Noel Howard shirt

djd · Post by **djd** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:07 am

Washed it myself exactly like i would any other shirt. Both buttons fell off on friday and i sewed them back on. Not what i'd expect from any shirt.

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 2:48 pm

djd wrote:Washed it myself exactly like i would any other shirt. Both buttons fell off on friday and i sewed them back on. Not what i'd expect from any shirt.

Maybe that might explain why it did so badly... From what I've gathered from CoW posts, it seems that the shirt is dry clean only due to the wool content?

And Aeris, I was not advocating literally ripping off the sleeves, but professionally get it altered to shorten the sleeves to make it a short sleeve shirt... But, oh nevermind!

djd · Post by **djd** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:03 pm

Wow. A dry clean only shirt? I've never come across one of those before. If true it's a shame it didn't come with any washing instructions... Strike that. Just checked the label and it says 40 degree wash. That's what i've been washing it at.

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:48 pm

Castor Dioscuri wrote:Maybe that might explain why it did so badly... From what I've gathered from CoW posts, it seems that the shirt is dry clean only due to the wool content?

Woah!

I think there may be some confusion here. I have two Wested shirts and they are both 100% cotton. The Wested pants are wool.

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:36 pm

My bad, I was skimming this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=11012

But it seems Peter does recommend dry cleaning the shirt, and T.E. Lawrence (the CoW member, not the author

) also added:

...everyone seems to have a big "But" Dry ONLY in low temp. because the stiffener in the collar tends to bubble when expossed to high temps...

djd · Post by **djd** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:39 am

Castor Dioscuri wrote:My bad, I was skimming this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=11012

But it seems Peter does recommend dry cleaning the shirt, and T.E. Lawrence (the CoW member, not the author ) also added:

...everyone seems to have a big "But" Dry ONLY in low temp. because the stiffener in the collar tends to bubble when expossed to high temps...

That's useful to know! Would have been even more useful to know before I washed it! That's whats happened to my collar. How on earth do you iron it without exposing it to high temperatures??

PLATON · Post by **PLATON** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:09 am

Well, I admit I haven't read all the posts in this thread but I gotta say this.
I don't know about the quality of MBA shirts compared to NH shirts but must say that the NH is more SA than the MBA.

I don't intend to start a war over this and I think that those who have handled both know it's true.

djd · Post by **djd** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:17 am

Are we talking MBA or Wested? I thought the MBA shirt was the same as a NH (under a new name)??

PLATON · Post by **PLATON** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:23 am

MBA was the original shirt sold by NH. Later MBA closed and NH re-launched the shirt under NH name after correcting a few details.

I used to have both MBA and NH shirts but sold the MBA after realizing that NH was more SA.

Also, regarding the color of the NH, I must tell you that when I bought it, it was fairly dark, but after a few washes has become almost the same color as my Magnoli stone shirt.

Bowie · Post by **Bowie** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:51 pm

That's good news Platon. I'm wearing my Magnoli right now, and I think the color fits the bill. No more reasons to delay, I better part with my 65lbs/$115 before it burns a hole in my pocket

Post by **Ken** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:04 am

Does NH now offer custom sized shirts or just standard small, medium and large? I found his small to still be too large for me (acquired it from a seller on the board here) so just curious

Ken

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 3:18 am

djd wrote:How on earth do you iron it without exposing it to high temperatures??

I've heard the phrase 'using a cool iron' before. Not sure how effective that is, but it might mean with a 'warm' instead of 'HOT' iron, and it'd be sufficient to tame the fabric without melting it.

Post by **Ken** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:52 am

Aeris (Tone

)

I am not sure - I think you are a bit better built than me - I prob need to get down to the gym more and try to fill myself out, or find a way to shrink an NH shirt, or get a smaller one

Ken

djd · Post by **djd** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:30 am

I got the NH extra large and the fit was spot on. Big enough in the chest and shoulders but fitted- not a great big sack like the WPG shirt!

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 3:10 am

Hmm, what chest sizes are you guys? I was thinking of getting a NH shirt as well, but since the only measurements offered on CoW are by neck sizes, I had to ask... As I don't see this shirt as being formal wear, I'd prefer something more form-fitting with an impossible-to-button collar than a billowy shirt that I can button at the collar

djd · Post by **djd** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:32 am

46" chest and 36" waist. Neck 17". The XL is a perfect fit for me

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 1:16 pm

I have an XL NH shirt, and it is such a slim and tight fit, that I really can't even roll the sleeves up past my elbow.

Nicolas · Post by **Nicolas** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 1:47 pm

Castor Dioscuri wrote:Hmm, what chest sizes are you guys? I was thinking of getting a NH shirt as well, but since the only measurements offered on CoW are by neck sizes, I had to ask... As I don't see this shirt as being formal wear, I'd prefer something more form-fitting with an impossible-to-button collar than a billowy shirt that I can button at the collar

When my shirt will be back from the tailor (he's repairing the seams), I'll post some measurements.

ANZAC_1915 · Post by **ANZAC_1915** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:32 am

Bufflehead Jones wrote:I have an XL NH shirt, and it is such a slim and tight fit, that I really can't even roll the sleeves up past my elbow.

I am a big guy, I have the XXL and it is, shall we say, an incentive to lose weight. Though, as Noel said when I tried it on "well Harrison did wear them with a close fit you know".

Jaredraptor · Post by **Jaredraptor** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:40 am

djd wrote: And Jaredraptor, if you really want to be a professor of ‘archeology’ it would be a good idea to learn how to spell it!

Whoops.....well, it was late, and I stink at spelling.

By the way, I forgot to congradulate you on your purchase: Congrats!

IndyK · Post by **IndyK** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:05 pm

I received my first ever NH shirt today and what can I say? It ends all talk about SA, color etc. Why anyone wants choices of color I simply dont understand.
The NH-shirt is THE shirt. It looks right and it feels right. End of story.

Cheers
Indy-K

ij1936 · Post by **ij1936** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:01 pm

IndyK wrote:I received my first ever NH shirt today and what can I say? It ends all talk about SA, color etc. Why anyone wants choices of color I simply dont understand.
The NH-shirt is THE shirt. It looks right and it feels right. End of story.

Cheers
Indy-K

AGREED!

Post by **Ken** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:25 pm

Forgive my lack of experience - can you get a shirt modified by a local tailor to take it down a size or two then? I would really love a proper NH that fits me but I have a 36 chest and the small just doesnt cut it

Ken

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:57 pm

Probably, but I'd imagine that would cost an arm and a leg...

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:04 am

If it's just a matter of taking the sides in to fit better, it shouldn't cost that much. It's not like you're removing the sleeves and reattaching them, or anything.

ANZAC_1915 · Post by **ANZAC_1915** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:14 am

Ken wrote:Forgive my lack of experience - can you get a shirt modified by a local tailor to take it down a size or two then? I would really love a proper NH that fits me but I have a 36 chest and the small just doesnt cut it

Ken

I wish I had that problem! My chest is 52" and the XXL is a very tight fit.

I was very impressed by the NH "rack" pants - color, material and cut. The largest was too small for me (remember they go by actual waist measurement) and so he is tailor making a pair of ROTL pants for me.

Satipo · Post by **Satipo** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 8:32 am

When I heard MBA was closing a few years ago I panicked and bought the following:

Raiders shirt
Temple shirt
Raiders pants
Temple pants

I've been lurking in the background of this forum for a while now and I find it very interesting that there are apparently SA improvements between the MBA and NH versions. Could someone please outline what these are, both for the shirts and the pants? That'd be great.

Adios,

Satipo

ydam · Post by **ydam** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 12:37 am

I had to return my first shirt to NH. Typically i wear an XL but the XL he sent me seemed a bit too small. From reading most of the thread it looks like I am not the only one who has had this problem. I had the XL NH replaced with a XXL and it fits great. Also in regaurds to the re-dying...i have seen that and tend to agree that the NH shirt i got looked darker then the shirts in the movies. I re-dyed mine and think it looks more like the movie shirt now then it did when it arived the original NH color.

http://indygear.com/gear/shirt_redyeing.shtml

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:38 am

Nicolas wrote:But the fit is not really a problem : the taylor can tighten the shirt a little, he can't resew all the seams....

That makes for an interesting question... Do you suppose that it would be possible to buy a NH shirt (or a Wested jacket for that matter), and take it to a tailor for a complete de-construction, and basically have it resewn back together again to solve the problem of inconsistent (or basically less-than-adequate) stitching, and perhaps a better fit as well?

Or would this probably cost about the same as the clothing itself, thus in no justifying the price of the alteration?

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:50 am

if you demolish a wested and then reconstruct it, you will indeed damage the leather with the extra punctures from all the re-stitching.

i'm assuming the same ramifications will exist with the shirt to some degree. if you're going to go through all that with a shirt, you may be better off to just have the tailor produce the shirt based on specifications.

my 2 pence

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:03 am

Ah, but see then it won't have that cool 'authentic', maker-accurate factor!

Sometimes it's hard being a gearhead...

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:49 am

Aeris_Canon wrote:
Shrink the NH? Hot water and monitored heated drying, maybe?

I'm afraid that the cotton is pre-shrunk. The only way is tailoring it, but as others said, costs a lot.
Ken if the shirt is fairly new I'm sure you could send it back to Noel and have one of another size.

Nicolas · Post by **Nicolas** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:09 am

Castor Dioscuri wrote:
Nicolas wrote:But the fit is not really a problem : the taylor can tighten the shirt a little, he can't resew all the seams....
That makes for an interesting question... Do you suppose that it would be possible to buy a NH shirt (or a Wested jacket for that matter), and take it to a tailor for a complete de-construction, and basically have it resewn back together again to solve the problem of inconsistent (or basically less-than-adequate) stitching, and perhaps a better fit as well?

Or would this probably cost about the same as the clothing itself, thus in no justifying the price of the alteration?

For the better fit, you don't need "a complete de-construction", only a pleat in the back. It's not expensive.

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:13 pm

Forgive my ignorance, but where can one procure said NH Shirt?

Cheers!

Dan

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:22 pm

just e-mail noel at NHowardUK@aol.com

you just have to stiputlate your size and whether or not you want the rotla shirt or the lc/tod shirt (dark buttons)....which i believe are not in stock in the large size.

noel will then send you a paypal invoice for the shirt if it is in stock. last time i checked noel is out of the country working on the movie so please be patient on the reply.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:36 pm

Indiana G wrote: last time i checked noel is out of the country working on the movie so please be patient on the reply.

Shouldn't that be "A movie", wouldn't want people jumping to conclusions, eh?

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:44 pm

you're right KT...my bad.

not indy iv folks.

henryindianajonesjr44 · Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:45 pm

I wasn't even aware that NH was still making the shirt (I should read general gear more often). How much will this shirt set you back and would you compare the wested XL fit to the NH fit?

ANdrew

ydam · Post by **ydam** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:50 pm

i wanna say they run around $135 US...its been a while since i made the purchase so i am sure you can get a more up to date price from someone who has purchased one recently.

henryindianajonesjr44 · Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:57 pm

####. I knew this site was too good (old) to be true.

http://www.indygear.com/contacts/noel.shtml

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:05 pm

Aeris_Canon wrote:
erri_wan wrote:
Aeris_Canon wrote:
Shrink the NH? Hot water and monitored heated drying, maybe?
I'm afraid that the cotton is pre-shrunk. The only way is tailoring it, but as others said, costs a lot.
Ken if the shirt is fairly new I'm sure you could send it back to Noel and have one of another size.
I've seen plenty of pre-shrunk cotton shrink more in hot water and high heat drying.

It hasn't happened with the NH under normal washing, though.

You've tried this on your NH, Erri? Hot water, hot dryer in order to be certain about that pre-shrunk cotton?

Still it doesn't sound like it'd do much in terms of affecting fit for what Ken's describing anyway.

tried on mine LOL are you crazy?

VP · Post by VP » Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:23 pm

The NH shirts are 110 bucks plus shipping.

henryindianajonesjr44 · Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:16 pm

Thank you VP.

Andrew

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:20 pm

VP wrote:The NH shirts are 110 bucks plus shipping.

Actually, according to NH's latest pricelists, the shirt would be 65 pounds, plus 10 pounds s/h, which amounts to 75 pounds.

To translate it stateside, that would be US$152+ for a single shirt with shipping.

henryindianajonesjr44 · Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:53 pm

Castor Dioscuri wrote:
VP wrote:The NH shirts are 110 bucks plus shipping.
Actually, according to NH's latest pricelists, the shirt would be 65 pounds, plus 10 pounds s/h, which amounts to 75 pounds.

To translate it stateside, that would be US$152+ for a single shirt with shipping.

If only we could get a shirt like that in the States. The dollar is getting it's butt kicked.

IndyK · Post by **IndyK** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:45 pm

henryindianajonesjr44 wrote: If only we could get a shirt like that in the States. The dollar is getting it's butt kicked.

Be happy with what You have instead... It cost me a fortune to get my Aldens from San Fransisco to Denmark

And BTW, I just got my first NH-shirt recently - bought from a COW-member in the states......

Cheers
Indy-K

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:59 am

Nicolas wrote:Hi ! It's my first post.

I've received my NH shirt this week and I'm really disapointed.
It's very expensive for such a poor craftsmanship. Stitching are off-centered or overlapping everywhere. It started unfolding the firts day ! I took these pictures, judge by yourselves :

Its not even a slim fit. I don't understand the positive feedback about this shirt. :

Just thought I'd follow up on this earlier post with my own experiences...

I recieved my NH shirt very recently, and while I must say that I'm overwhelmed by how S.A. it looks, I must unfortunately concur with the previous poster in that the stitching could be better...

Much like the afore-posted pictures, there were loose threads everywhere; on the buttons (on which I noticed that the stitching for each button was inconsistent), on the sleeves, on the pleats, on the pockets, basically anywhere there was a stitching, there was a loose thread jutting out. It looked... raw, for lack of a better word.

I was tempted to cut off loose threads for a more finished look, but it just looks like the whole shirt will unravel if I tug too hard on a thread. Especially on the bottom hem of the shirt, the inadequate stitching job is most prominent.

I must disagree in that the fit is somewhat slim. Although I wouldn't quite call it a slim fit, calling it a generic fit wouldn't do justice to it either. It falls somewhere in between, which I suppose is good for most folks.

Finally, the accuracy on this thing is just amazing. It looks like it was pulled off a 'Raider's' prop van, and even though most folks dislike the lightweight fabric, I myself prefer this fabric personally.

However, I just wish the stitching was better... Although I love this shirt to bits, I have a feeling it won't stick around for long, even given the royal treatment I intend to extend to it.

I'll probably order another NH shirt in hopes that I'll luck out and get one with decent stitching, and just to have as 'backup', should anything happen... knock on wood!

Canyon · Post by **Canyon** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:16 am

Satipo wrote:When I heard MBA was closing a few years ago I panicked and bought the following:

Raiders shirt
Temple shirt
Raiders pants
Temple pants

I've been lurking in the background of this forum for a while now and I find it very interesting that there are apparently SA improvements between the MBA and NH versions. Could someone please outline what these are, both for the shirts and the pants? That'd be great.

Adios,

Satipo

I didn't actually know there were differences with the pants. I myself have the MBA ones and think they are pretty screen accurate.

Satipo · Post by **Satipo** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:26 am

Canyon - I'm not entirely sure there are differences with the pants. I just got that impression from posts here. BTW, how's the stitching on your MBA pants? I was disappointed because the horizontal stitching that separates the holes on the button fly started to come undone the very first time I undid the buttons! Although I probably should have mentioned it at the time, I never told Noel about it, and I still need to get it fixed, hence I've never worn them since I got them.

Castor Dioscuri - any chance of some pics so that I can see what the latest NH shirts look like?

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:52 am

Castor Dioscuri wrote:
Nicolas wrote:Hi ! It's my first post.

I've received my NH shirt this week and I'm really disapointed.
It's very expensive for such a poor craftsmanship. Stitching are off-centered or overlapping everywhere. It started unfolding the firts day ! I took these pictures, judge by yourselves :

Its not even a slim fit. I don't understand the positive feedback about this shirt. :
Just thought I'd follow up on this earlier post with my own experiences...

I recieved my NH shirt very recently, and while I must say that I'm overwhelmed by how S.A. it looks, I must unfortunately concur with the previous poster in that the stitching could be better...

Much like the afore-posted pictures, there were loose threads everywhere; on the buttons (on which I noticed that the stitching for each button was inconsistent), on the sleeves, on the pleats, on the pockets, basically anywhere there was a stitching, there was a loose thread jutting out. It looked... raw, for lack of a better word.

I was tempted to cut off loose threads for a more finished look, but it just looks like the whole shirt will unravel if I tug too hard on a thread. Especially on the bottom hem of the shirt, the inadequate stitching job is most prominent.

I must disagree in that the fit is somewhat slim. Although I wouldn't quite call it a slim fit, calling it a generic fit wouldn't do justice to it either. It falls somewhere in between, which I suppose is good for most folks.

Finally, the accuracy on this thing is just amazing. It looks like it was pulled off a 'Raider's' prop van, and even though most folks dislike the lightweight fabric, I myself prefer this fabric personally.

However, I just wish the stitching was better... Although I love this shirt to bits, I have a feeling it won't stick around for long, even given the royal treatment I intend to extend to it.

I'll probably order another NH shirt in hopes that I'll luck out and get one with decent stitching, and just to have as 'backup', should anything happen... knock on wood!

Castor, it's true that the stitching looks "precarious" but I've washed my shirt many many times and till now no thread ever unraveled although they surely look as if they might. I agree that it has somehow an "unfinished look" but it's functional enough for being a costume shirt, because that's what it is.
I'm sure that Nicolas was unlucky with his shirt.

As for the fit, the Noel Howard shirt is slimmer than any other indy shirt on the market (not considering of course the Magnoli's or any other made-on-measure shirt). Plus I would like to remember that the shirt has the same "fit" that was on Harrison Ford. If someone is more skinny or fatter than Mr. Ford in the 80's, that's not Howard's or anybodyelse's fault.

Nicolas, if stitches come off in several parts of the shirt I'm sure you can send it back to Noel. It's a shame that your purchase was disappointing. Contact Noel about this and see what he says.