Help with choosing a leather jacket

[Highwaymanman]

I have Schott and Aero and the missus has a Langlitz. The Schott is plainly the least of them but it's in rare company and certainly not my idea of a 'compromise'. What they do, they do very well indeed in my opinion. With that said, if I was getting another Schott it would be in one of their classic, iconic styles like Perfecto or one of the old fashioned cafe racers. That's the type of jacket I think they do really nicely, along with the 740N which is what I own.

The Aero is easily my favorite. The hide is just absurd. I love Schott's naked cowhide but Aero HH is in a league of it's own. Nothing like it.

The seal brown goathide Langlitz is probably the toughest of all of them. It dates from the 50's and it looks like it was built last week. Incredibly solid.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Hi all,



Secondly, I would like peoples opinions on this jacket from Schott, the 662:

I don't seem to see too many reviews of it, but I like the cut and the style.

Lastly, I would appreciate if if anyone could suggest some further companies that might cater to the styles I like.

Some examples of the styles I like (after much, much researching):

http://www.filmjackets.com/current/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/FLMJKT-0013c-0000.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Rqr-1ncfKZA/SyXSKWz-vXI/AAAAAAAAB_k/tJo28zAtIgY/s1600-h/pitt.jpg
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/bald-gangster-armed-baton-outdoors-night-19895245.jpg
http://www.moviestarsjackets.com


I'd love any opinions or feedback

Thanks

That Schott jacket is versatile and is nice to wear. I have the same 2.5 oz leather in a cafe racer by Schott; the 660. I prefer it to my Aero or the other thick hide options which are a pain to wear as they are too heavy.

This site is dominated by people who like very thick leather which is fine if you enjoy wearing wearing that stuff. There are a few of us here who don't. The Vanson's are even thicker and more unyielding - unless you get their thinner hide called Firenze.

The Schott is very well made - calling it a mall jacket implies its a piece of thin scrappy lambskin such as you would get at Wilson's chain stores. The Schott will last for many years. I have a few vintage Brooks cafe racers which have lasted 40 years - the Schott is made from better leather and is a higher quality item, so it should last for ages and age nicely.

I also have 3 Johnson Leather jackets - a great company. But it's a lot of mucking around trying to get a custom job if you're new to this. Maybe better to buy an off the rack job.

 

[tropicalbob]

Aren't the Schotts still made with that felt liner?

 

[MuyJingo]

I have Schott and Aero and the missus has a Langlitz. The Schott is plainly the least of them but it's in rare company and certainly not my idea of a 'compromise'. What they do, they do very well indeed in my opinion.

Why is it the least of them? No one seems to have elaborated on why they are not at the same standard as Aero ro Johnson or vanson.

Are there things you can list to quantify why it isn't up to the same standard?

That Schott jacket is versatile and is nice to wear. I have the same 2.5 oz leather in a cafe racer by Schott; the 660. I prefer it to my Aero or the other thick hide options which are a pain to wear as they are too heavy.

This site is dominated by people who like very thick leather which is fine if you enjoy wearing wearing that stuff. There are a few of us here who don't. The Vanson's are even thicker and more unyielding - unless you get their thinner hide called Firenze.

The Schott is very well made - calling it a mall jacket implies its a piece of thin scrappy lambskin such as you would get at Wilson's chain stores. The Schott will last for many years. I have a few vintage Brooks cafe racers which have lasted 40 years - the Schott is made from better leather and is a higher quality item, so it should last for ages and age nicely.

I also have 3 Johnson Leather jackets - a great company. But it's a lot of mucking around trying to get a custom job if you're new to this. Maybe better to buy an off the rack job.

My last leather jacket was from Roger David in Australia...I guess it would maybe be considered a mall jacket but a fairly high end one? I'm not sure.

I wore it for 8 years and it just wasn't lasting...

I want to make sure what I invest in this time going to last a damn long time. Which it sounds like cowhide would be fine for.

I don't want overly thick leather as I would like to be able to wear it in spring and autumn without sweating to death.

I'm not sure if I need a custom job or not. I'm am worried about finding a style I like perfectly and want to wear for the next 10 years so maybe having customizations done makes sense...

 

[handymike]

The whole ordering off the Internet custom jacket route can be frustrating and expensive. Probably best to settle on a style you like and then go try some on...if you find a good fit but don't like the quality then measure it...
If you were in the US, a couple places send out fit jackets for sample. I think after buying and then selling quite a few over the last couple years, I'd definitely go that way and save the pain....
Thurston Bros
Himel Bros
Johnson Leathers
are the ones I know of that operate this way.
Best of luck in your search!

 

[pak]

May I suggest Hillside leather. They are in NYC. I have one of their HH vests and it is a very solid and well made piece.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Aren't the Schotts still made with that felt liner?

No. Only some HH were made with that liner (many jacket makers did this in the 1960's and 70's) Schott hasn't for years.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Why is it the least of them? No one seems to have elaborated on why they are not at the same standard as Aero ro Johnson or vanson.

Are there things you can list to quantify why it isn't up to the same standard?



My last leather jacket was from Roger David in Australia...I guess it would maybe be considered a mall jacket but a fairly high end one? I'm not sure.

I wore it for 8 years and it just wasn't lasting...

I want to make sure what I invest in this time going to last a damn long time. Which it sounds like cowhide would be fine for.

I don't want overly thick leather as I would like to be able to wear it in spring and autumn without sweating to death.

I'm not sure if I need a custom job or not. I'm am worried about finding a style I like perfectly and want to wear for the next 10 years so maybe having customizations done makes sense...

The Schott's are very well made jackets in a robust hide. Not far off any make in my view quality wise but this site tends to have a bias. The Roger David jacket would have been fairly poor. Even their better versions were pox - a classic mall jacket. This is largely subjective stuff, mate. It's about the quality of the hide, the tanning process used, the dye, the stitching, the cut of the pattern, the thickness of the hide and features like pocket lining material and quality of zips. It a long list of things for people to agonize over - some of these things may not matter to you (or me). I would just read more here and learn. Then see a few before you buy. I've bought dozens of jackets over the years. In my view the Schott ticks most boxes unless you're a jacket junkie.

 

[MuyJingo]

I am looking more into Aero jackets.

One issue seems to be that there entire line is based on faithfully recreating past styles...They don't seem too willing to create modern styles.

How willing are they to do customization? There are some jackets I like, but would want a pocket removed, or zipper instead of buttons, or something else....

May I suggest Hillside leather. They are in NYC. I have one of their HH vests and it is a very solid and well made piece.

Thanks Pak, looking into them now

The Schott's are very well made jackets in a robust hide. Not far off any make in my view quality wise but this site tends to have a bias. The Roger David jacket would have been fairly poor. Even their better versions were pox - a classic mall jacket. This is largely subjective stuff, mate. It's about the quality of the hide, the tanning process used, the dye, the stitching, the cut of the pattern, the thickness of the hide and features like pocket lining material and quality of zips. It a long list of things for people to agonize over - some of these things may not matter to you (or me). I would just read more here and learn. Then see a few before you buy. I've bought dozens of jackets over the years. In my view the Schott ticks most boxes unless you're a jacket junkie.

Yeah....I didn't know anything about leather when I bought it...but it didn't react well after being caught in heavy rain. It was all downhill from there.

Having said that...it held up fairly well considering the abuse I gave it while traveling around the world for 7 years...

And yeah...I don't really care about the details or quality of zips or stuff like that . Pretty jmuch any zip from a high end manufacturer should be quality, I would think.

I'm mainly concerned with something that is going to last a hell of a long time and not fall apart, despite the abuse I may give it, and that is a style that is perfect for me. The latter requirement is where I am having trouble, and perhaps why customization is tempting.

 

[Don Tomaso]

I am looking more into Aero jackets.

One issue seems to be that there entire line is based on faithfully recreating past styles...They don't seem too willing to create modern styles.

How willing are they to do customization? There are some jackets I like, but would want a pocket removed, or zipper instead of buttons, or something else....

...

Well, customization surely is an issue with Aero nowadays. There are basically two lines of reasoning here:
- I'm the customer and I pay my money and they make the jacket for me, so they should do the changes I want.
- The models and cuts are well thought of by people who do this for many years, so you as a customer should trust them and rely on their experience and expertise.
Both lines have their virtues, so it is difficult to find a "final" solution to this ongoing argument. I prefer a "middle" approach, so while I would not try to change a design entirely - something Aero would decline anyway - I think some tweaking should be allowed. In my view the company is a bit too restrictive when it comes to that these days and you'll find many threads here dealing with that on the FL.
When I ordered my first Aero, a Long Halfbelt, I didn't want to have the breast pocket on it and it was no problem to get the jacket without. I'm sure this is still possible. On the other hand, I could imagine some difficulty to order the jacket without the "action back", because this is part of the overall cut. The best would be just to ask, drop them a mail.
You're right about the "style" of Aeroleather, it is by no means modern or even hip. The roots of the company lie in a thrift-shop on London, selling vintage leather-jackets back in 80ties, iirc. So most of their models do have this vintage-vibe about them, something I quite like.
Prices are high, correct. But then, for a piece of garment that will probably outlive you, they are not that high at all. Whenever I even try to compare the jackets I have to anything I find in a shop here in Germany, I see it is a total waste of time. Either the quality is far inferior or the prices are at least double. In fact, I think the jackets Aero makes are, given the material and the make, still a steal.
Of course, there are many other makers in market and having the internet, you have many choices at hand to choose from. And you are right, again, there is no point to have a leather-jacket that will last forever if you don't like the style, so this should be sorted out first.

 

[rocketeer]

I am looking more into Aero jackets.

One issue seems to be that there entire line is based on faithfully recreating past styles...They don't seem too willing to create modern styles.

How willing are they to do customization? There are some jackets I like, but would want a pocket removed, or zipper instead of buttons, or something else....




Thanks Pak, looking into them now




Yeah....I didn't know anything about leather when I bought it...but it didn't react well after being caught in heavy rain. It was all downhill from there.

Having said that...it held up fairly well considering the abuse I gave it while traveling around the world for 7 years...

And yeah...I don't really care about the details or quality of zips or stuff like that . Pretty jmuch any zip from a high end manufacturer should be quality, I would think.

I'm mainly concerned with something that is going to last a hell of a long time and not fall apart, despite the abuse I may give it, and that is a style that is perfect for me. The latter requirement is where I am having trouble, and perhaps why customization is tempting.

Well Aero will customize but mainly on length of body or sleeves, they may add or delete a pocket for you also but altering a style from button to zip may affect the way the jacket hangs due to the way the pieces are cut from the pattern.
As for not worrying about zips, some are better than others. I had a big chunky YKK in a Kudsak jacket from 20+ years ago, the main body of the jacket was a stiff steerhide but the zip always was a bit of a bear to pull up. Whereas a similar jacket had a RiRi zip which has a smaller zip track that was a delight to use. I do believe Schott may use YKK, not sure about Alexanders, personally I dont think Aero would use YKK simply because they do not look right in their jackets.
As you point out Aero tends to look back in retrospect to the designs of the past, that maybe their focus but their styles also blend well with todays clothes and accessories, my Mrs hates old stuff but loves all my Aero jacket designs.
A trip to your local mall leather emporium will show that a lot of modern designs have some retro look about them, its just most of these are fashion items and not made to last years and years and years.
A quality jacket will last probably more than your lifetime and as for toughness and durability, you may not want to get under a car or go lumber jacking during winter in your $1000 jacket, but if you wanted to you could with no real adverse effect. Many members on here will own their jackets for decades, only sentimental attraction or expanding waist lines may force the issue whether to keep or sell on.
Johnny Tee

 

[rocketeer]

Well, customization surely is an issue with Aero nowadays. There are basically two lines of reasoning here:
- I'm the customer and I pay my money and they make the jacket for me, so they should do the changes I want.
- The models and cuts are well thought of by people who do this for many years, so you as a customer should trust them and rely on their experience and expertise.
Both lines have their virtues, so it is difficult to find a "final" solution to this ongoing argument. I prefer a "middle" approach, so while I would not try to change a design entirely - something Aero would decline anyway - I think some tweaking should be allowed. In my view the company is a bit too restrictive when it comes to that these days and you'll find many threads here dealing with that on the FL.
When I ordered my first Aero, a Long Halfbelt, I didn't want to have the breast pocket on it and it was no problem to get the jacket without. I'm sure this is still possible. On the other hand, I could imagine some difficulty to order the jacket without the "action back", because this is part of the overall cut. The best would be just to ask, drop them a mail.
You're right about the "style" of Aeroleather, it is by no means modern or even hip. The roots of the company lie in a thrift-shop on London, selling vintage leather-jackets back in 80ties, iirc. So most of their models do have this vintage-vibe about them, something I quite like.
Prices are high, correct. But then, for a piece of garment that will probably outlive you, they are not that high at all. Whenever I even try to compare the jackets I have to anything I find in a shop here in Germany, I see it is a total waste of time. Either the quality is far inferior or the prices are at least double. In fact, I think the jackets Aero makes are, given the material and the make, still a steal.
Of course, there are many other makers in market and having the internet, you have many choices at hand to choose from. And you are right, again, there is no point to have a leather-jacket that will last forever if you don't like the style, so this should be sorted out first.

Thinks alike Must have wrote mine as you finished yours.

 

[Sloan1874]

As you point out Aero tends to look back in retrospect to the designs of the past, that maybe their focus but their styles also blend well with todays clothes and accessories, my Mrs hates old stuff but loves all my Aero jacket designs.
A trip to your local mall leather emporium will show that a lot of modern designs have some retro look about them, its just most of these are fashion items and not made to last years and years and years.
A quality jacket will last probably more than your lifetime and as for toughness and durability, you may not want to get under a car or go lumber jacking during winter in your $1000 jacket, but if you wanted to you could with no real adverse effect. Many members on here will own their jackets for decades, only sentimental attraction or expanding waist lines may force the issue whether to keep or sell on.
Johnny Tee

+1 And let's face it: when did you last see anyone raving about a new leather jacket that was repro of some 80s design. As far as I can tell, most modern fashion jackets are just tweaked versions of designs from vintage styles, just done in lesser-quality leather and with an inflated price.

 

[pipvh]

Isn't Ariel Star contemplating some sort of cafe racer? They put up a picture of a Beck (iirc) on their thread a while back. It might be worth looking into, especially as you're in NYC. Schott are fine - it's just a question of how much you value exclusivity and the sort of quality you get with small batch production. I was in a London vintage shop last week and they had a whole rack of the same (used) Schott jacket model, their vaguely ANJ-3 one, circa 1980s, which illustrates the way they've been churning out product over the past half-century... I wore a Schott for years. They're fine. But they aren't particularly special, should that matter to you.

 

[MuyJingo]

Thank you everybody for continuing advice and suggestions.

The more I look into it I don't think Aero is the company for me. I don't really want to be limited to replicas of specific 20's/30's/40's/50's jackets, which is what they seem to do.

While I'm sure their garments are quality, I don't think it is reflective of the price, which I think is more to do with regional market differences than quality.

I've gone off Schott as well after realizing they won't do any customization, however minor, and that I do want something a bit more special/unique.

I guess this leaves Johnson, Vanson, and a few of the other companies people have suggested I look at.

A quality jacket will last probably more than your lifetime and as for toughness and durability, you may not want to get under a car or go lumber jacking during winter in your $1000 jacket, but if you wanted to you could with no real adverse effect. Many members on here will own their jackets for decades, only sentimental attraction or expanding waist lines may force the issue whether to keep or sell on.
Johnny Tee

Hey, thanks.

Quality is very important to me, as I was so heartbroken when my last one fell apart.

I need durability as I travel a lot. I want to be prepared if I am caught in snow somewhere in northern Europe, or caught in a rain storm somewhere tropical, or just being able to wear it in spring or autumn.

Of course I'll take care of it and try to avoid damaging situations, but ideally I want something that can whether that type of damage.

+1 And let's face it: when did you last see anyone raving about a new leather jacket that was repro of some 80s design. As far as I can tell, most modern fashion jackets are just tweaked versions of designs from vintage styles, just done in lesser-quality leather and with an inflated price.

No doubt, I agree. Yet there is not a single style that I like on the Aero homepage, or any other make that does replica jackets. The ones I like are either too short, or have buttons instead of zips of a breast pocket etc etc.

 

[Sloan1874]

You sound like you know what you want - Aero are indeed 'limited' to styles between the 20s and 50s, mainly because they believe, as many do here, this is the classic period for leather jackets - so perhaps Johnson and Vanson will be able to help you out. Insurrection stock the latter, btw, so you might want to get in touch with Carrie or Wade on their affiliate thread.

 

[MuyJingo]

You sound like you know what you want - Aero are indeed 'limited' to styles between the 20s and 50s, mainly because they believe, as many do here, this is the classic period for leather jackets - so perhaps Johnson and Vanson will be able to help you out. Insurrection stock the latter, btw, so you might want to get in touch with Carrie or Wade on their affiliate thread.

I think a lot of the jackets from that time are beautiful. But I don't see too many longer (at least 28") jackets from that time with zips and without breast pockets.

Anything you could suggest in line with that fro Aero?

But for the moment I am indeed looking at Johnson and Vanson

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Sloan1874]

My Long Half Belt is 27" long with a zip closure - I'm 5ft 9in. It would be simple to ask Aero to add an inch on to the bottom and ask for it to be made without a breast pocket.

 

[MuyJingo]

My Long Half Belt is 27" long with a zip closure - I'm 5ft 9in. It would be simple to ask Aero to add an inch on to the bottom and ask for it to be made without a breast pocket.

And to remove the front flap pockets and just have handwarmer pockets, and to perhaps add a yoke (as I like the style)..

I will email Aero, just curious if those mods would be too far.

 

[Don Tomaso]

I would hazard a guess they'ld do it (maybe minus the yoke ). But this will be definitely a 50ties style! Anyway, I have the LHB minus the breast-pocket plus some lenth in the body, and it is a very nice jacket. I often thought I should have ordered it without the flap-pockets... BTW, I took mine without the "storm-cuffs", don't care too much for knits at the wrists.
Maybe call Carrie, she should know what and what not Aero will do. Or maybe Holly could chime in and enlighten us.