U-boat leather jacket options

[Peacoat]

There is another thread on this topic found below. Don't know that it will give you any additional ideas, but might be worth a look.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...n-U-Boot-Leather-Coat&highlight=U+Boat+Jacket

 

[Jeff M]

Several months ago I was interested in purchasing a Kreigsmarine U-boat style leather jacket.
I decided to go with Bad Wolf. I liked the design and the way the jacket draped on the photos I saw on their web site.
I received the jacket about 2 months ago, and sent it back due to issues with how the jacket fit.

Bad Wolf has been in the process of contacting their tailor about the issues for the past 2 months...but so far I have not heard what the remedy for the situation will be.

After receiving the jacket I contacted Amanda at Aero, sent her a link to the BW site and asked her if they could make me a jacket with the same design features as the "Bad Wolf" jacket.
She noted that they could...it is very close in design to their "Barnstormer". The price was, if I recall correctly, nearly identical to..if not less than... what I paid for the BW.

Given the known quality of Aero workmanship, their customer service when designs go wrong, the price....I'd highly recommend contacting Aero.

 

[Troglodyte]

My preference (Bad Wolf) is stated above and I haven't regretted my purchase, but nobody has ever gone wrong with Aero or Magnoli. Both do great custom work!

Trog

 

[subject101]

I have found another maker; this manufacturer produces two u-boat/DrWho jackets; http://www.wearwolf.co.uk/acatalog/Mens_Leather_Jackets.html but the pictures are horrible, with all due respect to the model.

Right now, the u-boat/DrWho jacket I like best is the Magnoli one, but I just don't see the point in sending my money to a guy that is in New Zeland and then receiving a jacket from India. I'd feel that I was throwing away my money ???

Second I like best is the badwolf one but I think the collar is somehow oversized.

 

[RayR]

Now 3 years since the last post and I'm looking for the real thing...or possibly an exact replica. I just don't hear a lot of praise for the Wested. The Magnoli looks off in proportions (like the placement of the upper outside pockets. Replicators looks like a lawn bag. The Wearwolf link given here is dead, but I found them and the photos look like cheap leather....Nothing showing up on eBay from WW2...

But I did find this link that looks promising. Probably what I would pay for an original, but details seem right. Does any one have some experience with Traders Of The Lost Surplus recently?

http://www.totls.com/LEATHER%20%20JACKETS%20OF%20THE%20THIRD%20REICH.htm

 

[Seb Lucas]

Try German police coat. They used the same basic design for 40 years after the war. But if you're after a Dr Who costume price this may not be accurate enough. A German jacket should cost you F*** all. Despite what the Bad Wolf website says, the Dr Who costume coat looks like a civilian 1950's-60's job to me.

 

[FredS]

I see the latest trend is to revive old threads from 2009 and 2010.

 

[RayR]

Thanks, Peacoat. Just what The Doctor ordered

 

[RayR]

Revival time

At the risk of offending anyone by continuing the revival of this old thread...I think the Bad Wolf jacket is the one for me. I put in an order last night and already got a nice letter from them thanking me for the order and providing me more information.

On the other thread (Peacoat posted the URL in this thread) I found extensive photos from someone who ordered one. It looked spot-on and a perfect fit for him. I love that it will be tailored to my size. Even my Belstaff Milford (Sherlock Holmes, BBC) coat at 1,400 BPS was off-the-rack rather than tailored.

Also, as this forum deals in timeless classic clothing and style, how can any thread be dead, he asked rhetorically.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Good luck Ray R - be sure you give us a look. Given the negative experiences of Jeff M and others with Bad Wolf, it'll be interesting to see if they have lifted their game over the years. But it sounds like you had already made your mind up to get one a while back. Interesting.

 

[RayR]

Good luck Ray R - be sure you give us a look. Given the negative experiences of Jeff M and others with Bad Wolf, it'll be interesting to see if they have lifted their game over the years. But it sounds like you had already made your mind up to get one a while back. Interesting.

Just arrived yesterday. In a word FANTASTIC! The leather has great character. It is soft and lighter than I thought, yet very well made. Here are a few shots right out of the box.











As of now, I have taken steel wool to it to take off the new shine. I doubt that I will try to artificially age it like the original. But I do want to get it ready to take natural wear and tear more quickly.

BTW, John Doyle at Bad Wolf was a pleasure to work with although not always prompt with an email reply. This took about 8 weeks to arrive to me in US.

 

[RayR]

The Bad Wolfsite says it was a vintage navy coat but I reckon that design was very common in civilian useage in Europe (esp Germany) throughout the 1950's-1970's. Even the German police wore a version of this double breasted bag until the 1980's. I used to see them hanging in surplus stores for $30 Australian.

I have a more detailed post later this thread, but I want to mention the Bad Wold jacket weighs in at only 4 lbs. No heavy cold weather lining. It has the cotton lining you see on Doctor Who It feels great to wear now in the 50-degree temps here. I think it will be fine in 60's and low 70's (maybe) Remember that this was Based on an authentic WW II era jacket and then altered for the needs of the show. Not unlike how the Capt. Jack Harkness WW II RAF Greatcoat is not original from the time, but a modern mock-up. This is the lining, other pics are later in this thread:

 

[Smithy]

Really handsome looking jacket. I'm a great fan of double breasted leather 3/4 length coats in the peacoat/barnstormer/motoring vein and I reckon that's a great one.

Enjoy!

 

[Seb Lucas]

Looks like nice cowhide with grain and a decent thick lining. 4 pounds is about right for 2.5oz cowhide although the original civilian jackets were closer to 6 or 7 pounds. As would an Aero be in that design. Your weight is easier to wear in my view. I think the original was one of many thousands of civilian double breasted German jackets they made and the wartime association a bit of romance. But maybe it's true. In civilian form these were very common. Peter from Wested has stated to Cow members that Bad Wolf stole the pattern off him when he first tendered to be the maker. It was an adaptation of his Das Boot jacket. Maybe. But then Wested have problems getting the pattern right for an Indy jacket despite the view that they made the original.

 

[RayR]

Looks like nice cowhide with grain and a decent thick lining. 4 pounds is about right for 2.5oz cowhide although the original civilian jackets were closer to 6 or 7 pounds. As would an Aero be in that design. Your weight is easier to wear in my view. I think the original was one of many thousands of civilian double breasted German jackets they made and the wartime association a bit of romance. But maybe it's true. In civilian form these were very common. Peter from Wested has stated to Cow members that Bad Wolf stole the pattern off him when he first tendered to be the maker. It was an adaptation of his Das Boot jacket. Maybe. But then Wested have problems getting the pattern right for an Indy jacket despite the view that they made the original.

Good info, thanks, Seb. If BW did "steal" the pattern, he certainly only used it as a starting point. Just look at this one comparison: Wested =



Bad Wolf =



The parallel seams down the back on Wested are just seams. On Bad Wolf (I think it's called) a pleat. I also spot the Wested front upper pockets as much wider (depth not length). I wish I knew what the inside of the Wested or the Magnoli look like.

 

[Jaffa the Hat]

Hi Ray and welcome to the BW club! your jacket looks great. I got my new Bad Wolf in black the day after you got yours and once again John Doyle has come through for me- I have no complaints. I will try and get some photos on here soon!

Jaffa

 

[RayR]

Hi Ray and welcome to the BW club! your jacket looks great. I got my new Bad Wolf in black the day after you got yours and once again John Doyle has come through for me- I have no complaints. I will try and get some photos on here soon!

Jaffa

Thanks, Jaffa. I can't wait to see your pics. Meanwhile, I have been working on aging mine. I gave it a rub down with steel wool just to take out some of the New Coat shine. It is remarkably resilient. Then after a few days I tried again using those no-scratch pot scrubbing pads. In between I gave it a good massage rubbing in Picardo Leather Cream.

My goal is to get the jacket to hang like it has been around a while. (It's a 70 year old copy after all). I wear it as much as possible, I throw it on the floor when not in use, I am leaving objects in the bottom pockets. I also unbuttoned the 1st belt button, which is missing on The Doctors jacket. I'm not going to remove it.

After the Teflon pot scrubbers, the leather feels much nicer. Softer and less finished. No scratch marks of sanding effect! I doubt that I will take the finish down to bare spots like the screen used jacket. But I do want to encourage it to wear naturally in that pattern.

I am also considering using a hair dryer on it to dry out the leather, then re-nourishing it with Pecards. That could give it the effect of age. I'll get more pics eventually.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Rubbing alcohol will remove sheen and some dye without degrading the leather surface.

That's Very unusual. The leather must have some kind of coating.

 

[RayR]

Rubbing alcohol will remove sheen and some dye without degrading the leather surface.

That was the first thing I did and no it did not take away that new jacket shine. But thanks for the suggestion. Even with my arm-tiring effort, there is not much change. Here are a few shots. It's grey and snowing outside, so these are indoors with artificial light. It means more shine than it should have to the naked eye. But you can see some progress.







You can compare these to my pics earlier in the thread. I will probably put it out in the weather (on the back porch) for a while, and I still haven't tried the hair dryer effect.

 

[Jaffa the Hat]

Ray you obviously know what you are doing because the results look good. I, on the other hand, shudder at the thought of attacking my new BW with a steel wool pad! But that's because a) I don't know what I am doing and b) I need to get past the 'precious' phase I go through with all things I buy new.
My brown BW is a great jacket and has a softer leather to the touch and John Doyle did say to me brown was a tad more of a luxurious jacket than the black but the black is the one to have. I have no regrets so far about buying the black as well (apart from the $340 import tax)
My jacket took eight weeks to come from ordering as well but worth the wait methinks