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indaleciox

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Hello Everyone,

First time poster here coming from Reddit. I was told that I could find the advice I was looking for by coming here. Sorry, if I'm not posting in the proper thread. At any rate I could use some advice. I'm currently in the market for a high quality, stylish, double rider style jacket and I've been eyeing products from the above companies. Currently I'm leaning towards Langlitz as I've been in correspondence with them, but I was wondering if I could get everyone's thoughts on the various companies. It seems that people have really hit or miss experiences with Lost Worlds. I've also heard that Lewis' leather quality can be a bit iffy. Can anyone share some experiences?

Now here's the big footnote to my current venture, I don't ride (not yet anyway.) Given that, is it really worth investing in something like Langlitz or would I be better off with something else? Currently I'm budgeting up to $1800 for this so I'm pretty flexible with what's available. I do love the aesthetic of the SLP riders, but that is a bit out of my price range. ToJ is now defunct, so reasonably affordable MTM jackets seem out of the question. Sorry if I'm rambling at this point. I've never dropped this much cash into a garment before so I'm being very cautious. Thank you for all your time.
 

rallyx

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I don't know much about Langlitz but I own Lost Worlds and Aero jackets. The fit, finishing and quality of Lost Worlds is just out of this world. I work with Stuart (LW) via email and phone for the fit and leather weight, and the jackets came out great. BTW, LW is having a summer sale (10% off) for their regular sizes if you are keen.

Having said that, with $1800 budget, you have a good many choices. Most makers will work with you to achieve the right fit so maybe you want to take your time to check out other makers:

Johnson Leathers (San Francisco CA) - they will make a test fit jacket out of cotton prior to making the actual one to achieve the right fit.
Aero (made in Scotland but they have a US dealer in Seattle) - many choices of leather but average workmanship
Lost Worlds - fine workmanship, heavy weight tough leather (if that's what you like) but limited horsehide colors (russet, black), only chrome tanned horsehide from LW's own tannery. limited customization option.

Another forum to check out is The Fedora Lounge but there, mostly pro Aero.
 

LA Guy

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I have a fair number of leather jackets, including both an Aero and one from Johnson's leathers. If you want a very distinctive, traditional double rider, Langlitz is terrific. I haven't handled any non-vintage Lewis Leathers, so I'll not comment on them. I really like my Aero, and have been impressed with all of the Aeros I've tried on. At least on mine, the workmanship is really quite decent, and I've ordered another one, so obviously, I like them. I also have a Johnson's, and it's really quite good, However, while Aero seems to be all high end, as are Langlitz's, Johnson's makes leathers at a variety of pricepoints, and some of their stock jackets are definitely not made for the fashion customer. The one I have uses a very high quality hide, and seeing that it's custom, and then readjusted to get it just right, fits terrifically. The workmanship seems to be on about the same level as my Aero. It's also quite a bit more than most Johnson's, so, take that as you will. I am getting a custom project done with Johnson's, so I clearly trust their abilities to deliver the goods.

As @Thurston Bros stated, they worked with us to get a double rider in a more modern, fashionable shape - the Daredevil. The pattern is actually a slimmed up version of the pattern used to make the Junya Watanabe, so you might want to check that.

Sorry about the rambling. It's been a looooonnnnng day, and I'm pretty much asleep at my desk.
 

indaleciox

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Thank you everyone for your responses. I will definitely check out Johnson's leathers as I live close to San Francisco. Does anyone happen to know off hand if they do completely custom mock-ups or do they have set patterns to follow like Langlitz?

While I do like the distinctive, old school feel of Langlitz, I also like the clean minimalist approach as well. The Lewis Lighting has a very nice design and I actually found one on the second hand market that is almost my exact size, minus the sleeve length, for about $800. I believe the jacket was actually floating around here in April/May, but has now made it's way to grailed.com. It's a really tempting offer since I would rather not have to pay my $1800 max if at all possible to get what I want.

I guess I should not be in a rush to get this done, considering how much money I'm parting with. That Daredevil jacket is very nice as well. Thank you all once again!
 

double00

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just to chime in here, depending on if you're a common size you can pick up a Johnson's for a very reasonable cost on the secondary market. IIRC their floor prices are really good but a lot of people outside of the bay area don't know about em so ebay is very easy. I have i think the m-200 and it is very very legit, i don't ride lol but i've been meaning to take a class...

moto jackets are a lot like motorcycles. how many sportsters can i find on cl for under 5000 right now? a bunch. don't sleep on "used" amigo!
 

LA Guy

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Thank you everyone for your responses. I will definitely check out Johnson's leathers as I live close to San Francisco. Does anyone happen to know off hand if they do completely custom mock-ups or do they have set patterns to follow like Langlitz?

While I do like the distinctive, old school feel of Langlitz, I also like the clean minimalist approach as well. The Lewis Lighting has a very nice design and I actually found one on the second hand market that is almost my exact size, minus the sleeve length, for about $800. I believe the jacket was actually floating around here in April/May, but has now made it's way to grailed.com. It's a really tempting offer since I would rather not have to pay my $1800 max if at all possible to get what I want.

I guess I should not be in a rush to get this done, considering how much money I'm parting with. That Daredevil jacket is very nice as well. Thank you all once again!
Since you have the budget, I would strongly recommend that you go with @Thurston Bros , who have very good try on system. You essentially pay for a try on jacket, but then you can either keep it, or more likely, decide what adjustments need to be made, and then get something custom made for you. If you don't have to, I don't see why you should get something without having a try on first, and then having the jacket customized in production, which turns out to be mores cost effective, and even doable, then doing alterations after market. And bear in mind that after market, some adjustments are nearly impossible. For example. it's hard to adjust the jacket length after market, for example, without throwing off the balance. I believe, and you'd have to ask for yourself, but if you are not satisfied with the fit jacket, you can go to any number of other models. This allows a lot of latitude if a specific model simply does not fit you in a fundamental way.

Thurston Bros advertise on Styleforum, but I was a customer even when they were not an advertiser on the site, and my business partner, who rides bikes, has a number of jackets from them well before they became affiliates on the site.
 

LA Guy

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Also, fwiw, I've heard some horror stories about the customer service at Lost Worlds. I've never been a customer, so I can't say whether or not I'm just out to lunch, but I did have one phonecall with the owner, and it didn't leave me confident that I would love what I ended up with.
 

indaleciox

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Also, fwiw, I've heard some horror stories about the customer service at Lost Worlds. I've never been a customer, so I can't say whether or not I'm just out to lunch, but I did have one phonecall with the owner, and it didn't leave me confident that I would love what I ended up with.
I have heard a lot of the same regarding Lost Worlds unfortunately. Their jackets look beautiful, but I'd like to deal with people who are truly into providing their customers with the best possible experience. So far Langlitz has been very good in my communications with them.

I was not aware of Thurston's try on system, that is definitely good to know as I had only briefly skimmed their site. That is my only gripe with Langlitz so far, is that I wish I could try on some sort of demo to get a feel for the jacket. My friend had a jacket made by Langlitz, but he's on the East Coast now so I can't look at his. I'm assuming the customization option for Thurston ups the base price of the jacket up from $900?
 

AeroleathersTB

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I have heard a lot of the same regarding Lost Worlds unfortunately. Their jackets look beautiful, but I'd like to deal with people who are truly into providing their customers with the best possible experience. So far Langlitz has been very good in my communications with them.

I was not aware of Thurston's try on system, that is definitely good to know as I had only briefly skimmed their site. That is my only gripe with Langlitz so far, is that I wish I could try on some sort of demo to get a feel for the jacket. My friend had a jacket made by Langlitz, but he's on the East Coast now so I can't look at his. I'm assuming the customization option for Thurston ups the base price of the jacket up from $900?

Regarding the customization on our Vanson Daredevil, there's a $90.00 charge for each change (typical changes are sleeve length, body length and waist taper). What we found, however, is that very few customers have needed any custom changes! We actually planned for this by patterning "in-between" sizes (like S/M and M/L) for the Daredevil in order to fit more people perfectly right off the rack... If custom is needed, it's easy to determine this through the fit jacket process!
 

indaleciox

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Regarding the customization on our Vanson Daredevil, there's a $90.00 charge for each change (typical changes are sleeve length, body length and waist taper). What we found, however, is that very few customers have needed any custom changes! We actually planned for this by patterning "in-between" sizes (like S/M and M/L) for the Daredevil in order to fit more people perfectly right off the rack... If custom is needed, it's easy to determine this through the fit jacket process!
Hello Thurston,

Do you allow the customization of individual details like hardware coloring, Fur collar, lining, etc? If so about how much per modification do those run? I'm somewhat oddly proportioned since I lift weights. I have a 43.5" Chest, 18.5", shoulders, and 24.5"sleeve, 19" midsection, 25" back, and 21 3/4" front length so I'm betting that Large is going to be my closest size, though that would be a decent amount of modifications. Thanks for your response!
 

AeroleathersTB

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Hello Thurston,

Do you allow the customization of individual details like hardware coloring, Fur collar, lining, etc? If so about how much per modification do those run? I'm somewhat oddly proportioned since I lift weights. I have a 43.5" Chest, 18.5", shoulders, and 24.5"sleeve, 19" midsection, 25" back, and 21 3/4" front length so I'm betting that Large is going to be my closest size, though that would be a decent amount of modifications. Thanks for your response!

Hi indaleciox,

Absolutely! You can change the hardware for no extra cost (choices are nickel, brass and black). A black fur snap-off collar is $150.00 extra. We have three floral linings, as well as a red tartan, available for $50.00 extra.

Based on your numbers, you'd most likely be a Large with a tapered torso/waist. I think you'll like the fit a lot--when we designed this jacket, we wanted a crosszip that did not have a dropped back and also had very slim shoulders!

If you'd like more information on starting the order process (with a fit jacket), just shoot us a message at [email protected] and we'll get you started!
 

boggly

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Also, fwiw, I've heard some horror stories about the customer service at Lost Worlds. I've never been a customer, so I can't say whether or not I'm just out to lunch, but I did have one phonecall with the owner, and it didn't leave me confident that I would love what I ended up with.
I'm a two-time customer of Lost Worlds, and I also found the quality to be superb. I've exchanged quite a few emails with Stuart about fit, sizing, stock, etc. While the response time is very quick, messages are brief and not particularly nuanced. Based on impressions alone, I can see why it's hit or miss with customer service, as it definitely feels like a "no bullshit" operation with a lot more attention paid to manufacturing than customer relations, for better or worse.

I did have to make a return one order, and while I paid shipping both ways, at least I got store credit (which I'm looking to use soon). If you find something that looks fantastic and you're willing to be a bit patient, consider taking a flyer on it unless you're making a custom order that can't be returned. Indaleciox seems to be heading in a different direction (which is entirely understandable given budget/M2M options), but I wanted to offer my two cents on LW in case anyone else was considering them.

Also, I paid both times with money orders--you can save 3% this way, on top of the 10% off that's being advertised right now for regular sizes.
 

LA Guy

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I'm a two-time customer of Lost Worlds, and I also found the quality to be superb. I've exchanged quite a few emails with Stuart about fit, sizing, stock, etc. While the response time is very quick, messages are brief and not particularly nuanced. Based on impressions alone, I can see why it's hit or miss with customer service, as it definitely feels like a "no bullshit" operation with a lot more attention paid to manufacturing than customer relations, for better or worse.

I did have to make a return one order, and while I paid shipping both ways, at least I got store credit (which I'm looking to use soon). If you find something that looks fantastic and you're willing to be a bit patient, consider taking a flyer on it unless you're making a custom order that can't be returned. Indaleciox seems to be heading in a different direction (which is entirely understandable given budget/M2M options), but I wanted to offer my two cents on LW in case anyone else was considering them.

Also, I paid both times with money orders--you can save 3% this way, on top of the 10% off that's being advertised right now for regular sizes.
I may try Lost Worlds at some point. To me, what was a bit troubling was that Stuart insisted that I was going to be a size, minimum. Reading about the sizing online, it seemed that they sized similar to Aero, and in Aero jackets, I am nearly exactly a 38, with minor adjustments (usually a tiny bit more length, a shorter sleeve if it's a motorcycle jacket, since I don't ride, and a longer sleeve length for a civilian jacket, since I have a pretty decent wingspan.) That, plus the good service and the very reassuring "fit jacket" that Thurston Bros offers for Aero, as well as my experience with Aero, pushed me that way. If I was to get a lost World's (and I've seen some impressive ones in person), I'd want to go and actually try something one, rather than do it purely online.
 

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