with Carrie and also posting ides here.

I agree with the others, stay simple this round, it's often temping to go way outside of the normal with a jacket and then realize that a) the fit is off, b) you have a change of mind about the details you had customized, or c) you see a similar jacket in it's stock form and relaize you prefer it overall.

I've owned a number of Aero jackets over the past 6 years, however I have never ordered a full-out custom job yet. I have bought a few from Thurston brand-new that were stock jackets, each of these has fit approprately right out of the box. She has a great abiliy as others had indicated at getting it "right." Enjoy the process and welcome to FL...

 

[Dennis M]

@AeroFan_07 I'm with you on the keeping it simple principle.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Good evening Lounge Lizards,

Newbie here, about to be graced with a 1930's half belt fitting jacket. In reference to the thread title, how far can I go/will Aero/Thurston allow when it comes to customizing a jacket? For example (and these are just whimsical ideas pulled out of thin air, by no means realistic...or are they?), a highwayman back on a half belt cut? A maxwell collar on a highwayman? A half belt without the yoke or without the belt panel?

Or should I just concentrate on having a fine fitting and tailored jacket first?

Just concentrate on having a fine fitting jacket first. Oh, and pick a style you like - there's more than enough choice.

 

[regius]

Go for a Seabiscuit!
The collar is absolutely incredible.

If they could in fact apply the seabiscuit collar to a 30s slim HB, I'll take it in an instant. I just don't think the shape of the collar is compatible with the neck hole of the 30s HB.