Club Obi Wan

Hiya COW-herders! I turn 16 on Aug. 23 this year, and my parents wanted to get me special. Well, what could be more special than your first custom-made leather Wested? I'm a pretty thin guy, so I just sent Peter my measurements. I told him I have a 34 inch chest, so I'm not sure what he is going to do. I requested an 80's cut, but I'm afraid it might make me look twiggy. I want a form-fitting jacket, but the prospect of ending up looking like I'm wearing 70's disco jacket isn't great. And then on the other side of the spectrum, I don't want a jacket that I'm going to be swimming in. I popped an e-mail to Gemma expressing my concern. Anyway- to the specs!

INDY JACKET:
Height: 5\'7.5
Chest: 33.5\"
Sleeve: 24\"
Jacket_Size: 34
Jacket style: Raiders Jacket
Leather: Authentic Brown - Lambskin
Lining / Zip: Cotton Silesia
Side Fastener: Anodised Black Rectangular Slider(buckle)
Jacket Quantity: 1

Requests:
Tapered sleeves, back panel tapered to the waist,tighter 1980\'s cut, narrower shoulders (my shoulders measure 16.5\" across), slightly smaller collar to accomodate smaller size, x-box stitching on the side straps, back pleat elastic.

Update:
Hey gearheads! A level 1 typhoon has hit typhoon and it isn't much worse than some heavy rain, but walking from the apt. to the corner store got me pretty wet. Luckily I had a hat and my Wested! Here are some pics after 1 week of major distress and from a good 5-10 min. of rain! It's really starting to look like an Indy jacket- and all from artificial natural distressing!
(Note: I took these pictures with what I was wearing when I ran down to 7-11! Not screen accurate by any stretch of the imagination. Besides, I wasn't sure how long I'd be out, and if the Wested was going to bleed, it wasn't gonna be on my LL Bean shirt!)

sounds like a good choice! I really envy you.

WHOAH! I thought my computer went Katywampus (a technical term). It was just your avatar. You may want to shrink that thing juuuuust a tad.

I see that you were fast at work on doing just that. Congrats on getting a new jacket. Authentic brown lambskin is awesome. Mine and Indy's personal fav. I would maybe suggest getting it a little bigger, as you are probably still growing. That way, it may fit you long enough to get some natural distressing.

Bufflehead Jones wrote:I see that you were fast at work on doing just that. Congrats on getting a new jacket. Authentic brown lambskin is awesome. Mine and Indy's personal fav. I would maybe suggest getting it a little bigger, as you are probably still growing. That way, it may fit you long enough to get some natural distressing.

My thoughts exactly, Bufflehead.
Most guys I know increased at least 1-3 sizes during their 20s.

Ghos7a55assin, if you order a slightly larger size - it may be a little big at first, but it will continue to fit for a much longer period.
I know it may be difficult to believe, but you will never be that thin (/chest & waist size) again ...
BTW, Congratulations !

I envy you? wait , next year I'll turn 16, too. And I know what my present will be.

Bufflehead Jones wrote:I see that you were fast at work on doing just that. Congrats on getting a new jacket. Authentic brown lambskin is awesome. Mine and Indy's personal fav. I would maybe suggest getting it a little bigger, as you are probably still growing. That way, it may fit you long enough to get some natural distressing.

The very same reason why I don't have a leather Wested, but only a Cotton one... or Aldens too, for that matter. When are we supposed to stop growing again (upwards I mean, not outwards or downwards)? I'm 16 since March.

Still though, very awesome that you're getting your Wested. You'll definitely have to post some pictures of it here.

In Christ,
Shane

IndyMcFly wrote:The very same reason why I don't have a leather Wested, but only a Cotton one... or Aldens too, for that matter. When are we supposed to stop growing again (upwards I mean, not outwards or downwards)? I'm 16 since March.
In Christ,
Shane

I think you're pretty much done growing taller between 16-18. But you definately will get wider into your 20's. I was 6'3" since I was 17, and 190Lbs when I graduated highschool. Fast forward to college graduation - still 6'3", but 225lbs. Got married, add 10 lbs to that. Even my skinniest friends gained about 10-15Lbs in their 20s.

Protecting for little future growth may not be a bad idea now in the purchase of a new Wested.

i plan on getting my first wested for christmas this year and even though im only 5'8" and 145lbs.I plan on ordering mine a size bigger so i will be able to wear my wested for years to come, i hope

I got mine just as i turned 13,
and have fully grown into it since then.
I have stopped growing. And im not really thin or anything.
So i think my jacket will last me a long time. Its diffrent for
everone though.
Adam

I'm planning on losing alot of my bulk, so its opposite for me.

people can actually lose fat you know =P

but on the same subject - i have a suit in my cuboard i got when i was 16, and it's a size 36 possibly? im now 22 and i got a wested just last week which is a size 40 and it fits perfectly.

suffice it to say i cant really even put my suit on anymore

That sounds like a great jacket. I think you'll love the lambskin -- it's fine to wear, and fairly durable (assuming that you're not planning on getting dragged behind a truck or scraping up against stone and brick every day for a week).

I'm happy to see that you opted for the x-box stitching (a must) and the pleat elastic. I had a little trouble with my pleats when I got my authentic lamb, but it had to do with how the leather stretched in places over time. All the measurements and options you posted should suit you quite well, as I think you and I share a similar frame, and ordered pretty much everything you did.

Congratulations on your jacket order. Keep us posted and of course post pictures when it arrives.

Wear it in good health,

I forwarded Gemma at Wested some pictures from my Hawaii post here to illustrate the fit of that one, and how I wanted the leather one to be a bit different. Hopefully this will help them decide how they want to cut my jacket, as I have given them my actual measurements and the specifications from my last order (along with order #).

ray

I also ordered mine (raiders, auth. brown lambskin) a bit larger so I can wear a sweatshirt under it. Lambskin is supposed to be too thin for hard winters.

Mine is a little too large at the shoulders but it's ok to me.

Lambskin is supposed to be too thin for hard winters.

Luckily it doesn't drop below 50 degrees farenheit in Taipei, Taiwan. By the way, Gemma just sent me the tracking number. It's at the int'l hub. Hoping for this week!

The lambskin came on Friday! Woohoo! I wore it to sleep that night and spent the next day watching Godfather Part II sitting on it. It's getting wrinkles on the sleeves and body, and a nice curl in the collar. I'll take pics when the sun comes up.

People will want pictures!!

Ken

Yes Sir, I'll deliver pics later - need the time to find somebody taking the pictures maybe in a nice indyesque area.

I haven't gotten any pics on me worthy of the jacket, so those will come later. Just to whet your appetites a bit, here is a picture of it on the hanger. I've broken it in for about 2 days: wore it to sleep, rolled it up and sat on it throughout Godfather Part II (with the collar rolled inside to get the curl), and generally started to beat it up a bit. It's developing a nice wrinkle compared to the baby-bum smooth finish it had when it arrived.
I won't be manually distressing it (as in sandpaper and acetone) very soon. That doesn't mean I won't rub my back on a brick wall or drag behind a truck when I see the oppurtunity though!


ray

Thats a nice looking jacket!

Ken

Impressive Jacket!

Regards
Luke

Congrats and many years of good wear with the jacket!
The authentic brown lamb is an excellent choice.

I took these around sunset, so there is a bit of glare.

Nice looking jacket GA. Wear it in good health!

VERY NICE!

looks like it fits you perfectly!

Greatlooking jacket ! Fits you well!

Can't wait to order mine !


BTW- Does anyone know if I could get a Raiders with Cargo-pockets

The real Henry wrote:Greatlooking jacket ! Fits you well!

Can't wait to order mine !


BTW- Does anyone know if I could get a Raiders with Cargo-pockets

What do you mean by that?
They all have the same pocket setup.

I mean those small pockets used in ToD in some scenes!!

there are no other pockets...

Ghos7a55assin wrote:I took these around sunset, so there is a bit of glare.

This is a grat gear picture here!

The jacket looks really good. Good fit, good style, everything!! enjoy it for sure!

Ken

Great looking jacket.

btw, you wear your hat at the perfect 'adventurers angle'!

Enjoy.

Fantastic jacket - I'm so jealous cos i'm still waiting for mine....

At 16 I hope you don't grow much more or you'll have to donate it to the dog!!!!

Really nice to see you have the full gear.

And this proves that Indy is loved everywhere.

Regards,

####...shoulda asked for an 80s fit =P i feel that my jacket is a touch too big around the chest...though it could mainly be the pocket interfering with the drape (goatskin jacket)

for an idea - if the inside pocket has been a problem for other people in jackets other than lamb (dont know if the same occurs with lamb) maybe a request could be for wested to make the pocket facing in lamb and the rest of the jacket in goat - that way the pocket should be soft enough not to interfere?

Dre wrote:####...shoulda asked for an 80s fit =P i feel that my jacket is a touch too big around the chest...

That is nothing a few pushups will not fix!

I'm weird, but I think I liked the pick of the back best... shoulders/pose make it look just like indy...

Rusty Jones: I think the back of these jackets 'make' them very indy more than any other feature of them.

Great looking jacket (and hat), Ghos7a55assin.

BTW, how do you like Taiwan?
I was there a long time ago (Taipei) - I'm sure it has changed quite a bit.

Best Regards,

Thanks for all the kind words, Ken, Tone, and Rusty!
Feraud- I started tilting my hats slightly after I started wearing vintage ones. It just looks right to me!

Dre- do you zip yours all the way up? I usually don't go past the cargo pockets, and just flared it out on top, like in the Raven Bar scene.

harrisondavies and spooky, I'm actually from Long Island,NY. My family moved to Taipei, Taiwan last June, just as I was getting into Indygear. I go to the Taipei American School, and it's great fun. People tell me it has changed- the technology is much greater now, there are relatively fewer mosquitoes, and there are like 1000000 dept. stores now.

We're going to start shooting a fanfilm for my IB Theatre Arts class. My friend and I are finalizing the script. The plot is going to take place in China, whether it be Shanghai or Hong Kong. It's going to be a Freaky Friday switch between Wu Han and Indy, so I still get to wear my gear.

Sounds like an interesting idea for a fan film. Can you give us any more info on the plot, or are you just going to leave us hanging?

Looking at the pics of your jacket makes me wish fall would hurry up and get here so I can start wearing my Wested goat again.

Like a glove... for your torso.

Congratulations!

Regards,
Swindiana

Great Jacket Ghos7a55assin!

Soon it's my turn..

Ghos7a55assin: i usually dont zip it up at all. but if it gets really cold i zip it probably 3/4 of the way up

Nice jacket Looks like you've got a little bit of room there to play with if you grow any more

GA, I've NEVER had a jacket fit me that well!! You look great! High regards! Michaelson

I told my friends that I was distressing my jacket, and without further ado, they started finding ways to age it faster! The most obvious place that is has aged is the collar. The corners have been scratched up a bit from being tossed about, and shaped after being wet.

The entire jacket has lost a bit of its original shine. This is great, because I am not one to use a good deal of rubbing alcohol or acetone on a jacket like this. You can't tell its new, but it isn't going to fall apart at the seams, either.
The wet leather has formed wrinkles around my body and on the sleeves, and have dried and retained them to my delight! With the wrinkles, there is a great deal of grain that has shown up that wasn't there on the smooth, new jacket. I love this leather!
All the creases around the chest and shoulder area are there when I wear my jacket unzipped, which is why they remained after it dried.

The sleeves and shoulders are really quite beautiful now. They tended to straighten out when new, and the sleeves would seem too long. The wrinkles correct the length and make the jacket look older, I think. They have also conformed to my normal, slightly bent arm position that you see in alot on a lot of vintage suit jackets.
I also purposely rubbed myself on brick walls when I have the oppurtunity and have scuffed the elbows hopping over fences.
Along with that, my friends found every oppurtunity to "age" my jacket. Sometimes that meant scratching around the shoulder area with their finger nails.


Bend of arm:


Elbow:


Note the wrinkles and grain around the shoulder:

(Sitting just off the shoulders ^)

The back area hasn't lost much shine in the rain due to me:
a) walking forward in the rain
b) wearing a hat
But the area has succumb to a good amount of distress for 1 week. My friends found many oppurtunities to sneak attack me and push and scrape me on brick walls. Most of the scratches have all but disappeared after the rain.

Seam of Yoke and Back panel:
Yoke>panel: Down>>>>>>>


Side strap:


Bottom of the jacket:

Scuff along the edge of the side vent:



That's all, folks!