The Indiana Jones Jacket Thread

[Solo4114]

I've owned a Wested since 2001 and I have to say that while I like it on the one hand, it hasn't proven particularly durable. The liner especially has been SHREDDED. Now I do wear the jacket quite frequently, but really, the liner just did not hold up. the leather itself is...mostly good, but still had some odd wear patterns to it. Still, for the price, it's not a bad jacket.


Personally, if money were no object, I'd happily go with a Nowak. I love the look of them and I like the idea of more durable goat. That said, I don't know abotu you but I don't have $1000 to drop on a piece of clothing unless it's a custom tailored suit. If I were doign a Nowak, I'd get myself measured by a tailor first.

My only other consideration is how durable the Nowaks are, and I gather we just don't have enoguh long-term wear to base that on. If i'm dropping $1K on a jacket, it better be built to withstand nuclear warfare. WITHOUT needing a fridge.

 

[thegreatgalling]

Those threads were pretty impressive - loaded with so much detail, the answer to 'which one to get' almost gets lost in the shuffle.
Maybe I will just call Wested and ask for the best darn Indy Raiders they can make - with all the 'fanboy' mods and the most accurate specs.
They should know what I am talking about as they have been dealing with hard core fans for years...

That's really why I made this thread. COW, as GREAT as is it is is even tougher to sort through as a noob.

 

[Treadwell]

If I were doign a Nowak, I'd get myself measured by a tailor first.

Thing is, he doesn't use measurements! He puts a sample jacket on you, and makes a mental note for an inch more there, an inch less there. Sounds crazy, but there is much praise for the results.

 

[bendingoak]

Thats not totally true. He took my measurements.


Tony may not have made Indy jackets for long but he has been making jackets for a long time and his work and jackets last.

Throwing a 1000 number out there is not 100% accurate. His prices vary according to material and want you want. His stuff is top notch. This opinion is from one craftsmen about another.

 

[Solo4114]

I'm not challenging his craftsmanship. Everything I've heard states that he is absolutely a master craftsman and that you absolutely get what you pay for. I also know that the prices vary but the cheapest I've heard is around $700 or so with the most expensive being around $1000 or just shy of that.

Let's be really clear: that's a LOT of money. If you disagree, please feel free to send me $1000 (or foot the bill for my Nowak, if you prefer. ).

My only statement about his craftsmanship has to do with the durability of the jacket and, given that he's been selling to folks on COW and such for...three-ish years now? Something like that, I think, we don't quite have the long-term sense of things. I'd be surprised if the jackets didn't last, mind you, but my point is we just don't have the hard data yet. That's not a dig against him, that's just a function of the relatively short time he's been selling to Indy gearheads, as I understand it.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's absolutely worth paying for high quality clothing. Like I said, I have tailored suits that were expensive, but they're also made to last (assuming you take care of them). I have one from when I was 18 (last altered when I was 20) and it still fits and wears like brand new at soon-to-be 32. That's quality craftsmanship and durability, and I've got the time-frame to point to. If I'm dropping anywhere above, say, $500, I'd want to know that the product I buy will last a good long while.


Anyway, like I said, if I had the money, I'd get one, but these days I have to prioritize differently.



Question for the assembled gearheads here -- anyone heard/tried/own a Magnoli jacket? I hear people talk about Wested, Todds, Nowak, all the time, but nobody ever discusses Magnoli. I know he sells jackets, but aside from his website, I havent' seen pictures of them or heard testimonials.

 

[PantheraGem]

My opinion, and it probably won't be shared by many, is that if you're going for screen accuracy (for "Raiders" especially), you're going to want the thinnest materials possible. This goes for the jacket as well as the rest of the costume. Even the pants, which appear to be a thick wool, I think are more of a medium weight. That's what Noel Howard used for his replicas anyway.

Age of Harrison aside, I think this is why we go from seeing Indy's gear in "Raiders" as a second skin, to "Crystal Skull" where it looks more like a casual fan, bulky and encumbered by an Indy costume. Thick predistressed cowhide jacket with facings and all. I'm not knocking Tony, that's what they wanted and that's what Tony gave them. I'm not knocking cowhide Indy jackets either. I have a few of the old Disney cowhide jackets, with facings, and I love 'em. Nice feeling leather, and they're styled like a ToD/LC hybrid.

Living in the Sacramento Valley, I'm just fine with light lambskin and I count myself lucky that I've never experienced a single durability issue with the leather itself. I've put that old Wested through hell. I mean in the way of working on my old car in a sweatshirt covered by that jacket while laying on a gravel driveway with a worklight in one hand and a wrench in the other.

It's all about preference, and luckily there's a huge, varied range of vendors and prices to meet everyone's wants and needs..... And I mean EVERYONE. I used to try and get involved in jacket wars back in the Indyfan days. I've been done with that since around 2001 or so. It's pointless, there's always changes and some new discovery around the corner. I have a few Indy jackets.... and I'm not letting any of them go. Oh the money I could've saved if Lucas had just gone into his Father's business....

I know how it goes though, and I await with dread someone trying to pick a fight with me over something I've written in this post.

On the Magnoli. It's a beautiful jacket and a little distinctive with it's brass sliders. Djd over at COW recently bought one and posted pictures of it being worn. If you're a COW member, get over there and look at it.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=44025
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=44127

 

[bendingoak]

I'm not challenging his craftsmanship. Everything I've heard states that he is absolutely a master craftsman and that you absolutely get what you pay for. I also know that the prices vary but the cheapest I've heard is around $700 or so with the most expensive being around $1000 or just shy of that.

Let's be really clear: that's a LOT of money. If you disagree, please feel free to send me $1000 (or foot the bill for my Nowak, if you prefer. ).

My only statement about his craftsmanship has to do with the durability of the jacket and, given that he's been selling to folks on COW and such for...three-ish years now? Something like that, I think, we don't quite have the long-term sense of things. I'd be surprised if the jackets didn't last, mind you, but my point is we just don't have the hard data yet. That's not a dig against him, that's just a function of the relatively short time he's been selling to Indy gearheads, as I understand it.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's absolutely worth paying for high quality clothing. Like I said, I have tailored suits that were expensive, but they're also made to last (assuming you take care of them). I have one from when I was 18 (last altered when I was 20) and it still fits and wears like brand new at soon-to-be 32. That's quality craftsmanship and durability, and I've got the time-frame to point to. If I'm dropping anywhere above, say, $500, I'd want to know that the product I buy will last a good long while.


Anyway, like I said, if I had the money, I'd get one, but these days I have to prioritize differently.



Question for the assembled gearheads here -- anyone heard/tried/own a Magnoli jacket? I hear people talk about Wested, Todds, Nowak, all the time, but nobody ever discusses Magnoli. I know he sells jackets, but aside from his website, I havent' seen pictures of them or heard testimonials.

Yes a 1000 is a lot of money and I'm not sending you a dollar of it. I don't think 700-1000 is a lot to ask for what you are getting from him. You can walk into some stores and pay a that price and don't get his skill lever or quality. He may only be around the Indy jackets biz for 3 years. Going by your statement but he's been making jackets for a heck of a long time. His other jackets hold up very well. Why would his Indy jackets hold up??????

 

[GeneralFROSTY]

I'm prob going to go with the Wested ROTLA in washed goatskin. It looks good and I will add my own weathering to it. Can anyone tell me if Coyle's is more accurate though?
I agree with another post hear about COW - WAYYY too hard to sort through all the info - it's a great and informative site, don't get me wrong, I love it...but it really is hard to sort through all that info and thier search function works as good as a headache.

 

[Apollo]

It's all about preference, and luckily there's a huge, varied range of vendors and prices to meet everyone's wants and needs..... And I mean EVERYONE. I used to try and get involved in jacket wars back in the Indyfan days. I've been done with that since around 2001 or so. It's pointless, there's always changes and some new discovery around the corner. I have a few Indy jackets.... and I'm not letting any of them go. Oh the money I could've saved if Lucas had just gone into his Father's business....

:lol Well put! :lol

 

[Apollo]

Tony may not have made Indy jackets for long but he has been making jackets for a long time and his work and jackets last.

Throwing a 1000 number out there is not 100% accurate. His prices vary according to material and want you want. His stuff is top notch. This opinion is from one craftsmen about another.

I had a leather made by him when Arnold introduced me to him and his work is second to none!

 

[Mutant-Enemy]

I gotta say that after a bit of weathering my Wested (purchased in 2007) about fell apart. I had to do quite a bit of stitching to keep it together.

 

[Risu]

That's weird, neither of mine ever had a single stitch break. The first one was purchased in 2007, I don't have it any more. The second in 2008.

 

[Mutant-Enemy]

Well, admittedly I went at the coat with sand paper but I would have thought it capable of withstanding more than what I gave it.

I wasn't too up-set with the extra stitching I had to do but it did make me wonder...how many times you suppose Indy had to do the same thing?

 

[Risu]

When you use the sandpaper you have to be careful not to hit the thread. No sewing thread will hold up to sanding.

 

[Kt Templar]

I've found they you are much safer using a scotchbrite pad. You still get the surface removal but does less damage, and yes be careful around stitches.

Then again, the original shows broken stitches from weathering.

 

[Minder Thr33]

I've found they you are much safer using a scotchbrite pad. You still get the surface removal but does less damage, and yes be careful around stitches.

Then again, the original shows broken stitches from weathering.

Ya, but didn't they take a knife to it as part of the weathering? :confused

 

[yodakiller1138]

HF's swiss army knife and a wire brush.

 

[thegreatgalling]

Would anyone recommend ordering a Wested a size down to appear more SA if an off the peg model was the way we were going? I have a 44 chest. Should I chose a size 44? To me, the jackets always looked a touch tight on HF.

 

[bendingoak]

I would stick with a jacket that fit.

 

[GeneralFROSTY]

I agree with John. Sure you want to look like Indy in your gear, but you can't look like Mr. Ford! If you wear a jacket that is too small just to look like HF did on film, you will only look silly - the best way to look like Indy is to buy gear that fits you the way it should fit YOU.