Club Obi Wan

Ordered: 2-25-08 ~ Received: 4-8-08

To echo M.L. Jones' post from November 2003, Peter Botwright really IS God. He, and his talented group of leather artisans at Wested have crafted the perfect Indiana Jones CS jacket, straight out of the bag. After offering a brief prayer to the god of balance and proportion, I carefully opened my long-awaited package to find a perfect leather jacket, spec-on to my SA requests (namely, pocket placement). Wested's patented novapelle hide is buttery soft and substantial, yet not heavy; almost like unfinished suede (perhaps a light dressing of Pecards can give it back a little shine). The distinctive double-stitched shoulders are an identical match to the jacket in the full-body publicity still of Harrison Ford, along with the KOTCS dropped back panel yoke and collar configuration. I grew increasingly apprehensive at the sight of every detail that I noted in my orginal order, because we all know from Murphy's Gear Law that the creation of the perfect jacket can throw the entire universe out of alignment. ;-)

But this happy tale is marred by darkness, and a bit of twisted synchronicity. Literally hours before, I ripped a large L-shaped tear in the back shoulder panel of my coveted LC jacket (which I have worn proudly for the last six years) while maneuvering an oversized package through a narrow door during one of my daily deliveries. The culprit was a stout 1/4-inch piece of wire that holds the 'Open' sign to a suction cup on the front door of the establishment. The damage was devastating, disheartening, and absolutely irreparable. Later that evening, I set the jacket aflame in a gasoline-soaked pyre, in the tradition of the great Vikings and Celts before me. The spirit of my Wested LC drifted into the evening sky in a shower of orange sparks, and its spirit was reincarnated into my new jacket that I would open the next day.

I documented opening the jacket and my initial examination for posterity, along with a brief action video of me whipcracking in full gear. Pics for now, video tomorrow.



Specifications:

Crystal Skull jacket
Size: 40 regular
Novapelle cowhide
100% cotton silesia lining
brass D-ring sliders
X-in-the-box stitching on side straps
NO leather zipper facings

SSSSSssswweeet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I cant whait for mine!!!

just a great-GREAT looking jacket.

Holt

Outstanding job, and that is fantastic looking! Gives me hope on the 40 long I orded looking at the size too.

And of course, condolences for the loss of your old jacket.

Thanks for the condolences. In the words of Henry: "It breaks the heart." But Gemma is my angel. She made it happen, fielding my e-mails and making sure that the pocket detail pic from the publicity shot was attached to my order for the machinist to see. I owe Gem everything. She and the folks at Wested really came through, and I'd rather wear a Wested than a Novak any day. Bring on Indy 4!!!

what pants are those?love the color on them

Holt

Looks fantastic.....Congrats!

That looks very impressive. Best Wested I've seen.

Great looking jacket Whipwarrior. Fantastic how your order came out.

I love it!! Like I've said they're A++ all the way & Gemma is the best! Congratulations!!

Cheers!

Dan

Wow, that is one gorgeous jacket and it fits you absolutely perfect. Congrats!

-Corey

Congrats on one #### of a good looking jacket, whip.

Perfect SA out of the bag.

I actually think it looks much better than the real Crystal Skull jacket.

Millions of gearheads voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

A moment please to grieve one of the best distressed jackets ever....

Now, as for your new one it's fab!

Perfect fit and nicely detailed. Bravo!

I actually think it looks much better than the real Crystal Skull jacket.

VERY TRUE.
I think the Nowak jacket has very wide sleeves that are disanalogous with the body.

PLATON wrote:

I actually think it looks much better than the real Crystal Skull jacket.

VERY TRUE.
I think the Nowak jacket has very wide sleeves that are disanalogous with the body.

Absolutely. The real Crystal Skulls jacket is not flattering to Ford's physique like all the others. It's like they were trying to hide his lithe, muscular form, rather than proudly displaying it—as the lambskin jacket in Raiders does so admirably!

Very strange.

Thanks for the compliments, guys. I am pleased as Christmas punch with my jacket. The leather already looks 10 years old, straight out of the bag, so it's a pre-distressed, no sandpaper jacket! (I just made Michaelson's day with that last statement). I'll post the vids when I get home from my Star Wars fan club meeting tonight. Stay tuned!

whipwarrior wrote: The leather already looks 10 years old, straight out of the bag, so it's a pre-distressed, no sandpaper jacket! (I just made Michaelson's day with that last statement).

That 'thump' you just heard was my jaw hitting the floor, Dale! I NEVER thought I'd read that you would accept a jacket 'as is'!!!!

HURRAH!!!!

Regards! Michaelson

whipwarrior wrote:Ordered: 2-25-08 ~ Received: 4-8-08



But this happy tale is marred by darkness, and a bit of twisted synchronicity. Literally hours before, I ripped a large L-shaped tear in the back shoulder panel of my coveted LC jacket (which I have worn proudly for the last six years) while maneuvering an oversized package through a narrow door during one of my daily deliveries. The culprit was a stout 1/4-inch piece of wire that holds the 'Open' sign to a suction cup on the front door of the establishment. The damage was devastating, disheartening, and absolutely irreparable.


Specifications:

Crystal Skull jacket
Size: 40 regular
Novapelle cowhide
100% cotton silesia lining
brass D-ring sliders
X-in-the-box stitching on side straps
NO leather zipper facings

Not to get make this thread go too off target (as the main subject is your great new Wested), but your experience (unfortunately for you) whith your lambskin jacket perfectly illustrates the point about the fragility of lambskin. Cheers

You are an evil young man and a bad influence upon society at large. My order for an identical jacket went out this afternoon. You should be ashamed of yourself.

whipwarrior wrote:Ordered: 2-25-08 ~ Received: 4-8-08

To echo M.L. Jones' post from November 2003, Peter Botwright really IS God. He, and his talented group of leather artisans at Wested have crafted the perfect Indiana Jones CS jacket, straight out of the bag. After offering a brief prayer to the god of balance and proportion, I carefully opened my long-awaited package to find a perfect leather jacket, spec-on to my SA requests (namely, pocket placement). Wested's patented novapelle hide is buttery soft and substantial, yet not heavy; almost like unfinished suede (perhaps a light dressing of Pecards can give it back a little shine). The distinctive double-stitched shoulders are an identical match to the jacket in the full-body publicity still of Harrison Ford, along with the KOTCS dropped back panel yoke and collar configuration. I grew increasingly apprehensive at the sight of every detail that I noted in my orginal order, because we all know from Murphy's Gear Law that the creation of the perfect jacket can throw the entire universe out of alignment. ;-)

But this happy tale is marred by darkness, and a bit of twisted synchronicity. Literally hours before, I ripped a large L-shaped tear in the back shoulder panel of my coveted LC jacket (which I have worn proudly for the last six years) while maneuvering an oversized package through a narrow door during one of my daily deliveries. The culprit was a stout 1/4-inch piece of wire that holds the 'Open' sign to a suction cup on the front door of the establishment. The damage was devastating, disheartening, and absolutely irreparable. Later that evening, I set the jacket aflame in a gasoline-soaked pyre, in the tradition of the great Vikings and Celts before me. The spirit of my Wested LC drifted into the evening sky in a shower of orange sparks, and its spirit was reincarnated into my new jacket that I would open the next day.

I documented opening the jacket and my initial examination for posterity, along with a brief action video of me whipcracking in full gear. Pics for now, video tomorrow.



Specifications:

Crystal Skull jacket
Size: 40 regular
Novapelle cowhide
100% cotton silesia lining
brass D-ring sliders
X-in-the-box stitching on side straps
NO leather zipper facings

but your experience (unfortunately for you) with your lambskin jacket perfectly illustrates the point about the fragility of lambskin

Absolutely. The minute I pulled my jacket off and saw the damage, I swore on the spot that I will never order another lambskin jacket again.

You are an evil young man and a bad influence upon society at large. My order for an identical jacket went out this afternoon. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Ashamed? Well... maybe just a little. ;-) But it's good business for Wested, and you know they're not complaining!

That 'thump' you just heard was my jaw hitting the floor, Dale! I NEVER thought I'd read that you would accept a jacket 'as is'!!!!

Believe it, sir! To quote Mike Myers as Linda Richman: "Hand to God," no sandpaper, abrasives, or chemicals shall ever touch this jacket. *waves smelling salts under Michaelson's nose*

Sorry about the lack of videos guys. I just bought this new camcorder, and I'm having trouble figuring out how to use all of the software that comes with it. I'll see what I can do this weekend.

whipwarrior wrote:

but your experience (unfortunately for you) with your lambskin jacket perfectly illustrates the point about the fragility of lambskin

Absolutely. The minute I pulled my jacket off and saw the damage, I swore on the spot that I will never order another lambskin jacket again.

You are an evil young man and a bad influence upon society at large. My order for an identical jacket went out this afternoon. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Ashamed? Well... maybe just a little. ;-) But it's good business for Wested, and you know they're not complaining!

That 'thump' you just heard was my jaw hitting the floor, Dale! I NEVER thought I'd read that you would accept a jacket 'as is'!!!!

Believe it, sir! To quote Mike Myers as Linda Richman: "Hand to God," no sandpaper, abrasives, or chemicals shall ever touch this jacket. *waves smelling salts under Michaelson's nose*

Sorry about the lack of videos guys. I just bought this new camcorder, and I'm having trouble figuring out how to use all of the software that comes with it. I'll see what I can do this weekend.

I presume this was the super-duper crazily-distressed LC jacket of yours?

Believe it, sir! To quote Mike Myers as Linda Richman: "Hand to God," no sandpaper, abrasives, or chemicals shall ever touch this jacket. *waves smelling salts under Michaelson's nose*

Bravo, old friend!!!!

HIGH regard! Michaelson

Great jacket! Peter did an outstanding job on that one. With the buckle, you're looking very CS - you just need to wear the bag strap over the jacket. Honestly, that finish is growing on me. I may have to get me one of those in a Temple length...


Ron

That is truly a great jacket. The bag strap and buckle look great too!

Of course the bag strap and buckle is perfect, Lee- YOU made it! And it perfectly compliments my new jacket! I'm still in awe at how you managed to source the IDENTICAL roller buckle, because I spent months looking for one, with no luck whatsoever.

I presume this was the super-duper crazily-distressed LC jacket of yours?

You are correct, sir! (echoing Phil Hartman's Ed McMahon from SNL). My beloved LC jacket has gone to that big leather shop in the sky.

Congrats on the new jacket and my fedora's off in honor of your LC jacket's demise. That's a real shame. I always thought your LC jacket looked just like you had stolen it right from the Smithsonian's display it was so dead on.

Thanks, Minnesota. That's exactly what I patterned it after. I will miss it, but I feel confident that my new jacket makes up for the loss. So I guess I can live with it.

Again by looking at those pictures I cnt whait to have mine!

one thing that struck me was when I looked at the KOTCS picture when you see the jacket from the front,you see there is no bottom seam on the jacket.this is exacly like the smithsonian LC jacket had.

I am glad I had the chance to notify Gemma before my jacket allready was cut and sewn together......so now I am getting the jacket without that seam.

anyways the jacket looks great!

Holt

Yeah, I noticed that, too, but I didn't want to burden Wested with any more details than necessary. I know that they put that seam on all of their Indy jackets, but I think it's for strength. So that was my one concession to complete screen accuracy on the CS model. I can live with it.

EDIT:

what pants are those? love the color on them

Sorry Holt, I missed your question the other night. Those are vintage M.B.A. Last Crusade pants from 1999. I bought a second pair in 2000, along with 2 pairs of their dark brown Raiders trousers. I'm keen on getting a pair of Wested pants, too, just to see how close they are.

EDIT 2: Here is a front view of the jacket, which shows the pocket placement and collar configuration better.

Collar looks much better than the film CS jacket. So does the body; less bulky. More trim-fitting.

However, you need to do something about those sleeves. New jacket sleeves always look weird until they start to bunch up and develop all the creases and folds characteristic of a well-worn jacket.

whipwarrior wrote:Yeah, I noticed that, too, but I didn't want to burden Wested with any more details than necessary. I know that they put that seam on all of their Indy jackets, but I think it's for strength. So that was my one concession to complete screen accuracy on the CS model. I can live with it.

EDIT:

what pants are those? love the color on them

Sorry Holt, I missed your question the other night. Those are vintage M.B.A. Last Crusade pants from 1999. I bought a second pair in 2000, along with 2 pairs of their dark brown Raiders trousers. I'm keen on getting a pair of Wested pants, too, just to see how close they are.

EDIT 2: Here is a front view of the jacket, which shows the pocket placement and collar configuration better.

thanks for the reply.they look great.I love seeieng LC gear.you see so little of it.there are too many raiders fans in here.(by this statement of mine I am for sure gonna be nailed up against the wall LOL)

anyways it looks great.

the lack of bulkyness is IMO the missing facings wich makes the jacket stiffer in the frontand maintain its shape.so without them it becomes a more ''raiders'' trim fit with CS appereans.JMO

the pocket flaps looks amazing.if peter could make the raiders pockets with those flaps instead of the standard flaps he uses it would look so much better,even if those flaps arent raiders flaps.they are nice and very curvy.

bests
Holt

However, you need to do something about those sleeves. New jacket sleeves always look weird until they start to bunch up and develop all the creases and folds characteristic of a well-worn jacket.

I know. Those pics were taken about 1 minute after I put the jacket on for the first time. I still have to work in the sleeve creases and roll the collar to make it sit more naturally. Looking at KT's pics, I think my jacket might benefit from a light coating of Letaps to give it a little bit of shine. I've been obsessively studying all available CS shots of Harrison with the jacket, and the leather looks ultra-shiny in some pics, (Empire magazine cover), and like a plain matte finish in others (February's Vanity Fair). Also check out the videos on indianajones.com: Indy's Hat and Jacket, and the second on-set video from New Mexico. Same effect. Personally I think it's just the lighting, and I suspect that the two leathers aren't the exact same type of hide.

don't change a thing! This jacket looks perfect!

Can you comment on the weight of this novapelle compared to your other jackets?

Thanks

Wearing the jacket right now as I type this, I would describe the weight as falling somewhere between the Wested horsehide and the standard lamb (which is all I've ever owned, prior to this, my first cowhide jacket). It's very soft and snug, like being wrapped in a comfortable old baseball glove, I imagine. It drapes and folds very nicely, and the novapelle has a wonderful characteristic texture: not too smooth, yet not incredibly grainy, either. Must be seen (and worn) to be truly appreciated. I'll work on posting that video today.

Enjoy while you can, Dale. We're supposed to have a frost up here tomorrow night, and after that, well, you know...... SUMMER!!!! We don't HAVE Spring in the South!

Regards! Michaelson

We don't HAVE Spring in the South!

Tell me about it! The whole season just SKIPS! But you'd better believe I'll be wearing it to KOTCS next month- temperature be hanged! I'm screen-accurate and proud of it!

Perspiration and all!

Regard! Michaelson

I've been having all kinds of trouble trying to upload my video files to YouTube. Maybe because of the HD video size, and the fact that it's about 10 minutes long. I did manage to post the whipcracking demo with my CS jacket on MySpace: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32254918

whipwarrior wrote:I've been having all kinds of trouble trying to upload my video files to YouTube. Maybe because of the HD video size, and the fact that it's about 10 minutes long. I did manage to post the whipcracking demo with my CS jacket on MySpace: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32254918

Man! The jacket moves nicely (softer and more flowing than the stiff-looking movie jacket) but I just love the whip-cracking! Makes me wish I could afford to blow a grand or so on a bullwhip.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I got that DM back when they were still affordable! Times how they have changed...

After wasting most of the day trying to upload it on YouTube and Google Video, I realized that the file sizes were too large. So I had to break it into five parts, which I am uploading via MySpaceTV (which only accepts video files of 100MB or less). Uploading Part 1 now, but it's slow going, even with high speed DSL internet. Then you have to wait for the MySpace mods to approve it, which might add a few more hours to the process. I'll post the links when everything is ready. But it's a good show, and you guys will be jazzed when you see the jacket up-close.

jacket looks great..cant wait to see it in action

Here is the video of me winning the Wested lottery (in five parts):

Part 1 - http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32313774
Part 2 - http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32318680
Part 3 - http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32323765
Part 4 - http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32329261
Part 5 - http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseacti ... d=32369831

I think the most amazing thing is the sheer patience you display while opening it!! That is some willpower there, I think mine will be on my back within 10 seconds of it coming out the bag.

Congrats again, great series of clips.

I hope they save that template over there, because I think my next order will be "I want THAT one!" The fact that im a 40[L] just made me drool even more looking at the label.

I think the most amazing thing is the sheer patience you display while opening it!!

Yeah, my wife said the same thing when she saw the video. But you mistake my 'patience' for wary optimism, tempered by the knowledge of how busy Wested has been this year, and some of the special order detail nightmares that I've read about. I'm just relieved that it turned out great. All of my hopes and worries are put to rest. It's probably the last jacket that I will ever buy.

Look for a sequel video when I receive my Adventurebilt CS.