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Shangri—La Heritage

Marco_Massini

New in Town
Messages
20
Location
Bergamo, Italy
Here's a short review of my new Shangri-La Heritage black suede Trucker jacket. The leather is very soft and pliable and rather thick and heavier than expected. The smell is quite good but the smell of my veg tanned leather jackets is better but that doesn't really matter. No break-in required. I would say the jacket is as heavy as my Aero veg tanned rust goat suede Type III or my Aero Wayfarer Russet Vicenza. I really like the lining (probably not as "bullet proof as LW's standard lining but still very good IMO) and overall construction of the jacket which is a rather modern (Italian) and slightly longer interpretation (which I like) of a type III trucker jacket. I guess the buttons are made of brass which are very solid. Button holes do look clean and well made. Jacket is very funcitional with two handwarmer pockets and two inside pockets (some other makers do charge extra for inside pockets). The overall stitching is flawless and very good - compared to Aero I would say it's at least the same or even better (I can't see any flaws whereas I can see flaws on every Aero jacket I own(ed). The stitching hole count is not as dense as on a Thedi, Field Leathers, Lost Worlds or Freewheelers but that doesn't matter to me as we're talking about a 640€ leather jacket and IMO it's worth every penny. It's definitely an easy-to-wear (everyday) leather jacket and I would definitely give more business to the nice Italian guys at Shangri-La as they are also open to discuss possible improvements. I'm really happy with this OTR jacket. Fit-wise I'm also satisfied. Runs rather big - I usually wear size Medium but in this case I needed Small.

Cheers, Robbie
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Thank you for the great and very detailed review! I'm so happy that you like your new Terracotta Black Suede Jacket and it fits you perfectly!
 

Marco_Massini

New in Town
Messages
20
Location
Bergamo, Italy
I'm fairly new to the leather jacket game and I personally don't have any experience with Aero or Schott.

My experience with SLH has been very positive. I actually have a second jacket that I ordered from them that's currently stuck at customs in Memphis (will post a review when received). So I liked them enough to be a repeat customer which typically speaks volumes.

I've worked with one of their owners Marco (who's on TFL) on the making of my second jacket to shrink the waist. Very quick to respond and very accommodating. He even sent me some videos of my jacket being made which I thought provided some next level customer experience.

The leather is pretty heavy duty stuff. I don't have a scale so I dont know the exact weight. But you can definitely ride in this jacket. It has hidden panels for a back plate and elbow pads. The leather smells incredible. All the hardware is very solid (doesn't feel cheap or like it's going to break after a year of wear). Stitching is straight but a couple loose threads here or there. If you're a stitch count fanatic, you won't be overly impressed but it's a very well constructed jacket.

Here are some pics.
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Thanks for sharing these photos! Wow it looks amazing!!

About the Varenne Black Steerhide, I saw that it's still stuck in Memphis for customs clearance.. I'm going to call FedEx first thing tomorrow morning and see if they need further documentation or something else.
 

TG3

One of the Regulars
Messages
174
Location
Kansas City
Thanks for sharing these photos! Wow it looks amazing!!

About the Varenne Black Steerhide, I saw that it's still stuck in Memphis for customs clearance.. I'm going to call FedEx first thing tomorrow morning and see if they need further documentation or something else.
No problem Marco. And thanks for offering to call FedEx. The jacket has been there since Monday. Just another example of great customer service by you guys.
 

TG3

One of the Regulars
Messages
174
Location
Kansas City
@TG3 et all- any good pictures of the back or side? Curious about the shoulder gusset look & function, and I’ve been having a hard time finding good pictures of it
Absolutely. Here's a couple I snapped real quick. I can have the GF take some pics of me wearing it if needed. There's just a back gusset, no under arm footballs.
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Mrfrown

One Too Many
Messages
1,646
Thanks for sharing so quickly!

Looks nice, like it won’t flare out too much like a cobra head.

Do you notice range of motion while wearing it?
 

TG3

One of the Regulars
Messages
174
Location
Kansas City
Thanks for sharing so quickly!

Looks nice, like it won’t flare out too much like a cobra head.

Do you notice range of motion while wearing it?
Oh I missed that you responded. I think the range of motion is pretty good. It definitely passes the hug test. The range of motion for putting your hands straight in the air could be improved IMO with higher arm holes. Not saying they're large armholes by any means but if there's something I would improve on the pattern it would be smaller arm hole openings for better range of motion vertically.

Here's some pics of me arms out stretch. You can see the gussets work well when extending forward.
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Mrfrown

One Too Many
Messages
1,646
Oh I missed that you responded. I think the range of motion is pretty good. It definitely passes the hug test. The range of motion for putting your hands straight in the air could be improved IMO with higher arm holes. Not saying they're large armholes by any means but if there's something I would improve on the pattern it would be smaller arm hole openings for better range of motion vertically.

Here's some pics of me arms out stretch. You can see the gussets work well when extending forward.
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Nice. They look very cleanly done.

Looks like a pretty even balance between keeping the look simple and achieving some good functionality.

Really thinking about one in black as my next purchase. Will be a bit away as I’m in the queue at Johnson Leathers and don’t want to get too far ahead of myself heh.

Kinda weighing the Varenne against a Highwayman or Premier Highwayman, or maybe a the JL halfbelt? Anyway something simple, refined, and black
 

TG3

One of the Regulars
Messages
174
Location
Kansas City
Nice. They look very cleanly done.

Looks like a pretty even balance between keeping the look simple and achieving some good functionality.

Really thinking about one in black as my next purchase. Will be a bit away as I’m in the queue at Johnson Leathers and don’t want to get too far ahead of myself heh.

Kinda weighing the Varenne against a Highwayman or Premier Highwayman, or maybe a the JL halfbelt? Anyway something simple, refined, and black

Yep, I know what you mean. I like the clean and simple as well. I actually bought the Varenne in black with fur collar. Just haven't posted pics or a review of it yet.

What size of a jacket do you typically wear? I saw a really nice 38 black Premier hwym in the classifieds. It's my size and I would buy it if I hadn't just got the varenne in black. If it was brown Vicenza I probably would have already pulled the trigger. I'm more of a brown jacket guy myself. But also, it was almost 80 degrees here today so all my jackets are about to go into hibernation and really don't need to be buying more lol.
 

Mrfrown

One Too Many
Messages
1,646
Yep, I know what you mean. I like the clean and simple as well. I actually bought the Varenne in black with fur collar. Just haven't posted pics or a review of it yet.

What size of a jacket do you typically wear? I saw a really nice 38 black Premier hwym in the classifieds. It's my size and I would buy it if I hadn't just got the varenne in black. If it was brown Vicenza I probably would have already pulled the trigger. I'm more of a brown jacket guy myself. But also, it was almost 80 degrees here today so all my jackets are about to go into hibernation and really don't need to be buying more lol.

Typically a 40, going slimmer than 21.5” chest is not a good idea for me. The premier HWM in Blackened Brown Vicenza is exactly the kind of jacket I have in mind, but the listed one is too small. There’s another offered for trade in CXL but I’m not interested in the heavier leather version. The roulette will keep spinning and something will come along I’m sure.
 
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TG3

One of the Regulars
Messages
174
Location
Kansas City
Gents,

Here's a quick review of my SLH Varenne in black steerhide with removable fur collar.

I believe the leather is from Vicenza Italy and it has a nice weight to it but is still pliable with a soft hand feel. The break in time definitely won't take as long as the HH version. SLH website has photos after two years of wear and you can see the dye has rubbed off with lots of brown showing through. The smell is fantastic. The hardware is sturdy and the construction is solid.

My HH Varenne fit me fairly well in the chest and shoulders but could have used a little shrinkage in the waist. Marco was kind enough to shrink the bottom hem of this jacket at no additional cost. You guys can let me know your thoughts on the fit.

Here's some pics with the collar off and on. It's a lot of photos but if you're anything like me, the more the better if it's a brand your considering spending your money on.

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