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5* 1950’s All Weather Half belt repro seal brown goat

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17,483
Location
Chicago
I spent $25 and ordered ALL available leather samples from Shawn, including premium goat. All were spongy. Shearling was very light and flimsy. I will not be ordering from 5*.
To be fair goat is somewhat spongy by nature...Personally I find 5 star goat and cow to be a better hide than the cowhide used by Hercules, which was exceedingly light/thin and far too shiny and plastic feeling.... I would put both companies in the same sandbox/price point.
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,808
Location
SoFlo
Yeah, Herc cow is stuffed with waxes, with crazy pull up. I kind of like it though, my one Herc in russet is a keeper. I don't know if you handled their russet, but it is not thin. I find 5* too spongy and soft. Add to that a uniform finish and I decided not to order. Their distressing looks fake, too. Sorry about crapping all over it, but that is how I feel...:)
 
Last edited:
Messages
17,483
Location
Chicago
Yeah, Herc cow is stuffed with waxes, with crazy pull up. I kind of like it though, my one Herc in russet is a keeper. I find 5* too spongy and soft. Add to that a uniform finish and I decided not to order. Their distressing looks fake, too. Sorry about crapping all over it, but that is how I feel...:)
LOL...everybody is entitled to an opinion. I'm sure there are plenty here who likely wouldn't care for the hide but as far as goat goes, it's as good as any I've handled, although I'll admit that's limited. Maybe I'm wrong but goat in general does not age or behave the same as other hides...that's why 50 year old goat jackets show relatively little wear beyond creases, etc.
 

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,286
the premium steer seal I have is chipping away especially on the seams, any rounded edges, etc. Revealing a light brown underneath.

the samples I got (not as deep as the sample package) I've been running different experiments on. From what I can tell, the premium goat is pretty tough. All the samples are very top coat heavy. I don't see this stuff building up epic patina. You shouldn't expect Horween level results here, but you're getting a jacket for like $250. Some of us have gone over because we're custom designing. But it's all the same leather you can order in their stock jackets.

The veg tanned goat though is very stretchy. So there maybe with time you might get some layers of colors building up.

I got a feeling, like I think Ton said, in 20 years it's going to look pretty much like the day it arrived, maybe with some sleeve creases. But I don't know why the premium steer is different though compared to the other stuff.
 

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,808
Location
SoFlo
OK, while preparing the samples to be sent to @handymike, I re-examined them. To be fair to 5*, some are more spongy, a couple are much stiffer. Heavy premium goat is not too spongy. I encourage those who seriously consider multiple jackets from 5* to request a sample pack from Shawn. It costs $25.
 
Messages
17,483
Location
Chicago
OK, while preparing the samples to be sent to @handymike, I re-examined them. To be fair to 5*, some are more spongy, a couple are much stiffer. Heavy premium goat is not too spongy. I encourage those who seriously consider multiple jackets from 5* to request a sample pack from Shawn. It costs $25.
I would also add that explicit language about “heaviest and thickest” hide available be standard with every order.
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
I would also add that explicit language about “heaviest and thickest” hide available be standard with every order.

Fair enough. If I went with them again I would actually request the thinner hide. But I would ask for a dense hide, not a stretchy spongy one (if possible). The point of goat for me is its G1, wind-breaker lightness and once it is 1.2 to 1.5mm it looses much of its appeal to me.
 

Asinyne

New in Town
Messages
32
Caught a little break in the gloom and really wanted to post some at least half way decent pics of this jacket along with my thoughts on the build. I’ll update with better pics tomorrow but had to put something together for this jacket as it really is a gem imho.

First thing I want to say is that I believe Five Star makes a great jacket. I won’t compare it to Aero or any of the other high end, top dollar makers. I don’t think that is fair and there really is no point. The important point is simply that the jacket materials, construction and fit are all good! The appeal for me with 5 star is my ability to influence the design, completely tailor the fit, and have it turned around for a relatively small amount of money in a very short amount of time. I have hundreds of images of vintage jackets that I would like to have built. This process with Shawn brings a huge smile to my face.

I provided the following size information to Shawn to guide the build:
Neck hole diameter: 18”
Shoulders: 19”
Chest p2p: 22.5”
Waist:20.5”
Hem:21”
Sleeve:26.5” (Outseam)
Sleeve: 19” (inseam/pit to cuff)-high armhole
Bicep:8.5”
Elbow:7”
Cuff:6”
Armscye: 11”
1” front drop
26” back length
4.5” collar point (wide collar)
The jacket is based on this extinct vintage Halfbelt:
View attachment 273087 View attachment 273088
my jacket is seal brown premium goatskin, with poly satin seal brown liner and thread. I took the liberty of adding ornamental horn buttons to the cuff, which are standard with olive green storm cuffs.
View attachment 273100 View attachment 273101 View attachment 273102
And some fit pics:
View attachment 273103 View attachment 273104 View attachment 273105 View attachment 273106

I am thoroughly delighted with the end result and look forward to additional reproduction projects with 5 Star going forward! I will upload some better shots of the jacket in the coming days. Have a great weekend loungers!
Looks excellent. Thanks for all the details. If you don’t mind, what were your personal measurements when you ordered? I ask because your
Caught a little break in the gloom and really wanted to post some at least half way decent pics of this jacket along with my thoughts on the build. I’ll update with better pics tomorrow but had to put something together for this jacket as it really is a gem imho.

First thing I want to say is that I believe Five Star makes a great jacket. I won’t compare it to Aero or any of the other high end, top dollar makers. I don’t think that is fair and there really is no point. The important point is simply that the jacket materials, construction and fit are all good! The appeal for me with 5 star is my ability to influence the design, completely tailor the fit, and have it turned around for a relatively small amount of money in a very short amount of time. I have hundreds of images of vintage jackets that I would like to have built. This process with Shawn brings a huge smile to my face.

I provided the following size information to Shawn to guide the build:
Neck hole diameter: 18”
Shoulders: 19”
Chest p2p: 22.5”
Waist:20.5”
Hem:21”
Sleeve:26.5” (Outseam)
Sleeve: 19” (inseam/pit to cuff)-high armhole
Bicep:8.5”
Elbow:7”
Cuff:6”
Armscye: 11”
1” front drop
26” back length
4.5” collar point (wide collar)
The jacket is based on this extinct vintage Halfbelt:
View attachment 273087 View attachment 273088
my jacket is seal brown premium goatskin, with poly satin seal brown liner and thread. I took the liberty of adding ornamental horn buttons to the cuff, which are standard with olive green storm cuffs.
View attachment 273100 View attachment 273101 View attachment 273102
And some fit pics:
View attachment 273103 View attachment 273104 View attachment 273105 View attachment 273106

I am thoroughly delighted with the end result and look forward to additional reproduction projects with 5 Star going forward! I will upload some better shots of the jacket in the coming days. Have a great weekend loungers!
Looks excellent, thanks for all the details. If you don’t mind, what were your personal measurements when you ordered this piece? I only ask cause many of the measurements you specified seem close to what I’m looking at (other than you having longer arms, etc.), but I’ve been a little torn on where I land with my own. Your fit looks like what I’m looking for — I want it comfortable but also slim enough that it molds to my body — so if you’re a similar build to me, I might go with similar jacket specifications. Or at the very least it might help steer me in the right direction.
 
Messages
17,483
Location
Chicago
Looks excellent. Thanks for all the details. If you don’t mind, what were your personal measurements when you ordered? I ask because your

Looks excellent, thanks for all the details. If you don’t mind, what were your personal measurements when you ordered this piece? I only ask cause many of the measurements you specified seem close to what I’m looking at (other than you having longer arms, etc.), but I’ve been a little torn on where I land with my own. Your fit looks like what I’m looking for — I want it comfortable but also slim enough that it molds to my body — so if you’re a similar build to me, I might go with similar jacket specifications. Or at the very least it might help steer me in the right direction.
Man it’s been quite awhile. If memory serves, I asked for a standard 44” (22.5”) p2p. 26” back and sleeve, 19.5” shoulder and 21” hem. Arm:8.5” bicep and 6” cuff. Armhole:11”. These approximate all my 5 Star orders but this was the first I felt for right.
 

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