I finally pulled the trigger and wore my Wested Lambskin in the shower (warm water only) this weekend. Then I put it on, pulled it tight, then balled it up and chucked it in a corner for half a day, then took it out and hung it.
The thing is TRASHED!!!! It looks like a cheap pleather jacket now. I can't wait to wear it once it is fully dry and give it some shape. Photos to come soon.
It has actually recovered nicely, and is not quite a good texture. Still as smooth feeling as ever, but has some nice wrinkles, and as an added bonus, my d-rings don't slip anymore.
Yeah, I loved her interview about that. I was thinking of going at it with sandpaper like the one you did Nibs that you had for sale in the Bazaar, but so far I haven't summoned the courage. I might wait till I get a cow leather one.
I'm looking to distress my jacket as well, i'm just worried about getting it wet and having it shrink. The jacket fits perfectly, any smaller and it would look terrible, so i'm not sure what to do.
if you wet your jacket and let it airdry in normal roomtemp. then maby you shrink your jacket by 5 % or so, which is very little and can hardly noticed it at all.
if you soak your jacket in HOT water and then let it aridry over a fireplace or whatever then your jacket will SHRINK. count on it
How a jacket shrinks is not only determined by hot or cold water or how you dry it, but also by the leather itself, how it was tanned and other factors you have little control over.
I think that's a good reason to get a jacket slightly too big than just right - leather can and will shrink slightly. But trying to count on controlling that shrink to get a better fit is a gamble.
Don't forget the lining is a completely different piece of material too. You may get the leather to do one thing, and the lining may do something completely different.