TheJuniper
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 54
- Location
- Californian living in China
Hello All,
This is my first Aero jacket, and my first post on this forum. I referenced The Fedora Lounge a lot when deciding on my Aero, so figured I’d make my contribution.
I currently live and work in China, so I initially contacted the Aero dealers in-country here. They carried no stock and said there was a 3-month waiting period, and actually told me it was cheaper and faster to order from the shops in the US and Canada. I then contacted the dealers there, and ended up finding it would be cheaper and faster to order directly from Aero in Scotland.
So, I ended up corresponding a lot with Holly at Aero (about 30 emails back and forth) before making my final decision. I’m a bit slim and wear slimmer fitting clothing (I’m 5’10” and 155 lbs), so I ultimately decided on the Board Racer…the Cafe Racer was too boxy, and my female counterpart argued that the 1930s Half-Belt, Highwayman, Dustbowl, and Sunburst all looked “too old”.
I live in the South of China which has a humid and moderately cold winter, and I wanted a jacket that would be warm enough that I didn’t have to layer it … thus, I ended up choosing the Alpaca lining. I have another leather jacket that weighs 1.7 kg (3.75 lbs), and I find that to be a bit on the heavy side, and I wanted something lighter. Holly strongly recommended I avoid the CXFQHH as it is quite heavy, and recommended I go with the lighter-weight Vicenza leather. So, I did, and ended up going with the Dark Seal Vicenza.
When it came to the sizing, I corresponded a lot with Holly and sent her several fit pics and measurements of other leather jackets that I have. She said for a Board Racer, a 38 would be very slim fitting, and a 40 would have a more relaxed fit. I figured I’d likely gain weight rather than lose it over the next 5-10 years, so I opted for the larger size. Also, I commonly find that most off-the-rack shirts and jackets have sleeves that are too short for my liking, and the pics of other people wearing their Board Racers appeared to have sleeves that were a bit too short too, so I requested that extra width be added to the shoulders and another .75” be added to the sleeves.
Here are my measurements:
Height 178 cm – 5’ 10”
Weight 71kg – 155 lbs
Relaxed Chest 96cm – 38”
Expanded Chest 98cm – 38.75”
Stomach 78cm – 30.75”
Waist 82cm – 32.25”
Here was my actual order:
Board Racer
Size: 40"
Pit to pit 21”
Shoulders 17.5” (I request for them to be made a little wider, if you can)
Sleeves 25.75”
Back 26.25”
Waist: 19.5” at it’s narrowest and 19.75” at the bottom hem
Leather colour: Dark Seal Vicenza
Lining: Gray Alpaca
Zippers: Antique Brass
Windflap: No Windflap
I ordered the jacket in mid-September, and it was amazingly ready to be shipped in 4 weeks. I strongly requested that the jacket be shipped to China via DHL, as it is often the fastest and most reliable courier for imports to China in my experience (it usually takes other couriers 4-6 weeks to go through shipping and customs). But, Aero claimed that DHL shipments always got returned to them when shipping to China, so they shipped it via ParcelForce. I was quite worried about that, so I watched the tracking on the shipment very closely. It made it from Scotland to China in 4 days, and then spent another 7 days lost in the China EMS (Express Mail Service) before making its way to me. I have zero complaints, however, as this shipment didn't get charged by customs, and the customs tax on an item like this in China is officially 30%. Phew!
A few notes upon receiving this item and trying it on for the first time:
Hope this helps some others out there making a similar order!
This is my first Aero jacket, and my first post on this forum. I referenced The Fedora Lounge a lot when deciding on my Aero, so figured I’d make my contribution.
I currently live and work in China, so I initially contacted the Aero dealers in-country here. They carried no stock and said there was a 3-month waiting period, and actually told me it was cheaper and faster to order from the shops in the US and Canada. I then contacted the dealers there, and ended up finding it would be cheaper and faster to order directly from Aero in Scotland.
So, I ended up corresponding a lot with Holly at Aero (about 30 emails back and forth) before making my final decision. I’m a bit slim and wear slimmer fitting clothing (I’m 5’10” and 155 lbs), so I ultimately decided on the Board Racer…the Cafe Racer was too boxy, and my female counterpart argued that the 1930s Half-Belt, Highwayman, Dustbowl, and Sunburst all looked “too old”.
I live in the South of China which has a humid and moderately cold winter, and I wanted a jacket that would be warm enough that I didn’t have to layer it … thus, I ended up choosing the Alpaca lining. I have another leather jacket that weighs 1.7 kg (3.75 lbs), and I find that to be a bit on the heavy side, and I wanted something lighter. Holly strongly recommended I avoid the CXFQHH as it is quite heavy, and recommended I go with the lighter-weight Vicenza leather. So, I did, and ended up going with the Dark Seal Vicenza.
When it came to the sizing, I corresponded a lot with Holly and sent her several fit pics and measurements of other leather jackets that I have. She said for a Board Racer, a 38 would be very slim fitting, and a 40 would have a more relaxed fit. I figured I’d likely gain weight rather than lose it over the next 5-10 years, so I opted for the larger size. Also, I commonly find that most off-the-rack shirts and jackets have sleeves that are too short for my liking, and the pics of other people wearing their Board Racers appeared to have sleeves that were a bit too short too, so I requested that extra width be added to the shoulders and another .75” be added to the sleeves.
Here are my measurements:
Height 178 cm – 5’ 10”
Weight 71kg – 155 lbs
Relaxed Chest 96cm – 38”
Expanded Chest 98cm – 38.75”
Stomach 78cm – 30.75”
Waist 82cm – 32.25”
Here was my actual order:
Board Racer
Size: 40"
Pit to pit 21”
Shoulders 17.5” (I request for them to be made a little wider, if you can)
Sleeves 25.75”
Back 26.25”
Waist: 19.5” at it’s narrowest and 19.75” at the bottom hem
Leather colour: Dark Seal Vicenza
Lining: Gray Alpaca
Zippers: Antique Brass
Windflap: No Windflap
I ordered the jacket in mid-September, and it was amazingly ready to be shipped in 4 weeks. I strongly requested that the jacket be shipped to China via DHL, as it is often the fastest and most reliable courier for imports to China in my experience (it usually takes other couriers 4-6 weeks to go through shipping and customs). But, Aero claimed that DHL shipments always got returned to them when shipping to China, so they shipped it via ParcelForce. I was quite worried about that, so I watched the tracking on the shipment very closely. It made it from Scotland to China in 4 days, and then spent another 7 days lost in the China EMS (Express Mail Service) before making its way to me. I have zero complaints, however, as this shipment didn't get charged by customs, and the customs tax on an item like this in China is officially 30%. Phew!
A few notes upon receiving this item and trying it on for the first time:
- I’m REALLY glad I got the extra shoulder and sleeve length. I would not want it to be any tighter in the shoulders, or any shorter in the sleeves. It fits perfectly, and is exactly as I ordered, so hats off to Holly!
- The Alpaca lining is a little itchy, but I can’t feel it through my undershirt and dress shirt. The lining is only in the body, not the sleeves.
- The jacket weighs 1.8kg (4lbs). It has some weight, but actually feels rather light for a leather jacket.
- The style looks a bit short, especially with an untucked shirt, but I knew that when I ordered it. No worries, just gotta tuck in the shirt.
- I keep reaching to put my hands in the non-existent pockets, because my other leather jackets do have pockets. I’ll just have to get used to that. I also knew that when I ordered it.
Hope this helps some others out there making a similar order!
