Five Star Leather Jackets

[Eddiesuave]

OK dude call me a liar whatever. I'm not sure you actually want to understand. I'm done explaining.

Here's me wearing an H&M jacket

View attachment 569886

I can say that I didn’t type that good. I didn’t mean to call you a liar, it was meant a genuine discussion. My apologies if it came out rude or ignorant. The H&M jacket fits you good, you got a good one. I had tons, but they all had a very odd shape, including their formal wear and dress shirts. I think it’s possible you have a very universal frame (like you fit things very good). With the whole 3D sleeve thing I do see what you mean, there’s more curvature to the actual sleeve (could be exaggerated through wear), but I think a lot of the whole 3D shape and pop is attributed to the actual hides.

 

[Canuck Panda]

To my anti 5* fam, and my anti pro 5* fam, and all my distance fam here on FDL, know that I am not here to prove you wrong, as I don’t need to be right.

To my pro 5* fam, I am here to assure you there’s nothing “wrong” with your 5* jacket in terms of basic patterns. I know.

The biggest issue is that with the 350 dollars price tag, the leather Isn’t the best. Don’t worry, most 800 dollars and under jackets are in the same group, but they could be consistently thicker, same crappy chemical smell and highly corrected and stretched leather.

to get true premium leather, in 2023, brand new jacket, is gonna set you back at least 1200 dollars. And paying this price doesn’t guarantee fit either. If you live on the west coast, and want a true premium jacket, go see Goodwear, Langlitz, Johnson, in person, and bring 1500 cash, just in case. I’m sure there are more great makers in LA area, I just don’t have their jackets yet so I can’t give you a side by side.

so with 5*, I’d still say premium goat with wax press. This will still be gamble as I do have some razor thin ones when I ordered premium, but mostly quite thick.

can we go back to posting new jacket pics please. Would really appreciate that. Holiday month is stressful, and joyful at the same time.

 

[Eddiesuave]

To my anti 5* fam, and my anti pro 5* fam, and all my distance fam here on FDL, know that I am not here to prove you wrong, as I don’t need to be right.

To my pro 5* fam, I am here to assure you there’s nothing “wrong” with your 5* jacket in terms of basic patterns. I know.
View attachment 569887

The biggest issue is that with the 350 dollars price tag, the leather Isn’t the best. Don’t worry, most 800 dollars and under jackets are in the same group, but they could be consistently thicker, same crappy chemical smell and highly corrected and stretched leather.

to get true premium leather, in 2023, brand new jacket, is gonna set you back at least 1200 dollars. And paying this price doesn’t guarantee fit either. If you live on the west coast, and want a true premium jacket, go see Goodwear, Langlitz, Johnson, in person, and bring 1500 cash, just in case. I’m sure there are more great makers in LA area, I just don’t have their jackets yet so I can’t give you a side by side.

so with 5*, I’d still say premium goat with wax press. This will still be gamble as I do have some razor thin ones when I ordered premium, but mostly quite thick.

can we go back to posting new jacket pics please. Would really appreciate that. Holiday month is stressful, and joyful at the same time.

Second. I would like to see more shearling and mouton jackets please. If anybody has the balls do a rough out jacket.

 

[Bluechel]

But as new, fully custom 5 Star…it’s not too far off from the second hand market that offers far superior construction, material and patterns/design.
Second hand Aero, $450:
View attachment 567290
Aero $500:
View attachment 567291
2nd hand Aero $350:
View attachment 567292
SB $375:
View attachment 567293
I could probably add 20 more pages. I think the point of the comparison is that, at this point in time, you can do better, far better in fact, for less money. You can walk away with actual quality, that will hold some value, and not have to compromise. But I feel it’s like talking to a wall. You either see it, or you don’t. No one tried to convince themselves more than I did, nor was more supportive of 5 Stars growth. It just did not happen IMO.

Damn those Aeros look great, but if you're a size 50 US....custom only... right?

 

[ton312]

Damn those Aeros look great, but if you're a size 50 US....custom only... right?

im not sure they go up to 50”. 48” for sure and many Aero jackets are generously cut.

 

[Marc mndt]

can we go back to posting new jacket pics please. Would really appreciate that.

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know we weren't allowed to have discussions here.

 

[torfjord]

@KBlake Can you take your shoe/boot brush and give the pimpled cuff some TLC brushing. In theory the bumps should go away after brushing as the stuff that is trying to escape the leather core is being pushed back into the fibers. Heat from the brushing also helps. It doesn't hurt to try brushing. If it doesn't work then WW3.

I also think Shawn should give you something, but not so much for the particular blister jacket, which I would expect from a 350 dollars jacket. But for what you did with them in terms of new jacket designs. It took you the time of 30 pages of this thread to out do 300+ pages of this thread. It has just hit me that happened. Well done.

The 5Star I knew had jackets that looked like these, nothing fancy, very budget friendly prices.
View attachment 568311

The 5Star jackets after KBlake now looks like this, like a totally different company.
View attachment 568315

There is a HUGE leap forward in styles here. Same budget leather and material, but huge leap forward in styling.

To get these same six jackets made in the US/Japan using brand name material, would be at least north of $1,200 in current pricing. There are good deals on used jackets for sure, but if one wanted these jackets in premium material, one would have to pay more than one would like, even used. I would know.
View attachment 568324

So yes, 5Star still budget material, but now way better looking jackets, at 350 a pop plus expensive shipping fees. My only wish is that KBlake you were here in this thread three years ago and did what you just did the last 30 pages, but earlier.

The top right jacket, what is that one? Looks phenomenal!

 

[ton312]

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know we weren't allowed to have discussions here.

Apparently collecting a bunch of repros over the span of a couple years grants you expert status that is also undeniable truth.

 

[ton312]

To my anti 5* fam, and my anti pro 5* fam, and all my distance fam here on FDL, know that I am not here to prove you wrong, as I don’t need to be right.

To my pro 5* fam, I am here to assure you there’s nothing “wrong” with your 5* jacket in terms of basic patterns. I know.
View attachment 569887

The biggest issue is that with the 350 dollars price tag, the leather Isn’t the best. Don’t worry, most 800 dollars and under jackets are in the same group, but they could be consistently thicker, same crappy chemical smell and highly corrected and stretched leather.

to get true premium leather, in 2023, brand new jacket, is gonna set you back at least 1200 dollars. And paying this price doesn’t guarantee fit either. If you live on the west coast, and want a true premium jacket, go see Goodwear, Langlitz, Johnson, in person, and bring 1500 cash, just in case. I’m sure there are more great makers in LA area, I just don’t have their jackets yet so I can’t give you a side by side.

so with 5*, I’d still say premium goat with wax press. This will still be gamble as I do have some razor thin ones when I ordered premium, but mostly quite thick.

can we go back to posting new jacket pics please. Would really appreciate that. Holiday month is stressful, and joyful at the same time.

This is bad information. You’ve deliberately manipulated the Vanson sleeve in order to mimic the 5 Star:

Why? If you set the Vanson naturally on the floor (like you did the 5 Star) the construction difference would be plainly visible. To the quantify this manipulation with the declarative statement “I know” is garbage.

Because I know.

Let’s try and fix it: (nope still NFG)

Vs

If you don’t see an obvious and stark difference here, what is it that you know that I don’t? Spreading bad information and apologizing for shitty work isn’t what this place is about. Spamming threads with pics of new acquisitions without comment on quality or design is worthless.

Just to be clear, I am not anti-5 Star. I have made criticisms of their pattern making, specifically the sleeves, since my first purchase. It has never really improved. This is a fair and just critique.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I am sorry for offending.

The truth is, I was here for a deal. And I am sure people here are here for that too. But there are no deals in the world, nothing is for free. Sometimes someone wins a lottery, but the odds are slim. Three 5 Star jackets can get you close to a true premium jacket, but you have to go there in person, that is the truth.

The floor is all yours.

 

[KBlake]

If loving 5* is wrong I don’t want to be right!

Enjoying my last 5* before graduating to Aero and, eventually, FL.

 

[ton312]

If loving 5* is wrong I don’t want to be right!

Enjoying my last 5* before graduating to Aero and, eventually, FL. View attachment 570104

That'll be in the classifieds for $100 as soon as your Aero arrives.

 

[Marc mndt]

If loving 5* is wrong I don’t want to be right!

Enjoying my last 5* before graduating to Aero and, eventually, FL. View attachment 570104

That's a good looking jacket KBLake. No need to defend yourself.

We're just pointing out the shortcomings of 5* in general. Just like Aero and FL patterns have their shortcomings: We've all heard about Aero's 'hang by the neck' issues or FL's old pattern with its square shoulders and limited mobility.

The extend to which these issues manifest themselves differs from one wearer to another (eg the shapeless sleeves are clearly an issue for @ton312 with his big guns).

Fact is, the better the pattern, the more it will be suitable for a wide range of different body types. This is where vintage patterns / jackets excel. Modern day makers that come to mind are Lewis Leathers, Vanson, Schott, LW, and many other more established makers.

 

[Bfd70]

Gentlemen. You can’t fight in here - this is the war room!

 

[JMax]

That's a good looking jacket KBLake. No need to defend yourself.

We're just pointing out the shortcomings of 5* in general. Just like Aero and FL patterns have their shortcomings: We've all heard about Aero's 'hang by the neck' issues or FL's old pattern with its square shoulders and limited mobility.

The extend to which these issues manifest themselves differs from one wearer to another (eg the shapeless sleeves are clearly an issue for @ton312 with his big guns).

Fact is, the better the pattern, the more it will be suitable for a wide range of different body types. This is where vintage patterns / jackets excel. Modern day makers that come to mind are Lewis Leathers, Vanson, Schott, LW, and many other more established makers.

Well said.

It’s not an attack. Certainly not personal and also not of 5*. They are what they are. And sometimes they are good to go. There just are, imo, better options for what probably ends up being roughly the same price.

 

[Aloysius]

I don’t understand why you keep bringing up 3D pattern planning. It’s a relatively newer advancement and it has nothing to do with vintage reproductions or the fit of the vintage leather jackets we seek to recreate. 2D pattern planning has been fine for years and while there are some welcoming aspects of designing clothing using a 3D digital pattern it’s not entirely we should care about when we basing our expectations on a replica on a 2D patterned jacket. Or are we talking about completely different things here. I mean you brought up H&M clothing up as an example, a brand I actually visit really frequently, and in reality I don’t see where the money is going with those pattern advancements. I can appreciate some things as they are trendy, but to say they are well thought out designs that fit good is to lie or have no experience wearing anything from them.

You’re misunderstanding.

3D in this case doesn’t refer to using a CAD tool for designing patterns in 3D. That’s completely unrelated to the discussion.

It refers to taking into account the dimensions and contours of the wearer when designing and cutting the pattern. This is a crucial skill (and why I am often critical of this and other discussion sites’ fixation on measurements; something can have all the right ‘measurements’ but wear terribly). A “2D pattern“ in Marc’s parlance would instead be something that has all the ’correct’ measurements‘ but doesn’t go that extra step. Incidentally, it’s not just 5 Star that lacks this. Many of the expensive Japanese brands look like bags of expensive leather.

This is handled really well by mass-market brands, because the garment needs to fit the maximum amount of people possible (this doesn’t mean the garment itself is otherwise well-made, nor does it mean it will fit everyone well). A good case in point: a friend who’d worn a lot of high end denim picked up a pair of some of the last recent US made selvedge Levi’s 501s; he was surprised by how immediately they fit well, and another friend close to the garment industry pointed out that he was getting corporate pattern expertise plus the premium materials. Boutique brands don’t always have the former.

This is also why menswear was traditionally shaped using an iron, not merely cut, sewn, and sold. Today even expensive brands of clothing don’t have the ironing step and hang off the wearer.

Does that make sense?

 

[KBlake]

Well said.

It’s not an attack. Certainly not personal and also not of 5*. They are what they are. And sometimes they are good to go. There just are, imo, better options for what probably ends up being roughly the same price.

Idk, I think some people here intend to attack. But hey, I’m a lowly noob, not an expert, so what right have I got to complain?

 

[MrProper]

Idk, I think some people here intend to attack. But hey, I’m a lowly noob, not an expert, so what right have I got to complain?

I'm the master of the clueless, but I've never felt like i can't speak my mind here. In this respect, I can reassure you ;-)

 

[ton312]

Idk, I think some people here intend to attack. But hey, I’m a lowly noob, not an expert, so what right have I got to complain?

Valid criticism is not an attack. 5 Star has remained the exact same since this thread was started on page 1. Nothing has changed. Sure they have copped more patterns (which are provided by customers) and let's be honest, they are all budget builds of higher quality jackets. I'm sure there are some who take great offense to that (and rightly so). I am confident that as soon as you receive your Aero, any love you have for 5 Star will fade fast and quickly evaporate.

I am not here to criticize you or panda. I just feel that I wasn't honest enough (at all) in my initial reviews of what 5 Star provides and frankly it probably led you and others to look at them in a light that is not genuine. In fact I know it did after looking over my PM's. I can't live with that on my conscious. So I'm coming clean about my opinions on 5 Star and I'm basing those opinions on collecting outerwear since the early 1990's in thrift stores, small city shit holes, salvation army stores, army navy surplus, all the various auction sites, etc.

I'm hardly even interested in leather jackets anymore, so that has freed me to speak honestly and without bias. I don't think 5 Star jackets are terrible. There are completely mediocre, with the same set of pattern flaws they started with based on a lack of understanding about human anatomy and basic jacket manufacture.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Idk, I think some people here intend to attack. But hey, I’m a lowly noob, not an expert, so what right have I got to complain?

Words are always personal. But there’s nothing real to gain in the end. Best to be the bigger man and let it go. Every moment spent reacting is a moment lost living.

FWIW, I used to drink my way through my family gatherings behave poorly. What I got was negative gains to my health. But as I grew older, I’ve learned to just stand up, politely excuse myself and walk away, and rejoin the fam when everybody calms down, which given enough time and space, they always do. I always try to do what’s best for me. And reacting to others actions and words, isn’t always it. Everything I wanted to say about 5* I have said to my best, but contents doesnt matter anymore, not from many pages back. Best to be the bigger man and let it go. And watch the fam play this out from afar.