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Double Helix Works?

JohannesClimacus

New in Town
Messages
39
Just placed an order for the N1 in black, size 42. I went with a different leather - I originally told him I wanted full aniline, and this is what he said "Full aniline tea core leather looks a bit brown and a bit hard.(11,000JPY) If you want it comfortable and full aniline, the black core black is better.(22,000JPY)." I'm not sure what "black core black" means, so I asked the finishing process, and he said "It’s vegetable tanning and dyed in the tanning drum and then just waxed. No dyeing in the finishing process."

They don't have a 22,000 JPY "black core" leather option on the customization options page of their site, so will be interesting to see once it arrives. I'm attaching the photo Matsuda sent which was taken to show the color of the leather contrasted with the dark horn button (they also have a dark nut button which he sent a photo of).

The other modifications I made were cotton lining, Brass color Waldes Zipper like in Single Legend RC0301, and dark horn buttons.

I'll take photos once it arrives. This is my first leather jacket aside from a secondhand schott cowhide, so hopefully I love it!
 

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JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
I really enjoy wearing my Hugging the Curve. There are 2 things I should mention though. The back length feels sort of short and I am not a tall guy. I usually don’t tuck in my shirt so certain shirts look better with the jacket than others. Perfect front length IMO. The other thing is the lining is beautiful but it is a bit scratchy when I am wearing a t-shirt. It is fine when I am wearing a thicker denim or flannel shirt.

Mine was an off the rack model. If I were to have customized it maybe I would have asked for an inch longer back length and possibly shoulder gussets. This is me knit picking though. I really do love the jacket.
It looks like I’m going to go for a Hugging the Curve after all. I’ve had my heart set on seal brown and Regius isn’t able to source it right now.

You mentioned the wool lining is a bit scratchy. I’ve been considering a Cupro lining instead. I live in Southern California and it’s not too cold here so I’m concerned the wool won’t be comfortable for me, especially since I wear a lot of T-shirts with our climate. Do you think I’ll be sorry if I don’t go with the wool? Thanks!
 

ojaw

A-List Customer
Messages
419
Location
Winnipeg
It looks like I’m going to go for a Hugging the Curve after all. I’ve had my heart set on seal brown and Regius isn’t able to source it right now.

You mentioned the wool lining is a bit scratchy. I’ve been considering a Cupro lining instead. I live in Southern California and it’s not too cold here so I’m concerned the wool won’t be comfortable for me, especially since I wear a lot of T-shirts with our climate. Do you think I’ll be sorry if I don’t go with the wool? Thanks!
Not a fan of Cupro as I find it clammy, however for SoCal if the only choices were wool and that I would take the Cupro.
Is cotton an option? It's standard on some of their jackets.
 

JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
Not a fan of Cupro as I find it clammy, however for SoCal if the only choices were wool and that I would take the Cupro.
Is cotton an option? It's standard on some of their jackets
I didn’t notice cotton being an option on some of their jackets. I’ll check that out. Thanks for the tip!
 

Leathergato

One of the Regulars
Messages
130
It looks like I’m going to go for a Hugging the Curve after all. I’ve had my heart set on seal brown and Regius isn’t able to source it right now.

You mentioned the wool lining is a bit scratchy. I’ve been considering a Cupro lining instead. I live in Southern California and it’s not too cold here so I’m concerned the wool won’t be comfortable for me, especially since I wear a lot of T-shirts with our climate. Do you think I’ll be sorry if I don’t go with the wool? Thanks!
Hi. The scratchiness of the wool tweed has definitely mellowed out. I just tried it on now with a t-shirt and I didn’t feel any of the fibers poking me through the t-shirt. I did feel it more in the first 2-3 months. It wasn’t that bad but I did feel it a bit when wearing a t shirt. Never felt it when I had a thicker denim or flannel shirt on.

I would say it is a bit warmer than some of my other jacket linings. Not overly warm with a t shirt only. It is pretty warm when wearing a flannel shirt under, which makes sense I guess since that is a double layer of flannel.

What kind of lining does your Innovator have?
 

JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
Hi. The scratchiness of the wool tweed has definitely mellowed out. I just tried it on now with a t-shirt and I didn’t feel any of the fibers poking me through the t-shirt. I did feel it more in the first 2-3 months. It wasn’t that bad but I did feel it a bit when wearing a t shirt. Never felt it when I had a thicker denim or flannel shirt on.

I would say it is a bit warmer than some of my other jacket linings. Not overly warm with a t shirt only. It is pretty warm when wearing a flannel shirt under, which makes sense I guess since that is a double layer of flannel.

What kind of lining does your Innovator have?
Thank you for your response! It sounds like your wool has softened with wear. The Innovator has a quilted Cupro lining, which I really like. Matsuda said the quilted Cupro is similar in warmth to the wool. They also have Cupro linings that are not quilted, which would presumably be a little cooler. Matsuda shared the attached colors with. I like the wine red color.
IMG_0424.jpeg


IMG_0425.jpeg
IMG_0426.jpeg
IMG_0427.jpeg


IMG_0428.jpeg
 

Leathergato

One of the Regulars
Messages
130
Thank you for your response! It sounds like your wool has softened with wear. The Innovator has a quilted Cupro lining, which I really like. Matsuda said the quilted Cupro is similar in warmth to the wool. They also have Cupro linings that are not quilted, which would presumably be a little cooler. Matsuda shared the attached colors with. I like the wine red color.
View attachment 769946

View attachment 769947 View attachment 769948 View attachment 769949

View attachment 769950
Those look nice! The wine red and the orange-red both look really nice. I wonder if those are similar in weight and feel to the nylon satin that Johnson Leathers uses.
 

JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
Those look nice! The wine red and the orange-red both look really nice. I wonder if those are similar in weight and feel to the nylon satin that Johnson Leathers uses.
That’s a good question. I like the orange too. Decisions, decisions.

Was curious about the difference between cotton and Cupro. This is what Google said: Cupro lining (often branded as Bemberg) is widely considered a superior, more luxurious, and more functional alternative to cotton lining for tailored clothing. While both are breathable and derived from cellulose, cupro offers a silky, frictionless, and anti-static experience that cotton cannot match.
 
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JohannesClimacus

New in Town
Messages
39
I did a lot of research on cupro vs cotton when I put my N1 order in last month. I ended up ordering cotton because DH told me cupro was a bad choice for the N1, but the language barrier made it a challenge to understand what their reasoning was. It was partly because the n1 has a fur collar so I think Matsuda felt that it was weird to pair cupro, a light-jacket lining, with fur. He also said something about the n1 being too heavy for cupro. I don't know if this was another reference to the n1 being a cold weather jacket, or if there is some type of durability concern for cupro paired with certain "heavy" jackets or leathers.

The only reason I was leaning cupro initially was because I live in a pretty warm climate (DC) and I wanted to make the jacket as appropriate as possible for spring and fall, with the ability to layer for winter. Here are some of the pros and cons I'm aware of that came out of my research:

Cupro Pros
-Smoother entry into sleeves, especially when wearing long sleeve shirts like flannels.
-Silky smooth to the touch.
-Less warm (for unquilted cupro). Depending on preference this could just as easily go in the cons column.

Cupro cons
-More fragile. I was a bit worried about my watch ripping the jacket if I ever put it on carelessly.
-Heavy wear make it look ratty rather than well-worn.
-Shiny. This is purely an opinion thing, but leather jackets look tough and badass, and cupro looks fancy and "pretty." I can hear my grandpa saying "James Dean never wore no goddam silk" (and cupro is essentially like silk, so that is what it might read as).

Cotton pros
-It's cotton. Classic, timeless fabric.
-Not itchy like wool but with a similar warm, soft feel.
-IMO, ages better (purely opinion though and take with a grain of salt because I've never worn out a jacket with either lining).
-Bit of a middle ground weatherwise. Not too warm, not too cool.

Cotton cons
-Heavy wear can create pilling. That may be fixable but I have never tried to de-pill something.
-Sleeves can be harder to put your arm through when layered.
-Some may say it feels cheap.
 

ojaw

A-List Customer
Messages
419
Location
Winnipeg
I did a lot of research on cupro vs cotton when I put my N1 order in last month. I ended up ordering cotton because DH told me cupro was a bad choice for the N1, but the language barrier made it a challenge to understand what their reasoning was. It was partly because the n1 has a fur collar so I think Matsuda felt that it was weird to pair cupro, a light-jacket lining, with fur. He also said something about the n1 being too heavy for cupro. I don't know if this was another reference to the n1 being a cold weather jacket, or if there is some type of durability concern for cupro paired with certain "heavy" jackets or leathers.

The only reason I was leaning cupro initially was because I live in a pretty warm climate (DC) and I wanted to make the jacket as appropriate as possible for spring and fall, with the ability to layer for winter. Here are some of the pros and cons I'm aware of that came out of my research:

Cupro Pros
-Smoother entry into sleeves, especially when wearing long sleeve shirts like flannels.
-Silky smooth to the touch.
-Less warm (for unquilted cupro). Depending on preference this could just as easily go in the cons column.

Cupro cons
-More fragile. I was a bit worried about my watch ripping the jacket if I ever put it on carelessly.
-Heavy wear make it look ratty rather than well-worn.
-Shiny. This is purely an opinion thing, but leather jackets look tough and badass, and cupro looks fancy and "pretty." I can hear my grandpa saying "James Dean never wore no goddam silk" (and cupro is essentially like silk, so that is what it might read as).

Cotton pros
-It's cotton. Classic, timeless fabric.
-Not itchy like wool but with a similar warm, soft feel.
-IMO, ages better (purely opinion though and take with a grain of salt because I've never worn out a jacket with either lining).
-Bit of a middle ground weatherwise. Not too warm, not too cool.

Cotton cons
-Heavy wear can create pilling. That may be fixable but I have never tried to de-pill something.
-Sleeves can be harder to put your arm through when layered.
-Some may say it feels cheap.
Better quality (ie long staple) cotton is much more resistant to pilling than the cheaper stuff
 

JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
I did a lot of research on cupro vs cotton when I put my N1 order in last month. I ended up ordering cotton because DH told me cupro was a bad choice for the N1, but the language barrier made it a challenge to understand what their reasoning was. It was partly because the n1 has a fur collar so I think Matsuda felt that it was weird to pair cupro, a light-jacket lining, with fur. He also said something about the n1 being too heavy for cupro. I don't know if this was another reference to the n1 being a cold weather jacket, or if there is some type of durability concern for cupro paired with certain "heavy" jackets or leathers.

The only reason I was leaning cupro initially was because I live in a pretty warm climate (DC) and I wanted to make the jacket as appropriate as possible for spring and fall, with the ability to layer for winter. Here are some of the pros and cons I'm aware of that came out of my research:

Cupro Pros
-Smoother entry into sleeves, especially when wearing long sleeve shirts like flannels.
-Silky smooth to the touch.
-Less warm (for unquilted cupro). Depending on preference this could just as easily go in the cons column.

Cupro cons
-More fragile. I was a bit worried about my watch ripping the jacket if I ever put it on carelessly.
-Heavy wear make it look ratty rather than well-worn.
-Shiny. This is purely an opinion thing, but leather jackets look tough and badass, and cupro looks fancy and "pretty." I can hear my grandpa saying "James Dean never wore no goddam silk" (and cupro is essentially like silk, so that is what it might read as).

Cotton pros
-It's cotton. Classic, timeless fabric.
-Not itchy like wool but with a similar warm, soft feel.
-IMO, ages better (purely opinion though and take with a grain of salt because I've never worn out a jacket with either lining).
-Bit of a middle ground weatherwise. Not too warm, not too cool.

Cotton cons
-Heavy wear can create pilling. That may be fixable but I have never tried to de-pill something.
-Sleeves can be harder to put your arm through when layered.
-Some may say it feels cheap.
Wow, thanks for sharing this. Matsuda recommended the Cupro but he didn’t say why. I would prefer whatever will last the longest. I also have had issues wearing a watch, particularly with my Lewis Leathers Dominator. I almost never wear a watch with my leather jackets., except my newer Vanson; they put a really tough material at the cuffs to protect it from my watches.
 
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JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
I just placed my order for a Hugging the Curve in seal brown. After a lot of discussion with Matsuda, the only thing I changed was the lining. I went with the black quilted Cupro like in my Innovator. We discussed changing to a larger #8 main zipper and he assured me that they don’t have issues with the smaller main zipper so I decided to keep it stock.

The lead time for my Innovator was 45 days and it arrived in 30 days. Now the lead time is 60 days so I’m hoping they under promised and will over deliver again and it will arrive on 45 days. Matsuda said that demand is higher now and they haven’t found enough skilled makers to fill the orders so the lead time went up. I wonder if prices will start to creep up with this increased demand. Sure hope not.
 

JonS1967

Practically Family
Messages
722
Location
San Diego
Just took delivery of an auto revolution. It shipped in 60
I saw (and loved) your photos on the “What Jacket are You Wearing Today?” thread. Nicely done!

I was hoping they were still shipping earlier than promised like last summer. Oh well, there’s still a lot to be said about on time.
 

Bfd70

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,400
Location
Traverse city
I saw (and loved) your photos on the “What Jacket are You Wearing Today?” thread. Nicely done!

I was hoping they were still shipping earlier than promised like last summer. Oh well, there’s still a lot to be said about on time.
In this game 60 days is really fast.
 

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