New Wested Custom Novapelle!

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:35 am

Well,

I got the package on Monday, fast shipping since they got it finished on Friday. It's a very nice jacket, and of course since this thread is worthless without photos, I"ve placed a few below. I have to mention that I was surprised by the shade of the novapelle, I guess I should have remembered the cinnamon backing was from an earlier run of novapelle. I'll be looking for the copper novapelle when it comes out.

Anyway, the custom items I had on my list were pockets to match the size of my Todd's standard and sleeves that are about 0.5 inches wider in circumference than what is standard. The back length is 25" and it is a size 40 R jacket. It has gussets, and rectangular sliders, with no x-box stitching. Sleeve length about 24.25". They really were right on with the measurements since I checked them out. Looking at the jacket I would probably suggest slightly wider shoulders, slightly narrower bottom in back, and possibly a slightly altered collar, however, those are just nit-picky things that would probably make it less screen accurate.

PS - I apologize for all the pink flowers, I promise they aren't mine.

The second photo is a comparison with the Todd's standard.

PSBIndy · Post by **PSBIndy** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:37 am

Congrats!.....Novapelle is the "flagship" jacket for Wested. It's my favorite Indy jacket of all time!

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:43 am

Indiana Jones and the riddle of the pink flowers! Great jacket, I love novapelle!! ;-)

Indiana Citroen · Post by **Indiana Citroen** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:56 am

can you point out which jacket is which....Im 95% sure......but

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:41 am

I think both pics are the novapelle.

Browncoat · Post by **Browncoat** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:57 am

Both jacket are different. The OP states that he is comparing the Novapelle to a Todd's. ;-)

Todd's has to be the top (second pic) cause it looks worn compared to the other jacket which still looks unworn. Nice jacket!!

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:30 am

Browncoat wrote:Both jacket are different. The OP states that he is comparing the Novapelle to a Todd's. ;-)

Yes of course, but I was referring to the other two pics, with Bigrex wearing the jacket, and they both are novapelle! Sorry for the misunderstanding. ;-)

Post by **Holt** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:15 am

great jacket man,congrats.

wear it with pride

cj610 · Post by **cj610** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:15 am

Great jacket........looks like it fits perfectly.

Well done.

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:52 pm

PSBIndy,

I agree it's really a great leather, the grain is also really nice.

Indiana Strones,

My grandmother stays in this room during the holidays, hence the pink flower decor

Indiana Citroen,

Yep, I should have pointed out the Todd's is on top, the novapelle on bottom.

Browncoat,

Yep, you're right, thanks.

Indiana Holt,

Thanks, I hope they get you a horsehide replacement.

& cj610,

Thanks, it does fit well, it's a size 40R as I mentioned, but kind of a tailored tight cut, relatively speaking.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:46 pm

That novapelle looks GREAT, very nice fit. You'll notice it will mark amazingly well and the underlying colour will surprise you as it has an warmth which comes through with wear. Once you feel it's aged to the way you like I suggest you hit it with some pecard the results are very pleasing, IMO.

Inbanana · Post by **Inbanana** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:09 pm

Is this the darker version of the novapelle, or the lighter colored version...?

scot2525 · Post by **scot2525** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:19 pm

Looks great BigRex. I cant wait for the really cool months to wear my novapelle. This week it has been cool enough for me to wear my Todd Standard but still to warm to wear the novapelle.

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:55 pm

Novapelle really is the greatest leather ever to come out of Wested. Everytime you slip the jacket on, it's like wearing a buttery soft leather blanket.

P.S.- Excellent pocket placement as well! 100% screen accurate!

crismans · Post by **crismans** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 9:27 pm

This jacket really makes me want to get the Novapelle. It seems like such a great hide.

Maybe another LC jacket someday...

Indiana Joyce · Post by **Indiana Joyce** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 9:55 pm

That is so beautiful. I cant wait to slip mine on for the first time. I got the personalized tag and everything.

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:42 pm

Joe Biden on your TV seems to like it too.

SD

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:20 am

Kt Templar,

Thanksfor the advice, I already have a few minor scuffs and it does look like it has potential to lighten up with wear.

Inbanana,

It would be the darker version. The lighter color is from an earlier batch of hide. It has been out of stock for awhile as I understand it.

scot2525,

It's been cooler here lately as well. I wore the jacket today just on the way to work when it was a little chilly in the morning. I would've probably been warm enough without the jacket, but it was still a good excuse to put it on briefly. ;-)

whipwarrior,

I can thank Wested for the pocket placement, although it appears the other pocket is placed slightly differently.

crismans,

Thanks for the compliment of the jacket, the hide does have a lot of character.

Indiana Joyce,

I agree, the personalized tag is pretty cool. It also comes with a certificate.

St. Dumas,

I was wondering if anyone would notice or be able to tell who was on the screen. I suppose he should like the jacket, too bad I probably won't vote for him, I'm not thrilled about either ticket, but that's just me...anyway that's enough for politics.

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:31 am

Wow! That hide really does look beautiful! But it is cow, right? I don't know that I'd want one so heavy.

Either way - the jacket looks great!

Shane

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:42 am

McFly,

Yep, it's cow, but I think it's shaved down or something, it's not terribly thick. Of course, it's still much more substantial than Todd's standard jacket though. I've seen some cowhide jackets that weighed a ton, but this one is still pretty reasonable.

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:43 am

Rex, like I said before, keep the action shots coming. As long as they've got that wallpaper behind them. Those are the best.

SD

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:27 am

St. Dumas,

Ok, one more for your viewing "enjoyment" or curiosity. Here's one from the same run of photos with the jacket partially zipped up. I really don't have a whole lot of other photos right now. Mainly just more of me doing the same few poses of which I tried to pick a few of the better shots.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237 ... novap3.jpg

Inbanana · Post by **Inbanana** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:29 am

I've always thought the novapelle photographed nicely... still trying to decide between this and the washed goat for a ToD (...or unless Peter has some interesting lambskin in the works).

DVD Connoisseur · Post by **DVD Connoisseur** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:16 am

Inbanana wrote:I've always thought the novapelle photographed nicely... still trying to decide between this and the washed goat for a ToD (...or unless Peter has some interesting lambskin in the works).

I'm in the same boat. Both the novapelle and the washed goat are hides I've not yet purchased and both look fantastic!

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:49 am

Guys be advised: novapelle is a beautiful hide, I adore it, but is HEAVY compared to all the other hides.

Texan Scott · Post by **Texan Scott** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:09 pm

Indiana Strones wrote:Guys be advised: novapelle is a beautiful hide, I adore it, but is HEAVY compared to all the other hides.

This was really a consideration for me. Thanks for the info.

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:22 pm

I suppose he should like the jacket, too bad I probably won't vote for him

I think we should vote for THIS guy. He obviously has good taste:

bobjones · Post by **bobjones** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:30 pm

Indiana Strones wrote:Guys be advised: novapelle is a beautiful hide, I adore it, but is HEAVY compared to all the other hides.

Would you say its alot heavier than the G&B goat? That's the jacket I have, and as such the only frame of reference.

I would agree that of the "distressed"-style jackets, the Wested NP is amongst the most attractive.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:38 pm

Indiana Strones wrote:Guys be advised: novapelle is a beautiful hide, I adore it, but is HEAVY compared to all the other hides.

Lambskin, Goatskin, Cow hide, Horse hide.

The skins are lighter the hides are heavier. Novapelle is the lightest of the hides in general.

Of course you can get leathers shaved as thin as you want so you can get very thin Cowhides like the lambtouch, or choose the thinnest horse like Holt asked for.[/i]

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:41 pm

bobjones wrote: Would you say its alot heavier than the G&B goat? That's the jacket I have, and as such the only frame of reference.

I would agree that of the "distressed"-style jackets, the Wested NP is amongst the most attractive.

I don't know because I never handled a G&B. But I can say you that the weight of my novapelle (size 42R) is 1.85 kilos, that, if I well understand, means 4.08 lbs. So do your calculation.

Anyway this is a great jacket, my favorite, beautiful hide, colour, touch. Very soft and elegant. But not a jacket for your summer nights. And forget draping.

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:43 pm

Actually, I think it drapes pretty nice, especially without zipper facings. It looks very LC-ish, particularly the way the storm flap tends to sway over to one side.

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:47 pm

My np has facings, and heavy pockets, so it's stiff and not very draping. May be after some years of use and distressing...

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:59 pm

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:21 pm

That's SO wrong!

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:03 pm

One more entry, I tested some distressing on an obscure spot on the jacket and discovered that the leather takes it really well without looking "damaged" . The distressing only tends to make it lighter, more velvety, less shiny, and a little more worn looking. So, since my Todd's is the current "dressy" leather jacket and the novapelle already looks kind of distressed to begin with, I went at the novapelle with some additional distressing since I wanted to lighten it up a bit. Here are the results, it actually looks darker in person but lightens even more when photographed:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237 ... distr1.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237 ... distr2.jpg

indyrocks · Post by **indyrocks** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:05 pm

Great looking jacket-I love the hide.

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:09 pm

I'm not sure I like all that additional distressing...

Inbanana · Post by **Inbanana** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:20 pm

How did you get that effect? ...just sandpaper? Its starting to look like the NH jacket... I like it. Will you use pecards or aviod it since it will darken up the jacket?

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:41 pm

Thank-you indyrocks I'm glad you like it all right.

Indiana Strones,

I should say it looks less mottled and more subtle in real life. More of a uniform darker color than the photos. Although it pretty much got rid of most of the shine on the jacket. Unfortunately, it's seems to be difficult to capture on film. Maybe if I get in a really bright room and don't use a flash the pictures might look more accurate.

Inbanana,

I stayed away from the sandpaper, I did use very fine steel wool to take off some shine though, before that I experimented with some alcohol. It actually made it look darker since the dye just got smeared around more evenly. Next I dunked it in water and washed out some dye. I then "quick" dried it (several hours) on a heater and rotated and checked it from time to time. It may have shrunk a bit, but I kept stretching it out. The shine had returned, so I took a scrub brush with plastic bristles and it took off the shine and restored it to it's former velvety texture while making it look a little lighter.

So, 1. alcohol rub down
2. very fine steel wool
3. water wash
4. soft plastic scrub brush

Sounds pretty drastic, but it actually looks pretty good in person, still kind of a grayer brown but more brown to me than when it arrived in the mail. The leather photographs well and looks more brown in the first photos than it did in real life. In real life it looked more of a grayish, brown/black to my eyes. Now it is a lighter shade of that with more brown overall. It looks more worn in the photos than real life, there are no scratches or abrasions on it, just a pure velvet texture with some variation in color across the hide.

Looking at it again, there still is some shine left but it has been reduced to a duller shine.

Inbanana · Post by **Inbanana** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:52 pm

Thanks... part of me really wants to try this and the other part just wants to go the natural distressing route... Wish I could afford two just to have one to experiment with...

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:59 pm

Inbanana wrote:Thanks... part of me really wants to try this and the other part just wants to go the natural distressing route... Wish I could afford two just to have one to experiment with...

Inbanana,

I understand, I usually prefer to stay the more natural route, but in this case I guess I was ignorantly expecting a lighter jacket than the current shade of novapelle that is in stock. My main reason for ordering a novapelle jacket was to get a lighter jacket. So, that motivated me to try to lighten it up somewhat. The idea of shoe polish even crossed my mind but I think that would end up being a very bad idea since it would ruin the more natural novapelle finish and might get all over everything the jacket rubbed across. So, this is my compromise strategy, or something like that.

Indiana Jake · Post by **Indiana Jake** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:55 pm

Forgive my ignorance, but is novapelle a cow hide or lambskin? What other characteristics make the novapelle a good choice? I am considering cowhide, authentic washed lamb and now novapelle. So many choices armed with too much information.

Indiana Jake

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:59 pm

Indiana Jake wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but is novapelle a cow hide or lambskin? What other characteristics make the novapelle a good choice? I am considering cowhide, authentic washed lamb and now novapelle. So many choices armed with too much information.

Indiana Jake

Novapelle is like what was used in the latest film, it is cowhide. Authentic washed lamb would be more like what was worn in the earlier films such as Raiders. Depending on what style jacket you're aiming for and what film, that will determine which hide you should focus on.

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:05 pm

Novapelle is a predistressed medium-weight cowhide which is nearly indistinguishable from the Crystal Skull jacket leather. Advantages? Being cowhide, it is much more durable than lambskin, and predistressed saves you the trouble of aging it. Plus, you'd be in good company as a novapelle owner, as the leather has been universally praised by everyone who has bought one.

Louisiana Jones · Post by **Louisiana Jones** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:14 pm

My novapelle gets nicer every day.. definitely a great hide for sure. It's been six months now and the grain is really starting to pop. Looks awesome.

BigRex enjoy the jacket bud.

LJ

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:33 pm

I remember Holt saying that he had requested his Wested CS without the bottom seam stitching, making it SA. How did that ever turn out?

JimL · Post by **JimL** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:52 am

whipwarrior wrote:I think we should vote for THIS guy. He obviously has good taste:

You have GOT to send that to Peter.

I'm sue he'll get a kick out of it!

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:21 am

Louisiana Jones wrote:My novapelle gets nicer every day.. definitely a great hide for sure. It's been six months now and the grain is really starting to pop. Looks awesome.

The same here, with my NP! ;-)

Indiana Joyce · Post by **Indiana Joyce** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:47 am

That coat of pecards i added last night, well it soaked right in. And to the naked eye some spots seem darker, but with a flash, and in alot of lights, the subtle color variations are there.

coronado3 · Post by **coronado3** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:24 am

So is the NP cut in the '80s fit?