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FiveStar Leather Concept Suggestion: Air Luxe!

mulceber

Moderator
This is exactly what I had in mind when I started this thread! I NEED one!

Well, if you decide to buy, here are a couple tips:
  • Most of the standard measurements Shawn provides are great, but I'd modify the shoulders to be reasonable for a vintage jacket: about 18" at a size 42, and expanding/decreasing half an inch each size above/below that. That's what I did, and it came out great.
  • Unless you want to buy mouton on eBay and send it to Shawn (very doable), you'll have to decide which of his mouton offerings you like best.
  • The jackets do have the chemical/new car smell some people have complained of. Natalie and I are currently letting them air out in the kitchen with the windows open (it's 60 F/ 16 C, so not a problem). I'm pretty confident the smell will go away though.
 
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Nnatalie

Well-Known Member
Just wanted to chip in that I’m really pleased with how my jacket turned out! This isn’t exactly a concern for most VLJers, but I’m particularly happy with the fit—it’s not “fitted” to a woman’s body, but it doesn’t look messy and oversized. Also, the fur is super soft. This jacket me a reason to look forward to cooler weather!
 

automatic

Member
Well, if you decide to buy, here are a couple tips:
  • Most of the standard measurements Shawn provides are great, but I'd modify the shoulders to be reasonable for a vintage jacket: about 18" at a size 42, and expanding/decreasing half an inch each size above/below that. That's what I did, and it came out great.
  • Unless you want to buy mouton on eBay and send it to Shawn (very doable), you'll have to decide which of his mouton offerings you like best.
  • The jackets do have the chemical/new car smell some people have complained of. Natalie and I are currently letting them air out in the kitchen with the windows open (it's 60 F/ 16 C, so not a problem). I'm pretty confident the smell will go away though.
Much appreciated! I have a feeling I would have to modify quite a few measurements, as nothing ever quite fits me right!
That is russet colored, right? How do you like the steerhide? And you said you had mouton samples from Shawn? Would you mind sharing a pic with the samples transposed on the mouton you went with for comparison?
 

mulceber

Moderator
That is russet colored, right? How do you like the steerhide? And you said you had mouton samples from Shawn? Would you mind sharing a pic with the samples transposed on the mouton you went with for comparison?

Yep, it's Shawn's russet cowhide, although I actually think it's closer to what makers like Bill Kelso and Eastman would call seal - which I'm quite happy with. In some lights (especially when being photographed), there are some purplish tones that emerge, but most of the time when you look at it, it just looks like a very medium, chocolate brown. The following picture captures it well:
071B3F1F-F87B-42EA-BFC3-989700EA5731_1_105_c.jpeg


Here are a couple photos: one of Shawn's Mouton options (at least as they were then - I think he's got a few more now) on the jacket's mouton, one of them on the leather:
001E4C43-8C7D-4CCA-AFD9-DFDFE1263138_1_105_c.jpeg

21918948-C496-4537-AE58-A46D90D7D60E_1_105_c.jpeg
 

Bombing IP

Well-Known Member
Hi Natalie and Mulceber sorry I do not know you name .Few things I have to say on your jackets I would not of bought them with the pictures Shawn provided the color looked horrible .Now having seen yours with the pictures taken by your camera they look wonderful as does the leather and the color .I agree on the label the letters are lost on the size ,I would go for a retro look with a beige label and gold lettering with black writing underneath . The leather is the best I have seen come out of five star and it looks promising with regards to getting max character . This jacket is not usually associated with ladies but it looks great on Natalie . The Mouton you used is perfect is weight and color also the size is right on the money . Its a lot of work to put all this together you did very well because the jacket looks top tier . If you read this Shawn with the learning curve of the jackets you have now mastered have any of those features been incorporated into other designs as good ideas or better ways to make jackets . Shawn you have to do some adjustment with your camera ,the setting for incandescent is surely set wrong ? . But good job to you Shawn and I should give credit also to the men in the fore front who make these jackets for us . We also thank them would you pass that on Shawn and let them know that they are moving into the major leagues as real master craftsmen .

download.jpg
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Something along these lines the one Shawn has used is to similar to Eastmans .The fancy stitching is a nice touch and the 2 color on the script
and use some fancy USA location from Alaska or Canada and maybe have the script in French . Stay away from what others do .

BIP Jeff
 
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mulceber

Moderator
Hi Natalie and Mulceber sorry I do not know you name .Few things I have to say on your jackets I would not of bought them with the pictures Shawn provided the color looked horrible .Now having seen yours with the pictures taken by your camera they look wonderful as does the leather and the color .I agree on the label the letters are lost on the size ,I would go for a retro look with a beige label and gold lettering with black writing underneath . The leather is the best I have seen come out of five star and it looks promising with regards to getting max character . This jacket is not usually associated with ladies but it looks great on Natalie . The Mouton you used is perfect is weight and color also the size is right on the money . Its a lot of work to put all this together you did very well because the jacket looks top tier . If you read this Shawn with the learning curve of the jackets you have now mastered have any of those features been incorporated into other designs as good ideas or better ways to make jackets . Shawn you have to do some adjustment with your camera ,the setting for incandescent is surely set wrong ? . But good job to you Shawn and I should give credit also to the men in the fore front who make these jackets for us . We also thank them would you pass that on Shawn and let them know that they are moving into the major leagues as real master craftsmen .

BIP Jeff

Yep, I tend to agree - my name's Jan, btw. ;) Yeah, there's something weird about the settings on Shawn's camera that makes the photos on the website look oversaturated. I think he would improve his sales with people who aren't in the know if he spent a few hours playing around with lighting and camera settings and found a photography location and combination of camera settings that consistently brought out the best in his jackets.

Since Shawn now has a sample of this mouton, I suspect it would be worth his while to see if he can have that color reproduced. It's really a nice rich shade of brown, and very versatile. I think people would request it in droves for anything from G-1s to B-10s.
 
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Bombing IP

Well-Known Member
Jan that camera is killing his sales ,and he has to start doing research for him self and not copy other makers nuances ,time to assert himself as a serious maker .Needs to have ambiance and mystique around his advertising his product .This is especially true with his eBay offerings they look way too sterile and do not jump out against the other sellers in fact lost .He needs to invest in a template with a background of nostalgia which tells the buyer we as makers live and breathe this period we want you to join in the fun .Or some such theme ,I am talking out loud but he has taken a risk with investing so much money which frankly could of been a disaster re the A2 and such . But the pay off is close and he is able to do what many makers cannot .

1 do volume ,
2 reply to emails ,
3 custom sizes ,
4 Quick turnaround
5 Liaise with the customer
6 Nothing cast in stone just like Burger King you get it your way
7 Make jacket up to size 5X

There is no company out there that can offer this and do it with a smile and be grateful for the business

The jackets just need a little tweaking but selling platform needs work to catapult him to the next level ,and in my opinion he should be there because he deserves it .

BIP out
 
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Shawn Ali

Well-Known Member
Shawn is the man modeling the jacket is that you Shawn nice to put a name to a face . Good work on the jacket ,also love how the Dubow came out its a mirror image of an original . Got to say well done your sincere commitment to the jackets you are making is most appreciated by all even the dissenters have gone quiet .This Five Star project series is the most interesting series of posts on the forum for me and I enjoy every post .I would like to know in the not to distant future would you be up to make me a Cycliste jacket ,I have been running a posting on the VLJ myself and have all the pieces .I just need to work on the dimensions and design details then I will send you a package and we can discuss leather options ..
Hi Dear Mr. @Bombing IP

Thanks for your great suggestions always towards the right direction, and it will be my pleasure to make a Cyclist Jacket for you, apologies for being late in replying due to some busy schedule, I will wait for the details. and You are Right about the Model :)

Best Regards

Shawn
 

Shawn Ali

Well-Known Member
Well, the DHL man dropped off a couple of jackets for us today:

View attachment 47632
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Here's a comparison shot next to Bill Kelso's Liberty Seal HH, to give a sense of the color:
View attachment 47634

Almost all of the work in bringing this project together went into the collar. Shawn's wind breaker as it was looked all right, but we really wanted a bigger, flashier collar. Ultimately we ended up taking measurements from a B-15A, and using that as our starting point. There was another hurdle though: when Shawn sent me Mouton samples, none of us could agree on a color. So instead, we went on eBay, and almost immediately found a mouton fur coat from the '60s in the perfect shade. We were able to buy it for $40 shipped, and sent pieces of it to Shawn to make into collars.
View attachment 47635

Here are the results:
View attachment 47636
View attachment 47637
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Dear @mulceber and @Nnatalie Looks Nice :)
Thanks for your trust :)

Best Regards

Shawn
 
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