Help Deciding on a Jacket

[Vivli]

Hi everybody! I'm new here and wondering if I could get some advice on ordering Indy jackets.

Basically, it's my 21st Birthday soon, and when asked what I'd want as something I could keep forever, after much thought, I realised I'd always wanted to own Indiana Jones's jacket. As I'm sure most people here felt like!

I've always tried to wear brown jackets of a sort and such, just because that look has been burnt into my mind since I was a child, and then, while thinking about what I'd want, I found Wested's website.

The problem I have is deciding between the different types of jackets they offer. Basically, the 'special offer' one or the normal Raiders one. After trying to google for advice, I eventually found this website, and thought I'd ask the experts!

Obviously I want my jacket to look as much like the film version as possible, although I probably won't pick up on a lot of the little details like some posters here seem to. I know I want the Raiders cut (I do know that Wested do a Last Crusade version too), and I figured in the 'authentic brown lambskin' as that's, well, authentic, although if anybody has any other opinions I'd love to hear them. I know I don't want it predistressed because I want any character it gets to come from me wearing it over the years, if that makes any sense.

The real problem is I don't know which is best. The lighter special offer version, or the heavier, more expensive, standard version. I'm pretty slim, so not worried about the slimmer fitting one fitting, but want to make sure I get the right one. I unfortunately don't have the money to collect these jackets, but also like the idea of just having one jacket I can wear for years and years (and as a 21st birthday present, it'd always mean something to me), so I want to be certain I get the right one.

So what do you guys think? To me, Indy's jacket has never looked that light or slim fitting, so I'm leaning towards the heavier one, but I'm really not certain. In an ideal world I'd pop into Wested and look, but I unfortunately live too far away, and I don't like the idea of actually seeing the jacket in the 'flesh' as it were until my birthday anyway.

Can anybody give me any advice? Obviously, I'm a complete amatuer when it comes to this kind of thing, so literally, even basic tips that otherwise might seem obvious would help me a lot.

Many thanks to anybody who can help!

[Deleted]

vivli,

1st off Welcome to the Lounge.

At this time a lot of folks are getting Horsehide Jackets from Wested. From what I've seen here they are very nice jackets.

They are A heavier hide than the Lamb and I think more durable.

I'm sure more folks will chime in to help you.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[Vivli]

Thanks a lot! Thanks for the welcome too!

Is horsehide TOO heavy though? I'd quite like a jacket I can wear most of the year, and I'd be a bit worried about ending up with one I can only wear when it's really cold.

Also, I do want it to look as close to the screen version as possible, and was under the impression horsehide was a bit stiffer than that. Of course, I could be wrong though! I only know what I've picked up from browsing this site and a few other google pages. That's why I'm asking here!

Anyway, many thanks for the advice, and sorry to keep asking questions. I just obviously want to get it right! I'm definitely looking forward to it though, provided I can pick the right one.

The really hard decision I'm having is between the normal one or the slimmer one, although I'm still leaning towards the normal one, but am not sure.

[lump]

Vivli,
For hide, goatskin and lamskin are light, and if you get the jacket a little loose fitting, you can wear a sweater underneath them when it gets colder. Goatskin is very durable (horsehide shares that quality, but it's much stiffer and heavier). Cowhide is a little bit heavy for the warmer months, but better than lamb or goat in cold weather.

Personally, I would avoid Wested unless you live in England. There have been issues of having to send jackets back and forth to get them right, and shipping will get very expensive.

Since you're not worried about every stitch being a perfect match to the movie jacket, I highly recommend www.magnoliclothiers.com/catalog. You'll get a high-quality jacket, made to your measurements, and you can ask for modifications to the design if you want any, maybe even a zip-out lining! I have a cowhide jacket that I reviewed here near the end of the Magnoli Jacket thread. Take a look.

[Vivli]

Thanks for the advice. Just to be clear, I do live in England. Unfortunately, a little too far away to drive to Wested (it'd be cheaper just to pay to send it back if it's wrong). I do like the sound of the lighter leather, and just wearing a jumper, so that's good.

The Magnoli jacket looks quite good too, but it seems slightly more expensive. To be honest, it'd probably end up too expensive, once I've paid overseas postage. But also, since I live in England, and Wested do seem good for that, I'm quite tempted by them too.

I'd also like the jacket to look a little scruffy too. Magnoli seems very fancy for that! I'd be a bit worried it'd be too...dressy...for an Indy jacket.

Sorry if that sounds like I'm poopooing your help! I don't mean to. I'm just really interested in the Wested ones, especially since I live in the right place to easily get one.

[lump]

Given where you're located, you should be fine dealing with Wested (especially since you don't have to convert with the worthless US dollar!), and I don't say they are bad jackets. I love my Wested Lambskin.

But, For Everybody's Info; Magnoli's leather stuff looks fancy on the website, but it's no less "adventurey" than Wested's in person. Also, Magnoli prices include shipping.

At any rate, if you want a Wested, go for it. You are in the right place to take advantage of what Wested has to offer without the risks that his international customers have. If I were in your shoes, I'd go with Wested. I might even go through the expense of going to his shop. What am I saying. I KNOW I'd go to his shop!

[Vivli]

I would like to try and get to his shop, but it's not really my decision to make. I'm at university, and have no car. (Shame, I'm only about 60 miles away when at university, but that still adds up to 120 once I've made the journey back!). To get out there, I'd have to get my parents (who are buying it as my 21st birthday present) to go, and they live even further away! On top of that, actually finding the time doesn't seem feasible. It's a shame, but in a way I like it, because I really don't want to see the jacket until my birthday anyway. I figure it'll be a nicer suprise then, to see it in the flesh for the first time on my actual 21st.

Thanks for the tip on the Magnoli one by the way. I guess the website is just so fancy it makes people assume it's a very fancy jacket instead! But he definitely seems very professional about it, and has lots of great looking coats and jackets on there.

So if I go for Wested, wanting a fairly light jacket, the authentic lambskin seems like a good idea. But I'm still confused between this special offer and this normal jacket. Are there any significant differences? Does anybody know which ones looks the most like the film version, or are the differences really not noticeable?

Also, is there anything else I should be aware of or ask for? There seem to be a lot of little issues people notice on here, so I want to make sure I get what I request right.

Thanks again for the advice by the way!

[Kt. Templar]

Hi there,

I believe the main problem people have had is a lot of jackets in the past have had very tall pockets with small flaps that have very straight edges. The tall pockets came about because people wanted to use the handwarmers and folks with bigger hands complained that the original pockets were too small to use. It's taken a long time to persuade Peter to go back to doing screen accurate smaller pockets, but people like Marc have got them recently.

The £125 jacket has smaller pockets, silver zipper smaller yoke etc. The flap shape is still a little off, truth be told, slightly more pointy than curvy. It is a lighterweight than the standard Wested but not by a lot. From all accounts it's probably slightly thicker than the Todd. However, one caveat the £125 and possibly the £145 is made overseas. Whilst the £165 is made in the UK if that makes any difference to you.

The £145 jacket is there jackets without any modifications so may have bigger pockets and a brass zipper. But it will be slightly thicker.

The custom is £165 and you can choose many different modifications and order exactly to your size but a lot will bring you round to the £125 jacket!

I really do suggest you go down there, they are open on saturdays, if you can get into central London the train over to Swanley isn't a long trip. One advantage of going there... if you end up buying a shirt and a pair of trousers you should be able to get a bit of a discount.

Of course you could phone your parents from there and get them to pay over the phone!

If you are not able to do that you could get them to send you some leather samples, lamb and horse, just to get a feel. You will note that the lamb really feels light and horse heavy compared to most jackets you will have seen in the past. I have one of each, for day to day wear the lamb is very good, up to the low 20°C and down to about 5°. The horse is a bit warmer so you probably wouldn't wear it over 20° but could down to 0° for short periods.

Another option is to order a £125 and try it on and see how you like it, send it back if the fit or weight doesn't suit.

The other option is to get the $149 Todd, it IS lightweight but that price is unbeaten. You will pay a bit more for postage though! However, the one Todd jacket I have seen in the flesh was not well made, it had fairly uneven stitching and mismatched leather, it was one of the early "custom" jackets though.

Check out my WWW for some pics of various jackets.

Custom Lamb:


Custom Horsehide:


ROTLA Special Offer Lamb:

[Vivli]

Wow! Thanks!

That was really helpful. Brought a few things to my attention that I wasn't aware of, like the pockets and such. Are the pockets on the normal Wested noticeably larger than on screen, or is it a harder thing to notice? I only ask because as I want to wear this as an everyday jacket, larger pockets might be more useful, but at the same time I have the desire to be as accurate as possible.

I think leather-wise from what I've heard I'll go for the lambskin, although that leather samples suggestion is a good one. But I like a fairy light jacket, and then just be able to wear other things underneath it, so it sounds good to me.

Is the lighter jacket noticeably lighter than the norma Raiders jacket visually? It's just that the actual Raiders jacket never looked all that thin to me (although, obviously I'm speaking as a bit of a layman!) and I'd be a bit worried the lighter jacket doesn't look right. Also, I saw someone mention on here that it had shoulder pads, which is another concern, because I didn't think Indy's jacket had shoulder pads.

Sorry to keep barraging you with questions! You've been really helpful so far. Many thanks!

[Kt. Templar]

vivli said:

Wow!

I think leather-wise from what I've heard I'll go for the lambskin, although that leather samples suggestion is a good one. But I like a fairy light jacket, and then just be able to wear other things underneath it, so it sounds good to me.

Is the lighter jacket noticeably lighter than the norma Raiders jacket visually? It's just that the actual Raiders jacket never looked all that thin to me (although, obviously I'm speaking as a bit of a layman!) and I'd be a bit worried the lighter jacket doesn't look right. Also, I saw someone mention on here that it had shoulder pads, which is another concern, because I didn't think Indy's jacket had shoulder pads.

I think one of the biggest surprises for people once thay really start to delve into the details of the Indy costume is how thin the jacket actually is. The original was lambskin. Many would swear it were something much tougher like goat or horse.

If you look closely at a couple of key scenes in raiders it becomes very clear. Watch when indy is filling the sandbag outside the temple and Satipo grabs his arm, see how soft the leather is? Also watch the fight with the german mechanic, see how it is very flexible when he is being knocked around?

You'll notice the same with many screen jackets, they are usually much lighter leathers than you'd expect, mostly to cope with the hot studio lights but also for drape and mobility.

The lighter jacket doesn't really look that much lighter in colour or in weight, but to the touch it is noticable.

Don't worry too much about the shoulder pads, request they be removed or take them out yourself, anyone with even simple needle skills can do it.

[Vivli]

Thanks. That was really helpful actually. I personally prefer lighter leather anyway, so that's really good to hear. I might request to remove the shoulder pads though (or take them out myself), not a fan of having pads in a jacket.

Thanks for the advice though. It's made me change my mind, and I think I'll go for the special offer one in lambskin (I don't think it's available in other leathers anyway, is it? But I wouldn't want it in something else). Unless there's anything else I should consider about it?

It certainly makes sense the jacket being thin from a film perspective anyway. Even 'in universe', it'd make sense Indy would wear a light jacket, since he's almost always in hot locations!

Anyway, thanks again. You've been really, really helpful!

[Mr. Fusion]

I would definitely go with the Special Offer lamb. I have only one jacket, the Special Offer lamb, and I love love love it! To be more specific, I have the "crunch" lambskin. I don't know much about accuracy when it comes to Indy's jacket, like what kind of sliders one the sides, pocket size, collar size, zipper color, lightness, etc. I just know that mine looks like Indy's. And that's all that really matters to me.

I hope that you find your perfect jacket. And in my opinion, you can't go wrong with the Special Offer Raiders lamb.

-Josh

[Kt. Templar]

The crunch seemed a bit light in colour when I saw it for real. Did you Pecard it or wash it? It looks great and has worn in excellentantly.

Whoo'd a thunk it!

[Vivli]

Thanks for the advice! I did look at the crunch as well, but decided I wanted to wear mine in myself. I know that means at first it won't look that much like Indy's, as it'll look new, but I hope one day it will! (I mean weathering by everyday wear though, rather than actually doing it with various methods like I know lots of people do; I'd be too scared to try that!).

Yours sounds really great, by the way! I have to say, I haven't heard a bad word about the special offer lamb, which really encourages me.

Still, I haven't (well, my parents technically, this is a birthday present after all) ordered anything, because I've been looking into it, and I might actually be able to get over to the shop, as per KT's advice. I'm not that far away from London, so provided I can find the time, and considering I'd have to pay postage anyway, I might be able to get over by train. It does ruin the fun of a birthday a little to see them in advance, but I figure it'll be worth it in the long run as I can make sure everything's exactly how I want it before I buy it.

But I have a feeling I'll be going for the special offer, just this way I can make sure the size is right. Many thanks for the advice Josh, and I'm glad you got such a nice jacket yourself!

[lump]

I believe the special offer jacket is cut to fit a little closer to the body than the other off-the-rack Westeds. Anyone know for sure?

[Mr. Fusion]

No problem, vivli. It's my pleasure when it comes to helping other fans. Especially since I'm not an expert... does that really make since? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I'm an Indy fan!

-Josh

[Vivli]

lump said:

I believe the special offer jacket is cut to fit a little closer to the body than the other off-the-rack Westeds. Anyone know for sure?

That's what it says on the website. I don't know whether this makes it more screen accurate or not (I'm sure somebody else could tell me), but I'm pretty slim, so I figure the slimmer size isn't a major problem to me.

The website actually says;

'Unlike the Standard raiders which has slight modification to make it durable and street wearable this 'film jacket' although equally wearable is more lightweight.

There are no inside leather facings, the body is slimmer and the sleeves more tapered. The zip is a smaller 5 gauge nickel and the action pleat depth is narrower with two piped inside pockets.'

which makes it sound like it's slimmer but also more accurate to the screen. Is this that '80's cut' I've seen mentioned on a couple of threads here? I've been trying to work these things out from reading the threads on this forum, but as a complete layman, obviously I'm still a bit confused.

[Vivli]

I hope it's not bad form to double post, and I'm sorry if it is, but I thought I'd give everybody an update on what I finally went for, 'cause I suprised even me.

I ended up visiting Wested in person, and it was definitely worth it. I met Peter and I have to say the service I recieved was absolutely outstanding. He went through loads of jackets with me, explained each one, and was generally very very helpful.

First I looked at the Special Offer ROTLA, and I have to say, while it was a great jacket, it felt very light, and was a little shiny, so I wasn't entirely certain, which led to Peter showing me quite a few others. He showed me one from what I think is called 'novapelle' (sorry if that's a bit off and I just look silly!). He said it was based on the Crystal Skull new jacket and the Last Crusade, and again, I was really impressed. To my layman's eyes, it looked identical to the Crystal Skull pictures I had seen.

Still, when I think of Indy, the single image that springs to mind is him over the idol, bag of sand in hand, and Raiders was always my favourite movie, so I really wanted a more Raiders look jacket. Then he showed me a horsehide jacket.

Thing is, I didn't think I wanted horsehide. It sounded too heavy, too stiff, and generally not right for what I wanted. However, what he showed me totally changed my mind. Yes, it was heavy, but to be honest, not that heavy. To the extent in the cold winter I'd still want to wear a jumper under it. But it felt like I was wearing a jacket, and I liked that. The Special Offer ROTLA is an amazing jacket for its lightness. I never knew leather could be that light! But in England where it's often cold, I liked the idea of the slightly heavier jacket. Also, to me, it had that look of being a slightly scruffy jacket, that although not pre-distressed, already had 'the look' I wanted (rather than the very neat non-distressed Lamb). What was also great was that it was a former custom order (that apparently was sent back for being the wrong size), so it had a lot of the features of the Special Offer jacket I liked, such as a slimmer fit (or at least, the 80s fit, which is the same thing I believe) and smaller pockets. Although I know the horsehide isn't the type worn on screen, it felt like how I always pictured the jacket, if that makes any sense.

I tried on some more, but this is the one I went for. And I couldn't be more pleased. Peter was even kind enough to switch the rings on the back for me. They were D-Rings, but I'd heard that the D-Rings could slip a little, and wanted to be on the safe side, so asked for the rectangular ones. He then even gave me the D-Rings for safe keeping in case I ever changed my mind!

On top of that, I took a look at the denim jackets, and Peter ended up showing me an old cotton jacket he had of the design before, as we talked about how the denim jackets were a great idea for the summer. Unfortunately for Peter, this cotton jacket had faded a little in the light down one arm, so he couldn't sell it anymore. However, he mentioned he'd let it go discounted, for £20. It was my size, so I tried it on, and decided that the fading only contributed to the general worn look of the jacket and I really liked it. So I picked that up as well (well, what's a birthday if I can't buy a present for myself as well)!

My brother, who had come with me (along with my Mum, as this was for a 21st Birthday present, so she wanted to be there to actually buy it), and generally teased me over wanting to own an Indy jacket, even picked up a denim one having seen how nice they were!

So all in all, a very succesful trip for me to Wested, and I wanted to thank everybody here who helped. You really helped me think about it, and your advice was extremely useful.

Sadly, I don't get my jacket until my actual birthday, but I can wait! I did however get a few pictures of it, if anybody's curious. I know people like to see pictures of jackets on here sometimes, although I don't know if mine will interest anybody. Sadly, they were snapped on a camera phone, so not that great. Also, I apologise for the ugly guy wearing the jacket. I was gonna do something creative to blot out my face, which would have been fun, but it's late and that seemed like a lot of effort!

img352.imageshack.us/img352/3745/26012008wt6.jpg

img227.imageshack.us/img227/1680/26012008001si2.jpg

I don't have any pictures of the cotton one, but since I bought that for myself, I don't have to wait for it (my birthday's only two weeks away anyway), so I can get pictures of it if anybody wants to see them.

Again, huge thanks to everybody. I really appreciate it, and you guys were great. Also, a huge reccomendation from me to Wested, for what it counts for. If anybody reads this wondering if it's worth the effort of a visit, it really is. The service once there is incredible and you really get such a selection. And at first I honestly didn't believe that'd be the case, and that I'd be better off ordering on the net and posting back if I don't like it. This way was so much better and thanks to everybody who told me so!

Thanks again!

[Ragingblues]

It sounds like a story with a happy ending to me. I'm glad you were able to go in person and actually check everything out in person before deciding. If only more people were so lucky right?

Congrats,

Ken

[Deleted]

vivli,

I'm glad everything worked out for you.

I have to admit that I think it would be great to visit Wested and see with my own eyes all the available choices that Peter has to offer. It would certainly take the guess work out of the process of getting the exact jacket desired.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[Vivli]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I definitely know how lucky I am to be able to visit Wested. And I'm someone who at first didn't understand why. Before I went there, I didn't understand what difference being at the shop in person would make, hence my initial reluctance to go.

But now I definitely appreciate it and consider myself very lucky to be able to! And I very much appreciate the comments that persuaded me to go, because without them, I wouldn't have considered it!

[Kt. Templar]

Nice to know it worked out well. (Never had a doubt!).

Now, enjoy that jacket. The horsehide is a great jacket.

[IndyBlues]

The picture of KT's HH jacket looks SO Raiders screen accurate in color, to me. I have the same jacket, and I love it. The color is perfect to what my minds eye sees as the Raiders jacket.
Mike

[Vivli]

I found that too, actually. Obviously, I'm not much of an expert (although I'm beginning to feel it, considering how much thought I've put into this jacket!), but the colour of the horsehide looked very much like Raiders to me.

I actually think it helps that it's a bit stiffer too. It seems to help give it a bit of a 'rougher' look to it, if that makes any sense.

Peter actually said something interesting to me, that the lamb used to make the original Raiders jacket was a lot tougher than what they use now, because the type of material used back then isn't available any more. I don't know if I've got that exactly right mind you, and he may have just been trying to make me feel better about my decision to go horsehide (not that he needed to try, I was already convinced!). But it seemed like an interesting fact.

But I definitely find that it's very close to the colour I picture the jacket being, although so is KT's lambskin in the photo above.

Although, regardless of screen accurate or not, the jacket is one I'm more than happy with anyway. It just feels great to wear.

Although, I do have one last question, if anybody could help out. I was wondering about how the jacket distresses. I imagined because horsehide is stiffer, it'd distress more naturally (just with normal wear), which if it's true, would be ideal, because I want one day to end up wearing a distressed jacket, but it to be that way through me wearing it. But I wasn't sure if this would be the case, because it's a blind guess on my part, so I'd thought I'd ask.

Thanks again for the replies, and all the nice words after I posted what I got have been great too. You guys really are fantastic!

[COWBOY]

admin said:

It sounds like a story with a happy ending to me. I'm glad you were able to go in person and actually check everything out in person before deciding. If only more people were so lucky right?

Congrats,

Ken

uh huh......right.......thats what the problem was