Leather Jacket Thread

Not really planning to buy, but still having some fun looking around. This would be my other choice for an MTO lighter weight jacket (and yeh, I think I’d get rid of the silly bicep zipper). They have some other leathers that I think I like more - less ‘character’, just a nice grain though maybe a bit heavier than I need.

 
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If the crew at Simmons Bilt aren’t all serving time again, I’m going to order from them - basic cross-zip aviator/motorcycle with side adjusters and three pockets. I’ve emailed to request some leather samples and put down a deposit to get the call rolling, but no response for a few days now.
 
Not really planning to buy, but still having some fun looking around. This would be my other choice for an MTO lighter weight jacket (and yeh, I think I’d get rid of the silly bicep zipper). They have some other leathers that I think I like more - less ‘character’, just a nice grain though maybe a bit heavier than I need.

too many zippers. whats with all these zippers?
 
too many zippers. whats with all these zippers?

I think this is the one I’ve settled on, in a different leather:

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If they aren’t all doing time in Wormwood Scrubs or whatever the Scottish equivalent is.
 
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Samples arrived from SB tonight. I told them I’m looking for brown, mid to heavy, horse or steer.

I can rule out a few that are too shiny or too pull-up mottled, but beyond that it’s really hard to choose! I think I can eliminate a couple of thinner ones, but most feel about the same. Natural light will help with pics, I know.

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Still not much natural light (tropical storm currently battering us), but these are a little better.

Current faves:

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Other possibles:

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Pretty much ruled-out:

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These are the two Horween horse leathers I am liking the most (can’t find a pic of that steer made-up, anywhere):

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I just put down a deposit to get production going - using the brown 3oz Horween Milan horsehide above.
 
S-B just did a nice update to their website. Much better pics of the styles and materials on offer, though still doesn’t really cover the buying process (which is a whole series of email Q&A to get the fit and details you want):

 
I’ve been reading on a few vintage jacket forums some good reviews of this Paki place. They are custom making jackets to the very picky (anally so) specs of forum nerds. Seems that if you are willing to give precise details of what you want, they deliver a good product for an insanely low cost. Production takes about two days from payment to shipping!

All the leathers (mostly goat with some bison, cow, steer and sheep) are a bit meh - but at least they are thick and consistent. Also read that the cheaper leather squeaks and smells like a chemical plant.

One guy sent pics from an eBay auction of a 1930s half belt and detailed measurements and they absolutely nailed it.

 
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Three weeks from paying the deposit, I heard from Scotland that my jacket is made and ready to ship.
 
Jacket arrived Monday. The leather and construction is out of this world. Shoulders, sleeve and body length all good, but I’m thinking I’ll send it back to get the chest and waist slimmed down. This is with the side adjusters fully cinched (not ideal, with the resultant bunching):

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Jacket arrived Monday. The leather and construction is out of this world. Shoulders, sleeve and body length all good, but I’m thinking I’ll send it back to get the chest and waist slimmed down. This is with the side adjusters fully cinched (not ideal, with the resultant bunching):

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thats a great fit. can you tamp down those straps sticking out in the back? i find that personally annoying.
 
thats a great fit. can you tamp down those straps sticking out in the back? i find that personally annoying.

You think? I feel like it needs about 2” off the chest and 6-8” off the waist (so it doesn’t have to be all cinched and bunched up like that). Even then, the sleeves probably need to be slimmed down too.
 
You think? I feel like it needs about 2” off the chest and 6-8” off the waist (so it doesn’t have to be all cinched and bunched up like that). Even then, the sleeves probably need to be slimmed down too.
well we have fundamentally different body shapes so i wasn't really looking at it being skin tight. sleeves look like they fit. length looks good. you don't look like a jackoff in it. these are the things i look at first before then moving on to nitpicking fit. now if its too big in the chest i suppose all there is to do is start hitting the weights. but correct me if i'm wrong - wasn't this mtm?
 
You think? I feel like it needs about 2” off the chest and 6-8” off the waist (so it doesn’t have to be all cinched and bunched up like that). Even then, the sleeves probably need to be slimmed down too.
i can maybe see the waist in the arms down photo but in the arms up it looks like there's barely any extra room there.

just how form fitting of a look are you going for here?

our resident walking beanstalk doghouse doghouse and perpetual boot wearer Thruth Thruth might come in on opposite sides of this.

too bad StanleyVanBuren StanleyVanBuren died in a tragic pesticide accident. he'd definitely be the one to ask.
 
well we have fundamentally different body shapes so i wasn't really looking at it being skin tight. sleeves look like they fit. length looks good. you don't look like a jackoff in it. these are the things i look at first before then moving on to nitpicking fit. now if its too big in the chest i suppose all there is to do is start hitting the weights. but correct me if i'm wrong - wasn't this mtm?

Yeh, I could live with the sleeves and maybe the chest, but the the waist is just too much. Here in Texas, I’m never going to be wearing more than a tshirt under a jacket like this.

It’s a semi-mtm. They choose an otr size to match your measurements and can them lengthen or shorten sleeves and body.
 
Yeh, I could live with the sleeves and maybe the chest, but the the waist is just too much. Here in Texas, I’m never going to be wearing more than a tshirt under a jacket like this.

It’s a semi-mtm. They choose an otr size to match your measurements and can them lengthen or shorten sleeves and body.
so everything is done after the fact or did they just fuck up the measurements on this particular one?
 
so everything is done after the fact or did they just fuck up the measurements on this particular one?

not sure why they decided this was the right size pattern to base my jacket off. Maybe the next size down the shoulders would be too small? Or they assume I’m going to be wearing six sheltand jumpers under it. I think I was pretty clear with my measurements and what I was looking for. They haven’t responded to my email about it and I’m trying not to lose my shit yet.

If they just posted the actual (chest, waist, shoulders) measurements of their sizes then the liability would be on the customer. I don’t get why they do it this way.
 
Dropbear Dropbear it's a nice jacket, fits in the shoulders, sleeve length is good, they got the length right front and back but seems they cocked it up because you have a shit ton of excess in the chest and the waist.

You should not have to cinch the waist to the max

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Check the measurements you sent them against the measurement of the jacket and then get in touch with them if they are off.
 
I dunno. I think chest is pretty good. Waist is big, but that is somewhat by design to cinch down the adjusters
 
Still waiting to hear back from them and what they will do. I’m going to take some better pics today that I can send them to illustrate the problems. Right now, I’m thinking the ideal solution would be:

-6” off the waist. I know some will say leave extra room to cinch it down, but I’d rather a fairly snug fit uncinched so it isn’t all bunched up at the sides with strap ends sticking out the back.
-2” off the chest.
-.5” on the sleeve width, maybe even a full inch at the top.
- .5” off the sleeve length. This measurement is on me. I took sleeve length from other well fitting jackets but this seems a bit longer. I’m probably more aware of it here because, zipped at the wrist, it is making the upper arms bunch up.
 
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Still waiting to hear back from them and what they will do. I’m going to take some better pics today that I can send them to illustrate the problems. Right now, I’m thinking the ideal solution would be:

-6” off the waist. I know some will say leave extra room to cinch it down, but I’d rather a fairly snug fit uncinched so it isn’t all bunched up at the sides with strap ends sticking out the back.
-2” off the chest.
-.5” on the sleeve width, maybe even a full inch at the top.
- .5” off the sleeve length. This measurement is on my. I took sleeve length from other well fitting jackets but this seems a bit longer. I’m probably more aware of it here because, zipped at the wrist, it is making the upper arms bunch up.

Great jacket, looks awesome!
Indeed it looks like they've left room for a big bulky sweater underneath. Isn't 6" off too much though?
 
Great jacket, looks awesome!
Indeed it looks like they've left room for a big bulky sweater underneath. Isn't 6" off too much though?

Thanks. Somewhere between 4-6” would be ideal. I want to get it down to 19” at the opening, laying flat (based on another jacket that fits well).
 
Thanks. Somewhere between 4-6” would be ideal. I want to get it down to 19” at the opening, laying flat (based on another jacket that fits well).

That makes sense to me.

I'm reading through their website, I take it you went with the "custom fit" option?

We ask for your measurements as only a guide for us to determine the closest fit for you from our sizing, we DO NOT use these measurements to adjust the pattern to custom fit the jacket for you.

We can custom fit but this will incur additional charges and we would quote a price once all details have been received. (Please read our returns policy here).
 
No, I did not. I gave them the sleeve and body length I wanted and they fit me to the base size (a 38). I’m pretty sure that, based on the measurements I supplied, they should have started with a 36.

That Returns page is full of so many disclaimers that I’m not entirely confident I’ll be able to get this worked out with them without getting hit-up for more money.
 
No, I did not. I gave them the sleeve and body length I wanted and they fit me to the base size (a 38). I’m pretty sure that, based on the measurements I supplied, they should have started with a 36.
So wait, what you got is an OTR 38, or did they already do some alterations to it?

That Returns page is full of so many disclaimers that I’m not entirely confident I’ll be able to get this worked out with them without getting hit-up for more money.

Uggh. Fingers crossed.
 
So wait, what you got is an OTR 38, or did they already do some alterations to it?

It’s semi-mtm. They adjust a standard pattern for body and sleeve length.

Uggh. Fingers crossed.

Thanks. They have a ‘colorful’ legal history that doesn’t help, though I found them very good to work with - if a bit slow with correspondence.

I see a few possible ways this ends-up:

They do a remake based of a smaller pattern
They alter this one to fit
I sell it and go with an Aero
I get someone else (Johnson Leathers in SF, maybe) to alter this.
 
Still waiting to hear back from them and what they will do. I’m going to take some better pics today that I can send them to illustrate the problems. Right now, I’m thinking the ideal solution would be:

-6” off the waist. I know some will say leave extra room to cinch it down, but I’d rather a fairly snug fit uncinched so it isn’t all bunched up at the sides with strap ends sticking out the back.
-2” off the chest.
-.5” on the sleeve width, maybe even a full inch at the top.
- .5” off the sleeve length. This measurement is on me. I took sleeve length from other well fitting jackets but this seems a bit longer. I’m probably more aware of it here because, zipped at the wrist, it is making the upper arms bunch up.
Disclaimer:: I’m not a leather jacket alterationist. But. It seems as if it would be easy and non destructive to alter by the side inserts?.. No?
 
Six days later and I have not gotten a response to three very polite emails.
 

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