Chapal leathers

[ButteMT61]

Hey the nice thing is that it appears that they do have a number of Aeros in stock. So if you want that D1, you can wear it this winter instead of next!

Many jackets are very small (for me) sizes.
Dunno. Fashion jackets over $1k aren't my thing.
Good luck though. I guess there's a market for it.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

3X the money than a GW..ELC..or Aero A1..? For what? Please explain....
I also pay Aero utility or shearling jacket normal prices especially for the free customization/alteration included in the price. What am I missing?
HD

 

[ButteMT61]

3X the money than a GW..ELC..or Aero A1..? For what? Please explain....
I also pay Aero utility or shearling jacket normal prices especially for the free customization/alteration included in the price. What am I missing?
HD

Well, not your money. I don't mean to be ornery to the poster, but I'm not the intended market for this kind of stuff. Unless someone can show me why I'm paying that kind of money (and to be clear, I'd never do it no matter what gets posted) for a jacket I can get custom made and not for a label or runway show. And before someone gives up a Ferrari vs Chevy comparison here, don't. Because I can most certainly understand why a Ferrari costs what it does, and there's no justification under the sun to convince me these jackets are worth 3x an Aero or GW. I'm grabbing popcorn though. Would love some reasoning with the pix.

 

[John Lever]

Chapal are the Bugatti of the leather jacket world. I doubt even Aero could match their quality. They have their own tannery, have a shop on the Champs-Elyees and work closely with Parisian fashion designers.
Before the Euro they were just affordable by us mere mortals, since then prices have gone intergalactic.

 

[ButteMT61]

Thanks John. I'll wave next month when I'm there as those jackets cost as much as my trip there.
I can't afford a Bugatti either lol
But not one of those points except the tannery make me even remotely interested. You lose me on the fashion connection. And while other makes have also raised prices, they don't compare to those tags :eeek: so they weren't likely ever in my league. Interesting how few know about the Bugatti of leather here. Is there such a thing as too exclusive?

 

[cbrunt]

Not worth it.

 

[Tony B]

http://www.benchandloom.com/shop/jackets-coats/108

Veg tanned leather ... water hardenable,just like the soles of your favourite boot or holster so it will have to have been sealed with a dull charachterless pigment seal topcoat like a cheap couch mind you it does have a real brass buckle ...which must have cost al least £1.50 but it does look like gritti real horn buttons ....which I have been buying for 30 euro cents recently so thats another couple of quid on materials and the others have original riri zips ...my last ones cost me £2.30 a pop ...so what.

Cotton gabardine lining in a jacket costing that money......I assume a few quids worth of cashmere would have cut into the profit margin, but if you are going to go for gabardine wouldn't wool gabardine have been more in keeping

I think the fact the bloke mentioned ralph purple label sums the chapal leather ethos up by the look of it ....how much can we possibly get an idiot to part with for this stuff......I was one of the idiots...I had a purple label leather jacket a few years ago and got rid as it was far from the best jacket I ever owned, I have had plenty of jackets costing a fraction of the price of one of those which are far better.

 

[John Lever]

Thanks John. I'll wave next month when I'm there as those jackets cost as much as my trip there.
I can't afford a Bugatti either lol
But not one of those points except the tannery make me even remotely interested. You lose me on the fashion connection. And while other makes have also raised prices, they don't compare to those tags :eeek: so they weren't likely ever in my league. Interesting how few know about the Bugatti of leather here. Is there such a thing as too exclusive?

Silly money and not worth it, but look what some people will pay for truffles !
I bought my Chapal B-3 for £350 10 years ago when prices were still sane.

 

[ButteMT61]

Obviously many here feel the same way, but I suppose it's unfair as there may well be folks here that would like these jackets and would spend the money. Not trying to offend anyone, but I can't help but get a tad unsure of the value here other than being the "in" thing with the "in" crowd.
For what I see, they should fall inline with Schott pricing. Nothing there that moves me to spend insane amounts of dollars or Euros.

 

[John Lever]

Obviously many here feel the same way, but I suppose it's unfair as there may well be folks here that would like these jackets and would spend the money. Not trying to offend anyone, but I can't help but get a tad unsure of the value here other than being the "in" thing with the "in" crowd.
For what I see, they should fall inline with Schott pricing. Nothing there that moves me to spend insane amounts of dollars or Euros.

Who knows? they may well fold in the current climate. The RL stuff is made in China, Chapal still made in France.

 

[normanf]

Who knows? they may well fold in the current climate. The RL stuff is made in China, Chapal still made in France.

For that amount of money, you could get four Aero jackets and still have cash left over. I'm sure they're nice jackets but the price is just too much given the current economic climate.

 

[BenchLoom]

I'm that bloke...I asked about the Purple Label A-1 to know if the price was justified, not because I'm looking for one. I figured if anyone knew of the integrity/quality/accuracy of the product, it'd be someone on this site. I like to know what's out there and I'm looking for advice. Besides that experienced leatherworks tailor Tony from Devon, would anyone happen to know?

 

[Jeff M]

I'm that bloke...I asked about the Purple Label A-1 to know if the price was justified, not because I'm looking for one. I figured if anyone knew of the integrity/quality/accuracy of the product, it'd be someone on this site. I like to know what's out there and I'm looking for advice. Besides that experienced leatherworks tailor Tony from Devon, would anyone happen to know?

John Chapman, aka Good Wear Leather, is probably the most "respected" A2/A1 manufacturer around. At least on this board.
"Stitch by stitch" authenticity, top quality of workmanship, attention to matching materials as close as possible to what was used originally, custom made to the customers measurements.
Seems like every time I contact him he is about to leave on or just getting back from a trip to Japan or Italy to check out a leather supplier.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/type_a1.html

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/index.html

Aero, Eastman also very well thought of.

 

[HighandDry]

Besides the Chapal coats, there is a really good selection of stuff on the website. It's kind of funny to me that people seem outraged by the prices . Many of my friends (and wife) are shocked to see how much I spend on Aero, Langlitz, jeans, cars, golf clubs, etc. If someone told me 10 years ago that I would pay 300 bucks for a pair of jeans, I would have said they were crazy!

BTW, JanSolo has a really nice A-1 made by Aero.

 

[Jeff M]

...If someone told me 10 years ago that I would pay 300 bucks for a pair of jeans, I would have said they were crazy!.....

You spent $300.00 for a pair of jeans!! :eeek: :lol:

 

[Tony B]

Benchloom I dont know about accuracy... the only A2 type jacket I ever had was an eighties job with handwarmers.. but in terms of the quality of the one I had was made with slightly nicer materials than the normal polo brand (mainly in terms of detailing lining etc) but on reflection it really isn't THAT much nicer and I wouldn't dream of ever getting another one.

It just seemed a bit delicate but then they do make what they call bike jackets out of thin sheep leather, and they still make jackets with lots of small panels rather than full size panels just because it is cheaper to make them that way,so I just wouldnt take RL to be a serious leather jacket company anymore now that I know better. But then you specified you didn't want my opinion so please feel free to ignore.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm that bloke...I asked about the Purple Label A-1 to know if the price was justified, not because I'm looking for one. I figured if anyone knew of the integrity/quality/accuracy of the product, it'd be someone on this site. I like to know what's out there and I'm looking for advice. Besides that experienced leatherworks tailor Tony from Devon, would anyone happen to know?

Well..you seem to bypass any questions about how you might justify Chapal's prices compared to ELC..GW..Aero...except that the fit is better than Aero in your estimation. You also seem unfamiliar with some of these other companies(?). I'd still like to know why anyone should be inclined to pay 3X as much for a Chapal A-1.
HD

 

[HighandDry]

You spent $300.00 for a pair of jeans!! :eeek: :lol:

LOL, yeah crazy right? The crazy thing is that there 60 dollars more now! http://www.ironheart.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=23. Another great site is http://www.selfedge.com/

However once you start wearing selvedge jeans, you start to appreciate the fit, craftsmanship, dye, and wear of selvedge jeans. Some brands are made by hand by one person. So, are they worth 320 dollars than a pair of Levi's? Probably not, but I really do like them!

 

[ButteMT61]

LOL, yeah crazy right? The crazy thing is that there 60 dollars more now! http://www.ironheart.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=23. Another great site is http://www.selfedge.com/

However once you start wearing selvedge jeans, you start to appreciate the fit, craftsmanship, dye, and wear of selvedge jeans. Some brands are made by hand by one person. So, are they worth 320 dollars than a pair of Levi's? Probably not, but I really do like them!

If I were 16 and playing outside and tearing holes in them, no. But now I can make a pair of jeans last for years, although I have never gone above ~$120 for a pair yet.
I've got some western boots that cost $1200. I love them - they'll last forever. But I'm not yet sold on $3000-$4000 fashion coats. Someone needs to give me more to buy into this market. But again, I'd never ever get one. I'd rather get a real WWII jacket with some history and still have money left over for a GW, Aero, LW, etc.
But I keep reading - someone has to chime in here with a good reason

 

[BenchLoom]

Thank you. I appreciate this. Just went to the Good Wear site and am very impressed. Cheers