Having worked my way through many jackets in my time on the forum I thought it was time that I finally committed to a custom build. An obvious choice was Johnson Leathers based out of San Francisco. I had always heard stellar things about their quality of work and they were especially known for their outstanding customer service. I reached out to Damon at the shop and we began to discuss the project.
I knew from the jacket’s inception that I wanted something classic but with my own personal tweaks. I considered all of the styles that I gravitated towards- half belts, cafe racers and cross zips. I felt that I could not do any better than the Freewheelers Speed Master so no need to go for a cafe racer. My Field Leathers modified Idaho far exceeded any other half belt that I could come up with so I decided against that choice. Lastly, I had a Lost Worlds PJ27 filling my cross zip slot. As much as loved the LW it was never a perfect fit and the chrome tanned leather in a heavier weight had been a little bit of overkill here in San Diego. I had my sights set on a cross zip.
My next decision was which leather to use. I’ve tried a variety of horsehides and have slowly narrowed down my preferences. My absolute favorites are Shinki and Badalassi. Both have a rigidity and depth of color that I find really appealing. However, even for mid weight leathers they are somewhat thick for everyday use in my climate. I had heard great things about Horween Vermont and @Jin431 highly recommended it after seeing it in person at the JL shop. It was lighter weight yet had the texture and richness of color that I was looking for. My only concern was that it was a softer leather which, as a plus, would take less time to break in but might also not take to creasing and showing wear marks as well.
I decided to go with a simple cross zip with no epaulettes or belt. It would be a D pocket design based off of the classic Buco J-24. I wanted to add a little bit of detail by using natural Horween Veg Tan leather in the pocket welts, shoulders gussets and zip sleeve liners. The lining would be a Japanese fabric with indigo tones and brass hardware all around.
The jacket was delivered a week ago and here are my impressions. JL definitely knows how to I build a solid jacket. The pattern is based off of their M-500 and it is extremely comfortable to move in while maintaining a slim fit. Craftsmanship is top notch. As for the Horween Vermont, it far exceeded my expectations. Although it is a softer leather it still creases well in the sleeves and shows grain in a very appealing manner. I couldn’t be happier with the end result and want to applaud those who’ve made it to the end of this long-winded review.
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I knew from the jacket’s inception that I wanted something classic but with my own personal tweaks. I considered all of the styles that I gravitated towards- half belts, cafe racers and cross zips. I felt that I could not do any better than the Freewheelers Speed Master so no need to go for a cafe racer. My Field Leathers modified Idaho far exceeded any other half belt that I could come up with so I decided against that choice. Lastly, I had a Lost Worlds PJ27 filling my cross zip slot. As much as loved the LW it was never a perfect fit and the chrome tanned leather in a heavier weight had been a little bit of overkill here in San Diego. I had my sights set on a cross zip.
My next decision was which leather to use. I’ve tried a variety of horsehides and have slowly narrowed down my preferences. My absolute favorites are Shinki and Badalassi. Both have a rigidity and depth of color that I find really appealing. However, even for mid weight leathers they are somewhat thick for everyday use in my climate. I had heard great things about Horween Vermont and @Jin431 highly recommended it after seeing it in person at the JL shop. It was lighter weight yet had the texture and richness of color that I was looking for. My only concern was that it was a softer leather which, as a plus, would take less time to break in but might also not take to creasing and showing wear marks as well.
I decided to go with a simple cross zip with no epaulettes or belt. It would be a D pocket design based off of the classic Buco J-24. I wanted to add a little bit of detail by using natural Horween Veg Tan leather in the pocket welts, shoulders gussets and zip sleeve liners. The lining would be a Japanese fabric with indigo tones and brass hardware all around.
The jacket was delivered a week ago and here are my impressions. JL definitely knows how to I build a solid jacket. The pattern is based off of their M-500 and it is extremely comfortable to move in while maintaining a slim fit. Craftsmanship is top notch. As for the Horween Vermont, it far exceeded my expectations. Although it is a softer leather it still creases well in the sleeves and shows grain in a very appealing manner. I couldn’t be happier with the end result and want to applaud those who’ve made it to the end of this long-winded review.
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