lost worlds

[thor]

Peacoat posted "What?? King County considers itself more "City" than Queen County? I don't think so. The City is Manhattan (New York County), and nowhere else counts. I realize NYPD has jurisdiction in both boroughs--Brooklyn and Queens, but still . . . . "


"Nowhere else counts"...the people in Brooklyn feel that way about Manhattan...and everywhere else. Call it pride or attitude or whatever, but Brooklynites are practically jingoistic in their love for Brooklyn. I don't know if there has ever been a more rabid fanbase then the local love for the fabled Brooklyn Dodgers. The team, the players and Ebbets Field have taken on an almost mythical quality over the years.

Having said that, count me in among the fans of LW. They make a great jacket!

 

[dr.velociraptor]

NYC's days as a gritty working class mecca are over, it's now home to soccer moms pushing $1000 strollers, and white guys wearing Birkenstocks, fanny packs, and sporting unkempt beards. We can all remember NYC fondly but now it's Disney Land.

 

[Dickie Teenie]

And in need of a barber at BLK-DNM NYC...ouch but i had to post this monstrosity!

http://static3.refinery29.com/bin/entry/9a9/300x/983854/o.jpg

 

[Peacoat]

Thor: Many years ago we flew into Floyd Bennett Field, when it was a military airfield. I believe some military units--reserve components--are there now, and the NYPD uses it as a training area. It is at the end of Flat Bush Avenue, which runs the length of Brooklyn from the East River all the way to Floyd Bennett. We had spent several days in the City, and were taking the cab ride back to our airplane at Floyd Bennett. I saw the prettiest girls on Flat Bush, even prettier than the Manhattan girls we had been noticing for the past few days. That impressed me, and destroyed one of my preconceptions about Brooklyn.

One day I was separated from my traveling companions and stopped in for lunch at a small Italian restaurant off the beaten path in Manhattan. It had been recommended to me by a friend of mine who was at Julliard at the time. I went in, had some conversation with the waiter and ordered. A few minutes later the owner came by my table and joined me. I later decided he had heard my Southern accent and wanted to see what was going on. We talked for quite a while. It was later in the afternoon, and the lunch rush was over. I found out he had been stationed for a while in, or around, Nashville during the war. He was very interested in the area and how things had changed. He said he very much enjoyed his time there, and never met a local who wasn't courteous to him, in spite of his accent.

I stayed on after lunch and had a few beers while we talked. Finally, it came time to go. The waiter brought the check, but the owner took it. He thanked me for an enjoyable afternoon and said my money wouldn't spend in his restaurant. You guessed it--he was born, raised and still lived in Brooklyn. A super nice guy.

Now, to keep this on topic, I am considering a LW jacket, and would like to visit the shop up there, but understand that isn't an option.

 

[thor]

Thor: Many years ago we flew into Floyd Bennett Field, when it was a military airfield. I believe some military units--reserve components--are there now, and the NYPD uses it as a training area. It is at the end of Flat Bush Avenue, which runs the length of Brooklyn from the East River all the way to Floyd Bennett. We had spent several days in the City, and were taking the cab ride back to our airplane at Floyd Bennett. I saw the prettiest girls on Flat Bush, even prettier than the Manhattan girls we had been noticing for the past few days. That impressed me, and destroyed one of my preconceptions about Brooklyn.

One day I was separated from my traveling companions and stopped in for lunch at a small Italian restaurant off the beaten path in Manhattan. It had been recommended to me by a friend of mine who was at Julliard at the time. I went in, had some conversation with the waiter and ordered. A few minutes later the owner came by my table and joined me. I later decided he had heard my Southern accent and wanted to see what was going on. We talked for quite a while. It was later in the afternoon, and the lunch rush was over. I found out he had been stationed for a while in, or around, Nashville during the war. He was very interested in the area and how things had changed. He said he very much enjoyed his time there, and never met a local who wasn't courteous to him, in spite of his accent.

I stayed on after lunch and had a few beers while we talked. Finally, it came time to go. The waiter brought the check, but the owner took it. He thanked me for an enjoyable afternoon and said my money wouldn't spend in his restaurant. You guessed it--he was born, raised and still lived in Brooklyn. A super nice guy.

Now, to keep this on topic, I am considering a LW jacket, and would like to visit the shop up there, but understand that isn't an option.

Hi Peacoat. Great story! I grew up in Brooklyn and did 20 years in the Navy. I traveled a lot and always treated everyone I met (fellow Americans in other part of the country as well as foreigners all around the world) with courtesy and respect. Some people were actually a little surprised to hear that I was from Brooklyn! They thought all Brooklynites were rude, crude and overly opinionated. There are good and bad people everywhere. If people embraced the old adage of "do unto others..." we'd have less rudeness and misunderstandings.

Maybe certain proprietors of certain leather jacket companies could be more patient and considerate to their potential clientele.

In my experience with LW, business was always conducted in a prompt, no-nonsense manner. Their products are simply amazing! I wish their factory would be open for a quick courtesy visit but alas this is not the case. Maybe it's because of strict insurance/safety concerns?

All I can say is that LW make the best leather jackets I have ever had the pleasure to own. Good luck to you, my friend, if and when you decide to pursue your next leather jacket.

 

[Worf]

I'm within driving distance of Vanson's, U.S. Authentic and LW. Vanson's is the ONLY one I could visit and get "fitted". Both LW and U.S. Authentic said I couldn't visit for "insurance reasons". However FL member Doc Strange said he was measured at one of the two, LW I think so who really knows?

Worf

 

[IXL]

^^^^^^ "for insurance reasons" is doubtful. All kinds of people will have business to do there....and will be admited. This is just an excuse to keep people from either seeing what is, or quite possibly what is not actually, being done in the "factory."
I know of no type of retail business insurance coverage that would exclude the very people the business depends on: customers.
But, maybe I'm just a cynic....

 

[tonypaj]

I assume the dude has enough business to his liking as it is, and dislikes "tire kickers". His choice, but given his bravado on other issues, he might as well say that he doesn't allow visitors because he chooses not to.

 

[Fanch]

I assume the dude has enough business to his liking as it is, and dislikes "tire kickers". His choice, but given his bravado on other issues, he might as well say that he doesn't allow visitors because he chooses not to.

I would have to say it's Stuart's prerogative to not allow visitors in his factory if he chooses not to do so. When I visited Gibson & Barnes in San Diego a couple of years ago, one of the high points of my visit was to have a guided tour of the factory. I too kicked a few tires while I was there but also walked out with a couple of tires on my way out.

 

[kyboots]

Thor are you Dutch ancestry by any chance? Lot in the Flat Bush area.

 

[Sloan1874]

I've always thought that the workshop was part of any company's personality. Even if it's just photos, the sense of you receiving something that has been crafted by a skilled person, to your specifications, is important in creating a connection, a sense of ownership. The danger of making a point of keeping everything out of sight is that you end up with people wondering why.
And as Fanch points out, if you do allow people in, while you may get a few tyre kickers, if they're impressed enough with the product and how it's made, then they're more likely to invest, and invest again, with confidence...

 

[Fanch]

Sloan, you express yourself very well and couldn't have said it any better. I'll bet that when you picked up your Aero LHB that you had a tour of their factory and have an even greater appreciation for your Aero than if it had been posted to you instead. I definitely have a greater appreciation for my G&B jackets and my Filson gear from having visited their respective factories.

 

[Sloan1874]

Thank you, Fanch. I think everyone gets the Aero treatment if they make the effort to pick up their jacket, but I don't think it's a sales pitch, I think it comes from taking pride in what they do and wanting to show it. But it's like visiting a whisky distillery or a winery: if you're not teetotal, it's rare that you don't walk away with a bottle or two, and it always tastes that little bit better when you uncork it.

 

[wdw]

Like Sloan and quite a few others on this board, I've visited the Aero factory a number of times, had the tour and met a number of the names we all recognise from this board.

It's fair to say that this only makes me feel more enthusiastic about them and their products, as it's obvious, particularly now, that they're people with a passion for their work and that they're proud and confident enough to let visitors drop in unannounced to see them at work. In no way do I get the impression they have anything to hide.

I like the look of some of the Lost Worlds stuff, but am wary of someone who so clearly doesn't want his customers to see him at work. No doubt that's just his little way, but I'd rather put my money where I can have a sensible discussion (if necessary) about what I'm spending around $1,000 on, no matter what country they're in.

 

[Fanch]

Like Sloan and quite a few others on this board, I've visited the Aero factory a number of times, had the tour and met a number of the names we all recognise from this board.

It's fair to say that this only makes me feel more enthusiastic about them and their products, as it's obvious, particularly now, that they're people with a passion for their work and that they're proud and confident enough to let visitors drop in unannounced to see them at work. In no way do I get the impression they have anything to hide.

I like the look of some of the Lost Worlds stuff, but am wary of someone who so clearly doesn't want his customers to see him at work. No doubt that's just his little way, but I'd rather put my money where I can have a sensible discussion (if necessary) about what I'm spending around $1,000 on, no matter what country they're in.

:arated:

 

[les_garten]

Why does the maker of the worlds best leathers get picked on thru this forum so the subject of the leathers gets lost? And why does some dufus think he s shortchanged because Stu will not give tours of his factory? Do you like people watching you working? geeeeeeeeeez

I think he reaps the crop he sows.

I have kept 2 out of my 3 LW's I've owned. I'll keep them forever. An A-2 and a G-1.

His Goatskin is really nice IME and I'd get another one. An A-2 in Goat from him might be interesting.

The HH A-2 will be a Lifetime breaking in, if it ever does...

The J-27 had to go, because it would be impossible for anyone to break in IMO. I've never seen one of his Moto Jackets broken in. Not saying there aren't any, but I've never seen one. They all look brand new and mostly uncreased and stiff as boards even after multiple owners.

I've switched my Moto Jackets to Langlitz and never looked back.

If anyone has some good pix of a well worn in Moto Jacket from LW, I would be interested in seeing them.

He makes a quality product. His Shearling Flight Jackets are supposed to be it.

But there is a good chance that you can get a Very High quality jacket that is unwearable due to the materials used.

There is a reason why he rants and raves about us Forum pansies on his website, and that we aren't real men.

I'm sure you can boil this down to complaints he's received or read everywhere.

If you are ordering a jacket from LW, read up all you can first...

He's kinda the Soup Nazi of the jacket world to deal with.

Where are you getting this, "Maker of the world's best Leathers from"?

 

[Pdxgeo]

My LW A2 after a LOT of wear. I use it at work from fall til Spring. Tons of portland rain, covered in sawdust almost daily, cleaned with damp cloth regularly. Re knitted recently with knits purchased from Japan but the new ones are pilling already after about 5 days of wear so not too happy with them.

You can see how LW horsehide wears in some of the close ups. The back of course doesnt show nearly as much character but I

LOVE this jacket and if you get a LW amd wear the heck out of Im pretty sure you will too.

 

[ButteMT61]

One of the most exciting things I've done was to go to Galashiels to pick up my jacket and get a tour. When we were kids in PA, we often had field trips to places like Corning, US Steel, etc. to see how things were made. I love that. But I can also see why a one-man shop would not have time for such things...

Seeing how things are made and who makes them is a wonderful thing. It gives you more internal acceptance of the higher price tags for such items. That's probably one of the real shames of 21st century America - the loss of these things.

As for "Brooklynites", yeah, I got a whole side of my wife's family that are Brooklyn Sicilians. Mother of God, they are their own race! And honestly, I find them humorous and entertaining. Thank goodness for the differences that make us all people.

I understand those that think Stu's a tough pill to swallow, but I'm the kind of guy that enjoys a challenge. I don't know what makes someone who/what they are, but I also love that some people are huggie - touchy-feelie and some sock you in the nose.
Guess it was my upbringing, and the combination of today's overly-sensitive types that makes me appreciate a guy that just spills flow of conscientiousness rants

 

[les_garten]

My LW A2 after a LOT of wear. I use it at work from fall til Spring. Tons of portland rain, covered in sawdust almost daily, cleaned with damp cloth regularly. Re knitted recently with knits purchased from Japan but the new ones are pilling already after about 5 days of wear so not too happy with them.

You can see how LW horsehide wears in some of the close ups. The back of course doesnt show nearly as much character but I View attachment 70585 View attachment 70586 View attachment 70587 View attachment 70588 View attachment 70589 LOVE this jacket and if you get a LW amd wear the heck out of Im pretty sure you will too.

I was referring to the Moto Jackets. They are a much different Hide than used on the A-2's.

My A-2 looks about like yours, but it has not progressed much more.

I had more character in an Aero FQHH after 2 weeks of wear.

 

[Sloan1874]

As with seriously heavy denim, LW's heavy weight HH is something I find easier to admire from a distance than get involved with. I don't mind a bit of a battle with a jacket or pair of jeans but I hate the feeling that I'm the one on the losing end.