“Earned” jacket distressing.

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:31 pm

This might belong in the distressing section, but I put it here because it doesn’t concern technique.

One of the Primary concerns that many people on the forum is picking a leather that will distress “naturally”, and most want this distressing not in 10 years time, but now. While it is true that some leathers will distress easier than others based on the animal it came from and tanning and dying techniques, leather is generally not supposed to have color rub off. One of the reasons that a distressed leather jacket was so prized in the past was because of what it took for the jacket to take on so much “character”. It didn’t happen over night. All that “character” represented years of hard wearing.

Today there are several options for achieving this look, but fans need to be more realistic than what I’ve seen on the board lately. First off, the easiest way to achieve this look is to buy a predistressed hide. Every jacket maker offers a predistressed hide. Wested offers novapelle and a predistressed cowhide. Todd’s jackets, while not made technically from predistressed hides, are all designed to distress at an accelerated rate. Magnoli Clothiers offers predistressed hides. US Wings offers predistressed hides, including the actual hide used for the CS jacket. Even Gibson & Barnes has a predistressed hide (even though hardly anybody knows about it). It’s a thin cowhide called “nappa”. It’s designed to have its top layer wear quickly. I saw one on the rack and it’s a super hide (if you’re into distressed hide).

Your other option for a distressed looking jacket is to either wear your regular jacket pretty exclusively for ten years time or to artificially age your jacket. You just can’t wear your jacket for 2 years and then expect it to look like one of the ones used onscreen. It’s just not reasonable. The jackets that do tend to “age” quickly, or at least lose color with greater speed, have a spray on finish. But have you really “earned” your distressed jacket with this type of jacket? It seems to me that those that are interested in non artificial methods for jacket distressing are interested in wearing their jackets like a “badge of honor”, so to speak. It takes more than 2 years for that. And if you’re interested in wearing more than one jacket for the next 10 years, forget it. Just my thoughts. Cheers

PS- There’s no “shame” and there’s nothing wrong with artificially aging your jacket if you’re only after the look.

lingarn · Post by **lingarn** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:45 pm

...It honestly never occurred to me that one would "earn" distressing, or use it as a badge of honor.

Things I've had wear out in the past have been more of a "look how well that held up before I destroyed it! What a good jacket/bag/shoe that was!", but that really is more of a comment on the quality of the item than the person wearing it.

I agree (as do we all, I imagine) that distressed gear looks good. But earning it? Nah. I just happen to think natural distressing looks better.

Interesting concept, though.

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:51 pm

I just wish I still fit my old jacket. That Goat went through #### and back---for a solid decade. It looks great. Now I gotta start over with a new one.

Oh, well...It was never about the look, anyway---it was about the experience.....Here's to new adventures!

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:08 pm

lingarn wrote:...It honestly never occurred to me that one would "earn" distressing, or use it as a badge of honor.
Interesting concept, though.

I've been preaching it for years!!!

Regards! Michaelson

IndyWannaBee · Post by **IndyWannaBee** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:24 pm

Hmm. If one waited 10 years for distressing costume items we would have never seen the final production of many great costuming movies including the Indy trilogy, Pirates trilogy, LOTR trilogy, two Star Wars trilogies, etc. etc. etc.

Predistressed leather is great for working with but I don't know many people on this forum that have been able to sew their own Indy jacket. Predistressed leather is great for making simple items such as tricorns, armor, baldrics, and scabbards. Making an Indy jacket would require some major talent and time.

Most of the Indy jackets sold through many of the sites discussed on this forum come in two styles: custom made which means it is made to exact measurements of the wearer and stock which are mostly made cheaply overseas and resold for 4x the amount it took to manufacture in bulk. I think if the latter were made from predistressed leather it would be the same price as custom made jackets.

Distressing leather is a multi-step process and cannot be completed all at once due to the leather needing to recover from all the chemicals being dumped onto it and drying. I think some people want to distress their leather items but are too scared to start for lack of knowledge or techinque or simply that they don't want to destroy a $450 Indy item.

I guess it really depends on how much money you have to spend, how fast you want to distress your leather, and how much Obessive Compulsive Disorder to suffer from in order to get our Indy outfit "screen accurate" which no one will be able to achieve.

Just my 2 cents!

And a follow up: My technique for aging and distressing leather is by using my own leather staining process. I would prefer to purchase an Indy jacket for a DIY staining process. That way I could achieve the same 10 year look with 3-4 layers of oil based leather dye. I would still wear the jacket with the honor badge you mention knowing that I made the item rather than waiting 10 years.

The Aviator · Post by **The Aviator** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:30 pm

How do you define distressing your jacket "naturally"?!?

what if your jacket had an unexpected encounter with duck tape, too many bottles of budweiser, and a trampoline?!?

Basically the leather was stripped in places and left looking highly distressed...the owner included

where would that leave me?!?lol...the point im trying to make is "natural" distressing whereby the jacket acquires its look through time or by an artificial method such as duck tape?!?...if so wasnt the ducktape incident just another incident that would give the jacket character naturally through a progression of time?!?

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:45 pm

I define it as unplanned events that cause marks on the hide,actual daily use wear, as opposed to artifical wear and tear on the jacket using sandpaper and acetone.

Regards! Michaelson

afrayedknot · Post by **afrayedknot** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:50 pm

I'm in the "natural distressing" camp. Whether it takes two years or ten years, I'd like my jacket to show some wear. From what I've read, goatskin and horsehide will still look "fresh out of the bag" after ten years!

I have a pair of jeans that are just starting to get comfortable. Holes, frays, worn areas, . . . It shows that I've worn these jeans a lot. I didn't do it by taking a razor to it or bleaching it. I just wore it.

The only problem I have with the predistressed hide is that the distressing looks so "random". I'd like my jacket to distress in areas that have constant contact with the environment, like the shoulder blades, elbows, areas on the pockets, etc.

What good is owning an adventure jacket if it doesn't look like it's ever seen any adventure?

The Aviator · Post by **The Aviator** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:59 pm

Thanks for clearing that up i was confusing myself there!lol

I have to say im in the "natural distressing" camp myself...i just personally think the look of a jacket looks better over time, it can't be faked.

Yeah I have a wested goat as well as a lamb and the goat looks basically brand new despite being 3 years old...the lamb distresses a lot better

no duck tape needed

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:06 pm

One of my main points was that tougher hides (goatskin and horsehide) can be naturally distressed, but it takes more doing. You actually need to wear the jacket pretty exclusively for about 10 years. Most people here don’t have the patience and some also have multiple jackets. They’re not willing to put in the time. Cheers

jeremy3178 · Post by **jeremy3178** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:08 pm

I was in the "natural distressing" camp, but after about 8 years I was tired of the glossy look on my jacket. It had a few knicks and scratches here and there but I finally took a bit of sandpaper to it to knock the shine off of it. I like the way it turned out.

Chewing Wax · Post by **Chewing Wax** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:08 pm

The way I see it, is that Indiana Jones is a fictional character, and the distressed look of his jacket, is in fact a fictional background created for this character. Since I'm not a fictional character, I want my jacket to get it's patina the natural way, through being worn by me as I live my life while wearing it. Otherwise, you're wearing a fiction, which is fine, but not for me.

afrayedknot · Post by **afrayedknot** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:11 pm

Can someone post pics of naturally distressed goatskin or horsehide jackets, please?

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:11 pm

IndyWannaBee wrote:Hmm. If one waited 10 years for distressing costume items we would have never seen the final production of many great costuming movies including the Indy trilogy, Pirates trilogy, LOTR trilogy, two Star Wars trilogies, etc. etc. etc.

Predistressed leather is great for working with but I don't know many people on this forum that have been able to sew their own Indy jacket. Predistressed leather is great for making simple items such as tricorns, armor, baldrics, and scabbards. Making an Indy jacket would require some major talent and time.

Most of the Indy jackets sold through many of the sites discussed on this forum come in two styles: custom made which means it is made to exact measurements of the wearer and stock which are mostly made cheaply overseas and resold for 4x the amount it took to manufacture in bulk. I think if the latter were made from predistressed leather it would be the same price as custom made jackets.

Distressing leather is a multi-step process and cannot be completed all at once due to the leather needing to recover from all the chemicals being dumped onto it and drying. I think some people want to distress their leather items but are too scared to start for lack of knowledge or techinque or simply that they don't want to destroy a $450 Indy item.

I guess it really depends on how much money you have to spend, how fast you want to distress your leather, and how much Obessive Compulsive Disorder to suffer from in order to get our Indy outfit "screen accurate" which no one will be able to achieve.

Just my 2 cents!

And a follow up: My technique for aging and distressing leather is by using my own leather staining process. I would prefer to purchase an Indy jacket for a DIY staining process. That way I could achieve the same 10 year look with 3-4 layers of oil based leather dye. I would still wear the jacket with the honor badge you mention knowing that I made the item rather than waiting 10 years.

My point was not to say it's "better" to naturally distress a jacket. My point was that naturally distressing takes one helluva long time. Many people like the idea of naturally distressing a jacket, but they want it done at an accelerated pace, which is in congress to what a distressed jacket is supposed to represent. Cheers

The Aviator · Post by **The Aviator** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:14 pm

The way I see it, is that Indiana Jones is a CHARACTER, and the distressed look of his jacket, is in fact a fictional background created for this character. Since I'm not a character, I want my jacket to get it's patina the natural way, through being warn by me as I live my life while wearing it. Otherwise, you're wearing a fiction, which is fine, but not for me.

Now why cant i put it like that

Well said imho

Chewing Wax · Post by **Chewing Wax** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:14 pm

afrayedknot wrote:Can someone post pics of naturally distressed goatskin or horsehide jackets, please?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/4415 ... c54c_o.jpg

Here's my goat Gibson Barnes - purchased in March 2001

IndyWannaBee · Post by **IndyWannaBee** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:21 pm

Curse Yahoo user accounts and passwords!

Can you unprotect the pic?

Bowie · Post by **Bowie** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:36 pm

Put me in the natural catagory.... To me Jacket & gear distress is like a scar... See this one here, I was hiking the Grand Canyon, and this back here was running with the Bulls in Spain

..... you get the idea

Vivli · Post by **Vivli** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:17 pm

I have to say I'm honestly on the fence about distressing because I see it both ways.

A naturally distressed jacket is amazing, and always looks good, but I do love the distressed look and can understand why people want it right away, especially if they don't plan to wear the same jacket for most of their lives like I think we can assume Indy did.

However, my own jacket, I only own one, isn't distressed. It's horsehide too, so I don't think it ever will be. Not that I knew that when I bought it, but I got it because I wanted a long lasting jacket. I tend to wear one jacket for long stretches (changing for something lighter in the summer, but you get the idea), and only 'upgrade' when I see a better jacket. Since 'the' jacket I've always dreamed of owning since I was a child is Indy's (seriously, I was always obsessed with the jacket, not the hat, dunno why), now I do own 'it', I have no intention to change until it literally falls off of my body.

So while at the moment whenever I see pictures of people's distressed jackets and think '####, I wish I had a jacket that looked like that', I like to think that in twenty years time, when my jacket really is my jacket I'll be even prouder of it.

Although I'm still new here, and have only had the jacket for about two months, so I can't promise that's what'll happen!

jeremy3178 · Post by **jeremy3178** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:27 pm

It is hard to wait, I'll give you that. I'm telling you, I tried to wait. 8 flippin years and the thing looked just as new as it did the day i got it....save a few scratches. So, good luck with waiting. Another thing is if you distress it yourself you dont have to distress the #### out of it, just touch it up a bit.

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:28 pm

afrayedknot wrote:Can someone post pics of naturally distressed goatskin or horsehide jackets, please?

Here's mine again.

[img][img]http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4715/1006367wt4.jpg[/img]

The technique here is to wear it exclusively for 4 years, pack around a lot of bowling ball sized rough granite rocks and steel cylinders, get under the truck a few times on dirt and gravel roads, and wash it and dry it a few times so you can still wear it in civilized polite company.

IndyWannaBee · Post by **IndyWannaBee** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:38 pm

I think it would be awesome to let a leather jacket distress naturally but unfortunately alot of the jackts out there made overseas would fall apart first before the leather started to look good. Single stitching, leather glue, and cheap zippers cause many of these expensive leather jackets to fall apart!

I have a goatskin jacket that I bought 12 years ago and the leather is in excellent condition but the zipper is completely detached from the jacket, the buttons in both pockets have popped off and are missing, and the stitching on the inside liner has been detached for years!

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:41 pm

Weston wrote:
afrayedknot wrote:Can someone post pics of naturally distressed goatskin or horsehide jackets, please?
Here's mine again.

[img][img]http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4715/1006367wt4.jpg[/img]

The technique here is to wear it exclusively for 4 years, pack around a lot of bowling ball sized rough granite rocks and steel cylinders, get under the truck a few times on dirt and gravel roads, and wash it and dry it a few times so you can still wear it in civilized polite company.

Weston actually illustrates the point that I intended to make (although I don't think that I did a great job doing so). Distressing a regular jacket can take some real doing by natural methods. Goatskin and horsehide take real wear to distress, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done, as many here are inclined to believe. I wasn’t necessarily meaning to spark a debate on what was better or what one’s philosophy was on the subject. Of course whatever guys want to talk about is fine too.

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:46 pm

IndyWannaBee wrote:I think it would be awesome to let a leather jacket distress naturally but unfortunately alot of the jackts out there made overseas would fall apart first before the leather started to look good. Single stitching, leather glue, and cheap zippers cause many of these expensive leather jackets to fall apart!

I have a goatskin jacket that I bought 12 years ago and the leather is in excellent condition but the zipper is completely detached from the jacket, the buttons in both pockets have popped off and are missing, and the stitching on the inside liner has been detached for years!

That's an excellent point about quality. Irony is when right when you get the leather where you want it, the rest of the jacket falls apart. That's why I've put such a premium on the quality of jacket construction. When I buy a leather jacket, I like knowing that the sucker is going to be around for years.

Vivli · Post by **Vivli** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:56 pm

jeremy3178 wrote:It is hard to wait, I'll give you that. I'm telling you, I tried to wait. 8 flippin years and the thing looked just as new as it did the day i got it....save a few scratches. So, good luck with waiting. Another thing is if you distress it yourself you dont have to distress the #### out of it, just touch it up a bit.

Thanks for the good luck. I know it could be difficult, and that's why I'm saying now, well, this is me now, saying I want to wait. Whether or not I'll stick to it I really don't know.

To be honest, with my choice of horsehide, I don't think there's much choice. I've heard it doesn't artifically distress well, and the last thing I'd want to do is ruin it. I think if I did want a predistressed jacket in years to come, I'd rather hope I have a job that's earning a fair amount and buy a new one in that state. My horsehide was my 21st birthday present, and considering it's something I've wanted since childhood, it means a lot to me, and I'd hate to ruin it. I think that's a big factor in me not wanting to distress it either. Even if I reached the point where I got a new jacket, I could never get rid of this one because of what it means to me.

jeremy3178 · Post by **jeremy3178** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:03 pm

I hear you Viv, I looked for a real Indy jacket from the time I was 9 years old, I got mine when I was 21. So believe me I know how important your jacket is to you.

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:20 pm

Can someone post pics of naturally distressed goatskin or horsehide jackets, please?

I'll do it tomorrow...I've been threatening to do it for weeks....Might as well get a little more mileage out of it, since I can't wear it....

CM · Post by CM » Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:40 am

Chewing Wax wrote:The way I see it, is that Indiana Jones is a CHARACTER, and the distressed look of his jacket, is in fact a fictional background created for this character. Since I'm not a character, I want my jacket to get it's patina the natural way, through being warn by me as I live my life while wearing it. Otherwise, you're wearing a fiction, which is fine, but not for me.

Well put, Wax

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:47 pm

OK, here it is. Scoff if you will...Keep in mind this was the pre-historic age of Indy gear, where a certain Mr. Gore hadn't even dreamed of a thing called the 'Internet' yet...

My Avirex G-8 jacket, bought new, un-distressed, circa 1988. Yes, the three-piece back. yes, the weird sleeves. But I loved this thing, and still do. A picture's worth a thousand words...Remember this is a Goatskin jacket....

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj73 ... 8front.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj73 ... G8Back.jpg

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:07 pm

That can't be goatskin, PB! You KNOW everyone says goatskin can't age naturally.

She's a beauty, my friend!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:08 pm

PyramidBlaster wrote:OK, here it is. Scoff if you will...Keep in mind this was the pre-historic age of Indy gear, where a certain Mr. Gore hadn't even dreamed of a thing called the 'Internet' yet...

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj73 ... 8front.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj73 ... G8Back.jpg

Believe it or not, durring the making of TOD George Lucas said someday information will be fed "through a straw". He saw it coming in 1983.

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:19 pm

Yes, I'm terminally sad that i'll most likely never fit that one again. I even re-lined it before I got fat---You oughtta see that one. It's a colorful desert sunset with saguaros and Anasazi pottery....

I love that jacket.

I just try to stay on the positive side: once I figure out whether I want regular or long, I'll be ordering up an Expedition in Goat to fall in love with all over again. $\:D/$

Chevalier Krak · Post by **Chevalier Krak** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:59 pm

The best distressed jacket I ever had was a real (!) WW II fighter jacket I bought in 1966 or 67 off a rack of about 100. $40 each

I should have emptied that rack! I dunno - predistressing clothes kind of feels to me like those dueling students of Heidelberg ripping out their stitches and rubbing salt in their cuts to make their scars even worse-looking. I'm at the age when my skin looks predistressed, so I'm letting my jacket age naturally, just occasionally driving over it down by the beach.

crismans · Post by **crismans** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:12 pm

As I obsess over my next jacket, I've thought a lot about this too. I really like the look of a distressed jacket (who doesn't really), I'm seriously thinking about getting a Gibson and Barnes in goat which will take a long time to get to that distressed stage.

I guess my thoughts fall within two camps. For Halloween or costume parties, I would want my jacket to look distressed to fit the Indy look. But I also just love the look of an Indy jacket and want one for my daily life that will be with me for (hopefully) a long time.

Maybe getting a G and B for daily wear and a Todd's Standard to distress for special occasions would be the way to go?

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:42 pm

...or you could just smack your goatskin with some Fullers earth before the party, then wipe it off when you come home.

Regards! Michaelson

delfloria · Post by **delfloria** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:08 pm

It's facinating that most of us want to wear our Indy jackets in general public everyday situations when Indy himself wears a sports jacket / blazer in similar settings and saves the leather only for field duty.

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:10 pm

Yeah, but in his time period, folks actually dressed up to go out in public.

Today, most folks show up half dressed for work and/or any and all public appearances and call it normal, so it's a completely different mindset these days. Wearing a leather jacket is now considered 'overdressed' in many situations.

Regards! Michaelson

Road Warrior · Post by **Road Warrior** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:20 am

I still don't have my Indy jacket yet, but I do own a couple of very nice (and pricey) Aero's in heavy front quarter horsehide. The black one is grained-up very nicely after a year and a half, but there's very little wear on the finish. However, the brown one (purchased in Nov. '07) is naturally distressing much more quickly, although I still give it a solid 5 years before I'm really pleased with it. I chalk that up to the color and the finish.

I wear them hard, but not crazy -- after all, they are 800 dollar jackets. Being horsehide, wearing them in the rain is the best way to soften the hide and bring out the grain. No steel wool or beating it agains a cinder block wall, though.

I believe that in most cases an artificially distressed jacket looks just that. Some guys can pull it off pretty well, but that's been the exception in my opinion. When it does look natural, it's usually when it's just lightly distressed Trying to put years of wear on a jacket in a few nights by running it through the washer and doing the steel wool, acetone, and other techniques doesn't pass muster on close inspection.

The thing is, once it (the distressing) starts going bad, you just can't turn back time for a re-do. I wonder how many guys sit there with a brand-new jacket that they just shelled-out up to 400 bucks for thinking "Oh my God, what have I done?"

To each his own, but to me a naturally distressed jacket is not only the coolest, but you also really earn it.

Soup · Post by **Soup** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:40 am

I would have to go with natural distressing. I like the look of some of the predistressed jackets I have seen, just can't bring myself to doing it to mine. I would have been taken out to the woodshed if I did that to my clothes growing up.

Guess it has just stuck with me.

WWID? (What would Indy do)? His look would have come naturally through his adventures. Probably took him all of a few days to get his distressed look.

It's not the years, its the mileage!

Happy distressing, however you do it!

Regards, Soup

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:14 pm

I think people should do to their jackets whatever makes them happy. In my mind wearing a jacket for ten years is no more "real" than taking sandpaper to a new one - it's all up to the individual.

Personally, I like many of the pre-distressed hides available and so went with that for my first Indy jacket. Turns out I loved the look so much I have a non-distressed goat on the way. That way I'll have two different looking jackets for different occasions. I spend a lot of time in the third and developing world so maybe that new looking jacket will be the one I take to age "naturally".

I'm probably not the norm as the only other gear I have is a MkVII and I'm not a person who would wear an Indy "costume" on any day other than October 31. But if I wanted that look I'd have no problem getting a Todd's and going to town on roughing it up a bit.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:40 pm

If you only have one or two jackets, it is a LOT easier to naturally distress them.

My argument against natural distressing is that it takes too long when you have a lot of tough jackets to break in. Try breaking in a Vanson model B jacket, three Schott Perfectos, an Aero Highwayman, a Lost Worlds Ryder, three Westeds, a Die Hard 4 Banana Republic, a Lethal Weapon 4 jacket, etc. in the same lifetime, without the washing machine, some rubbing alcohol and some acetone. It ain't gonna happen unless you have had a drink from the Holy Grail.

And these are the ones I have left. There have been countless others that I have worn throughout the years and then sold. Wasted my 'natural distressing' on them, you might say.

The Vanson alone will take forever. Their showroom has jackets that have seen some real abuse - even worse than being dragged under a truck, believe me. Bike wipeouts and stuff - really beat up stuff. In one case, there is a race suit that they half-restored so you can see the "before" and "after". The "after" looks virtually brand new.

Naturally distressing a jacket by wiping out my motorcycle is something that I am quite capable of, but I am trying to avoind that at all costs.

Not to sound like a Vanson ad, the Lost Worlds jacket is tough too. As are the Schott's and Aeros. Heck, most of them are tough as nails, with the exception being my Indy jackets.

Not to mention that some of the jackets can only be worn in relatively cold weather. That, coupled with the fact that my lifetime is half over at 46. (Hopefully, I will get another 46 years, anyways...) makes it tough to naturally distress anything.

Indiana Jess · Post by **Indiana Jess** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:17 pm

rick5150 wrote: ...makes it tough to naturally distress anything.

Except our own bodies. Unfortunately, I am well ahead of the curve on that one.

GB_Cinch · Post by **GB_Cinch** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:42 pm

My first Indy jacket was a pre-distressed cowhide Wested. I bought the pre-distressed because I wanted the jacket to look worn and broken in without having to age it myself. But after wearing it a few times I couldn't help myself and I ordered a lambskin jacket. When I first got it I said it would be my dress jacket, and the pre-distressed would be my everyday jacket, but the finish was just too shiny and new looking so I found that I never wore it. One day I was bitten by the bug to make it look like the jacket from the movie, so out came the acetone and the sandpaper. After about four hours I had a jacket that actually looked like Indiana Jones's jacket, and I've been wearing it ever since. The poor pre-distressed jacket hangs sadly in my closet while the lambskin gets all the use. It's been about 6 years since I distressed the lambskin myself, and if I hadn't done it it probably would have just been a pretty brown jacket the hung in my closet all the time. But since I distressed it it looked right and I found myself wearing it all the time. It's been on many adventures, and since it no longer looked brand new I found myself more willing to do some crazy things in it, only adding to that well worn "Raiders" look. It's an awesome jacket, and when I finally get another one I'm going to distress it, too. A shiny new Wested lambskin is a pretty jacket, but it just doesn't look like Indiana Jones's jacket unless you beat the #### out of it.

davyjones007 · Post by **davyjones007** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:51 pm

As Michaelson pointed out, people dressed, imho, better back then. The thing to remember is that they wore leather jackets not for style but for a reason, protection from the elements. They certainly did not own more than 2 leather jackets. Time is the best way to distress jackets. It is fun to look at your jacket and say "I got that one from...". Alot like the scene in Jaws with Shaw and Dreyfuss drinking to their scars. Rick5150 makes a very good point in that one jacket can be hard to distress, but 3 or 5 can be almost impossible under normal conditions. It is fun to do it artificially if you have the time and money to do that to a $300.00+ jacket. Some of the ones that many of you have shown on this forum look amazing. You can see that real effort and time was put into those jackets to achieve that look. I have several HH jackets that will goto my son, who is only 10 now, and they will just start to look broken in by then. To follow along with Rundquist, a well made jacket is worth the extra penny to know that it will be there for you and not come apart from normal everyday use. Just look at some those that are still worn today by people. On other forums such as VLJ and THE Fedora Lounge, you can see some classic examples of 30+year old jackets still kick-en around. With the exception of knits needing to be replaced or the liners, they are in great shape. OK, I will get down now.

R/ Dave

JimL · Post by **JimL** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:53 pm

perhaps off-topic a bit here GB, but how does the lamb hold up?

I have a custom-made Schott in Horse Hide (LOVE IT!!!) as well as experience with Goat Skin (and old LL Bean Flying Tiger jacket from the 80's that I gave away when I grew out of it).

Anyway, just curious how that leather would compare, durability wise, to either the horse, or goat.

I am inclided to get Goat, as I know it will last for ever, but I like the idea of an extremely light-weight 'summer' leather I can wear on my adventures...

Just curious! I hope to order my Wested within a few weeks, and I want to be sure...

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:54 pm

rick5150 wrote:If you only have one or two jackets, it is a LOT easier to naturally distress them.

My argument against natural distressing is that it takes too long when you have a lot of tough jackets to break in. Try breaking in a Vanson model B jacket, three Schott Perfectos, an Aero Highwayman, a Lost Worlds Ryder, three Westeds, a Die Hard 4 Banana Republic, a Lethal Weapon 4 jacket, etc. in the same lifetime, without the washing machine, some rubbing alcohol and some acetone. It ain't gonna happen unless you have had a drink from the Holy Grail.

And these are the ones I have left. There have been countless others that I have worn throughout the years and then sold. Wasted my 'natural distressing' on them, you might say.

The Vanson alone will take forever. Their showroom has jackets that have seen some real abuse - even worse than being dragged under a truck, believe me. Bike wipeouts and stuff - really beat up stuff. In one case, there is a race suit that they half-restored so you can see the "before" and "after". The "after" looks virtually brand new.

Naturally distressing a jacket by wiping out my motorcycle is something that I am quite capable of, but I am trying to avoind that at all costs.

Not to sound like a Vanson ad, the Lost Worlds jacket is tough too. As are the Schott's and Aeros. Heck, most of them are tough as nails, with the exception being my Indy jackets.

Not to mention that some of the jackets can only be worn in relatively cold weather. That, coupled with the fact that my lifetime is half over at 46. (Hopefully, I will get another 46 years, anyways...) makes it tough to naturally distress anything.

Rick brings up points that were hopefully addressed in my initial post. Natural distressing takes a long time. It was never my intention to say that natural distressing was "better" than artificial distressing. The point I wanted to make was that it takes a long time. If a leather distresses unnaturally fast (because of tanning and dyeing techniques), then what's the difference between it and a predistressed hide? (not that there's anything wrong with either of the above mentioned). Some like the idea of distressing a jacket themselves because it makes them feel like the jacket’s looks were “earned”, but if the color comes right off anyway, you haven’t really “earned” anything. 8-[

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:05 pm

Some like the idea of distressing a jacket themselves because it makes them feel like the jacket’s looks were “earned”, but if the color comes right off anyway, you haven’t really “earned” anything.

I beg to differ.....if I see a distressed area on one of my jackets, would I feel it was 'earned' if I knew it was created by me sitting on my back porch with a piece of 400 grit sandpaper.....or from a situation of me bouncing down a rock wall I had just tried to climb to get down a daughters kite that was hung up on the rock face?

It's the 'memory' that's 'earned' creating the mark, not the color removal itself.

Regards! Michaelson

Post by **Holt** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:12 pm

you pictured that so nice Mark!

I will never use any kind of sandpaper on my jackets again..

only my costume jackets

bests
Eric

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:31 pm

Michaelson wrote:
Some like the idea of distressing a jacket themselves because it makes them feel like the jacket’s looks were “earned”, but if the color comes right off anyway, you haven’t really “earned” anything.
I beg to differ.....if I see a distressed area on one of my jackets, would I feel it was 'earned' if I knew it was created by me sitting on my back porch with a piece of 400 grit sandpaper.....or from a situation of me bouncing down a rock wall I had just tried to climb to get down a daughters kite that was hung up on the rock face?

It's the 'memory' that's 'earned' creating the mark, not the color removal itself.

Regards! Michaelson

I see your point. What I meant was, what memories are you going to have if the color comes off while you're sitting at a table at Starbucks? Some leather is "designed" to have the color come right off. I had a friend that owned an Aero Highwayman in horsehide. Although he loved the jacket, it drove him nuts when the color came off all over his car seat whenever he drove. The jacket was designed that way. My point was what’s the difference between a jacket made from leather that has the color come off easily and a predistressed hide? I’m not saying that one is wrong or one is better than the other. What I am saying is that I’ve heard guys say that they like to break-in/distress jackets themselves because they want the jacket to “tell a story” (their story). But if the leather is designed to distress quickly (and to a degree artificially, because the top layer was designed to come off), then their jacket doesn’t tell much of a story.

Baldwyn · Post by **Baldwyn** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:30 pm

I've posted this a bunch of times recently

8 year old goatskin expedition, all naturally distressed.

I've broken both arms in this thing. At the same time!!

(Anyone interested in a naturally distressed G&B 38R, fits like a 40R, I'm itching to do the same minus the breaking of bones to a Wested Horsehide...)