NOWAK LEATHERS (Appeal to the Brotherhood of NOWAK Owners)

[Mitch LaRue]

Hi everyone,
I hope you can help me out here.

I'm preparing to order a Tony Nowak Jacket.

It's going to be a Tony Nowak RAIDERS Jacket.

But WHICH leather?

I honestly don't know.


I don't mean "I can't choose" (although THAT dilemma may yet come) - I mean I remain uncertain of exactly HOW many different leathers there are in which Tony currently offers this model of jacket (and moreover: WHAT they all look like.)

Now before you say "Well, do a search, there's a lot of great info out there" please believe me when I say "I know. I agree and endorse this practice. I'm NO stranger to the Search Button. I've quite literally spent hours and hours (and even a few more hours after that) entering numerous search parameters into that very useful little tool here at C.O.W..."

But I am running into some confusion.


For the most part, it's brought about by the fact that some info seems to now be outdated, some photos of different hides are either taken from a distance (that doesn't give us a really great look at the texture of the material) or is downright blurry and lastly, sometimes what appears to be the same leather is referred to by slightly different names.

In November of last year, binkmeisterRick started the fantastic "Tony Nowak Leather Comparisons" Thread... in it were fantastic photos of various jacket styles in various leathers (they included leathers like "shrunken lamb", "Raiders cowhide", "Raiders lamb" and "Raiders flat/matte lamb" .)

I thought it was Perfect.

But now we're living in a Tony Nowak world that also includes:
"Standard goatskin"
"Special Dark Goatskin"
"(Cow?) 747"
"Holy Goat"
"New Nowak Goatskin"
"Vintage Shiny Goat"
"Non-Shiny Vintage Goat"
"Happy Cow"
(the option of different mixes of grainy and striated parts)
...and maybe other leathers I've never even heard of...

And to be honest, my head is spinning.


So, my request of you is this:
If you are a proud member of the Brotherhood of Nowak Owners, please make a small PHOTO contribution to this Thread not only to help me out, but the many other people out there likely also looking to be better informed about these seemingly amazing jackets.
Please post a thread showing a couple of shots of your jacket (maybe one showing the entire length of you jacket and one showing a close-up of the grain of the leather) and identify the name of the leather. Write a few words about it, let us know if you asked for anything unusual to be done... or even if you're showing us something that Tony no longer makes.

For example, send something like this:
"Here's 2 shots of my TN Raiders in Shrunken Lambskin. I asked for it to be striated."

If a bunch of you fellas could post just a few shots and we get enough variety, hopefully we'll have a great (and current) thread that shows some of the latest stuff Tony is offering.

And please know that while I intend to order a Raiders Jacket, I certainly don't mean for this thread to be restricted to RotLA jackets... it's the LEATHER I'm hoping we can focus on.
If you've got a sharp looking TN Last Crusade Jacket - or whatever - and it's in a leather Tony's offering that you want to show off... please: Go for it.

Also, please know that I AM aware that I can try to contact Tony in some fashion and get a very current list of which leathers he is - and insn't - offering.
But to be honest, I don't want to get on the phone with the man and sound like a much of a dope as I currently feel like... one who doesn't even know what his Top Three leather choices would be even if Tony asked him!
I'd like to get prepped before I'm doing that and that's why I'm asking for a little bit of help from you in my education on this matter.

Thanks in advance for you (hopefully) help with this, guys!
I'm indebted to you.
Mitch

[bigrex]

I would ask for a set of samples in the mail, but first maybe folks can narrow it down for you a bit here.

[Mitch LaRue]

Exactly.
I was thinking about maybe getting to a few samples sent eventually...
Possibly...
But it's like you said: I'm really hoping that by getting a good look at some stuff here first, that I (and others) can narrow down the choices a bit.
Plus, I'm not interested in wasting (or taking up too much of) Tony's time...
If I (and, again, others) can choose what we're looking for based on contributions here in this thread, maybe we can even cut back on how often Tony's has to send out samples in the mail (or, at least to us C.O.W. Members).

[RCSignals]

Ask yourself what you want it made of.

Top of the list for a duplicate of the original jacket should be Shrunken Lamb.
-available in the orignal
-less grain
-and while available striated

for Goat I think Tony has narrowed the options:

the main ones now are

-Nowak goat
-shiney vintage goat
-non-shiney vintage goat.

-Supreme goat may still be an option

for Cowhide there is:

-the CS leather in original or dark
-747 cowhide
-Happy cow.

-The Italian cowhide may also still bea available as an option

They are all different prices, so what you want to spend may be another factor that could remove some of the above hides from consideration

The very best you can do, and should do, is talk these options over with Tony himself. Once you've narrowed down to what appeals to you ask us for specific photos. Might make it easier for you.

[Mitch LaRue]

A reply to RCSignals and Tundrarider:
First of all thank you both so much for chiming in.

I want you to know that means a lot to me...
I also want you to know, however, that while I appreciate how you both are saying that a customer of Tony's IS safe in proceeding by simply contacting him FIRST and describing to him what they want, that I AM still really determined (and hoping) to have a clearer picture in my own head of what kind of leather that the jacket I'm picturing will have in the first place.

I should mention that I'm not only a really visual person (comes from years of working in different fields of visual arts, I guess) but I'm also just a bit of a nut about control...

When I'm beginning a process like this one, I want to assemble as much info as I can (and know as much as I can) right from the launching point.
So, I'm still hoping to see some photos here... besides, I don't think there's currently another thread here in the Jacket forum that has a gallery of photos showing a lot of comparison of the leathers Tony's using, is there?
(Sincerely... I'm askin'... because if there is, I don't know about it. I f I'm wrong, someone please let me know.)

RC, you've provided this thread with some fantastic info to start things off... so again, thank you for that, but I am still hoping to populate this thread with a great offering of VISUAL info as well.

I am excited for you!!!

My good friend... having the support of your well-wishes (and enthusiasm) on this little quest of mine means a LOT to me... Thank you as always.
I all honesty, it will likely be a few more months before I'm (financially) ready to order this jacket (knowing that will give you a good idea of the kind of prep work I try to do - it's usually this far in advance) but I'm hoping to be wearing one of Tony's Masterpieces in the early part of the New Year (it'll definitely be my jacket for the "Full Gear 2010" Thread!)
Thanks again guys!
(Lookin' forward to your photos Michael... and thanks in advance!)
Mitch

[RCSignals]

Mitch, probably the closest single thread to having photos of a lot of the leathers offerd by Tony is the TN jacket owners thread.
There are of course other individual threads, and maybe people will repost their photos in this one.

I know your main point of this thread is photos of the various hides and I understand you wanting that.
Know though that with Tony you do not need a list of specifications to give him for his jackets, unless there is something specific you want done or changed to suit you. Especially for the Raider and CS jackets.
I just say this because it seems for many this has become 'standard' practice in order to get what they think is an accurate rendition of a screen jacket, and they have come to think it is necessary with every jacket maker.

[RCSignals]

Here are photos of my Temple of Doom jacket in 'Happy Cow'

back

back 2

front zipped

[IndianaBogart]

Off topic I know, but RC, your TOD jacket is incredible.
Just had to tell you.

-Bogart

[Mitch LaRue]

Frankly Bogie, I don't consider that to be Off Topic.
Please everyone, if someone posts a shot here and you want to take a second to do the written version of one of these: or these: feel free... I know I will.
I'm in complete agreement with IndyBogart... that jackets gorgeous, RC.

Thank you for posting those shots... and I want you to know that I do appreciate your point.
I realize that Tony's been making a habit of exceeding expectations, so I hope my desire to assemble some visual info here BEFORE I proceed to order from him isn't misinterpreted as any sort of lacking in this belief... it's not. I'm ordering from Tony. And I know he can make the jacket I want. But when you write "unless there is something specific you want done or changed to suit you"... well, that's just it: I don't think there is... but I want to be sure that that's how I do feel.
I figure that seeking out as much info on these different hides of his (hey, is this the opposite of 'hide'n'seek'... 'seeking hides'?) seems like a good way to find out for sure what I want to ask of him once I AM on the phone with the man himself.

Cheers,
Mitch

[RCSignals]

You certainly want to be sure of the hide you have it made in. I fully understand that.

[Raider S]

I think there's more than enough info on COW to narrow it down. Call Tony, buy a jacket and get leather samples - he'll talk you through it all.

For a Raider's I think the 747 is the best if you don't want to go the shrunk lamb route - I love this jacket and wouldn't change a thing about it.

[crismans]

Here's my latest. Raiders in the 747:



Here is my LC in dark CS cowhide:



And CS in regular CS cowhide:

Moderator edit: oversized picture

[Raskolnikov]

Hey Mitch, here you have some pictures of mine. I hope they'll help you in your decision:

http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss28 ... Front1.jpg
http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss28 ... 010420.jpg
http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss28 ... 010422.jpg
http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss28 ... 010421.jpg

I don't know if Tony is still working with this leather. It is the dark brown goat called 'Holly Goat'.
By the way, awsome jackets, RC and Crismans. I had already seen yours, Raider S, and still amazes me.

Best regards,
Rask

[Mitch LaRue]

Gentlemen, these are EXCELLENT!

Exactly the kind of thing I was asking for.

I hope that others who might make future contributions to this thread will follow the great example you've set here... Thank you all!


Raider S & crismans:
Neither of you mentioned it (likely because it's probably a "given"), so I want to be sure I understand (again, I apologize for this "jacket newbie" question) but: your beautiful - and they are - "747" Jackets... ARE they both in Cowhide?
(I guess what I'm also asking is: When someone says 747, is that always cowhide only?)
Sorry if that's a really dumb thing to ask... but I want to be sure.

Raskolnikov:
Just had to take another second to say again how in awe I am of your jacket... Gorgeous!
(I never did figure out what makes a "Holy Goat" different from any other kind of goat (just livin' a clean life, I guess)... somehow, it got lost in the sea of jacket-related info I've been swimming through lately... but I sure do like what I see!
Thanks for including some pictures on this thread!


Cheers guys!
Mitch

[crismans]

Mitch, 747 is the horrible name given to an awesome cowhide leather. I've worn mine constantly since I got it, and it only gets better.

[Mitch LaRue]

Thanks for clearing that up, crismans
(and "D'oh!" I just realized that RC already mentioned this fact in his post further up this page.)
Anyway, I can understand why you keep it on... it sure LOOKS the part!
Absolutely amazing!

[PSBIndy]

If you do a search, there was an excellent thread a while ago by Han Jones which shows a good pictorial comparison of the many different types of Nowak leathers available in both Raiders and LC jackets. Too bad it didn't become a "sticky" thread as it is an excellent reference for anyone interested in Nowaks.

[Raider S]

Mitch, here's my goat jacket after about six months of wear. Tony's jackets have tons of character from the minute you open the FedEx package. Please note this goat was from a limited amount of a decades old vintage hide he had on hand and made only two jackets from, but I wanted you to see it as it's similar to current offerings.

Right now I've been wearing my newer 747 (only available in cowhide) constantly. The goat is for the snow and wet so it's the one I wear in winter. There's a big difference between the two so it would be hard to choose. I've come to appreciate the cowhide and now understand why Tony uses it for so many of his jackets (non-Indy as well).

Any leather you finally end up with will amaze you and I haven't seen one that's not something I'd love to own - there's a reason these are becoming wildly popular!

[Han Jones]

I would not order until you get some samples. I have 2 Nowaks i have posted here yet. A Raiders in cow mohca that is a great leather for me but does not drape, it is very heavy. I have LC in Vintage goat and it is the one you would want if you were thrown from a moving vehicle but it does not drape. Get samples of the following: Shunken lamb, Nowak new goat, goat supreme, and 747.

[Castor Dioscuri]

Since the other gearheads gave more helpful suggestions on leathers, here is the one and only jacket that I recommend for you, Monsieur LaRue!



Clearly, you can tell I still haven't exactly forgiven you yet for those April Fool pranks...

[Pitfall Harry]

Just curious.....How much are these jackets running now? Does the price vary by the leather? The LAST time I even looked into this the jacket was running around $1000.

I didn't see anything on Tony's site either....

I've been looking at getting another Indy jacket down the road and I occasionally have been popping in to check out the pics but I lost track of the pricing...

[RCSignals]

I would not order until you get some samples. I have 2 Nowaks i have posted here yet. A Raiders in cow mohca that is a great leather for me but does not drape, it is very heavy. I have LC in Vintage goat and it is the one you would want if you were thrown from a moving vehicle but it does not drape. Get samples of the following: Shunken lamb, Nowak new goat, goat supreme, and 747.

Good advice, just note Tony will not send samples of shrunken lamb.

[RCSignals]

Just curious.....How much are these jackets running now? Does the price vary by the leather? The LAST time I even looked into this the jacket was running around $1000.

I didn't see anything on Tony's site either....

I've been looking at getting another Indy jacket down the road and I occasionally have been popping in to check out the pics but I lost track of the pricing...

Price by leather type.

[RCSignals]

Since the other gearheads gave more helpful suggestions on leathers, here is the one and only jacket that I recommend for you, Monsieur LaRue!



..........

It looks a little tight Castor, and I think to be SA the bow tie should be white?

[Mitch LaRue]

TWO things come to mind, Castor...

1: What are you even doing with this photo unless you're trying to sell me one of your own used straightjackets!
and
2: Man, that thing would look sweet in Shrunken Lamb!

Mitch

[gwyddion]

Mitch, Here are some pictures of my shrunken lamb:







As you can see the grain on mine is all over the place, from wrinkly in one spot to really grainy in another. I had the jacket for 2 days when I took these and it was already forming to my body by then

I hope this helps and I hope you will get enough info to be able to make up your mind

Regards, Geert

[Mitch LaRue]

Ahhhh... THANK YOU, Geert!
I was hoping to see some really great shots of Shrunken Lamb in this thread and you just delivered BIG time! Those are great pictures.
Much obliged.


Also:
I forgot to actually write this down earlier (although I sure was thinking it):
Raider S, you are one LUCKY man.
Owning both that gorgeous 747 and that amazing looking goat?
What beautiful jackets!
(I wanted to ask, by the way: Is your vintage goat what's called either the "Shiny Vintage Goat" or the "Non-shiny Vintage Goat"? ...I'm curious.)

Thanks everyone who's making this a really dazzling visual Thread!
Mitch

[mrkaboom]

Tell you something fellas im on the cusp of ordering a jacket and am seriously torn between Wested and TN. Wested is in the UK so i am able to go there and get fiited and make sure that i get the leather i like and some of the specs and its cheaper but the more i hear abot TN the more i want to order from him. My main concern is the measurements and the potential cost inc shipping and the risk it may not fit etc. Its not like i can go to the USA at the drop of a fedora and pop in to get fitted!

Nevertheless Im really enjoying this thread and count myself lucky enough to know about the 2 main protagonists in the Indy leather jacket world and all you lot that love it as much as me

Keep the pics coming guys!

MK

[gwyddion]

Hey Mitch, you're more than welcome

Tell you something fellas im on the cusp of ordering a jacket and am seriously torn between Wested and TN. Wested is in the UK so i am able to go there and get fiited and make sure that i get the leather i like and some of the specs and its cheaper but the more i hear abot TN the more i want to order from him. My main concern is the measurements and the potential cost inc shipping and the risk it may not fit etc. Its not like i can go to the USA at the drop of a fedora and pop in to get fitted!

Nevertheless Im really enjoying this thread and count myself lucky enough to know about the 2 main protagonists in the Indy leather jacket world and all you lot that love it as much as me

Keep the pics coming guys!

MK

You know, I've never heard of a TN not fitting You simply get a jacket that fits you well, go to his website to get the measuring instructions, measure the thing and send the results off to Tony with some pics of you wearing the thing. Tony does the rest. And no, I'm not in the US either

Regards, Geert

[Raider S]

Mitch, my goat would be close to the Supreme Goat but with more of a brownish undertone.

I think you would really like the Nowak Goat but as said before get some samples from Tony - you'll want one of each but after you take the sample, get it wet, sand it, etc. it will be much better than going by our photos.

[Baldwyn]

You know, I've never heard of a TN not fitting You simply get a jacket that fits you well, go to his website to get the measuring instructions, measure the thing and send the results off to Tony with some pics of you wearing the thing. Tony does the rest. And no, I'm not in the US either

Regards, Geert

There have been examples of a TN not fitting, but not usually because of a mistake of Tony's. Measuring jackets can be a fussy thing, and it's easy to get measurements taken in a similar way that differ by inches.

I ordered a jacket last week. I sent Tony 7 photos of me wearing jackets in his shop But we still went over measurements, and I did tweak some stuff. I think he wasn't sure about some of my tweaks, but ever single one of my tweaks was 0.5" so if I'm wrong it's not like the jacket is going to be totally wonky. Of course, every day I wait, I second guess every tweak, but that's just part of the fun!