thoughts on a Magnoli jacket?

[Kaplan]

Hey TJ! Thanks for the review. I'm glad your jacket turned out well. I can't wait to see the pics.

I sent a very polite request for wested to take pics of my jacket before sending it out and I got this reply from Gemma today.

Dear Andy
This order will be £185,same price as custom jacket, this will be checked same as every other jacket before sending
Thanks Gemma

That's what scares me!!!!

[lump]

Hence my decision to stay away... Good luck.

[GCR]

It boggles my mind that there have been so many quality control issues with custom Wested orders over the last few years. I can remember a time when people got their orders from Wested with nary a complaint. Of course, those were the days when folks were mainly ordering custom sizes rather than spec'ing out custom mods. A simple shot with a digital camera of a jacket about to be shipped does not seem like it should be all that hard.

Tiberius - Sounds like you scored yourself an excellent jacket from Magnoli! Glad to hear he nailed most of your specs, save the missing stormflap snap. I can hardly wait to check out the pics! As I said previously, I've never had dealings with Magnoli. I doubt I'd go to him for "Indy" clothes specifically, but I have had a Magnoli HJ on my mind ever since I heard that Marc had decided to stop offering his custom HJ. I've also had my eye on several of Magnoli's non-Indy offerings, so the more feedback I get from satisfied customers, the better.

Looking forward to those pics!

-GCR

[Ragingblues]

I only have Magnoli's shirt, and can say without a doubt that it is too dressy, stiff, and non SA to be considered a real IJ shirt. It is a high quality garment, without a doubt. It's just not an adventure shirt, let alone an Indy one. I'm glad to hear that you're happy with the jacket and look forward to seeing the pics as well.


Ken

[Kaplan]

man...I really don't know what to do. Maybe I should start a poll.

[GCR]

georgecaplin said:

man...I really don't know what to do. Maybe I should start a poll.

You might end up having to make your own jacket at this rate! ;D Seriously though, given the responses from G&B and Wested, I'd say Magnoli might be worth a shot.

Hey...what about Todd? Does he offer any other leather choices for his custom jackets? Maybe he could be persuaded to make one with a special lining?

-GCR

[Kaplan]

gcr said:

georgecaplin said:

man...I really don't know what to do. Maybe I should start a poll.

You might end up having to make your own jacket at this rate! ;D Seriously though, given the responses from G&B and Wested, I'd say Magnoli might be worth a shot.

Hey...what about Todd? Does he offer any other leather choices for his custom jackets? Maybe he could be persuaded to make one with a special lining?

-GCR

You know....I would seriously consider that, if he would allow me to send him some stronger thread. (though, I must say, my experience is through owning one of his first jackets...and I'm sure that many things may have changed by now) I would be willing to send him material for a new liner. Maybe he could offer a different hide option?
*If you're watching Todd....tell me there's hope. *

[pitfallharry]

Yeah, I was going to suggest talking to Todd but I didn't know what kinda money you were looking to spend on another Indy jacket. Todd's custom ones run a little higher than the G&B jackets......It's hard telling how much higher the cost would be IF he's able to do what you requested.

It's worth a shot.....

It's to bad Wested seems to be falling apart lately. I've considered buying another jacket from Peter in Lambskin down the road but it seems like every single jacket he ships out has some kind of an issue.

I'm not a stickler for all the little details when it comes to the jacket. I do like that my Todd standard jacket looked like the Raiders jacket right out of the box. I really like that I was able to get this look without having to special order anything. I don't like to hassle with that stuff. I just want it off the rack and ready to go. So I'm perfectly fine with the G&B "as is" IF I buy one...

It's a shame costum ordering from anywhere has to be such a chore.

[Kaplan]

pitfallharry said:

It's a shame costum ordering from anywhere has to be such a chore.

YEAH!!!!! ..... I was really really disappointed to learn that I maxed out all my G&B Indy possibilities. I have a lamb and a goat, and apparently once you have those, it's "No soup for you!"

I would get another G&B and have it modified locally if they would just make it in a different leather. I like the idea of having three unique jackets for three types of scenarios.

Anyways...I got a quote from a guy in town that "said" (after I showed him screen caps and specs) that he could make me an Indy jacket from scratch, but it would cost me a little over $700.

I really hope I'm not making too big a deal out of this. It's all very confusing and it just makes me want to have my own jacket made locally. I've spent more than $700 in the past on stuff less beneficial than an Indy jacket. Vegas anyone?

[GCR]

;D...Vegas....


So could we be witnessing the birth of the "Kaplan Custom Indy Jacket", here? I think it would be pretty cool if you managed to find a local (and unique) source for custom Indy jackets, though I don't know if I'd pay $700 bucks. After all, if I had $700 bucks, that's money I could spend on more hats.... ;D

Seriously though, I really interested to see where this leads. It's too bad that G&B didn't work out. I'm not totally surprised, though. They've got their options and they won't budge and that's that. And Wested, well, it's really too bad about Wested. I certainly haven't ruled out buying another jacket from Wested in the future, (probably LC style) but I can't say I won't be nervous as hell waiting for it to arrive. More options are always better.

-GCR

[Kaplan]

gcr said:

;D...Vegas....


So could we be witnessing the birth of the "Kaplan Custom Indy Jacket", here? I think it would be pretty cool if you managed to find a local (and unique) source for custom Indy jackets, though I don't know if I'd pay $700 bucks. After all, if I had $700 bucks, that's money I could spend on more hats.... ;D

Yeah...$700 is a lot. After all, I did just get finished whining about the price of the IJ4 jacket. ;D
Well, it looks like I won't be able to make any moves on this until the holidays are over anyway. I'm going to be out of town for a while.

[lump]

Here they are, al last! The pictures. Keep in mind that this is not an Indy jacket, it just resembles one. I'm sorry about the lighting and whatnot, but the snow covered ground outside just washes all my pictures out and you can't see a thing, so these were take inside on a cloudy day.

Interesting note about the warmth... this jacket has the satiny lining, and I had to wear it in 28 degree weather, at night, with only a fishing shirt underneath for me to feel cold wearing it. Yet, it doesn't make me want to rip it off the second I get inside.
<a href="http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb36/Fedora_Dog/Magnoli%20Vintage%20Jacket/?action=view¤t=Strap1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb36/Fedora_Dog/Magnoli%20Vintage%20Jacket/Strap1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Deleted]

Looks like a great jacket.

Magnoli came up with a nice design.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[GCR]

Great pictures, TJ!!! That jacket sure looks like a winner!

It definitely has that "Indy" look to it from the front, but the back has a much more vintage vibe. I like the combination of the two looks and I think it works well. How is the quality of materials and construction? Is the jacket overly heavy or overly light? Does it feel "dressy"?

Thanks for posting these pics!

-GCR

[lump]

gcr said:

How is the quality of materials and construction? Is the jacket overly heavy or overly light? Does it feel "dressy"?

Thanks for posting these pics!

-GCR

From what I can tell, the jacket is high quality all around. Even and consistant stitching, and it seems strong. The hide is excellent and has a great color. It's not as heavy as I expected, considering it was described as "heavy cowhide". It's lighter than my old A-2. I think it looks as dressy as most new, undistressed leathers look. The styling makes it look good casual, though, and should distress naturally for a great lived-in look. As for feel, this feels like a serious jacket, not a dainty dress garment. This is not just a costume piece... the jacket feels built to last.

[Kaplan]

I just saw a Magnoli Raiders jacket over at "another site" that looked pretty darn good. Everything seems to be correct except for the zipper extending to the bottom of the jacket and no inside zipper facings. If anyone else has seen this, what do you think? Has Magnoli seriously improved his Raiders jacket?

[dougc]

I think it looks pretty good, though maybe a little too dark (looks black on my monitor) which is minor, the strap buckles need to be changed and I can't tell much about the zipper but it doesn't look silver. Hopefully after the thing gets wet a few times, it'll drape better around the shoulders because it sort of looks like it's got shoulder pads now, but I'm sure it doesn't.

Doug C

[Kt. Templar]

I think it looks very nice, looks like a well thought out and proportioned jacket. Hate the buckles.

However, one issue I have with it is: the stitching on the pockets and the collar is too far in from the edge, it gives them a 'piped' look which is not very Raiders. The only place on the jacket that should have the 'piped' edge is the top of the pocket flaps. It's nothing to do with the thickness of the leather, I have a horsehide and even that isn't 'piped'.

There are other makers who do this too, I've suddenly realised! That's what's bugged me all along!

[Kaplan]

Thanks KT! I'm going to ask Magnoli about this.

[Kt. Templar]

Course the seams on the back of the sleeves, across the yoke, on the shoulders and on the arm/body join are wider, but still not as puffy.

[docjones]

Aug 7, 2008 1:02:19 GMT -5 Kaplan said:

Thanks KT! I'm going to ask Magnoli about this.

G&B WILL make their Expo in another leather, you just have to ask. They will charge a little extra for it, and it will make the jacket a non-refundable purchase. I know that they have made them in nappa cowhide recently...

[Kaplan]

Aug 7, 2008 11:48:13 GMT -5 docjones said:

Aug 7, 2008 1:02:19 GMT -5 Kaplan said:

Thanks KT! I'm going to ask Magnoli about this.

G&B WILL make their Expo in another leather, you just have to ask. They will charge a little extra for it, and it will make the jacket a non-refundable purchase. I know that they have made them in nappa cowhide recently...

I already have two G&B's and I'm not entirely interested in different colors or different leathers unless it were horse hide, which they told me that they can not do.
On the other hand, I am interested in those little nit picky things that most jacket makers don't want to take the time to incorporate.

[lump]

Aug 7, 2008 17:59:36 GMT -5 Kaplan said:

I already have two G&B's and I'm not entirely interested in different colors or different leathers unless it were horse hide, which they told me that they can not do.
On the other hand, I am interested in those little nit picky things that most jacket makers don't want to take the time to incorporate.

Magnoli maintains (and has yet to let anyone down) that he will make custom changes. "Totally custom" as he puts it. Now, I happen to like his standard designs (even the sliders, which look wrong but work much better) and the wide stitching, which I think gives the jacket character, and not look so plain. But he can go a long way in making a more screen accurate jacket, and will work with you regarding what you want.

Oh, and the dark brown doesn't look that dark in person, though I prefer a lighter color (and have recently ordered a shade lighter).

[jackyll]

A few days ago I saw new pictures of the magnoli adventure jacket. I may be wrong, but he seems to have change the pics. It is offered in 4 styles. Some of the pics shows a dark brown predistressed look which is fabulous. Those anyone owns one like that?