Club Obi Wan

micsteam wrote:I got the Todd's a few weeks ago and I have to say, even though the color looks good, I am not a fan of the fabric. The shirt almost feels like an old school plaid shirt without being plaid pattern, I feel to heavy and maybe pajama-ish. Don't get me wrong, this is not a knock against Todd's, as I have quite few items from them and I'm very happy, just this batch, not for me. I'm staying with my WPG but as I've said before, I purchased another shirt earlier this year and it's darker than the one I presently own so I'm going to work this one and see how it goes. It's about production and when you outsource manufacturing sometimes you don't get what you expect, everyone is trying to save a buck so it may not be Todd's or WPG but the people they hire across the water that don't use the same materials/suppliers every batch.

I don't like my todds..feels like a bed sheet

micsteam wrote:It's about production and when you outsource manufacturing sometimes you don't get what you expect, everyone is trying to save a buck so it may not be Todd's or WPG but the people they hire across the water that don't use the same materials/suppliers every batch.

Correct. As Todd has stated before, overseas production allows for what's supposed to be an acceptable range of consistency. Sometimes a batch is inaccurate, and a retailer would rather sell off the batch than go through the lost time and revenue involved in sending the shipment back and rolling the dice on a do-over.

So if a current run makes you happy, get what you want while it's available! I'm maxed out on current WPG's for exactly that reason.

My first thread to make 2 pages. Thank you gentlemen.

The type of material for all Indy shirts is that sort of crisp poplin. Personally, I hate poplin, but I have to endure it for the Indy shirt...

Yes, I would dig an indy shirt made of more suitable outdoor material, quick dry etc. hmmm

If it came in the same fabric as or slightly thinner than a Cabela's Safari shirt, that would be fantastic.

What is this NH shirt you speak of?

Love my Todd shirts even the older pinker colour. They're well cut and well made. Ordered a couple new ones recently.

WPG measurements look off to me though I don't have one. They look enormous and I visualise wearing a tent. I'm 5'7" and solidly built so shirts rarely fit me well. I've a 17.5" neck and 42" chest. Picking a shirt us tough so please suggest a wpg if you have experience. Now on to search alt. pants..

NH = Noel Howard, the gentleman who supplied the shirts, pants and other components of Indy's gear. Kind of like a holy grail of shirts if you can get your hands on one.

Croft

I agree with Indiana Croft, (although I don't have a Noel Howard shirt I talked with "THE" gentleman before he passed... yeah stupid should have got one then !!). I have one of both of the latest, here's the deal.. the Todds has the correct color but the WPG has the right fabric... in a nutshell. I have a WPG ( did I start this thread... lol!!???) but it's old and it's spot on for Raiders (if that's the style you want) and I've collected many military items before and it is the correct fabric for that period and style but both of these manufacturers have differentiating batches so you have to see how they go. Here's the thing guys, Indiana Jones did not wear specific items from anywhere at any particular time. Let me pose this to you, a man at that time used to procure someone to make these items for himself for whatever he was doing, safari, archaeology, foreign construction, etc. Example .. Abercrombe and Fitch used to be a place you would contract to outfit you for whatever expedition you were going on ( I mean everything from firing arms to tents to booze, yeah they were that good !!) now they can only outfit you for hanging out with (it seems same gender) under 25... not very interesting. Long story short, I still stick with the WPG but I have to see how it turns out after several washes, with bleach, when I have a solution I will update.

we'll Texan Scott I believe I would prefer my girl as a Marion rather than an Indy.

OK, I know I'm a little late to the game on this one but I have a Todd's, a WPG and a Wested. All purchased within the last couple of months so all are the most recent runs. In the picture below, the WPG is on the bottom, the Wested is in the middle and the Todd's is on top with a pair of Todd's pants sitting on top of the shirts for reference. Taken indoors, near an open window for natural light.

The WPG is too green for me! It comes across very green to my eye. In addition, it is a good 3-4 inches longer than a standard shirt. I did not order the long, I ordered the standard size medium. I checked the measurements with their on-line chart and it states that a standard is 34" long and a long is 36" long. Mine measured 35" so go figure. Not that this is necessarily an issue as the shirt gets tucked it but it seriously hung down past my crotch and I looked like I was wearing a night shirt. I am having it altered to shorten it a little bit. For referance I am 5' 8 1/2" with a 30 inch inseam so I have a fairly standard to long torso for my height.

What can I say about the wested? I skews a little yellow under some indoor lighting but in general I like it. The materiel is about the same weight as the WPG and it doesn't shrink like the Todd's. All in all, I think I will be using this one as my go-to indy shirt for a while.

The Todd's is a great shirt and I like it a lot. I know a lot of people complain about the weight being to heavy but that doesn't bother me and I think the color is spot on. Unfortunately, it shrinks and does so unevenly. I started with a medium and after that shrunk so badly after the first washing that I couldn't wear it, I returned it for a large. The large shrunk but only in one direction so now the length of the body and sleeves are appropriate but the width of the body is still "large" and I look like I am wearing a tent in it. If this shirt didn't shrink I would say we have a winner but I can't wear it the way it is. I suppose you could buy one and not wash it but it would look like a starched shirt, not very "Indy".

Keep in mind I am just looking at fit (for my body) and overall general appearance to my eye. There are other people on here who have a much better eye for detail and can tell you what shirt's buttons are 1/2 a mm too wide and which shirt's collar has too much radius at the end, etc, etc... Just my opinion, your milage may vary!

E

New Todds really nails the colour. wested definitely too yellow, reminds me of an older gen Todd. The WPG seems pretty Crystal Skull to me.

Like I've said in earlier posts, it depends on the latest production run or current batch. I have (2) WPGs and the earlier one is the one I love .. the latest needs some work (color is too tan,dark), I just recently purchased the latest Todd's and I like the color but not the fabric (feels like a plaid shirt even though it's not one), and lastly I do have a Wested (they do not specify what movie just the one shirt) I bought this back in 2006 and even though I think it's comfortable it's entirely the incorrect color and buttons (buttons especially, horrible). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that being said if you enjoy another shirt then god bless be happy these are (my and other) opinions from other members that have come before you to help you make a selection (really to help you save money, as this can be an expensive trial and error process). I actually had an earlier thread about WPGs so please check that out as well. There are other forums that give you the procedures to re-dye NH shirts (Noel Howard that made the shirts for the original movies) to make them correct to the specific movie you want !!! Really !!?? I do happen to know that he used to offer all three versions (i.e. Raiders, TOD, LC) and even these weren't to spec as original so you had to spend ( I don't remember I think) $120.00 for a shirt plus international shipping prices and then you still had to re-dye the shirt !!?? The WPG is apprx. $50.00 USD and the Todd's is around about the same or if you prefer the Wested I think also about the same. I am a military/safari collector of sorts and the WPG has the closest to/if not is military/safari grade or I suggest buying one of these shirts (which ever one you choose) make sure it fits you, maybe have it tailored, and then you pick the fabric and buttons and use (the cheaper shirt WPG/Todd's/Wested) that as a template to give to your taylor and there you go, prob. spend three times the money but you'll get exactly what you want. That's what Indiana Jones would've done back in the day. Hope this helps.

Does NH still make shirts??

youngjedi71 wrote:Does NH still make shirts??

Unfortunately, no. He passed away some time ago.

Like micsteam says:

Like I've said in earlier posts, it depends on the latest production run or current batch.

Which ever Mfg. of the shirt, it's always going to be of a different material and a shade different from the last batch.

I don't care. I buy them for one reason and one reason only. It's an Indy shirt, I tend to prefer different colors, but still close to the stone/khaki colors. The last batch of WPG, is one of my favorites, nice material, nice fit and it wrinkles just the way we like it.
Todd's last batch, while it had shrinkage issues, I still liked the material and the color. I only hope this doesn't stop him from future tries. I'll buy it no matter what.

Still debating on trying another Wested, being from across the pond, tends make me wary if I have to return it.
Magnoli makes an awesome shirt, if he could source a lighter non-dress material.

Off the preverbal soap box.
Oh and if your on the fence as which to try first, try em both WPG = probable best fit, while Todd's you have to be careful in the wash.

Croft

Just wanted to chime in with my impression of the WPG/TODDS shirt.
After some debate and reading reviews and pics here I opted for TODDS size lg (I'm 5'10 185) in the current offering. Out of the bag it looks great; awesome color looks very SOC/truck chase (just what I want ) pocket pleats & Epaulettes look great! Downside for me - big Elvis collar, single straight stitching on seems makes me nervous they seem weak, big boxy sides, short sleeves and really short shirt tail. Tucked in any lifting of my arms the sides come untucked. Overall it looks great but wearing it just looked wrong on me, I'm very jealous of those members here with great TODDS shirt pic. still gonna find I tailor and see what they can do.
Shortly after I decided to order the WPG in lg/M both in long. And man are they long! Gave the large to my father. Out of the bag color is very green tinted looks more TOD/LC, but photos look good. More of a typical dress shirt collar size no Elvis look. Body and arms are more fitted. But some measurements seem off. With a 42 chest there is a slight pinch in the back but the shoulder seems hang past my shoulders, not a lot but just enough that it throws the look off. Epaulettes look more Raiders, pleats look the part (extra fabric sewn on) but the pockets look terrible. They sit too low on the chest (moved 1/5"-3/4" higher would look better) and are over sized (same for size Lg) smaller would look great. Still having a little wiggle room I ran this through 2 hot washes to shorten and loosen it up, no real shrinking happened softened up some but still has a loud crinkle and pop sound when wearing. Ultimately this too will have to go to the tailor- shorten the hem slim the arms a touch and see if the shoulders can be fixed.

Overall if I had to pick between the two makers again for a ready to wear Indy shirt...I'd go with a WPG. Good fit right out of the bag solid construction and looks Indy, good for any movie. General construction fabric and seems are solid, I'd have no worries with this as a my new field shirt.

I think Eundercofflers pic best shows the difference in color and collar

Unfortunately, this is a trial an error process. Everybody judges that a small, medium. large is going to get the job done but not all fit and then, depending on manufacturer, you have to deal with measurements of the manufacturing country. My opinion, I like the WPG but the current offerings are to dark tan but can be worked on. Todd's latest, and I like Todd's, too flannel feeling, wrong fabric. Wested's offering, of which I have, off (period !!) but very comfortable. I'm working currently on a solution to lighten the WPG but I'm concerned about the buttons, I will keep you all in the loop.

SO here is my thinking..IF people have a shirt from one of the venders..and you dont like it OR you do like it..Why not find someone to replicate it? OR fix things you dont like by making your own version of the clothes? Same with pants,etc..Im trying to find a seamstress around my town to make a better version of the shirt. TODDS feels too much like a bed sheet and cheap to me..BUT I have one and can use it as a pattern..None of you ever done this?

Yes you can do that but it is very expensive !! If expense is not an issue then yes I recommend going with a personal tailor but it is smart to purchase a shirt that can be used as a template. MHO, good luck !!

Oh, by the way, for all following I will post pics of my old WPG and my new WPG so you can see the differences. Nothing beats pics, not in this forum lol !!

Here is my old first batch Todd's compared today's newest one. I haven't washed the new one yet so doesn't have character yet and it's a XL and my old one is a large