Schott goes after the Restoration Hardware crowd

[AngryNJ]

See this link for himel brothers.

http://www.himelbros.com/himel-brot...racing-shirt-sz.-42-horsehide-japanese-brown/

 

[himelator]

See this link for himel brothers.

http://www.himelbros.com/himel-brot...racing-shirt-sz.-42-horsehide-japanese-brown/

Looks to me like they copied my unlined racing shirt...which was itself designed from a 1940s buco unlined racing shirt. Of course they didnt build the first motorcycle jacket or the first zippered jacket that is just marketing but like all good fashion companies including myself imitation is the beset form of flattery...Im now flattered.

 

[mattp]

Some beautiful looking jackets on the Himel site there, thanks for the link. The Schott jacket does look a lot like the unlined racing shirt, but the Himel one is much more appealing to me despite having the same drawbacks of being unlined and with exposed (watch-scratching) zippers on the cuffs. Looks like much better quality and fantastic looking leather, but it sure is expensive still.

 

[AngryNJ]

Looks to me like they copied my unlined racing shirt...which was itself designed from a 1940s buco unlined racing shirt. Of course they didnt build the first motorcycle jacket or the first zippered jacket that is just marketing but like all good fashion companies including myself imitation is the beset form of flattery...Im now flattered.

Your racing shirts are beautiful. From the pictures on your site, the quality looks amazing. Been following your site as well as your blog for some time. Hope to purchase one of your jackets one of these days.

 

[AngryNJ]

Some beautiful looking jackets on the Himel site there, thanks for the link. The Schott jacket does look a lot like the unlined racing shirt, but the Himel one is much more appealing to me despite having the same drawbacks of being unlined and with exposed (watch-scratching) zippers on the cuffs. Looks like much better quality and fantastic looking leather, but it sure is expensive still.

I think if someone were considering the racing shirt from restoration hardware/schott, the himel version is actually a better buy. It may be more expensive, but it looks to be leaps and bounds higher in quality.

 

[himelator]

I did look at the restoration hardware guys jacket...and it is also an early buco racing shirt...notice the welts on the original jacket...along the front zip is i wind welt i think...also it has the longer tunic length of an older one...but the pictures I found were quite small and my glasses are quite dirty...

 

[AtlantaSpike]

Goodness - did the Schott brothers run over someone's dog or something? Every time I click on one of these threads there is some serious venom. I understand not liking the product, I guess, but it's a jacket for crying out loud.

 

[AngryNJ]

Goodness - did the Schott brothers run over someone's dog or something? Every time I click on one of these threads there is some serious venom. I understand not liking the product, I guess, but it's a jacket for crying out loud.

Hope that I didn't give that impression. I actually own a couple schott jackets. Personally I think the restoration hardware jacket has a price point based on the typical restoration hardware prices.... Which I think are very very high.

Schott makes some decent jackets. They are just a different class than the aeros and others often mentioned here.

 

[ButteMT61]

Yeah, not sure why this jacket got so much grief. Basically, I'll laugh at some of the fashion stuff with it's pricing and stupid ads, but there is a history of the unlined jacket, and given nobody here seems to have even tried one on, let alone own one, I'd say it's a bit harsh. I still have 3 or 4 Schott's in my closet. Over time, they've gone from my best jackets to the ones I use to wear cutting wood or yard work in the cold or camping, etc. But they do make a good product for the range they're in. The key for me is getting them on big discounts. I'd probably not pay full price for any off the shelf clothing. Custom is a different breed...

 

[Edward]

It seems to me the criticism is mostly 'by-association', and price-based, though obviously some will prefer a lined jacket. I still think that at a sufficiently low price, I'd be tempted. I don't generally care for a mandarin collar (one of the reasons I eventually sold a nice black cafe racer jacket I used to have), but again, at the right price...

 

[Graemsay]

I quite like the jacket precisely because it is unlined. I've gone through the linings in all the Aeros that I've owned, except for one which is looking a bit worn, so it's removing a point of failure.

If they shipped to the UK then I'd be very tempted. At $450 (under £300), it looks a decent deal. The Himel Bros version is probably nicer, but at three times the price I'd be nervous about ordering one unseen.

 

[deuxcv]

ordered one! a brown one. a summer weight jacket to accompany the heavy weight - black - fqhh - custom aero racer i just ordered. as well as some instant gratification to counter the 15 week aero production time.

between amex points rewards, a 10% off clearance coupon and talking them out of charging me their purchase total based shipping calculation ($40 to ship a 4# jacket seemed exorbitant... she agreed and waived), the jacket cost nothing out of pocket!!

my only fear is that their sizing guidelines don't hold true, as this is a final sale. i fit nicely in a small in schott's off the rack cafe racers, but their sizing guides say i am clearly a medium and their customer service notes say nothing about it being not true to size.

 

[ButteMT61]

I think eBay will find you a buyer if it doesn't fit. I'd not worry...

 

[jksu]

ordered one! a brown one. a summer weight jacket to accompany the heavy weight - black - fqhh - custom aero racer i just ordered. as well as some instant gratification to counter the 15 week aero production time.

between amex points rewards, a 10% off clearance coupon and talking them out of charging me their purchase total based shipping calculation ($40 to ship a 4# jacket seemed exorbitant... she agreed and waived), the jacket cost nothing out of pocket!!

my only fear is that their sizing guidelines don't hold true, as this is a final sale. i fit nicely in a small in schott's off the rack cafe racers, but their sizing guides say i am clearly a medium and their customer service notes say nothing about it being not true to size.

cool! post some pics when you get it. it looks like a really solid jacket -- i'm interested what wearing an unlined jacket is like. some vintage jackets pop up on ebay, including horsehide, with tattered linings and i wonder if it'd be worth buying one and just rip the lining out to wear.

ps. i think schott makes great jackets and i think they are given a bit of a hard time here sometimes because they're not quite at the level aero/lost worlds/eastmans/langlitz.... but they make a great jackets at a decent price and fill that market well and offer quite a diversity of jackets. so they happen to do a good job working with the media and partnering with other makers is probably smart business. i wouldn't hold it against aero if aero was featured in an article/profile in a magazine. schott's just a higher volume make. they helped introduce me to leather jackets so i owe them that much

 

[garzo]

Wasn't Peter Fonda's jacket in "Easy Rider" also an unlined cafe racer leather shirt?

I seem to remember hearing it was an unlined jacket. Maybe they were quite common back in the 1960s.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yep, as others here will tell you the cafe racer started as an unlined torso hugging leather shirt. I'm personally glad they evolved, but this one looks good to me.

 

[Hammer Down]

Does anyplace currently sell shirts in the same cafe racer style as Fonda's? I really like the fit of that "shirt." Very cool. Vanson sells some that are close but not quite the same cut and style. The Restoration Hardware edition Schott jacket doesn't seem quite the same either

 

[garzo]

The only Easy Rider-style jackets I've seen are thicker motorcycle jackets like the Schott 671 -- http://bit.ly/KqwIVJ -- or the Vanson version -- http://bit.ly/MK2pp9 -- but I've never seen an accurate replica of the original, which is actually quite long compared to the Schott. I think the big difference is that the film jacket really was thin and really like a shirt as opposed to a thick competition weight heavy steerhide jacket.

 

[billyb]

Does anyplace currently sell shirts in the same cafe racer style as Fonda's? I really like the fit of that "shirt." Very cool. Vanson sells some that are close but not quite the same cut and style. The Restoration Hardware edition Schott jacket doesn't seem quite the same either

If you are willing to pay the money, Langlitz can do it. Their Crescent with hand warmer pockets delete in light weight cowhide or goat. They also make a pull-over called a Timberline. BEST SERVICE YOU CAN GET.

 

[Qinhan]

This jacket has been discussed over on Filmjackets.com: http://www.filmjackets.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=188&hilit=easy+rider+peter+fonda

Toy's Mccoy's have also done a repro of this jacket but apparently the details aren't entirely screen accurate.