Field Leathers

[dudewuttheheck]

@Marc mndt I certainly agree with that. At the same time, I'm surprised it hasn't been made standard.

I'm not trying to be overly negative here. I'm overall extremely impressed with Field Leathers.

 

[Will Zach]

@calvin006 thanks for sharing this great write-up on your amazing looking jacket.

That's funny, my gf thought the same about my black full aniline FL. It has a reddish hue when brand new (which fades away with wear.

I would trust women on the color issue. It is well known that they see colors better than guys, lol.

 

[Marc mndt]

I would trust women on the color issue. It is well known that they see colors better than guys, lol.

The middle one is FL full aniline

 

[Will Zach]

^^
Brown.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Greg's sizing is same as most Japanese brand sizing. For most people you'd need to go up a size from your Aero (Hooch Hauler pattern) to get the same fit. His straight zip might fit bigger I don't have one yet so I can't comment. But his X-zip is same as most Japanese X-zips, slimmer than usual.

The biggest advantage of a Greg jacket is the 1/8" topstitch through out. This is his brand signature. It could be why he is so slow but is also the only reason I am waiting. Although the only improvement I'd ask for now is that he does the same skiving and reducing bulk for the set in collar. What I had from last year was still a bit bulky.

Greg sleeve seams - minimum bulk (skived), 1/8" top stitch

Greg's set in collar - Can go on a diet to reduce the bulk. The way the set in collar is assembled will impact how comfortable it wears. Not the actual pattern. But the way it is put together. The bulkier it is the less comfortable it is when new.

Greg's Aviator (manhattan base) size 44:

Greg's Manhattan size 42:
When the sizing gets on the small side things buckle up and unwanted angles form. And it becomes uncomfortable.

Rainbow Country Ponyboy Size 42:
(Unlike most Japanese brands, RC runs bigger or TTS)

Toys Mccoy Elvis Size 44:
(Same sizing as Greg's Manhattan, on the slim side)

The thing with going Japanese for the sizing system is that their bigger sizes are also longer. So customize the length.

Don't over think the details. If you get the size right, there will be no issues at the shoulder and on and on. After countless of jackets, I still cannot get the sizing right on the first try if the brand is unknown to me, or the sizing is unknown to me. This is the biggest con of shopping online.

My biggest issue with Greg is his LONG wait. The longest I've waited for a pre-order Japanese jacket is 7 month. Greg's wait is longer. If cash flow allows maybe he could offer batch made ready to wear jackets at faster delivery, like the Japanese brands. Another Con of Greg's jackets is his choice of zips. At this price point I would expect more than just Japanese Talons. Even Riri will work better imo.

 

[Tom71]

I have been meaning to share my FL experience and it seems now is a good time, with some doubts swirling. Another case study might help those in the queue.

But I want to start at the beginning. As @Aloysius astutely pointed out, I'm one of those whose interest in leather jackets stems from my love of rock and punk music. I think it was pictures of the Stooges in cafe racers that first drew me to that style, and in the early 2000s I wore a Schott 141 and eventually a 641HH, which I still own. While I always admired cross zip designs, I avoided them for fear that it would be "too much" for my typically understated style. But my style has grown bolder with age and about a year and a half ago, I found myself really wanting a black cross zip. I discovered Aero's Indian Ranger and was immediately drawn to 40s style pocket configuration. The brass zippers also had a softer look, less "leather daddy" than all nickel. And the sleeve gusset design seemed like a great idea to avoid bunched up leather (something that would bother me when zipping the sleeves of my 641HH). But being a slim guy, I wasn't sure if the fit would work for my frame. It must have been on this forum that I discovered Thurston Bros and their Ridley design, and on their FB page I found a "Ridley Indian Ranger" in CXL FQHH.

I was in love. The style of an Indian Ranger but in a slim fit, and even the olive stitching looked great. I got in touch with Carrie, told her I wanted the above, and placed an order. But unfortunately, it wasn't a straightforward process. First, Aero refused to use CXL FQHH, saying they were no longer using that for Rangers. They claimed that the CXL FQHH was too difficult to work with when making the sleeve gussets. I was a bit confused, as there were many examples of CXL Rangers to be found. I wasn't in love with their Vicenza leather from what I had seen of it, but I read here about Badalassi and that seemed like a great option. It did raise the cost, which I wasn't happy about, but at least it seemed like a superior leather. Though as we attempted to finalized the order, Aero began refusing to include various parts of the IR design, like the sleeve gusset and the one piece back, this time without any reasoning. I assume it was a matter of being period correct: they only wanted to make a full Indian Ranger if it was correct to the original. If I wanted a Ridley fit, they were suddenly stubborn about what could and could not be done with that, despite the fact that they had previously made the jacket I wanted! This was of course frustrating and Carrie was understanding of this. I decided to cancel the order.

It was around when my Aero order was going south that I saw some mentions of "FL" on here. After figuring out what the abbreviation stood for, I found Greg's website and the interview he did with AVS. I was thrilled to read that he loved slim cuts. At that time, his bespoke option was about the same cost as the custom Ridley I had cancelled. I wanted to stay below $1500 USD so FL seemed like a great option. I emailed Sam with what I wanted, she said it was doable, and I placed the order. In the waiting time, I realized with further reading here that I could completely customize the jacket in any way. I began gathering ideas from different classic styles (Indian Ranger, J-24, One Star Perfecto) as well as other FL jackets. Of course I was impressed with @Marc mndt's custom Manhattan and loved the coin pocket. I decided to borrow that detail. But while I know what I like when it comes to style, I'm no clothing designer and I was concerned that I was approaching Frankenstein territory. I spent way too much time making a Photoshop mockup and Marc very kindly looked it over and reassured me. He also suggested a cuff detail. Here's the final mockup:

View attachment 493152

I was torn about a belt. I think they look good, but it didn't seem to have practical purpose on a bespoke jacket that will fit well and never see a motorcycle. J-24 style belt loops seemed like a good alternative to keep the bottom from looking too bare, and left the option to add a belt if desired. I initially loved the exposed zippers of the Ranger, but eventually grew to like Greg's standard welt pockets. The exposed zippers might have been a bit too tough, or "bad" (see Michael Jackson video of the same name). The welts keeps things a bit more understated, and Greg's look great.

I was pretty sure I wanted full aniline and the leather samples confirmed that. For lining, I was very tempted by the Lochcarron patterns, but I tend to run hot. And for where I live and plan to live in the near future, it rarely gets below freezing. I thought wool would be too warm. I'd rather have a jacket I could wear as much of the year as possible. I also wanted the most durable lining possible because this was intended as a daily wear jacket. Greg and Sam were in the middle of changing their basic lining option from viscose to cotton drill. This suited me fine as cotton drill is more durable. They only had a few colors and no olive to match the stitching. I went with khaki. But I also wanted viscose for the sleeves for that slippery arm ease. They had some olive viscose left so I used that for the sleeve. A bit odd perhaps to have different lining colors, but it's our secret, ok?

I'll backtrack a bit to the mockup jacket. I didn't want to use my 641HH as a guide because it was never a perfect fit and had stretched over the years, plus it had underarm footballs and a bi-swing back so a very different design. I used a denim jacket instead, which may have been a mistake as it is a very boxy cut. Sam and Greg adjusted the sizing a bit to my body measurements, but the mockup was still too wide in the middle and bottom hem:

View attachment 493157
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The back was the biggest issue with all the extra material bunching up there. I went with Sam's suggestions to reduce the abdomen and bottom hem by 1.5", mostly taken from the back sides material as the front seemed good. She also suggested an extra 1" drop to the front. I got some advice from her on sleeve length (this is somewhat a matter of preference) and decided to shorten them by a half inch (a bit hard to judge on the mockup since there are no zippers but I compared to other jacket sleeve length and left some length for leather bunching). There were also the dreaded shoulder points. Sam suggested reducing the shoulder to shoulder by 1 inch. This would make it 16.25" which seemed quite narrow as most of my well fitting shirts are 17". We settled on 16.75" and I hoped for the best. I also had Marc's arm rotation in mind. It's possible the pattern has been changed since his Manhattan, as it didn't seem too far off. My mockup happened to have one sleeve rotated about a half inch differently from the other. From the back view picture, the left arm seemed to have less bunching at the tricep. I asked for that rotation for both arms, basically putting the sleeve hem a half inch closer to the yoke line.

The jacket arrived in December and I'm thrilled with it. It looks like everything I hoped for. Greg modified the pocket a bit from Marc's but I think for the best. It fits better with this 40s/50s style. The leather looks, feels, and smells great. It seems quite deep in color from what I know (my wife thought it was brown, so there's that). The fit was immediately comfortable, even though the new leather is quite stiff. The below pictures I took shortly after receiving it.

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One cool thing about sleeve gussets is you can do this on hot days haha:
View attachment 493169

In conclusion, I couldn't be happier. I am not a jacket expert and this was my first bespoke anything, which was a bit nerve racking. But with some careful planning and research here (thanks!), it felt doable. And special thanks to @Marc mndt for the ideas and vote of confidence. Having not only a bespoke jacket but also a custom design is pretty special. I only spoke with Greg briefly and mostly worked with Sam. She was incredibly helpful and patient with all my questions. There were a couple bumps along the road, some miscommunication, but she was always very gracious.

I think Marc is right that these patterns run small/slim. But I'm pretty slim so I did not size up. As for the shoulders, I think the intended style is for them to be square but it seems this can cause points if there is too much material. I'm not seeing any points in my final jacket. I just had to go a little smaller on the shoulder to shoulder measurement than I would have thought, so that might be something to keep in mind to avoid the points. The only other thing I would mention is that I felt a bit of pressure on my neck when first wearing the jacket. But after hanging on a jacket hanger (zipped up), this seemed to go away. I think the hanger gave the shoulders the curve they needed. I expect wear would have also done it, though I haven't had many chances to wear it as it's currently summer here in the Southern Hemisphere. Can't wait for fall when I can really start breaking this in.


Disclaimer: I'm not a jacket expert so please excuse any mistakes or incorrect terminology.

Thanks for reading (or skimming) and I welcome any thoughts or corrections.

Perfect! Could not look cooler. One of the nicest FL around! Could not fit better too.

 

[calvin006]

Glad y'all like my jacket! I welcome critiques, too. Curious to learn more and it won't diminish the jacket for me.

Some people tend to buy leather jackets in a fashion fit, meaning it will be very tight. I had that issue too with some of my jackets. That’s before I learned what sizing works best for me etc.

I suppose I was going for the fashion fit with my FL. Being a slim guy, a lot of leather jackets are cut for a bigger frame than I can fill. Part of that is the 50s look that Marc mentioned. But it can make a slim person look smaller when they can't fill the cut, like a kid wearing adult clothes. Part of the appeal of the bespoke option was a chance to get something slim cut to my frame, with the aim of making a short, skinny guy look a little taller and wider.

The middle one is FL full aniline

Pretty sure I saw this before and it's another reason I went with the full aniline. I guess black leather is never very "deep" in color, but the full aniline is a softer black, not pure black. II thought this would pair better with my pasty white skin. It'll be interesting to see how much the red hue fades with time, and I expect more shine with wear. It seems quite rare to have a full aniline option and this was another reason I was drawn to it, something different.

The biggest advantage of a Greg jacket is the 1/8" topstitch through out. This is his brand signature.

For my own clarification: the 1/8" you're talking about is the measurement between the stitch and the end of the leather? I take it 1/8" is less than other makers?

Greg's set in collar - Can go on a diet to reduce the bulk. The way the set in collar is assembled will impact how comfortable it wears. Not the actual pattern. But the way it is put together. The bulkier it is the less comfortable it is when new.

This may explain the slight pressure on my neck when new. But it seems to have resolved quickly.

The thing with going Japanese for the sizing system is that their bigger sizes are also longer. So customize the length.

Yes, on the Japanese measurements that I've seen, the length and arms are too short for the chest sizes that fit me. So everything is smaller. I don't know if Greg's base patterns are like this. But length and arms seem relatively easy to get right. Just check against clothes you already own.

But I agree with the rest of you that you shouldn’t have to be is knowledgeable is Marc to get the fit right. Like I feel like I’m gonna have to ask Marc 10 questions before I finally submit to FL.

To clarify what I wrote above, I did not consult with Marc about fit, measurements, or the mockup. He kindly discussed some style and design choices with me. The mockup adjustments I made with Sam's help. I asked for the slight sleeve rotation, being aware of that potential issue. There was just a little less bunching on that left sleeve so that seemed like the better rotation. It was simply a matter of taking a picture and looking where there was bunching on the mockup.

My point is, I think it's doable even for those that aren't jacket experts. I'm not. Just take good pictures of the mockup and consult with Sam. She's very helpful.

 

[Canuck Panda]

For my own clarification: the 1/8" you're talking about is the measurement between the stitch and the end of the leather? I take it 1/8" is less than other makers?


This may explain the slight pressure on my neck when new. But it seems to have resolved quickly.


Yes, on the Japanese measurements that I've seen, the length and arms are too short for the chest sizes that fit me. So everything is smaller. I don't know if Greg's base patterns are like this. But length and arms seem relatively easy to get right. Just check against clothes you already own.



To clarify what I wrote above, I did not consult with Marc about fit, measurements, or the mockup. He kindly discussed some style and design choices with me. The mockup adjustments I made with Sam's help. I asked for the slight sleeve rotation, being aware of that potential issue. There was just a little less bunching on that left sleeve so that seemed like the better rotation. It was simply a matter of taking a picture and looking where there was bunching on the mockup.

My point is, I think it's doable even for those that aren't jacket experts. I'm not. Just take good pictures of the mockup and consult with Sam. She's very helpful.

Yes, 1/8" top stitch is the width of the top stitch to the edge of the leather seam. Smallest it can be I believe. Least amount of seam bulk. Easy to wear and looks very premium. But this is probably why it takes him so long to make one jacket. Other makers only go this small/tight on critical seams like shoulder and sleeve. Greg is trying to do all the seams this way so that's why I said he tried to make this his signature. The seam where the lining joins is at least 1/4" topstitch though, no way around that.

The set in collar can benefit from a seam bulk reduction on Greg's jacket. That's how other premium jackets do it. And I would expect the same at Greg's price point now. At this price level the customer would not need to break in anything just turn key and go and maybe set some sleeve creases that it. Splay collar solve this seam bulk issue by design and that's what I went with. But for the set in collar he could thin it down as well.

I meant Greg's torso sizing is very similar to the one that Toys Mccoy would use. His size 42 had one inch chest ease and same with his size 44. That's very slim, like the Japanese brands. But Greg does custom length and even design change while the Japanese is just OTR.

Sam is much more thorugh than Greg in communication. Greg is a bro but not the best to take care of the detail side of the business. My first FL jacket was done with bro communication with Greg. My next one is done with details with Sam. I believe going through the details with Sam is more likely to get anyone the best result. She asks for many things like fit photos...etc. Measure twice cut once.

 

[Marc mndt]

Yes, 1/8" top stitch is the width of the top stitch to the edge of the leather seam. Smallest it can be I believe. Least amount of seam bulk. Easy to wear and looks very premium.

Funny, I asked for 'normal' top stitch spacing on my last two FL jackets because although it does indeed look very fancy, I personally feel like the 1/8" top stitch looks somewhat feminine.

No bulk seam on the leathertogs of course because it has French seams everywhere.

 

[MrProper]

I personally feel like the 1/8" top stitch looks somewhat feminine.

I'm not a fan of those fine seams either. I think leather (apart from lamb and calf) is rather coarse and can have coarse seams as long as they are clean and straight.

 

[calvin006]

Yes, 1/8" top stitch is the width of the top stitch to the edge of the leather seam. Smallest it can be I believe. Least amount of seam bulk. Easy to wear and looks very premium. But this is probably why it takes him so long to make one jacket. Other makers only go this small/tight on critical seams like shoulder and sleeve. Greg is trying to do all the seams this way so that's why I said he tried to make this his signature. The seam where the lining joins is at least 1/4" topstitch though, no way around that.

Ah, thanks for expanding. I understand now. I quite like the thin top stitch. Makes for a very sleek look and pairs well with a slim fit. It's fancier and perhaps more feminine but sometimes you need a touch of feminine in your style. For my jacket, I wanted a black cross zip but didn't want it to look too "tough". I now understand how the thin top stitch helps with the overall softer, sleeker look. Now just gotta find some good heels to match.

Seriously though, I want some cuban heels.

 

[Aloysius]

@calvin006 It’s actually good that they’re not doing the Ridley/IR hybrid anymore, speaking as someone who has it–except mine has a saving grace.

It’s basically just a RIdley with IR pockets. For one thing, this actually kills the proportions of the 40s/50s IR look. The other thing is it gets a Buco J-24 collar shape, which is really boring compared to the IR’s huge collar.

Now in the case of my hybrid jacket, it has the actual Indian Ranger collar! Even though it wasn’t supposed to, which was a huge source of disappointment for me. I think because mine was the last hybrid jacket, Julie went ahead and gave it the big collar.

Still, it lacks the big chest/shoulders and dramatic taper of the IR, which makes it look a bit boring by comparison.

It’s a really great pattern with amazing range of movement but it just doesn’t pair well with the 40s aesthetic of the IR that Aero repros. It would be a great pattern for reproing a 60s Fidelity or something, though.

 

[Aloysius]

I'm not a fan of those fine seams either. I think leather (apart from lamb and calf) is rather coarse and can have coarse seams as long as they are clean and straight.

Haha I thought I was the only one who likes the much-maligned Aero ’stitch count’ and seams.

 

[calvin006]

@calvin006 It’s actually good that they’re not doing the Ridley/IR hybrid anymore, speaking as someone who has it–except mine has a saving grace.

It’s basically just a RIdley with IR pockets. For one thing, this actually kills the proportions of the 40s/50s IR look. The other thing is it gets a Buco J-24 collar shape, which is really boring compared to the IR’s huge collar.

This makes sense. Perhaps I was unfair to Aero. It's not about period correct stubbornness, but ensuring the right proportions. Just wished they had explained to me better. I do still like the Aero IR. Maybe one day I'll try it out as is, big chest and all.

The IR collar was another thing Aero didn't want to put on the Ridley, but it's cool that yours has it. I'd be curious to see that. I briefly considered doing a wider collar for my jacket, but I decided to play it safe. I was unsure how a wide collar would pair with a small/slim jacket. Just went with Greg's standard Manhattan collar which is a bit plain but has a classic look that I like.

As for proportions, I know Greg had a bit of a challenge fitting my pocket config on a size 36 jacket. Not a lot of room to work with but I think he pulled it off in the end. The coin pocket is placed a little low compared to J-24 or IR though it might be for the best in relation to the other pockets. Knowing how exacting he is, I expect he tried different placements before sewing.

 

[Kenan]

Does anyone know what happens with your deposit money if you cancel your order with Field Leathers?

 

[Kenan]

For me they refunded it, I used PayPal and they refunded it no problem. It took like 10 days but eventually happened.

And about how long after you originally placed the order did you cancel it?

 

[Momein]

Some one interested in the new FL sheepskin B3 jacket?

https://fieldleathers.com/the-connecticut/

 

[MrProper]

Some one interested in the new FL sheepskin B3 jacket?

https://fieldleathers.com/the-connecticut/

No.
I thought the first partial pictures were quite cool. I don't like the finished jacket. It looks too much like a fashion jacket.
Not to mention the long waiting times ;-)

 

[Marc mndt]

Not to mention the long waiting times ;-)

Looks like there's no lead time on these? Well, not the standard lead time of 10-12 months.

 

[MrProper]

Looks like there's no lead time on these? Well, not the standard lead time of 10-12 months.

View attachment 497785

Hm... but only standard sizes.
The poor who are on the waiting list and now have to wait even longer because of the Shearlings.