Club Obi Wan

Personally, I'm doing it because I prefer the feel of a worn-in jacket as opposed to a new shiny one. I feel a lot more comfortable in it now that the new&shiny effect has worn off. Now it's just a jacket.

Michaelson wrote:
I still don't understand why folks don't like to create these 'wear patterns' from just wearing the jacket in normal use....but to each his own.

Regards! Michaelson

Can't say I totally disaggree with You Michaelson, but I've changed my mind during the years from I discovered Wested till today.
Being one of the old gear-heads (Those of us who actually went to the cinema to see Raiders in 1981, and went home with the feeling that we could feel the earth move...) I have had several "close-enough"-jackets, and in the 80's the worn look, in Denmark referred to as "stonewash" was very popular.
However, as often stated in this forum too, the distressing on a stonewashed jacket was the same all over the jacket and did not show the authentic signs of real use.
But I certainly like the look of the worn jackets much more than the plastic-like look that comes with the new jackets, especially the lamb, so the distressing became a natural part of making the jacket look right to me.

I do have a modern leather jacket too, for the more business-like occasions, and I certainly dont hope it will ever look like my Indy-jackets )

Cheers
Indy-K

A nice compromise would be leather like Aero, Vanson Leathers or others use. Tough as nails, but it wears in quickly due to the type of leather and tanning. Bend it, and it gets a little lighter in the creases. Cool stuff...

Or you can just get a jacket from another gearhead who's already done the work for you, right Rick?

Sometimes that works as well

Sorry for the late update. Here's the jacket, nice and distressed. I'm satisfied with the results. It brought the grain of the leather more, and now the leather feels a lot more natural to wear. I just don't wanna feel like I'm wearing a plastic jacket. Eek. And it DOES get a tad lighter when it bends, but overall is still darker. Hope you can tell from the pic.



Yeah, those are my jams.

Congrats Mufflowne! The jacket certainly looks like it fits much better overall after the wash (or is it just a trick of the eye?), and the color certainly looks less cartoony, and more rugged Indy-ish! It really looks good on you!

Come to think of it, the darker color now resembles a worn 'authentic'-leather color, and if your lighter batch jacket looks that good washed, I wonder what the darker batch of ROLA Authentics looks like washed..

What do you mean dark batch? Was there a dark batch?
It looks the most like an authentic ROLA when it's wet, but it still looks pretty #### good.

Kt Templar wrote:...As for the colour [of the worn-look ROLA Authentic], there have been 2 batches in the worn look and the specs have changed slightly between the 2. The first batch is the lighter warm golden colour, it has d rings. The second batch is in the darker leather, this has a sliver zipper and rectangular sliders, pocket flaps are slightly less pointy.

Those are testers, as Peter has stated above, he is looking at a third leather for his "Budget jacket". (My term)...

So I'm guessing my darker worn-look jacket would be the 'second-batch', while yours would fall under the 'first-batch'.

I ordered mine using the general Wested site (non-custom Indy link) after reading about the jacket here on COW and was emailed by Gemma a few days later stating that the "tan" lambskin was no longer in stock in my size but she could send me a predistressed one. Otherwise, I'd have to wait 21 days so they can make the jacket.

I initially thought we were talking about the same jackets so I was confused emailed her back. But no she meant TAN lambskin.

I was told that the predistressed lambskin (darker version) in my size was in stock and received it a couple days later.

From reading this thread again, I now understand what she meant about tan versus the darker predistressed.

So, based on that discussion with Gemma, the 10 prototypes are now gone.

Regards! Michaelson

Perhaps not. I wear a 44r and that was the size not in stock in the lighter version jacket. I'm not sure what other sizes were available.

However, after receiving the jacket and trying it on I probably could have worn a 42R for a more RotLA fit. The 44R is a bit more modern fit on me but that's fine. I'll be able to wear more than a shirt underneath it.

So is it darker than the jacket pictured above?

Yes, my jacket is darker than the one pictured above.

In fact if you look at the previous page in this thread...I believe the pics posted (from the Wested site) are of the jacket that was sent to me.

I say this because I have a very distinct light mark (thumbprint looking) just below the right pocket and can see the same mark in the same spot in those pics.

Also, as stated previously by others, my jacket came with a nickel zipper, black rectangular sidestrap hardware and "X" box stitching not found on the first batch jackets.

I have owned a custom LC Wested, a couple US Wings, and the Expedition. I have sold them all after dropping some (ok a lot of) weight.

I think this jacket is very similar to the US Wings as far as fit and style. I have looked at the Todd's jacket via this forum and others many times and have considered pulling the trigger on one. However, the problem I always had with the US Wings and the Expedition wasn't about accuracy but that they did not come from Wested (original maker of the jacket). But that's me….

Hope that helps.

So I am curious, Browncoat... how do you like this new jacket compared to the rest, and just in general? You haven't exactly mentioned what you thought of it so far after all!

That's interesting. The pattern must have been changed a bit again for the darker version, as my lighter version doesn't fit me anything LIKE a Wings jacket.

U. S. Wings arm holes have always been large for me, allowing me to wear sweaters and the like underneath. This jacket will be worn ONLY for warmer weather, as the armholes are the 80's fit, and sit MUCH higher than any jacket I've owned. Tighter too, so it's a more tailored fit for me. I've owned a truckload of Wings, Wested, and Flightsuit jackets over the years, custom and off the rack, and this is a fit I've never experienced before.

After all the years of wearing loose fitting jackets, I'm not sure what to think of a jacket that's made to fit!

Until it cools down, I won't know either. It's to hot to wear right now....

Regards! Michaelson

As far as the armholes, I agree they are snug and have a tighter fit around the shoulders as well. I actually like it because it gives me more a square-shouldered appearance...at least that's what my girlfriend stated. However, I do believe I could easily fit into a 42R which would give me an even more snug RotLA fit but I’d worry that the sleeves would be too short for me.

The 44R which I have fits loose in the chest/torso area and the overall longer length reminds me of the US Wings kangaroo that I owned. Although, I sold Wings a while back so my memory may be askew.

I love the new Wested jacket that I received. The color and distressing are nice. Although, I could live without the silver-colored dust flakes found all over the jacket. It reminds me of my niece's glitter in her crafting supplies.

Unlike, my other Wested LC (I actually had to tell people what it was), everyone that I showed my new jacket to knew this was an Indy jacket right off the bat. Must be the distressing.

If I don’t get one of the Todd’s jackets at a later date, I’d like get a custom Wested with the exact same specs but a jacket size smaller.

Overall I recommend this jacket. It's definitely a keeper!

Edited for pics added: For comparison, here was my Expedition which I recently sold for being too large a fit for me now.



Here is the current Indy I replaced it with:

I must say that your Expedition jacket looks virtually identical to my Authentic Lamb LC jacket, and if the tags were switched, I probably would have tagged it a Wested!

I completely agree that upsizing just kills the Indy-ness of your jacket. I may be wrong, but to have more of your shirt revealed when wearing a Wested, I believe that you'd probably have to either get your size or smaller, since Wested adds 4 inches of room. Otherwise, you'd have a roomy jacket, which, while practical (for layering purposes), just doesn't afford the right look.

Silver glitter? That's weird... I haven't had that problem on any of my Westeds, worn-look included! Perhaps someone at Wested had their niece and their crafting supplies over while making your jacket?

But I completely agree with what you said about the Indy-ness of the jacket. When I showed my friend my authentic lamb, she said it looked like an expensive jacket. But when I recieved my worn-look, she was convinced that THAT was Indy's jacket!

I guess it's true after all... An un-distressed jacket just isn't an Indy jacket!

Didn't you hear? Spielberg gave the jackets to a cow, to chew, so they're properly distressed for the Raven bar scene.

mufflowne wrote:Yeah, those are my jams.

Screen accurate?

Yeah, you can see Indy wear them in the scene where the girl with "LOVE YOU" written on her eyes blinks at Indy.

mufflowne wrote:Yeah, you can see Indy wear them in the scene where the girl with "LOVE YOU" written on her eyes blinks at Indy.

Are you sure it wasn't a deleted flashback scene (for that girl)?

I'm sure, Spielberg and Lucas wear the same pajamas in the "Making of the Raiders of the Lost ark" documentary.

Also, in Last Crusade, one of the Nazis wears the SAME cut of pajamas, only a different pattern, but I think the fabric is also flannel.

The strangest thing is that although they supplied over 80 pairs of pajamas to the set of Raiders (the Crusade used leftovers from Raiders), I haven't heard anything from the crew about a pajama top.

Just think that's odd, is all.

What I'm wondering about, though, is if either the first-batch, or second-batch, or a completely different batch of leather will be used as Wested's new 'special-offer' discount-line of Indy jackets?

And exactly what makes this leather slightly cheaper than authentic or dark brown lamb?

That's a good question. Is it lower quality? PETER! SPEAK!

I heard wested are preparing a screen accurate replica of those pajamas...



...sorry, couldn't resist.

From what I understood, these were outsourced jackets and not made at Wested, so he was able to keep the prices down as they were not Wested factory made. That's why it does not say 'Made by British Craftsmen' inside the jacket.

Peter, correct me if I'm wrong there, but that was my read on at least the lighter colored 10. I do not know if that was the same story on the dark versions.

Regards! Michaelson

I would think so, seeing as how the 'Made in England by..." tag was left off my darker jacket as well.

mufflowne wrote:Also, in Last Crusade, one of the Nazis wears the SAME cut of pajamas, only a different pattern, but I think the fabric is also flannel.

Mit swastika.