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Post by dunross76 on Dec 16, 2007 23:43:13 GMT -5
Hi,
I have Wested jacket and am very pleased with it. I have to sent them back two jackets before we got the right fit. the first one was too tight and the sleeve was two short, the second one was simply too long. Peter and Gemma asked me to get my measurements again and we finally got a perfect fit. My Raiders jacket looks very much like the one HF was wearing in the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Since Wested is the original jacket maker, I wouldn't really consider any other maker. I am not saying that other jacket manufacturers deliver less superior products, it just makes me feel better to wear a jacket made by the same company that made it for the movies. Finally, in terms of customer service, both Peter and Gemma of Wested showed me lots of patience and understanding. Too bad, they weren't selected to make the jacket for Indy IV. I saw the pics of the INDY IV jacket made by Tony Nowak and it looks stiff and artificially aged. I also don't like the collar which seems very stiff too. Anyways, if you're not pleased with your Westeds, send them back to Peter for aletrantion. I am sure they will be able to accomodate your needs. cheers, Dunross
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Post by Ragingblues on Dec 17, 2007 8:39:50 GMT -5
Hi, I have Wested jacket and am very pleased with it. I have to sent them back two jackets before we got the right fit. the first one was too tight and the sleeve was two short, the second one was simply too long. Peter and Gemma asked me to get my measurements again and we finally got a perfect fit. My Raiders jacket looks very much like the one HF was wearing in the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Since Wested is the original jacket maker, I wouldn't really consider any other maker. I am not saying that other jacket manufacturers deliver less superior products, it just makes me feel better to wear a jacket made by the same company that made it for the movies. Finally, in terms of customer service, both Peter and Gemma of Wested showed me lots of patience and understanding. Too bad, they weren't selected to make the jacket for Indy IV. I saw the pics of the INDY IV jacket made by Tony Nowak and it looks stiff and artificially aged. I also don't like the collar which seems very stiff too. Anyways, if you're not pleased with your Westeds, send them back to Peter for aletrantion. I am sure they will be able to accomodate your needs. cheers, Dunross Hi Dunross, Welcome to Indy Lounge first off!  Pretty much everyone here atleast one Wested jacket, so we definitely know about them. The problem with Wested is not the overall quality of the jackets but quality control. Their attention to detail regarding specifics of your order can be somewhat disheartening. Almost everyone that has ordered a jacket directly from Wested will tell you that something was different than their order or was left off entirely, when it arrived. Buying a used one doesn't count as you know exactly what you're getting before you buy it. I have two Westeds and really like them both, though I had a total replacement of the one I actually ordered from them due to mismatched leather colors and feel. The new one fits better than the first (though it should have been the same based on the specs), but two more things had been left off from my original order. So, I personally know how things can and do go wrong with their orders. Don't get me started on the misleading, incorrect, or totally non-existent emails from Gemma... and having to ride them like a circus pony to get "part" of the shipping refunded to me to correct a problem that was their fault on the jacket. Between the quality control issues, blatant disregard for your order details in most cases, giant sized cargo pockets (after constant requests to make them normal sized), lower sleeve socket placement causing unwanted sleeve movement and Frankenstein arm syndrom, lowered yoke seam on the back panel, and general lack of pattern accuracy regarding a Raiders jacket..... I won't be buying another Wested jacket. Even though I still like many aspects of the jackets I have, the G & B Expedition is a far better choice for all accounts for me. Sorry to unload all of this at once, but I thought you should know that there are reasons many of us don't automatically jump through the Wested hoop when looking for an Indy jacket. I recommend the Expedition from Gibson & Barnes or Coyle's jacket offerings from Todd's Costumes as the first and second choices to anyone that asks. These are my opinions based on personal experience and from reading many, many experiences from other people in this interest. However, you may have had a wonderful experience, which I'm very happy for. I don't expect you or anyone else to agree with me about this, but I know many do. Please feel free to share pics of your jacket anytime you like. Ken |
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 17, 2007 9:31:44 GMT -5
that's been my experience as well, Ken. I'm just hoping that maybe someday Peter will buy a book on Six Sigma or something.
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Post by Kt. Templar on Dec 17, 2007 10:19:57 GMT -5
But will he start dressing like this:  |
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Post by dunross76 on Dec 18, 2007 16:01:27 GMT -5
Hi guys,
Well, I agree with you. As I stated, I had to sent two jackets back before I finally got the jacket I was pleased with. I looked at the screen caps posted on this website and it seems quite accurate. I am not sure about the size of my pockets, but they seem fine to me. I was a little put off how the mishandled my order, but they sent me another jacket and then another... I was never charged for shipping either. The only reason I went with Wested as this is the original jacket maker. I will certainly seek your advice when I will be getting another jacket. Actually, being a die-hard Indy fan since I saw the Raiders as a little kid I've decided to complete my Indy gear by adding a pair of Indy trousers and the shirt. Can you give me some advice where I should order my pants and the shirt? I really want them to be as accurate as possible. Finally, how do I post my jacket's pics on the this site? cheers, Dunross
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Post by GCR on Dec 18, 2007 16:13:52 GMT -5
Hi guys, Well, I agree with you. As I stated, I had to sent two jackets back before I finally got the jacket I was pleased with. I looked at the screen caps posted on this website and it seems quite accurate. I am not sure about the size of my pockets, but they seem fine to me. I was a little put off how the mishandled my order, but they sent me another jacket and then another... I was never charged for shipping either. The only reason I went with Wested as this is the original jacket maker. I will certainly seek your advice when I will be getting another jacket. Actually, being a die-hard Indy fan since I saw the Raiders as a little kid I've decided to complete my Indy gear by adding a pair of Indy trousers and the shirt. Can you give me some advice where I should order my pants and the shirt? I really want them to be as accurate as possible. Finally, how do I post my jacket's pics on the this site? cheers, Dunross To post pics, you'll have to find a place online to host them. I use Photobucket.com, as it's free and easy to use. Some folks go for Imageshack...either one will work. Just sign up, create your account and upload the pics you want to post (you may want to resize them beforehand so it won't take 8 years to upload them). Once you've got your pics uploaded, post away! As for the shirt and trousers, I'd say your best bet for accuracy as well as authenticity would be to get those items from Noel Howard. Of course, authentic NH gear doesn't come cheap...(especially the trousers). If you want more affordable options that don't sacrifice much (if anything) in the way of screen-accuracy, I'd go for the Wested trousers which are a close match to the NH pants, but for less money, and I'd also look into an Adventurebilt shirt, which should be dead-on screen-accurate, but also for less than an NH. Good luck in your search. I look forward to seeing pics of your Wested jacket! -GCR |
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Post by dunross76 on Dec 18, 2007 16:34:23 GMT -5
Hi GCR, I thought Noel Howard retired. I actually e-mailed him about the shirt and the pants, but he did not get back to me. I wonder why? Dunross
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Post by GCR on Dec 18, 2007 18:24:13 GMT -5
Hi GCR, I thought Noel Howard retired. I actually e-mailed him about the shirt and the pants, but he did not get back to me. I wonder why? Dunross He did retire for a time back in 2003. But at some point since then he has returned to the gear scene and is once again offering his fine Indiana Jones reproductions. I emailed him earlier this year regarding his current gear offerings and an up-to-date price list. It took him about a week to respond. I've heard it can take longer, so if your email was sent recently, I'd hold out a bit longer. -GCR |
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Post by dunross76 on Dec 18, 2007 18:30:20 GMT -5
great to know NH is back in business. I did e-mail him a couple of weeks ago though. I was supposed to go to London next week, but had to postpone my trip due to an unexpected condition that requires a major surgery. "it's not the age, it's the mileage" - I said to my girlfriend. HA!!!!! I go to London very often and I always want to stop by MBA Costumers, but never have the time. this time, I promised myself, I would pay them a visit...  Cheers, Dunross |
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Post by dunross76 on Dec 18, 2007 18:32:08 GMT -5
GCR, I just noticed you're South of Boston. I moved to Cambridge MA, this past Sept. What a small world!
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Post by GCR on Dec 18, 2007 18:40:47 GMT -5
GCR, I just noticed you're South of Boston. I moved to Cambridge MA, this past Sept. What a small world! Cambridge, eh? Yeah, small world it is. I spent quite a bit of time up in Cambridge about 8-9 years ago. Seemed like I was there every weekend. Well, at least the weekends I could remember...  -GCR |
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Post by dunross76 on Dec 18, 2007 18:47:29 GMT -5
I actually saw one guy wearing an Indy jacket as I was driving through Harvard Sq. I also get to see quite a few people sporting Fedoras around Harvard. Anyway, I moved to MA after spending many years in the tropics, so now I have a chance to enjoy my Indy jacket, my boots as wearing it in the tropics would be quite uncomfortable. cheers, Dunross
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 19, 2007 19:42:54 GMT -5
I heard back from Gibson and Barnes. Here's what I asked them: Here's what I heard back: I also emailed Wested 3 times and haven't heard back. Pretty much, the only one I have heard back from is Magnoli. I guess I'm back to square one, or I should just forget about it.  |
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Post by Ragingblues on Dec 19, 2007 20:16:35 GMT -5
Bummer news as it seems to differ from the wording listed on the website. Personally... I don't have a great deal of faith in Wested coming through on a laundry list of specs. If all you want is the full length zipper in silver and a new liner, I'm sure you could supply both and Peter would/could do that without much drama.
I have no faith that Magnoli can reproduce the jacket pattern accurately, much less with changes thrown in. It might be different if he were doing the work himself, as he seems to be a detail oriented person. But, throw in the fact that the work is being done third party and it makes things even more difficult (and expensive).
I think John's suggestion about having a jacket altered locally might be a good one to ponder. He had a new liner put in a jacket without any problem or much expense. I'm sure someone in your area could handle that and putting in a longer zipper.
Ken
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2007 20:23:24 GMT -5
If you have it relined you most likely could have them add insulation too at the same time for just a couple bucks extra.
Cheers,
John
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Post by lump on Dec 19, 2007 20:25:51 GMT -5
I just got word that my Magnoli jacket is in the mail. Honestly, unless this jacket is a complete bust, I see no reason not to get his Indy jacket, Kaplan. Sure, it's not the most SA jacket available... but to be totally honest, Wested's are rarely SA despite being "the original". Magnoli will give you a warmer lining, a collar change, zipper to the bottom... Nobody is perfect, but I've come to trust Magnoli with my Indy clothing needs. His relatively larger operation gives him the freedom to work more closely with the customer to get what they want.
I am really looking forward to this new jacket!
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Post by Kt. Templar on Dec 19, 2007 20:28:42 GMT -5
Wested can and do make jackets with the zipper close to the bottom of the jacket. BUT they do seem to only do it with jackets that do not have inner leather facings on the zipper, the construction of the jacket with the facing apparently makes it impractical to do. Note: Their £125 special offer jackets have silver zippers installed this way.
They will install a thicker lining if you supply the material.
They can also do the storm flap thing.
Which email address are you using to try and contact them. Try Peter@wested.com. Your requests don't seem particularly onerous to me.
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Post by GCR on Dec 19, 2007 21:07:03 GMT -5
Crazy random question straight outta left field: Andy, out of curiousity, why did you specify the "collar meeting the middle of the stormflap" dealie when you contacted G&B? The only reason I ask is because my G&B has this feature, so I then began to wonder if perhaps the two you already own do not?  Just wondering... Anyways, about your predicament...if I were you, after hitting a brick wall with G&B, I'd go either way as far as Magnoli or Wested. I, personally, have only had good luck with Wested, but the frequent issues others have encountered with their orders are enough to make me a bit leery if I were to be requesting a jacket heavy with custom mods. On the other hand, I've had no experience with Magnoli at all...good or bad, and have heard very little feedback on his custom products so far. Boy, I guess I'm actually no help at all... ;D Sorry man... -GCR |
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 19, 2007 23:08:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think at this point I'm pretty much riding the fence. I am really considering bringing one of my G&B's to a leather tailor to see if my mods can be done. KT: I am also considering going with Wested. But after sending emails to peter@wested.com, wested@wested.com, and gemma@wested.com I am thinking I would rather not. I just have this rule in my business and personal life that if people don't bother to respond or follow up with me, I just move on. I'll give them a little longer though...after all, it's the holiday season. Tiberius Jones: I am really looking forward to seeing your jacket. I hope it turns out well. Be sure to post a lot of pics! Griff: My G&B's do both have the collar/stormflap thing correct. What happened is I created a form letter that I sent out to wested, magnoli, and G&B and only modified it a little depending on the company. I guess the stormflap thing slipped past me in the letter to G&B. I found it kind of strange that their sales rep said that they couldn't do it, even though they have always been doing it. |
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 19, 2007 23:09:29 GMT -5
If you have it relined you most likely could have them add insulation too at the same time for just a couple bucks extra. Cheers, John Great idea. This may be the way to go. Thanks! I'll have to talk to my local leather guy. |
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Post by Kt. Templar on Dec 20, 2007 3:19:56 GMT -5
KT: I am also considering going with Wested. But after sending emails to peter@wested.com, wested@wested.com, and gemma@wested.com I am thinking I would rather not. I just have this rule in my business and personal life that if people don't bother to respond or follow up with me, I just move on. I'll give them a little longer though...after all, it's the holiday season. You are right of course, if people don't get back to you they've lost the business. They do have an ancient couple of computers attached to a local network, their spam filtering seems over zealous too. Look forward to seeing what you come up with locally! |
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 20, 2007 9:31:12 GMT -5
;D Kt, just when we say that...I hear back from Gemma. She said the jacket is not returnable or refundable, but my specs are possible. Here's what I sent back: So, is that right? If they make a mistake, they'll fix it? Otherwise I would rather not take the chance. |
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Post by Kt. Templar on Dec 20, 2007 10:09:16 GMT -5
;D Kt, just when we say that...I hear back from Gemma. She said the jacket is not returnable or refundable, but my specs are possible. Here's what I sent back: So, is that right? If they make a mistake, they'll fix it? Otherwise I would rather not take the chance. If you ask nicely maybe they can take pics front and back for approval?  . |
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 20, 2007 10:19:36 GMT -5
If you ask nicely maybe they can take pics front and back for approval? . That's a GREAT idea. It's probably the answer. Thanks KT!  |
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Post by lump on Dec 20, 2007 21:19:40 GMT -5
On Wested; As of now, my advice would be to avoid them. (sorry). Yes, they will fix problems, but it will cost you to send the jacket back to them. Not unusual, but if you don't live in England that can get very expensive, and Wested has developed the reputation of making mistakes on a majority of jackets at this point. If that wasn't the case, I'd own three Wested's by now! I don't feel like spending time and loads of shipping costs to end up going back and forth several times to get it right. Nothing personal (Gemma and Peter are great people), just good business sense.
On Magnoli; I wanted to wait until I had pictures, but I'm too excited. The jacket was waiting on my doorstep when I got home today! Kaplan (and everybody else) - this thing is a home run. I asked for a full satin lining rather than the flannel, and I got what wanted. Three inside pockets, none of which mess with the drape of the jacket. It's made of his "dark brown heavy cow hide" which is beautiful. Comparing the leather to my Wested authentic brown lambskin; It has a slightly less shiny finish than the Wested, and the color is a little bit darker. It's also a truer brown (Wested's auth. brown has a strange gray-green undertone when new). Considering this is cow hide, it's fairly supple and light (slightly heavier than my US Wings goatskin). The zipper ends 1 3/8" short of the bottom of the jacket and appears to be antiqued brass (I didn't ask for any modifications to the zipper) and has the reversed european zipper pull. The collar is not half way on the storm flap, but I did not ask for that (and it's not an actual Indy jacket, anyway). The collar is, however, large enough to go completely around my rather thick neck when zippered all the way up (unlike my Wested)! The collar stand is the same width as my Wested's (this was my main gripe regarding the US Wings jacket).
In terms of fit... almost perfect. It feels a tiny bit snug across my shoulder blades when I flex (I think it's because of the location of the yoke seam). The only real "error" in my order is that I asked for a snap (press-stud) on the bottom of the storm flap, and they forgot it. Magnoli asked for the same detail on his own jacket and also didn't get it, so there might be some unknown issue there.
All together, there's nothing about this jacket that would really necessitate returning it, and it appears to be a high quality garment that's sure to draw compliments. Plus, despite not being an actual IJ jacket, it's almost indistinguishable from the front (except for the intentionally different collar), and looks no less "adventurer-like" than a Wested, G&B, or any of the other good jacket offerings out there.
Plain as I can put it: There Is No Reason Magnoli Jackets Shouldn't Be Listed With The Top Jacket Options. I can't wait to save up enough to get an actual IJ jacket from him.
On another note... I also own one each of his IJ shirt and pants, his original MKVII repo bag, and the HJ hat he now offers. Magnoli will remain my go-to man for IJ clothing. Is that a positive enough review? I hope so.
Pictures to follow as soon as I can take them!
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