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Valstar jackets

Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,163
Bringing up an old thread. I'm considering a Valstar Valstarino jacket which is hand made in Italy of high quality Italian very supple/soft suede goat. I think this could be a very good addition as it is a rather versatile jacket.

Valstar‘s Italian take on a classic us army A-1 flight jacket, the 'valstarino', was first produced in 1935 and was actually the first bomber jacket made for civilian wear.

I'm not sure if there are loungers who do have experience with this brand?

I either dig the camel or moss green one:

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Ayeteael

A-List Customer
Messages
333
Location
Atlanta
Valstar is great. I purchased my Valstar "Clint" from NoManWalksAlone. I've posted photos of it many times. I've considered getting a Valstarino too, but haven't yet. Their fits are nice and trim and the suede and construction are high-quality.
 

Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,163
Valstar is great. I purchased my Valstar "Clint" from NoManWalksAlone. I've posted photos of it many times. I've considered getting a Valstarino too, but haven't yet. Their fits are nice and trim and the suede and construction are high-quality.
@Ayeteael Thanks very much for your feedback and for sharing your experience. I just wonder why this brand doesn't get much attention here as it is obviously not a fashion brand with manufacturing sites in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, etc.) and moreover this is a rather old company based in Italy (I guess founded in the 30's). I got a good offer for a new one on Ebay (550€) instead of roughly 1000€ I give it a try - then I can also compare Aero's goat suede with this goat suede....I'm pretty sure that Aero's is thicker and heavier which would be good as I'm searching for a lighter one.
Cheers, Robbie
 

Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,163
Valstar is great. I purchased my Valstar "Clint" from NoManWalksAlone. I've posted photos of it many times. I've considered getting a Valstarino too, but haven't yet. Their fits are nice and trim and the suede and construction are high-quality.
@Ayeteael I've just seen one of your Valstar jacket posts. Jacket seems to be very comfy...I lke it!
 

Ayeteael

A-List Customer
Messages
333
Location
Atlanta
@Ayeteael I've just seen one of your Valstar jacket posts. Jacket seems to be very comfy...I lke it!
My Valstar suede is surprisingly hefty. It was much heavier than I expected. It's not a "mall" or "fashion-brand " suede by any means. I too wonder why we don't see more of them on here, but it's probably because of a perception Valstar is a "fashion" brand, and they're not as commonly available here in the US. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine!
 

welltailoredsuit

New in Town
Messages
22
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
I've been wearing my Sandal Brown Suede A1 Valstar for over a year now. It's been a great jacket, although I do not wear it as often as a leather jacket as I think it's a little more delicate. It is very high quality and I tend to get remarks about it most times I wear it.

I bought mine at wools.it based in Rome. The staff are very knowledgeable about the Valstar brand and very responsive to emails/phone calls.

I've only seen Valstar jackets in a high-end menswear store in Auckland.
 

Jimbob77

New in Town
Messages
1
Hi welltailoredsuit and Ayeteael,

Good to hear that others appreciate Valstar. I have a couple, a cafe nappa bomber and brown suede down lined Valstarino for the colder months. I absolutely love both, the bomber is size 54, which I bought after the Valstarino, which is size 52. At first I thought the Valstarino was a tad too small but actually its not, just the style.

The quality is great and the suede and nappa leather both feel supple and light. One disappointment is that the Valstarino tag says that the leather comes from India, I thought it was all produced in Italy. At least the nappa bomber says the leather is sheep and from Turkey, I know Turkey do produce quality leathers. I bought both of the Rake website at reasonable prices a few years ago. Images are from The Rake, and Bottaeb.it
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Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,163
Hi welltailoredsuit and Ayeteael,

Good to hear that others appreciate Valstar. I have a couple, a cafe nappa bomber and brown suede down lined Valstarino for the colder months. I absolutely love both, the bomber is size 54, which I bought after the Valstarino, which is size 52. At first I thought the Valstarino was a tad too small but actually its not, just the style.

The quality is great and the suede and nappa leather both feel supple and light. One disappointment is that the Valstarino tag says that the leather comes from India, I thought it was all produced in Italy. At least the nappa bomber says the leather is sheep and from Turkey, I know Turkey do produce quality leathers. I bought both of the Rake website at reasonable prices a few years ago. Images are from The Rake, and Bottaeb.it View attachment 288236 View attachment 288237 View attachment 288238
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'll take and risk and bought a bottle green suede A-1 jacket at a reasonable price.
 

marker2037

Practically Family
Messages
834
Location
Curacao/NJ, USA
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'll take and risk and bought a bottle green suede A-1 jacket at a reasonable price.
I would love to see that Valstarino suede when you get it. They are a fantastic brand and well respected in classic menswear. I always like their suede A-1s.
 

Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,163
I would love to see that Valstarino suede when you get it. They are a fantastic brand and well respected in classic menswear. I always like their suede A-1s.
@marker2037 Here's my bottle green Valstar Valstarino. Comparing to other more known leather jacket manufacturers like Aero, Thedi, SB, etc. the Valstar suede leather jackets are totally different. The construction of the "Made in Italy" goat suede Valstarion is really good, also the liner quality as they are experienced in making leather jackets in Italy for about 100 years. The goat suede is totally different to Aeros goat suede as it is thinner but on the other hand softer but still on a mid-weight level similar to Aero's Vicenza HH or regular goat. It's definitely not a shopping mall jacket as I origianally thought that this could be the case. I definitely like it a lot and it's a perfect every day wear jacket for Spring and Summer.

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Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,163
Looks fantastic! You always have such great fits.
Thanks, Man! Fits like a glove...I didn't expect that as I bought it new at Ebay from a private seller and wasn't familiar with the sizing. I still can't believe to read that you bought a new Thedi for 850€...you're a lucky guy and I'm feeling glad for you that he offered you such a good price!
 

Ayeteael

A-List Customer
Messages
333
Location
Atlanta
@marker2037 Here's my bottle green Valstar Valstarino. Comparing to other more known leather jacket manufacturers like Aero, Thedi, SB, etc. the Valstar suede leather jackets are totally different. The construction of the "Made in Italy" goat suede Valstarion is really good, also the liner quality as they are experienced in making leather jackets in Italy for about 100 years. The goat suede is totally different to Aeros goat suede as it is thinner but on the other hand softer but still on a mid-weight level similar to Aero's Vicenza HH or regular goat. It's definitely not a shopping mall jacket as I origianally thought that this could be the case. I definitely like it a lot and it's a perfect every day wear jacket for Spring and Summer.

View attachment 294082

View attachment 294083
Looks great! Well done.
 

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