how many leather jackets did it take?

[dgbrt]

So I collect watches and sunglasses and a few other things that are a little easier to judge on a page before putting down cash. Got bit by the heritage leather jacket bug last fall and after grabbing a Y2 Single Rider that (in my view) fit perfectly, picked up a few other complimentary jackets in the subsequent months to round out my wardrobe options, but can't seem to find anything else that fits OTR without a concession of some sort. Now I have a rack of pretty neat pieces that cover the spread, so to speak, but each introduce their own nitpicks. I've never noticed quite this much fit disparity in more designer stuff (Todd Snyder, YSL, Celine, etc.) so is getting lucky on fit more of a feature than a bug with most heritage/repro Japanese brands? Or do I just need to keep looking? Almost went MTO on a recent Johnson's visit in SF but a lot of their stock patterns left me feeling a little lukewarm. How many jackets did it take before you struck gold?

 

[Bfd70]

It’s been 7 years. I’ll let you know when i get there

 

[dgbrt]

It’s been 7 years. I’ll let you know when i get there

lol that's promising. what's come the closest for you?

 

[Jasonindenver]

I have Aero tastes but a Thedi body.

My wife loves the look of the Aero Seven but I love the feel of my Thedi.

 

[TartuWolf]

For me it's intermittent and very expectation dependent.
A few duds, then a few successes that raised the bar, then a bunch more duds (potentially because of the raised bar, otherwise might have been keepers), with a keeper dropping in here and there.
Overall I'm sticking to budget options 90% of the time and expecting compromises at best and dissapointment by default realistically. So mentally preparing for failure every time I order something. And being right most of the time! Yay!
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/tartuwolf-jacket-journey.120005/

 

[dgbrt]

For me it's intermittent and very expectation dependent.
A few duds, then a few successes that raised the bar, then a bunch more duds (potentially because of the raised bar, otherwise might have been keepers), with a keeper dropping in here and there.
Overall I'm sticking to budget options 90% of the time and expecting compromises at best and dissapointment by default realistically. So mentally preparing for failure every time I order something. And being right most of the time! Yay!
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/tartuwolf-jacket-journey.120005/

The journey thread is super insightful – thanks for sharing. Definitely see a lot of similarities in the expectation/reality, and the hope that every piece might be a keeper but sometimes it just ends up as part of the research process.

 

[Oil Tanned]

For me it was when I hit the first dozen or so and closet space needed to be thought about. On that day I realized that a jacket I once liked and wanted doesn't get worn because it's actually neither liked nor wanted. There are exceptions but it's interesting to see how tastes mature and what may have seemed like I had to have it three years ago well, apparently I didn't.

In my closet are some beautiful jackets that are now too loud. The only thing that changed was me.

 

[zebedee]

14 kept, 4 sold or given to worthy friends. I keep the ones I don't like for lunatic trips into strange parts of Asia, where I occasionally start to like them. When it's freezing cold and you're attempting to sleep and stay warm, that aggressively orange, highly-pebbled Blattwerk shawl collar jacket over a hoodie comes in handy. As a bonus, should you die in the snow, your corpse would visible from the air.

The best purchase overall was my first (an Aero Highwayman in brown fqhh); next to that, Aero's Maxwell in cordovan tumbled fqhh. Most worn is probably a Plainsman in black jerky, essentially due to good weight and flexibility. I suppose I've bought intermittently over about 18 years.

 

[LuddGang]

I feel like I’ve also been speed running jackets since becoming interested a few years ago. I’ve learnt to move on anything that isn’t a keeper immediately - if I’m on the fence when it arrives, it’s straight back on eBay or Vinted.

I feel like I’ve got that stage somewhat out of my system now and am being more selective. Though maybe it’s being driven by a lack of time for the search and sales rather than genuine personal growth…

 

[Bfd70]

lol that's promising. what's come the closest for you?

Changes daily. I tend to flip and occasionally have sellers remorse. Right now i want my simmons bilt 2 lane brown top and eastman a2 slender back. Today, I feel like I know exactly what I want to finish the game. I have however, been here before.

 

[Matsumoto]

I'd like to think I'm done now. After about ~12 I'm down to 5 and I honestly don't see that collection growing (which isn't something I've truthfully been able to say before). Then again, maybe a brown highwayman someday...