Five Star Leather Jackets

[Hobbes1]

My experience is that all the criticism of 5* in terms of communication and delay is unwarranted. I've been blown away with their quick turn around and communication. I'm expecting my 4th jacket from them soon and couldn't be happier with their service and product. I plan to order a 5th before their prices (inevitably) go up.

I'm glad you've had such a great experience. If you have read this thread all the way through, you will see context that is important to understand the ebb and flow of 5* communications. If you are going full custom, they are simply not communicative at all by prior 5* standards. If you are tweaking and OTR jacket, it's fast. Communication picks up massive speed once you pay the invoice and they have your money.

 

[Hobbes1]

I just received a reply about tweaking stock jackets. For leather change to HH, $100 upcharge as noted here previously. For changing sleeve length, thread, lining and zippers, no upcharge. Nice that they will allow basic mods to the jackets with no charge.

 

[KBlake]

I'm glad you've had such a great experience. If you have read this thread all the way through, you will see context that is important to understand the ebb and flow of 5* communications. If you are going full custom, they are simply not communicative at all by prior 5* standards. If you are tweaking and OTR jacket, it's fast. Communication picks up massive speed once you pay the invoice and they have your money.

I have gone full custom as far as detailed measurements, materials (horsehide) and pattern changes and my jacket was always completed within a few days of placing my order. I pay up front and then request changes in a response to my confirmation email. Perhaps if everyone followed this simple procedure there would not be as much frustration and delay. I will say I never bombarded Shawn with a series of questions. Never needed to. Maybe that's why folks are having issues.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Going in for the 2mm waterproof horsehide in trucker style.

 

[hughesovka]

Stock pattern, custom leather and custom collar was 4 days

I like the sound of that. Hopefully I'll be able to get some wear in while the waning cold weather lasts

 

[ton312]

Going in for the 2mm waterproof horsehide in trucker style.

Must’ve gotten the last of the test batch….I inquired but was told:

 

[Canuck Panda]

Must’ve gotten the last of the test batch….I inquired but was told:
View attachment 404972

Oh NOooooooo! I only sent him a message to request for a quote using the 2mm horsehide to make a trucker jacket. I didn't know 2mm horsehide was still in trial stage... sigh...

To be honest, I only cared about the 2mm thickness horsehide part. The waterproof part I can live without. 2mm shiny jerky horsehide (veg retan core, semi gloss paint, soft temper like the current 1.2mm brown one) would do. That was what I was hoping for. Another time then, another time... I lost sleep last night for this. Part of the journey, part of the journey...

 

[Bahabp100]

Going in for the 2mm waterproof horsehide in trucker style.

What lining ?

 

[Canuck Panda]

What lining ?

B-10 fur, which is only about 1/4". Was hoping for a trial run before the full on shearling trucker. But 2mm horsehide is a no go for now I guess. I have not given up on real shearling trucker though. I know it is not possible with the Irvin style fur leather (fur on one side and suede/painted on the other side, like the Prada), but a horsehide trucker shell lined in shearling has gotta be doable. That would be a pricey jacket, so I wanted to do a trial run before going in for the real deal.

 

[MrProper]

I know it is not possible with the Irvin style fur leather

Why do you think that? With the 10 mm shearling this should not be a problem, provided that the color is pleasing.

 

[Toxdoc]

I do fully agree with @Canuck Panda on the varying features of the pull up hh. This is the pic I received today from Shawn demonstrating the hide for my 1930s cossack. It clearly reveals all mentioned aspects in texture,scaring ,thinning in hide strength and colour differences. Do just hope it will turn out similarly nice as the Hobbes1 model

 

[Canuck Panda]

Why do you think that? With the 10 mm shearling this should not be a problem, provided that the color is pleasing.

Don't mind me. I got confused from reading one of the trucker / shearling related convos on 5Star group FB page.
Then I just realized and remembered, you actually have a shearling trucker that's built the same way the Prada was. This one (Stealing your photos):

But I was looking for a Shearling lined Horsehide outer shell version. I am back to being a horsehide snob now, so the reverse sheep napa side just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Anyways, I am waiting to hear back from Shawn on my horsehide outershell, B-10 fur lined trucker. He doesn't have enough 2mm horsehide to do a jacket. But I asked him if he is willing to do one with mixed 1.2mm and 2mm horsehide. I have one coming from Johnson in this spec, 5oz trucker with 2.5oz accents, in brown. It would be great for it to have a half brother in black from another maker. Something like this, but black. The jacket below is not mine. It inspired me to do the 5oz + 2.5oz combo.

My MO now with 5Star is to get my hands on the different types of horsehide he has, to satisfy my own ADHD/hoarding problem. The mid brown 5star pigment horsehide was surprising good enough for me. In the sense that it was thick (enough). From all the previous posts about his older horsehide, they were thin and "stretchy", but the mid brown one I have is thick. And I think people mistaken soft temper with stretchy. All the pigmented horsehide I have are softer than the waxed horsehides. I would not use stretchy to describe them, but I can see where that came from. Quickest way to find out if a leather is stretched at the tannery (to save cost and get more square footage) is to wash it and see if it shrinks. And how much veg retan it has. The more veg retan the stiffer/more brittle it becomes when dry. This can be reversed with adding oil though. Weekend experiment coming up.

I've also told Shawn from my yesterday message to him that "waterproof" isn't a big deal. I am not a fan of my Vanson new comp weight because of the "waterproof" coating, which is also why I kept soaking it and now the old comp weight is coming through. I assume the waterproof feature request comes from his motorcycle customers. But in reality, all the waterproofing does is making it a Prop 65 label thing. Horsehide by nature has denser fibers. It will do just fine on its own with water. Waterproofing it won't turn it into GoreTex, just more unnecessary chemicals. Sorry for the long rant. I had to do a lot of soaks and dry with my new comp weight and just airing out my frustration.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I do fully agree with @Canuck Panda on the varying features of the pull up hh. This is the pic I received today from Shawn demonstrating the hide for my 1930s cossack. It clearly reveals all mentioned aspects in texture,scaring ,thinning in hide strength and colour differences. Do just hope it will turn out similarly nice as the Hobbes1 model
View attachment 405157

Do you know where Shawn sources his horsehide? I've always assume it was somewhere in Latin America, but I am not sure.
Horsehide in general are coarser hides. The one in the photo looks rustic but it's really how they are. Here is a Shinki Aniline, first grade, in browns, and this is why many makers don't use aniline brown from Shinki, their cutter can't make money, most Shinki browns out on market are pigment finished, or oil tan, whatever they like to call it, to hide the natural beauty of these beast:

And my "009":

Usually the larger the hide, the thicker it would be because the animal is larger. But the larger horses also lived tougher lives than the smaller ones. So it will show on the skin.

 

[Toxdoc]

Do you know where Shawn sources his horsehide? I've always assume it was somewhere in Latin America, but I am not sure.
Horsehide in general are coarser hides. The one in the photo looks rustic but it's really how they are. Here is a Shinki Aniline, first grade, in browns, and this is why many makers don't use aniline brown from Shinki, their cutter can't make money, most Shinki browns out on market are pigment finished, or oil tan, whatever they like to call it, to hide the natural beauty of these beast:
View attachment 405185
And my "009":
View attachment 405186
Usually the larger the hide, the thicker it would be because the animal is larger. But the larger horses also lived tougher lives than the smaller ones. So it will show on the skin.

 

[Toxdoc]

No clue where Shawn sources his hides, but comparing the pics the differences in quality are obvious. I don‘t mind wearing „natural“ hides with all natural imperfections. Who‘s skin is perfect anyway? Here you get what you pay for, But if you opt for Shinki quality you will have to take your business and a lot of extra money elsewhere.Being a very happy owner of a premium goat Road Master I will stick with the Shawn system and take it as it comes

 

[ton312]

I do fully agree with @Canuck Panda on the varying features of the pull up hh. This is the pic I received today from Shawn demonstrating the hide for my 1930s cossack. It clearly reveals all mentioned aspects in texture,scaring ,thinning in hide strength and colour differences. Do just hope it will turn out similarly nice as the Hobbes1 model
View attachment 405157

Got word my jacket was cut in this same hide today. I'm really excited to see how this HH compares to the HH I experienced across decades of jackets going all the way back to the 40's. It certainly looks good!

 

[Rugby]

Hey everybody, new to FL but have been on styleforum for like a decade. Hello to those of you've that I've interacted on sf as well

I recently got the leather jacket bug, and due to my body shape, I knew I had to go custom, and ended up trying 5*. Although my tastes run more streetwear than heritage, this thread has been hugely helpful to me as I figure out what works/what doesn't.

Here is what I got so far:

Black suede trucker. It was my first order and they ended up making a new listing with my jacket. Shoulders too wide, sleeves too long, chest and waist too small...ugh
View attachment 403574


Black goat trucker. I super mis-sized this and ended up having to was/dry it to shrink it down...shoulders still jut out, but it's better. I also chose the wrong product page on their website and accidentally ordered it without side pockets...
View attachment 403575


Black suede valstar clint model, called western something
View attachment 403576


Brown valstar Clint. Sorry for the terrible try-on pic, got too cold before I could get a fit off with it. Digging the slightly oversized vibe for sure.
View attachment 403577


Custom order from a James Grose Manilla, but I think that is also heavily borrowed from a heritage brand (forgot which one). Shoulders still too wide here, and as a result, too long sleeves.
View attachment 403578



Ended up placing a new order just last week for a custom makeup modeled after the Jelado Winchester in black goat, which is really an east/west model, and also a black trucker for my wife.

Thanks for letting me crash your party!

How mismatched are the measurements of the jacket you received compared to what you requested? I'm asking because I'm thinking of ordering a trucker from them. I think if we see how they interpret the measurements it may be easier to order accurately. Actually on their website they say that the jacket chest size is 4"to 6" wider than the actual size.

 

[Canuck Panda]

No clue where Shawn sources his hides, but comparing the pics the differences in quality are obvious. I don‘t mind wearing „natural“ hides with all natural imperfections. Who‘s skin is perfect anyway? Here you get what you pay for, But if you opt for Shinki quality you will have to take your business and a lot of extra money elsewhere.Being a very happy owner of a premium goat Road Master I will stick with the Shawn system and take it as it comes

Sorry that came across wrong from me. Shawn's horsehide is pigment finish. Shinki pics I posted were aniline finish.
What I was trying to show is the similar in texture, not the difference in finishing styles. I am also not saying one is better than other or the other way around. (This seems how things are done around here but not how I do it).
I simply was just trying to show the textural similarity between them. If the Shinki were pigment finished, then it would look just like Shawn's current horsehide. But I don't have pigment finished Shinki to show. Or if Shawn finally develops aniline horsehide it would look just like the Shinki pics I posted. Hope I clear things up a bit.
Look at my other jackets, especially the more expensive ones, and you will see my post was actually intended to promote Shawn's new horsehide. Because I know it's good. But obviously I came across wrong.

 

[ton312]

Sorry that came across wrong from me. Shawn's horsehide is pigment finish. Shinki pics I posted were aniline finish.
What I was trying to show is the similar in texture, not the difference in finishing styles. I am also not saying one is better than other or the other way around. (This seems how things are done around here but not how I do it).
I simply was just trying to show the textural similarity between them. If the Shinki were pigment finished, then it would look just like Shawn's current horsehide. But I don't have pigment finished Shinki to show. Or if Shawn finally develops aniline horsehide it would look just like the Shinki pics I posted. Hope I clear things up a bit.
Look at my other jackets, especially the more expensive ones, and you will see my post was actually intended to promote Shawn's new horsehide. Because I know it's good. But obviously I came across wrong.

I didn’t get that impression at all from your post and I appreciate your opinions on the matter quite a bit. You’ve handled an incredibly diverse selection of jackets and even more hides. I trust your observations 100%.

 

[KBlake]

No clue where Shawn sources his hides, but comparing the pics the differences in quality are obvious. I don‘t mind wearing „natural“ hides with all natural imperfections. Who‘s skin is perfect anyway? Here you get what you pay for, But if you opt for Shinki quality you will have to take your business and a lot of extra money elsewhere.Being a very happy owner of a premium goat Road Master I will stick with the Shawn system and take it as it comes

What's the difference between premium goat and standard? Do you have to request premium?