My most recent jacket acquisition is the Schott 618HH aka the Classic Horsehide Perfecto. I do also have a couple other jacket acquisitions before this one I’d like to share in the coming posts.
Yesterday, I drove down to the Schott Los Angeles Flagship Store in the Fairfax neighborhood. The last time I was there was about 8 years ago when I was ecstatic to pick up the coveted Schott x 3sixteen Arabica Perfecto drop in my size. The store had then recently moved location from the Americana in Glendale where I frequently visited before that. While the store’s current location is slightly further from my current location, the Fairfax neighborhood is very vibrant with a lot of cool menswear shops to check out.
I am 5’10, with a 41 inch shirtless chest, and 165 lbs. I used the Schott NYC website size calculator to input my measurements. It suggested size 42 for a “slim fit” and size 44 for a “regular fit”. The size 42 felt very tight in the chest and shoulders and was pulling in chest region. The size 44 fit well in those areas, although slightly boxier in body region. Because it’s a jacket, I went with the size 44 to accomodate potential layering, any future weight gain, and just practical comfort. The store associates I asked opinions for felt like size 42 or 44 could work.
My initial impressions of the jacket is that the horsehide leather is really stiff, heavy, shiny, and has a lot of grain. Currently, the only other Schott jacket I have are sized based on the 519 cut, so I’ll provide some brief comparisons between the Schott 618 and 519.
The Schott 519 is a medium weight, soft waxy pebbled ready-to-wear cowhide leather with a longer body length for fashion, open sleeve cuffs, and ‘One Star’ on the epaulets. My size M 519 jacket weighs 4.62 lbs. The pit to pit measures 22 inches. The front length is 27 inches, and the back length is 25 inches. It has a belt snap to prevent the buckle from flopping around when unbuckled. The epaulets are rounded off.
The Schott 618HH is a heavy weight, rigid, shiny horsehide leather, with a shorter classic body length, underarm footballs, and zippered sleeve cuffs. The size 44 jacket weighs 5.46 lbs. The underarm football gussets make the arm movements reaching in front and across the body feel natural and comfortable. I feel like it’s a practical addition, and the gussets visually don’t add much bulk if you have muscular arms. The front length measures 25.5 inches, and the back length is 25 inches. Interestingly, the set of zippered handwarmer pockets and zippered chest pocket directions are opposite of the Schott 519 – they are closed in the downward position and open upwards, while on the 519 it is the other way around.
My current style prefers the classic shorter length of the Schott 618 jacket (~25 inches) to pair the higher rise. wider pants I now frequently to wear. When I purchased the Schott 519, my style was more slim tapered pants with longer, untucked shirts, and the extended body length (~27 inches) of the jacket suited accordingly.
I am currently breaking in the 618 jacket at home wearing it while lounging around. The sleeves are starting to form creases and softening up. I’ll post updates in the future!
