JimO
Well-Known Member
After the positive experience of buying a Doniger A-2, I decided to order another jacket from @Shawn Ali at Five Star Leather.
I wanted a jacket made to MY likes & personal specifications, rather than one that is focused on faithfully mimicking the attributes of an original contract. Although I can fully appreciate & greatly respect those who are, I'm not very knowledgeable about (nor am I really concerned with) every minute little detail of all the different contract patterns, and I am certainly NOT the one who prioritizes or is willing to pay $1k or more & wait years for a "historically correct" jacket.
Life is short and I would prefer to enjoy my custom jacket NOW & spend the "leftover" money on ammo. Paraphrasing the old saying: "I don't know anything about art, but I certainly know what I like and will enjoy & be happy with it" says it all...
Using the Five Star Werber A-2 pattern as a starting point, I ordered it made to my size measurements and with the following modifications:
Shawn & Five Star Leather have given customers like me the very unique opportunity to obtain a fully custom feature & sized jacket at a very affordable price and actually receive it in about 2 weeks- without the anxiety or risk of having the transaction going sour. (Please see my other post regarding Five Star's resolution of a problem that arose with this order.)
For less than the cost of the lowest priced Dubow reproduction, I now have two totally custom jackets that fit me well. I'm extremely happy and will enjoy wearing them for a long time.
I wanted a jacket made to MY likes & personal specifications, rather than one that is focused on faithfully mimicking the attributes of an original contract. Although I can fully appreciate & greatly respect those who are, I'm not very knowledgeable about (nor am I really concerned with) every minute little detail of all the different contract patterns, and I am certainly NOT the one who prioritizes or is willing to pay $1k or more & wait years for a "historically correct" jacket.
Life is short and I would prefer to enjoy my custom jacket NOW & spend the "leftover" money on ammo. Paraphrasing the old saying: "I don't know anything about art, but I certainly know what I like and will enjoy & be happy with it" says it all...
Using the Five Star Werber A-2 pattern as a starting point, I ordered it made to my size measurements and with the following modifications:
- Premium 1.5 mm thick Seal brown goatskin
- Khaki cotton lining
- Seal brown goatskin strip substituted for the cotton lining on the inside of the collar stand
- Dark Cognac Brown 6 ply thread
- Russet brown color acrylic knit sleeve & waist cuffs
- Talon M-42 zipper with "Bell" style pull on right side of jacket
- Collar hooks attached with hollow rivets.
- Army Air Forces & "AN" inspector's stamps on lining
- Inside lining pocket on left side of jacket
Shawn & Five Star Leather have given customers like me the very unique opportunity to obtain a fully custom feature & sized jacket at a very affordable price and actually receive it in about 2 weeks- without the anxiety or risk of having the transaction going sour. (Please see my other post regarding Five Star's resolution of a problem that arose with this order.)
For less than the cost of the lowest priced Dubow reproduction, I now have two totally custom jackets that fit me well. I'm extremely happy and will enjoy wearing them for a long time.
