LOST WORLDS - Discovering some GREAT leather!

[TheSnark]

WARNING: The following thread contains material that may be offensive to some Aerophiles. This includes graphic images of leather jackets not manufactured by Aero, and delivered within a reasonable time frame. Wil and Amanda were not consulted in the making of these jackets. Viewer discretion is advised.

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A couple of new jackets from Lost Worlds arrived on Wednesday, so I thought I'd share a few photos. Both these jackets were ordered on 07/18/2010 and arrived 09/15/2010. Fairly impressive, considering LW admitted to initially having "made the wrong jacket" instead of the Suburban. They did catch their mistake before shipping, and still managed to ship both jackets 8 weeks after the order was placed. Sure, it was an embarrassing admission, but they were up front about it, and corrected the problem with due speed. I appreciate the way they do business, and the end product is beautiful.

First, the Roadhouse. The name of this jacket model is intended to suggest a slightly disreputable image, but to me, it looks like something right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I ordered a size down for a really trim fit in this model:

This particular jacket was on sale for half price as NOS, but the only differences from current production are the liner (cotton twill instead of nylon satin) and 3.5 vs. 4.0+ horsehide. I just love these old Bakelite buttons, even if they aren't as convenient as zippers on a riding jacket... and I'm almost always a stickler for "function above all". It's hard to believe now that Bakelite buttons and green Coca-Cola bottles were once so pervasive.

Next, the Suburban in Russet Brown. Unlike a lot of my jackets, both the Roadhouse and Suburban can reasonably double as casual wear. They're really somewhere in that hard-to-hit territory of "casual riding jacket":

I've included a couple of detail shots here to show the stitching and grain "right out of the box". LW craftsmanship is as good as any I've ever seen (and within my experience, matched only by Langlitz). I have yet to find a stitch misaligned, a seam that isn't absolutely uniform, or a lining thats folded or sags. Extraordinary precision. Unfortunately, the grain doesn't show too much in an image this small, but the grain of LW HH always has exceptional depth and definition. I can't wait to see what this is like in six months:

That's all for now!

 

[PhilR]

Awesome! Beautiful jackets.

 

[too much coffee]

Hey Snark!
Exceptionally nice and rich looking jackets. They are both proof positive that Aero is not the only game in town, or across the pond.
LW, Langlitz, Schott and Fox Creek are very proficient manufacturers for the rider and casual crowds alike. I just obtained a Schott 689 in FQHH and it is flawless. And zero customs duties for us colonials!
Well done indeed and thanks for posting!

Regards, coffee

 

[JLStorm]

LW jackets are really nice, top quality, great jackets. I think their standard pricing is nuts.

*****BARTENDER NOTE: Please keep any defamation of character out of the public arena - thanks******

 

[TheSnark]

LW jackets are really nice, top quality, great jackets. I think their standard pricing is nuts .

lol Granted, Stuart's comments on the LW website can be rather... eccentric, to say the least, but he's always been entirely pleasant and helpful in my dealings with him. As for the attitudes and opinions he espouses... well, I'm buying a jacket, not marrying the guy. As far as I'm concerned, he's welcome to his own opinions as long as he delivers what he promises (and he hasn't disappointed me yet in that regard).

Standard pricing? All I can say is that there are VERY, VERY few manufacturers that match this quality of material and (especially) workmanship... and the precious few that do, command similar prices. Whether it's worth it to you is, of course, a matter of personal values, but it certainly isn't "nuts".

 

[aswatland]

They do look nice and it makes a pleasant change for someone to start a non-Aero thread. Here's a link to a couple of jackets from a newer maker on the scene and IMO they are about the best around in terms of vintage look and quality. All the details are corrrect even down to the zips.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gwcalracer_images1.html

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gwcalventura_images2.html

 

[sbhva]

I recently won an ebay auction for a LW Suburban in black HH. I must say that I am very impressed with the quality of the leather and the workmanship. I don't think the jacket was worn much berfore I received it so I will be doing the "breaking in". It has been way too hot to wear outside of the air conditioned house so I am looking forward to fall actually arriving here. I hope I have the strength to lift my arms to stear the car when I do get to wear it. lol

I have owned many leather jackets throughout my life, but this is the first in HH. The grain is starting to show just from wearing it around the house and I think it is going to look very good when broken in.

 

[andy richards]

Wow! Awesome good looking jackets. I wonder how they will look after a few months of wear.
Thanks for this thread .
Andy

 

[Dav]

Nice jackets, good to see a different manufacturer for a change.
Enjoy

 

[JanSolo]

Wow, that Suburban really looks beautiful. The colour, fit and finish are amazing. It really fits you well!! You can tell from the pictures that the leather must have a good weight behind it and the stitching seems to be flawless. If I would order a jacket from LW it would be the Suburban in russet!!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I don't think you mean recidivism, do you?

bk

 

[captaincaveman1]

Wow nice jackets. Great fit. Were these custom fitted or off the rack?

I especially like the brown moto jacket with collar. Reminds me of the ubiquitous highwayman but such a better fit.

 

[TheSnark]

Here's a link to a couple of jackets from a newer maker on the scene and IMO they are about the best around in terms of vintage look and quality. All the details are corrrect even down to the zips.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gwcalracer_images1.html

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/gwcalventura_images2.html

Unfortunately, I cannot speak first hand of Good Wear quality, though everything I have read has been outstanding. Nor am I so much a fanatic or expert for period detail as some, but if John's work is as good as the reviews (and the photos on his website) suggest, Good Wear appears to be one of the "very, very few" I mentioned earlier that can match LW quality. I fully intend to find out in the near future by adding a GW to my collection. I have high hopes for GW and would love to add my endorsement to his list of fans! Thanks for mentioning GW... from all appearances and reputation, well worth a try.

 

[TheSnark]

I don't think you mean recidivism, do you?

Well, I've posted LW jacket photos before, so this does make me a repeat offender, anyway [bad] Of course, this is not intended to sully the reputations of respondents

 

[TheSnark]

Were these custom fitted or off the rack?

Both are off-the-rack. The Roadhouse jacket was on sale as NOS, so no alterations were allowed. In this case, I ordered down a size to insure a trim fit, and the tactic worked beautifully... I love the fit. The cut of the Roadhouse pretty much demands a close fit in the body, so I took a chance that the sleeves and other measurements would turn out OK in the smaller size. At half price, I figured I could resell quickly at no loss if the experiment didn't work out.

The russet Suburban is in my regular size, but the cut of this jacket is not as trim as the Roadhouse, so there was no need for a close fit in the torso... the shoulders, sleeves and body length are a good fit. With the longer sleeves required for riding and the looser cut of the design, custom measurements really offer little improvement, imo. For a dedicated riding jacket or a trim-fit casual design, custom tailoring can make a big difference, though.

 

[Cooperson]

Thanks for the photos - I can look at leather jackets all day long, I don't care who made them.

The Suburban is right up my street - love the style and color and the fit is spot on. Would love to see again when it's broken in a bit. Enjoy!

Cheers

 

[jon z]

Thanks for sharing these. Two beautiful jackets in both quality & fit.

 

[1087]

Snark

Both jackets looks fantastic!
Like you said LW is in a league of their own alongside 2 or 3 more contenders.
Your Roadhouse and Suburban jackets are quite extraordinary!
I will be able to tell you about GoodWear hopefully before the end of the year, I have ordered a jacket from John back in May, I can't wait to have it.
Congratulations for your two new outstanding jackets!:eusa_clap
PS: what about an avatar change for you?LOL!

 

[TheSnark]

I will be able to tell you about GoodWear hopefully before the end of the year, I have ordered a jacket from John back in May

Dang, you're always at least one step ahead of me! :rage: On the other hand, I do have someone to blame for all the jacket purchases. My next purchase really is your fault... that J23 you showed off a while back convinced me that I just MUST have a LW Trojan, and I just placed the order today.

The GW purchase is next on my list after the Trojan. You have a comfortable lead, but I'm determined not to let you lap me! lol

PS: If you look closely, you'll see that is an original, vintage purple flower my avatar is holding. And besides, the guy with no avatar and a number for a name is complaining?!?

 

[1087]

Dang, you're always at least one step ahead of me! :rage: On the other hand, I do have someone to blame for all the jacket purchases. My next purchase really is your fault... that J23 you showed off a while back convinced me that I just MUST have a LW Trojan, and I just placed the order today.

The GW purchase is next on my list after the Trojan. You have a comfortable lead, but I'm determined not to let you lap me! lol

PS: If you look closely, you'll see that is an original, vintage purple flower my avatar is holding. And besides, the guy with no avatar and a number for a name is complaining?!?

Good morning Sir;
It's just pure coincidence!
It seems that both of us are jacket freaks!
My J23 is quite outstanding, you will be in love with the LW Trojan when you get it, it's another extraordinary jacket!
I have a Legendary Trojan since 2005 that I use it very often but it's not on par with the LW.
I have a feel that few chins will drop when I get my upcoming GW ( it will be a one off).
I was just pullin your chain about your avatar!
Having said that I just upload my own,( you are right it's about time).
Now about my forum handle, "1087" is the displacement of my beloved Bonneville ( a six years project that I'm proud of it), hence the "need" to have proper jackets to wear when I ride "The Beast"