First, thanks to Tundrarider who indeed sent me exceptional instructions.
Second, as promised, here are the pics, and, as suggested by Tundrarider, a bit of a review.
So, the choice to get the Expedition (in goatskin), as I said, came about for a few reasons:
1. The glowing reviews by people on COW -
extremely helpful.
2. The fact that they carry (or make) women's sizes. This was paramount as I had read about the sleeve length thing, with respect to the shoulder drop on some of the Indy jackets out there. Being female, my arms tend toward the shorter end of the scale than most men's, and I didn't know how to measure properly. I also wasn't sure about fit in other areas that differ between the male and female anatomy - like the chestage area, and the child-bearing hips (on women).
3. From any pic I had seen the Expeditions were well-made and incredibly beautiful.
So I took a chance and just ordered my size. PM me if you want height, weight, size. Otherwise a lady doesn't tell.
I live in Canada, so I stressed over shipping and duty/taxes at the border. I need not have worried. Shipping was faster than expected, especially on the Canada Post side. No offence to them, but they did lose a book I ordered recently. Shipped on November 13th, received on the 20th. There is no duty since the jacket is made in America (the Free Trade agreement finally worked in my favour - or favor for my American friends). I'd characterize the taxes as a-ok - just GST (5%). So no nasty surprises. And Canada Post delivered right to my door. Luckily I was home, or I'd have spent a sleepless night. And I'd already been wound up waiting for the delivery.
The Expedition arrived on Tuesday morning. I had to go out right away, but I did manage to open the box and the plastic bag. Oh, that heady scent of new leather!! I could see immediately how well made it is. I also had a bit of a similar to reaction to Tundrarider (see his fantastic post on naturally distressing a goat expedition). It was shiny, really shiny. But I knew from the previously mentioned post that this won't last. I put it on, a little worried it wouldn't fit properly. But it did!! It fit perfectly. I have to say the size for women is absolutely true to size.
So far I wear it constantly at home - I work from home for now, so that's been great. And I have slept in it for a couple of nights. It actually feels like being wrapped in leather-scented warmth. It is far lighter than I expected. I owned an A-2 that I had the sleeves shortened on many more years ago than I care to count. Three things bothered me about that jacket (which is probably why I leaned so heavily toward buying a woman's size outright): the chestage area was a little snug, there was a distinct scent that was just slightly unpleasant I believe was a combination of the cowhide and the metal used for the zipper, and it felt heavy. The Expedition does not feel heavy at all. The leather feels incredibly sturdy, for sure. But the jacket itself is remarkably light. And I cannot get over how good it feels on.
If anyone has specific questions they'd like answers to, just ask. Otherwise, here are a few pics:
- with Magnoli's Professor Diary
And a couple of me - these are the closest thing I have to Indy-wear for now...
That's it for now, other than my obsession continues. A Magnoli bag is on its way. I used to have a fedora - bought one of the "official" versions when they first came out in the 80s (that's 1980s for you young ones), but my mother threw it out. Probably wouldn't fit now anyway. Still
.
Cheers,
Juli
. I can see how one can lead to another, and another, and another as long as the $$ lasts.
