Club Obi Wan

Hi Guys,
I need some expert advice on a leather jacket and who else to ask but the experts! I recently bought a Belstaff War of the Worlds jacket. Cost me a fortune, let me tell you. When I received the jacket witch was new, the leather was a light brown. I felt somewhat dry since I believe its two years old and has never been moisturized. I applied Lexol non darkening dressing to it and now its really dark. All the lighter brown color is gone. Im not a happy camper. The leather is bison and really seemed to soak up the lexol. My question is, what now, should I contact lexol and tell them what happened. Will it lighten up over time, did I make a huge mistake by putting it on in the first place? Help is you can I'm kinda freaking out.

George

1) My first bit of help is to let you know there is some merit to the saying that "patience is a virtue."

2) Odds are that it will lighten up over time, but it is possible that it may never look exactly the same as it did when you got it.

3) I have contacted Belstaff about this very thing. My contact there was out for a couple of weeks and as we discussed via PM, she would be back December 17. I expect that my inquiry will not be the first on her list, so tack on a few days for her to catch up.

4) See item 1

I would not worry about it. I doubt you did anything that is physically harmful to the jacket. This sort of thing happens all the time. Another thing I see that is similar are people who used sandpaper on their jackets then use acetone and wonder why the sanded areas become darker

You have just put a liquid on leather that has the surface coating compromised by the distressing process. Without this protective coating, the leather is very absorbent and the dressing will darken the fibers.

I imagine that over time the jacket will begin to "dry out" a bit and the areas may lighten, but as you know, these jackets go for between $800-$1500 and are not as easy to get as some others due in part by the high demand.

For that reason, I prefer to take Belstaff's advice. Some of their leathers are advertised as waterproof and I expect there are different care methods for these jackets as standard products may not absorb through the waterproof coating.

You can contact Lexol, but the Lexol products I have both state "for delicate leather, test first on a hidden area." If they do have some advice, please post it here, as it will surely benefit others down the road.

To me, the whole appeal to the Belstaff is that it is professionally distressed and I want to do very little to alter that. Please stay tuned. I will post the results as soon as I get them.

Your right, I should have waited but it said non darkening and I believed them. I don't mind so much that its darker, that's the way it really is in the movie, plus from what I could tell, it needed some moisture. The leather is much more pliable and supple now. It really drank it in. I think it will lighten over time cos its already started to at the corners and seams. I still wish I hadn't done it but I can live with it. I think any oil based moisturizer is gonna soak in and darken this jacket. It doesn't have the seal that most jackets do. It's kinda like raw leather. To be honest, I kinda expected a little higher quality considering the price tag. George