New Aero Sheene fit and customizations

[Big7]

Hey guys!
Here we go round 2.
I appreciate everyone's feedback on my d-1 fit questions, it was very helpful.
I'm also getting new Aero Sheene, and Carrie have sent me Cafe Racer as a fit jacket, to try on.
As usual sleeves length is way off, but other than that it feels more or less like a good fit.
A little to wide in a shoulders maybe, but I think it is just the jacket is new, to stiff and made from cxl , so it is hard to judge the correct fit.
Also, if you have a sheene, can you post your pics, and tell me what did you have to customize and why, if it is no trouble.
Thanks everyone

 

[Fanch]

First of all elimination of the shoulder gussets might streamline the shoulders a bit. The only obvious adjustment would be to shorten the sleeves 1 1/2' to 2". Maybe helpful to tuck in your shirt and put on a belt? What size is your fit Cafe Racer, and what is your approximate size (height, weight, chest, waist).

 

[handymike]

It looks a bit baggy up top IMHO (shoulder and upper body).
Perhaps Carrie would send you a Board Racer to compare. If that fits better, you could order a Seven which has less taper from shoulder to hem, and slimmer sleeves.

 

[Big7]

Handymike you are right, it does look and feel to baggy on the top, I look like " Hunchback of Notre Dame", but I assumed because of the stiff cxl and jacket being new. Do you think eliminating gussets as per Fanch suggestion will help.
I do like the cut, athletic look, board racer is a bit to slim looking, but I dont want it to look like its my dad's jacket
Fanch,
I'm 5"8 , 180 lbs, I don't remember waist , somewhere around 35-36 I guess.
This jacket is size 42

 

[handymike]

Take a look at post #149....
You will see the differences in fit between the CR and The BR.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/aero-steerhide.84171/page-8

 

[jacketjunkie]

Handymike you are right, it does look and feel to baggy on the top, I look like " Hunchback of Notre Dame", but I assumed because of the stiff cxl and jacket being new. Do you think eliminating gussets as per Fanch suggestion will help.
I do like the cut, athletic look, board racer is a bit to slim looking, but I dont want it to look like its my dad's jacket
Fanch,
I'm 5"8 , 180 lbs, I don't remember waist , somewhere around 35-36 I guess.
This jacket is size 42

I think you should size down. I am 5'9 180 lbs and tried on CRs in 38-42 and 40 fit me best. This experience seems to be in line with the blousy fit of this 42 on you.

If I was you, I'd ask Carrie to send you a 40 which I believe will fit better in shoulders and chest but may be tight in the waist. If it is, ask them to add some extra width in the side panels. Think this is better than going 42 and have the jacket fit in the waist but be too big in chest and shoulders.

 

[Fanch]

OK here is my information that might or might not be helpful to you. As a point of reference I am 6'2" and 185 lbs. My chest is 42" and 38" waist.

A friend of mine sent me his russet Vicenza size 42 Sheene with 27" back length and 27" sleeves. As I recall he had 1/2" added to the circumference of the waist. As you can see from the pictures the waist is a bit tight. Like your fit jacket, his also had the biker's shoulder gussets.


Below is my black Vicenza Sheene size 42 Sheene with 27.5" back length and 27.5" sleeves with 2 1/2" added to the circumference of the waist. It also has shoulder gussets. Fit markedly improved!


Below is my russet Vicenza size 42 Sheene with 27.5" back length and 27.5" sleeves with 2 1/2" added to the circumference of the waist. As you can see from the picture in the back, there are no shoulder gussets.


My russet Vicenza Sheene was ordered with handwarmer zippers and my black Vicenza Sheene was ordered without handwarmer zippers. I found I much prefer without handwarmer zippers as the zips abrade my hands. I also should have ordered both jackets with one vertical inside pocket without closure in the leather facing of each jacket to hold my iPhone but was talked out of doing so. If I had it to do over, I would have done so.

 

[VestCoast]

Earlier this year I came to TFL for help nailing down the decisions for ordering a Sheene. I hope I can pass along some help of my own, this time from the other side. For reference, I am a little over 5' 10" and weigh between 180 and 185.
I got a Cafe Racer fit jacket from Thurston Bros. in size 40, but found that the shoulders and back bunched up in an unattractive fashion. You can see in the photos below that the shoulder gussets added a lot of mass behind the shoulders.

The fit jacket was pretty snug but Carrie at TB recommended I stayed at a 40 and just get rid of the gussets. I followed her advice and ended up incredibly happy with the jacket. I also did not like how the external kidney panel looked, and found it sat on my lower back in an uncomfortable way. It also pushed against my belt as you can see in the above photos, and being unexpectedly pantsed by my own jacket was an event I hoped to avoid.

As you can see, the Sheene makeup I received does not pull at the belt, and looks significantly cleaner in the back and shoulders. Both of these photo sets are taken immediately after receiving the jackets, and are not broken in at all. I have since put about 60 hours of wear into the black Sheene but it has been breaking in incredibly well. It is still a snug jacket, I only have room for a t-shirt or long-sleeved shirt underneath, but my mobility in it has been steadily increasing. I'm currently doing field work so I can't take photos of my jacket in its more broken in state, but I hope to get some pictures taken soon.

Your fit jacket looks like it fits pretty well, outside of the upper back and shoulders having the same excess that my CR fit jacket had. I would personally do away with the gussets. It is also my opinion that the external kidney panel always form a crease in the middle of the back unless you are in a forward leaning pose. Personally I like my jackets at or around belt height and I believe kidney panel interacts disfavorably with the waist at that length unless you are riding. If you stay at the 42 you'll have room to wear more layers underneath, but sizing down could work if you want a tighter fit and aren't worried about staying warm.

 

[ProteinNerd]

This is mine.
August collar
Size 38 with added width to the waist.
Removed both interior and exterior kidney panels for a cleaner look, I don’t like when you remove the exterior but can still see the interior panel show through.
Removed the shoulder gussets.
Single V yoke on the back

 

[technovox]

Love the end result! That back looks super clean...definitely a good choice in eliminating the kidney belt and going with a yoke.
I can't find any mention of the leather you decided to use...did I miss it, or did you not include it?

 

[Big7]

Guys that's amazing. Thanks for your help.
Vestcoast what is your chest /shoulder/waist size ?
I think I will try on size 40, get rid on the gussets and kidney panel, shorten the sleeves, add width on the sides , get rid of the top right zipped pocket and get an inside pocket on that side, in something like Vicenza cordovan leather.
CXL is just way to stiff, it will drive me insane

 

[Carlos840]

Guys that's amazing. Thanks for your help.
Vestcoast what is your chest /shoulder/waist size ?
I think I will try on size 40, get rid on the gussets and kidney panel, shorten the sleeves, add width on the sides , get rid of the top right zipped pocket and get an inside pocket on that side, in something like Vicenza cordovan leather.
CXL is just way to stiff, it will drive me insane

My latest CXL jacket has been worn a little less than a month and it is already soft and supple.
It really doesn't take much for CXL to soften up, and it has IMO a lot more potential to look good down the road than Vicenza has.

 

[ducatimonster]

I´m 5´10¨and 169 lbs and have a 40. Ordered a 38 but was too small
Mine is Seal Vicenza with no shoulder gussets and no kidney panel. Added 0.5" at each side at the bottom

 

[VestCoast]

Love the end result! That back looks super clean...definitely a good choice in eliminating the kidney belt and going with a yoke.
I can't find any mention of the leather you decided to use...did I miss it, or did you not include it?

I'm not 100% sure if this question is intended for me but I will answer it anyway and thank you for the compliment. I went with black CXLFQHH, I like the way that teacore leather ages and the sample of the CXLFQHH I was sent had a nice brown color backing the black finish.

Guys that's amazing. Thanks for your help.
Vestcoast what is your chest /shoulder/waist size ?
I think I will try on size 40, get rid on the gussets and kidney panel, shorten the sleeves, add width on the sides , get rid of the top right zipped pocket and get an inside pocket on that side, in something like Vicenza cordovan leather.
CXL is just way to stiff, it will drive me insane

My chest is 44", waist is 33", and I'm 18.75" at the shoulder. When its zipped up it is a snug fit so if you're more than 1/2" bigger than any of those dimensions be prepared to take shallow breaths or add some width to the side panels. The makeup I ordered has two interior pockets underneath the exterior chest pockets so that takes up a little room out of the chest. This jacket also has an internal kidney panel which is something people seem divided on here. A lot of people find the prospect of the panel showing through on the outside to be visually undesirable, but it doesn't bother me. The internal kidney panel is usually recommended by makers to help protect the lining as the interior of the back at the waist has the highest friction damage potential. The trade off seems well worth it to me. Up to you though, obviously. The CXL came pretty stiff on this jacket but I love that aspect of it, breaking in the jacket has been a joy and I can't wait to see how it fits in a few months. If you go with Vicenza you might have a little more wiggle room in sizing as it's thinner and more flexible, but I have no experience with it so that opinion is based only on keyboard research.