Wanted an AERO, got a DOUBLE HELIX 1930 style

[sshack]

Congrats again. Your jacket posting made me to take another look at this jacket last night. Haha.
I made a mistake thinking there was just one denim color, but its actually darker navy custom spec’ed by your local retailer. Which I think is a really nice. I believe the darker navy is dyed through and not white core, not sure I just couldn’t find any evolve pics. Can’t wait to see this some update pics when the weather gets a bit warmer.

Both versions of the blue leather have a white core. They both have a very Japanese "bouncy" feeling. I say "Japanese" because I've often heard this description by Tokyo store owners when describing high quality leather. The turquoise swatch I have is thicker and seems like it will be harder to develop wrinkles. That's just from going off my swatches... which may not represent actual thickness.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Both versions of the blue leather have a white core. They both have a very Japanese "bouncy" feeling. I say "Japanese" because I've often heard this description by Tokyo store owners when describing high quality leather. The turquoise swatch I have is thicker and seems like it will be harder to develop wrinkles. That's just from going off my swatches... which may not represent actual thickness.

That is pretty cool. The navy one is also white core interesting. I am still undecided on the style to pair with these denim leather. Either a deal pops up on the used market or most likely I'd have to go custom order...

 

[sshack]

@jr30 This jacket looks great on you. I may get one myself (in a different color).

Visually, the fit looks very nice. How does it FEEL? Is it tiring to wear for an extended time? Can you move and bend reasonably? Have you driven a car with it on? Thanks!

 

[Canuck Panda]

It’s pretty good. The leather is thick but very pliable. If you’re going custom the only thing I would suggest is ask them to use a regular Waldes zipper, like the one they used on the Raiders jacket

The Hugging Curve came with Hookless zipper and that zipper design is a bit too finicky for daily use.

 

[jr30]

@jr30 This jacket looks great on you. I may get one myself (in a different color).

Visually, the fit looks very nice. How does it FEEL? Is it tiring to wear for an extended time? Can you move and bend reasonably? Have you driven a car with it on? Thanks!

Hello

Sorry for my late reply, I was on vacation, deliberately without a mobile device

I've only had the blue DH for a short time, but it's fantastic to wear. I actually come from the "Aero faction" with heavy HH leathers, but this HH jacket from DH feels soft. The only thing...the jacket should only be cut tighter at the hips. After correspondence with @58panheadfan (https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/double-helix-works.106511/page-6#post-3057721), I hammered in a fold on the side so that the DH now fits a little tighter at the bottom/hem. My DH is worn too rarely, I don't see any white core layer showing on the surface yet. But hopefully soon! Even without these signs, I was approached several times about the beautiful blue.

In my normal everyday life I wear the jacket unnoticed. When driving a car, sitting, shopping and in the evening at the bar/restaurant, sometimes I forget that I'm wearing a leather jacket made from HH. This has never happened to me with my Aero's, although I also have one from lighter and softer Vicenza HH.

As others have noted, the zip is not my first choice, too fiddly. The rest is 1A. Get a look at my body measurements in the starting post. I also tried the jacket a size smaller, but the sleeves were too short. The larger one is more comfortable to wear and there is also room for a thin sweater underneath.

For a pure classic T-shirt look with a leather jacket, I would prefer a tighter fit, despite my weight

Regards, Roman

 

[nick123]

Superb jacket and fit. Can see why you went with it, would be hard not to!

 

[Peter Mackin]

Beautiful jacket, but I shuddered when I saw the hook less zip.i absolutely hate them.
Had one on the plastic feeling Buzz b2 I sold here a number of years ago, horrible things.imo.

 

[Rogerw650]

A great jacket
A great and complete revue
thank you for that job
Congrats

 

[jr30]

Hi,

A buddy of mine recommended a tailor in my hometown who can work with heavy (horsehide) leather and has a good reputation. My Double Helix feels too long and too wide at the bottom due to its straight cut. At first, it didn’t bother me much, but now that I’m considering replacing the annoying Hookless zipper, I’m also thinking about shortening the jacket and making it slightly slimmer at the hem/bottom.


What do you guys think?
Has anyone done this before? Is this highly risky - would you advise against it?

I haven’t met the tailor yet since I’ll only be visiting my hometown in a few weeks.

Thanks for your input!
Roman

 

[TartuWolf]

Most folks here will tell you that it's a bad idea to tailor a leather jacket. Goes wrong more often that it goes right.
I'd mostly be concerned with the half-belt position / proportion if you chop off the bottom.
It is normal for half belts to be a bit longer and wider at the bottom hem.
It really doesn't look too wide on you.

 

[Monitor]

Hi,

A buddy of mine recommended a tailor in my hometown who can work with heavy (horsehide) leather and has a good reputation. My Double Helix feels too long and too wide at the bottom due to its straight cut. At first, it didn’t bother me much, but now that I’m considering replacing the annoying Hookless zipper, I’m also thinking about shortening the jacket and making it slightly slimmer at the hem/bottom.
View attachment 689003
View attachment 689004
What do you guys think?
Has anyone done this before? Is this highly risky - would you advise against it?

I haven’t met the tailor yet since I’ll only be visiting my hometown in a few weeks.

Thanks for your input!
Roman

The issue isn't that the cut is straight but rather that it is intended for a different build. Mostly all Japanese leather jackets fit like that - Narrow in the shoulders & chest area and too long, while expanding downwards. Aero in lighter leather would've been better choice for you but anyway...

Don't do it. What @TartuWolf said, the half-belt/lower panel proportions will end up thrown off and it is the kind of detail where just an inch can completely ruin the look and you need to shave off at least 5 centimeters to make the alteration worthwhile. Same goes for the pockets.

Double Helix is a fantastic maker who doesn't resort to time-saving techniques and I know for a fact their hemming is quite complex. I can promise you for a fact that your tailor will not honor this & will treat the alteration more practically, so to say, which is something you do not want.

It doesn't fit you bad, though and unzipped, fits just about right.
My advice is to either leave it as is or, since it's in a fantastic condition, you could try selling it & recover as much money as you can and get something from an EU/US brand.

 

[jr30]

First off, thanks a lot for your message!

I actually had the same feeling - not to tailor it - but I still wanted to hear from the experts here, which is why I made this post.

Honestly, I love this Double Helix jacket. When I compare it to other pictures, I do notice that it looks quite a bit too long when closed. But maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to it. The leather is soft, and when I layer underneath, the length kind of "disappears" and feels more "balanced" - even though we're obviously not talking about a snug fit that stops right at the belt.

I wasn’t sure if it might make me look "funny" - like people on the street would think, "That dude's wearing a super long leather jacket." Most urban folks have little to no knowledge of historical styles, and I can totally imagine the opposite reaction when I wear my Aero Half Belt, which is much shorter—like, "That guy's wearing a jacket that’s way too short!"



That being said, the leather on this Double Helix is just incredible. Soft yet durable, and the blue color is (for me) truly unique. If I wore it more often, the white layer underneath would start to show in some areas, which would be pretty cool.

Gentlemen, I just need to know - do I look ridiculous in this? If I can't ask the experts here, then who else?

Thanks, and have a great weekend!
Roman

 

[TartuWolf]

@jr30
One thing you could consider if you're bothered by the length is a two way zipper.
Visually it won't change much, but functionally it helps a lot if the jacket is longer than you'd like in terms of convenience.
I'd pay no attention what people on the street think because 99% of them don't care about you or how you look. Only other leather jacket aficionados on the street might have an opinion, but even then most would pay much more attention to the positive aspects of this jacket rather than notice the (subjectively) slight negative of it being a bit too long. Again - it's very normal for half-belts to be a bit longer.
You don't look ridiculous AT ALL, looks great to me.

 

[MrProper]

Shortening would only be possible if the halfbelt was also moved upwards (somehow it already seems a bit too low to me). But that is far too time-consuming and, as Monitor already wrote, there is a high probability that the seams will not be redone with the same thoroughness.
However, I think the two way zip idea is a very good one as it would change the style significantly. Same photos with two inches open at the bottom, and it seems to be a different jacket.

 

[Monitor]

Gentlemen, I just need to know - do I look ridiculous in this? If I can't ask the experts here, then who else?

Thanks, and have a great weekend!
Roman

Honestly, it is ridiculous to even for a second consider such a though.

We are nitpicking on the way it fits you because it's what we do on this forum but in real life, the jacket fits you fantastically by any definition.

You've absolutely nothing to worry about.

As for the two-way zipper, I don't think it'd have enough visual effect on the fit of the jacket, to warrant such a drastic alteration. An entire zipper would have to be replaced and no leather repair shop is ever going to be bothered going thru the original stitch holes.
You'd be lucky they don't recommend doing an additional two stitch rows, so not to further weaken the original seam.