Another Indy Jacket on the Market

[Deleted]

I see Indy Magnoli is now selling an Indy Jacket too.

host385.ipowerweb.com/~indyprop/osCommerce/catalog/


I can't get a direct working link, you need to copy and paste to your browser window.

Cheers,
G-MANN

PS: Before anybody asks, NO ! I am NOT buying one to review. I thinks Todd has got the winner here and once he goes into full scale production he will have the Best Indy Jacket out on the market.

[Ragingblues]

My thoughts (even though nobody asked ):

1. There will be no backlash against Magnoli for making an Indy jacket, atleast nowhere near the level of harsh comments Todd received at COW. Funny too, since Magnoli is now copying the design of the Noel Howard shirt and pants, Alden boots, and the Indy jacket. Where will the rage be over all this stealing of business from those vendors?

2. This comes as no surprise to me (him adding Indy jackets to his line up). I also fully expect a Magnoli Adventure fedora to make an appearance in the near future.


Ken

[pitfallharry]

Ok, now it's Blues turn. We expect a full report when you get the jacket RB! ;D

Just kidding.....

It's nice to have another jacket on the market though. The price doesn't seem that bad and I'm sure for people wanting another jacket they can "customize" Magnoli would be perfect for them.

For me however I think when I go to get another Indy jacket it's going to be Todd's.

[Deleted]

admin said:

2. This comes as no surprise to me (him adding Indy jackets to his line up). I also fully expect a Magnoli Adventure fedora to make an appearance in the near future.


Ken

I am POSITIVE that he is working on THAT right now. I will take bets that you will see him offering Indy (ADVENTURE) style fedoras within 3 months.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[Ragingblues]

Pitfall.... before I buy any sort of gear, I need steady income!

At this point, I have 2 Indy jackets, which is more than enough. If I were to buy another right now, it would either be a Todd's jacket (depending on the look of the leather he finds as a regular source), or a G&B Expedition.

Our priorities right now are 1. Steady Job and 2. Baby coming in May, 3. Buy a bigger house or add on to this one. Beyond that, I only have a list 2 feet long of things we need to buy/do/places to visit.

Ken

[pitfallharry]

Well, even though he is offering replica Indy stuff he does have some other stuff I think some people might be interested in. I like some of the other jackets he's offering as well.

I wonder what his "source" will be for the hats IF he does start offering them? I would think in order to stay competitive in that market he'd have to offer a hat at least as good as the Akubra or JPD's. I can't see him touching the AB market though.

[pitfallharry]

admin said:

Pitfall.... before I buy any sort of gear, I need steady income!


Our priorities right now are 1. Steady Job and 2. Baby coming in May, 3. Buy a bigger house or add on to this one. Beyond that, I only have a list 2 feet long of things we need to buy/do/places to visit.

Ken

Sounds like me......well except for the baby part......( I hope) ;D

Once I FIND something I want to get some different boots. My hat I don't have to worry about and then maybe this summer depending on what's going on with Todd's jackets I'll order one myself.

[indianatone]

I guess it's an option for folks. My observation is that it looks like the Wested. The cut looks like it came off a current Wested pattern. Now, a person can get a Wested version of the jacket from - well - Wested. I can see some spots on that jacket that give it the same features a lot of people aren't happy about to begin with. It looks to have the same issue about an Indy pattern cut with modern day fit in mind. The cut that makes things feel "un-costumey" and consequently never look correct.

If Todd keeps those build specs the way he has them now, my next jacket is a Todd's (unless it takes so long that I forget about it completely.) ;D

Of course, money's a factor here as well and it's doubtful the motherload is coming in between now and the next two years. So, all gear is on hold and I'm just happy I found some decent stuff before the well ran dry.

At some point I really do need to grab one of those IOABs, too.

He is offering some other stuff on his site which other people should enjoy being able to order. What he really should have being made overseas for him is the Deckard coat. That'd be pretty popular; though at $699, still too much for a jacket that'll spend most of its time in the closet. But a great way of being the "Go-To" for it should people really have to have one.

[Kt. Templar]

I have spoken about his boots and the his bag before.

Boots are too expensive and so is the bag. The bag is also too soft to be a real contender. I've seen one of his bags for real... it feels like soft washed womens denim. I din't like the strap on his bag either it was a bit ragged round the edges on a 6 month old strap.

I was looking around for a strap to send as the COW santa gift and ended up sending a NH. The prices were similar across the board.

His jacket will probably as well or as badly as his boots do. He does make quite a lot of stuff but like I said his prices always do seem just a bit high considering that the cost of living in NZ is so low.

My 2p's worth (That's about 4¢ )

[pagey]

It's a pretty uninspiring looking jacket - especially the way it's modelled sagging on an ill-fitting model. But then I'm not a big fan of Magnoli - something about the way he's trying to offer every bit of Indy gear, along with some folks' belief that he can do no wrong, just irritates me. I had his idol and wasn't much impressed. He does a very fine headpiece though and a lot of people seem very satisfied with his stuff. Perhaps they'll like his jacket too.And hey, it's convienient - just pop once to Magnoli's Indygear superstore and fill your trolley with a complete Indy outfit and all the props from all the movies. Easy as buying a hamburger!

[Deleted]

His props are VERY Expensive in my opinion.

I have had a pair of IM's Cotton Pants and his shirt. Both I thought were way too DRESSY for action gear.

I agree with Pagey and Tone about the Jacket. It looks like a modern day Wested and as with all the jackets (Todd Excepeted) it has the look of a Fine Italian leather jacket which to me does NOT say Indy.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[pitfallharry]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Todd the first to try an offer a jacket that looks like it's "worn in" so to speak? I'm not talking about fully distressed like the US Wings and other jackets but his jacket looks like someone else owned it and wore around for awhile before it was sold.

[Deleted]

Harry,

No you are not wrong. The texture incorporated into the leather does give it a worn in look and feel.

Cheers,
G-MANN

[pitfallharry]

Well I think that's an advantage Todd has got over all of the other jackets then. At least for me it's an advantage. I've had my Wested since Christmas of 05 and I've worn it non-stop and it still looks like it just came in the mail yesterday. I'm not into "distressing" the jackets artificially like some are but I'd like to have a jacket that relaxes over a short amount of time and conforms to my body shape. So far I don't think my Wested has really done that. About the only thing that it's done has gotten a little less shiny and that was only after I covered the jacket with Fuller's Earth and then removed it.

[Ragingblues]

Nice one KT.... pointing out the value of the pound vs. the dollar! ;D

I agree that the Magnoli shirt is too dressy to be Indy. I haven't put mine on since the Noel Howard arrived. But, to be fair... there is no other Indy shirt like the actual shirt anyway!

I can see where Pagey is coming from about Magnoli, and I think that is a wider held position among the masses. I don't mind anyone making a profit, especially on something nice. But, he seems to have an "air" about him that makes the high prices that much harder to swallow, for me anyway.

Ken

[GCR]

My take: (This is a long one, might want to hit the bathroom first and grab a drink before you settle down to read it! ;D)

I've never done business with Magnoli, though I've had my eye on several of his replica props and select pieces of the Magnoli Clothiers line (both Indy and Non-Indy) for a while now. I like the looks of most of what he has to offer in both props and clothes, although in some cases the prices seem a bit too high. The Adventure Boots, for example, are practically as expensive as a pair of Aldens. What's an extra 10 or 20 dollars at that price range, if it means you get the "name"? Perhaps if the savings on the Magnoli boots were more significant, say 75 dollars or perhaps even 50 less than the Aldens...then we'd be talkin'...

As for the jacket, this really strikes me as strange. If you are going to offer an item that is already available from a multitude of sources, most of which are already offering a fine product, and you are going to offer it at a price that exceeds two of your major competitors, shouldn't your jacket offer something the others don't, to justify the price? Let's check it out:

(The following price info is taken directly info on the vendor websites)

The Wested, runs you around $250 for the jacket and $35 for shipping (to the US). They were the original maker, so they have that pedigree and they are custom made, so you can have things tweaked if you're going for a more screen-accurate look (though some adjustments will result in a price increase). The wait time can get to be a little long, and there are occassional issues with order specs not being followed (ie, someone wants a silver zipper but gets a brass zipper, etc.) and durability (stitching coming loose) though I've never had an issue myself.

The Flighsuits / G&B expedition, runs $408 (for goatskin) to $428 (for lamb). Has a better (more screen accurate) look for "Raiders" right off the bat, has off the rack sizing and is touted as being "tough as nails". While it costs more than the Wested, it attempts to justify this by offering a more accurate Raiders look (so you won't have to spec out a list of mods to submit with your order) as well as better durability. Also has the pedigree of being designed using specs from a screen-used stunt jacket...

Todd's Jacket, at $299 (special preorder price), it comes in a bit more than the Wested but over $100 less than the G&B. Off the rack sizing. It is also touted as being very accurate to the Raiders specs (including some of the latest discoveries, such as actual sliders as an option for the side straps), along with having a great worn in look, (and not so much new leather shine) right off the bat. It justifies the higher price because of these things. The only unknown is durability.

Now, we have Magnoli's jacket. $365 makes it more expensive than everything but the G&B. As has been stated, it bears a strong resemblance to the Wested, but is over $100 more. It doesn't appear to be any more Raiders accurate than the standard Wested, and it even includes hardware for the side-straps that are not accurate to ANY of the 3 Indy films...zipper color and construction cannot be determined from the photos on the site and durability is an unknown. If I was going to pay $365 for a jacket, it MUST bring something more to the table than the other jackets, that are priced less.

So in conclusion, I just can't fathom what angle Magnoli is trying to work...I could totally understand if he had some major issue with a certain design aspect of one of the other jackets out there and decided to make his own...but it doesn't appear as though that's the case. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now, though...(at least until somebody buys one and gives their take)

As for the type of leather, while Todd's jacket has a great, worn in look, there are certain nuances of the Raiders jacket that can really only be achieved with a very thin (almost dressy) lambskin.

This pic taken from the "Raiders screencap thread" in this section.



I'm referring to the weird, stretchy, wrinkly lines that appear in the chest and shoulder region of the jacket Indy wears in this scene. I don't think those are part of the leather's natural grain...here's why:



This is another lambskin jacket I own. I've worn it pretty often (whenever I was wearing something that required a black jacket rather than a brown jacket) for the last 5 or so years. It's very thin, dressy, lambskin and it was nice and smooth when I bought it. After a few drenchings from the wonderful New England weather, the wrinkles began to appear. The first thing I thought of was "Why can't I get these wrinkles in my Wested?!". The answer? I think the lambskin used in my Wested is too thick. If the Raiders era lambskin used in the Raiders jacket was thinner, it could be the reason behind these nifty little wrinkles...

So I suppose my point may be, some of those thin, dressy jackets might not look Indy right away, but with a little wear, they might just look better than you could expect.

-GCR

[pagey]

Very well thought out post GCR - but I'm especially grateful to you for posting that pic of your jacket! That's the first time I've seen something similar to that strange effect seen in Indy's jacket (in a couple of scenes anyhow). I always assumed it was down to the distressing, but i think you may veryx wellbe right that it's caused by the nature of the hide.

[Kt. Templar]

pagey said:

Very well thought out post GCR - but I'm especially grateful to you for posting that pic of your jacket! That's the first time I've seen something similar to that strange effect seen in Indy's jacket (in a couple of scenes anyhow). I always assumed it was down to the distressing, but i think you may veryx wellbe right that it's caused by the nature of the hide.

I had a thought that those marks might be a result from those rows of circular blades they use to thin down the leather to the required thickness, from the suede side.

[indianatone]

Good points, GCR. And yes, it is awesome that you have a jacket showing pretty much exactly what is seen on that jacket.
I thought it was a matter of distressing also, in that that part of the jacket had been wet and pinched or rippled from being wet somehow. This is why it doesn't bother me if Todd isn't able to find the "distressed" looking leather. As long as he keeps that cut pattern. (Also, there are many instances on the film jacket where it can be seen that it started out as nice and dressy leather smoothe.)

The distressed leather is a great plus but I hope it doesn't become the focal point for Todd moving forward on his jacket. Find a dressy leather, and build the jacket just like you did G-Mann's prototype.

Also, well made points about the release of another jacket on the market. What purpose and why so highly priced?

In fairness to the quality of the props, I was able to compare a Cross of Coronado from Magnoli at Finger Lakes and there is a definite difference in heft between a Magnoli prop and other makers. But the quality does not seem to have transitioned into the clothing line, and the prices for that stuff started off way too high.

The boots I'll never understand. Here was a great way to bridge the gap on a pair of close-enoughs to the Aldens that would have sold like hotcakes had they been priced within reason. But offering close enoughs for the same price as the real thing?
Kind of an odd strategy.

[Deleted]

OK folks here are a few close up pics of my G&B that I bought from MK.

I have always thought that this jacket was the closest screen accurate jacket around texture and distressing wise that I have seen. Check it out and you be the judges.











Here is the same jacket being worn.





Cheers,
G-MANN

[Ragingblues]

John,

I have never seen close-up shots of that jacket before. Man, that's some nice wrinkly leather!

I like that jacket even more now! Congrats!

Ken

[GoneSolo]

Looks like they opened up Pandora's Box over at COW.

[GCR]

gonesolo said:

Looks like they opened up Pandora's Box over at COW.

Huh??? I must have missed something...

-GCR

[GoneSolo]

Look up the thread on the Magnoli jacket. They started talking about Todd's and some people got mad that he hadn't shown it to them.

[pitfallharry]

I was already over there. I left a few posts. I'm not surprised by the reaction, are any of you? I don't want another "war" happening between these two sites. It just does nothing but take away from the time that could be more well spent discussing other stuff.

It was Todd's choice. He felt more comfortable over here than he did there. How is that our fault? It's not as though any of us here don't like our Wested's. We just gave him a fair shake that's all.

I hope Todd continues with the project and I hope it works out. I want to be able to buy one myself down the road.