Five Star Leather Jackets

[ton312]

I can’t stress enough the importance of literally detailing every single measurement. If you do, you will get exactly what you ask for. If you don’t, you will get an approximation based on a size range that trends larger than you might expect (you can see this in the published size charts). This exercise requires no stone left unturned. The bonus is that Shawn will absolutely listen, and abide to your requests. Spell out every detail. Knowing how to do that is a process of self discovery. Use a template. Measure yourself, measure other jackets, take pictures with a measuring tape. A little front end leg work goes a really long way!

 

[Seb Lucas]

Base price of the J100 clone in size 38 is $150 plus shipping. I emailed Shawn for a ballpark price upgraded to his best leather and hardware, but he is asking for detailed specs and measurements. I have a new jacket in production in Scotland right now and really shouldn’t be ordering anything more. But I’ve had a stressful year and a shot of scotch, so ....

I helped Shawn design the pattern for that J100 - it's a photo of mine on the site - built on a 44 block with my measurements. It was intended to be close enough but not identical. I wasn't keen on the goat leather (thick, spongy with a dull finish) and the chemical smell of the leather so I passed it on to a thrift shop. The pattern probably needs some tweaks (lower chest zips, for instance) but I am not a detail fanatic.

 

[ton312]

Took delivery of a custom cossack jacket from five star today. It's their cossack pattern, but with a smaller collar and leather on the inside of the lapels. I'll attach a few photos. It's in premium black steerhide.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the jacket! If I were to do it all again (and I may!), I would have perhaps gone with the premium goat but who knows since I haven't seen that in the flesh either. For me, the steerhide is very nice and has a good heft to it, but is perhaps a little shinier than I would have chosen in an ideal world.

It's a great jacket. The main two issues are (1) the buttons -- they're the premium horn buttons, but they seem pretty flimsy. Two of them have already lost the backing reinforcement, right on the first unbuttoning the jacket straight out of the bag. Snapped right off... But oh well. And (2) the arms: I specified the length, which is all good. But I should have also given other dimensions... the armhole is bigger than I would've thought necessary. If I were to re-do it, I'd probably specify a smaller hole, and a stronger taper on the sleeves as well. Another knock-on of this big armhole (12in on a jacket that is 21.5 pit-to-pit) is that the pit-to-pit measurement is lower than where you'd normally expect it to be...maybe that's why the chest area is a bit looser than I had anticipated. But equally I'm very new to this so I may have just got the measurements not quite right. If anything looks very off (I'll shove a photo on of me wearing it), please do say so, so that I can get it better in any future jackets I might buy (I won't be offended!).

But hey ho, overall I'm pretty pleased with it! I started a thread on here a while ago looking for ideas for a simple cossack jacket. My favourites were the MF Campus, the Himel Bros Heron, and the LVC Menlo. I didn't have the money for any of them, and couldn't decide which I preferred anyway, so... this is a frankenjacket of the three! It's my first leather jacket, and I'm not even sure if I suit one or what style I like the best, so this company seemed like a pretty good solution to that. I'll wear it a while, and if I end up suiting it or really liking the style, perhaps I'll invest in a really good one.

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Spec your arm hole at 10.5”-11”. Spec the torso and hem appropriately, measure anther jacket that fits you well and the chest, natural waist and hem. I think this looks good but a bit too loose in the torso.

 

[gbg]

Spec your arm hole at 10.5”-11”. Spec the torso and hem appropriately, measure anther jacket that fits you well and the chest, natural waist and hem. I think this looks good but a bit too loose in the torso.

Good solution could be to put on some weight! Happy to order in a few crates of beer.

 

[Claybertrand]

I can’t stress enough the importance of literally detailing every single measurement. If you do, you will get exactly what you ask for. If you don’t, you will get an approximation based on a size range that trends larger than you might expect (you can see this in the published size charts). This exercise requires no stone left unturned. The bonus is that Shawn will absolutely listen, and abide to your requests. Spell out every detail. Knowing how to do that is a process of self discovery. Use a template. Measure yourself, measure other jackets, take pictures with a measuring tape. A little front end leg work goes a really long way!

Sorry to ask for pudding without eating the meat on the plate but............

Ton, Can you possibly tip your hand on your upcoming project for us dreamers still yearning to order a custom piece??? What are you basing this one on?????? The suspense is killing me!! Especially since you teased you are raising the difficulty bar on this next one. I have been wavering on what kind of details are realistically in Shawn's wheelhouse. Would a center back pleat (I believe Jonesy may have gone this route) be too ambitious and just inviting disappointment??? How about front piping or as Aero refers to it, "deep cord effect"??? I don't know how big to go on some of these details that I really like in jackets.

I'm sure we'd all love to see what you got up your sleeve for this one. Its crazy. I literally fall asleep dreaming up possible custom jacket details now. I get distracted even watching TV thinking about possibilites. I go back and forth between going for a solid repro of a known vintage jacket a la your All Weather, OR doing an amalgamation of all of my favorite details from vintage jackets and seeing if they can get them all done and have the jacket not look to busy or tacky.

But I digress........ If you could indulge us as to what you are basing your next one on....that would clearly be bitchen .

 

[ton312]

Interesting to note. My “tag size” 44” is 2.3” smaller p2p than the j-100. My p2p is 22.5” while the j-100 in a 44 is 24.8”. These are the details that count! I’m 5’11 210lbs and my Aero, SB, Vanson whatever are typically at minimum 23.5” p2p.

 

[ton312]

Sorry to ask for pudding without eating the meat on the plate but............

Ton, Can you possibly tip your hand on your upcoming project for us dreamers still yearning to order a custom piece??? What are you basing this one on?????? The suspense is killing me!! Especially since you teased you are raising the difficulty bar on this next one. I have been wavering on what kind of details are realistically in Shawn's wheelhouse. Would a center back pleat (I believe Jonesy may have gone this route) be too ambitious and just inviting disappointment??? How about front piping or as Aero refers to it, "deep cord effect"??? I don't know how big to go on some of these details that I really like in jackets.

I'm sure we'd all love to see what you got up your sleeve for this one. Its crazy. I literally fall asleep dreaming up possible custom jacket details now. I get distracted even watching TV thinking about possibilites. I go back and forth between going for a solid repro of a known vintage jacket a la your All Weather, OR doing an amalgamation of all of my favorite details from vintage jackets and seeing if they can get them all done and have the jacket not look to busy or tacky.

But I digress........ If you could indulge us as to what you are basing your next one on....that would clearly be bitchen .

Suffice it to say all of your questions will be addressed soon (with many of your design features incorporated). My feeling is if he can make this one look good, the litmus test has been 100% passed. I’m thrilled with the All weather half belt. That one I felt was safe b/c he’s a flight jacket guy and that wasn’t too far away from that type of pattern. This one is pretty iconic and if it’s not well done...won’t be hard to spot! I love the thrill and fear leading up to Shawns email with pics of the finished product.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

I hacked Ton's account. Here it is, not adjusted for his size of course:

I was starting to spec out a J100 with Shawn, but my first jacket hit some snags I'm not totally happy with it and he really hasn't offered any solution really. So I kind of put it on the back burner. Besides, I wanted the J100 to be my go to premium jacket, so decided to do it right and get the high quality leather, build, etc. and go with Greg Field.

As nice (and as fun) as the 5 Star experiment is, it's not going to be as good as the higher end builds with premo leather, etc. Obviously you're paying a 1/3 to 1/4 cost, so not knocking them. You get amazing value for the price. But I didn't want to spend another $300 plus to be the guinea pig and possibly not have it come out exactly how I wanted. So I decided to just put the money and time into the other build and pay the extra money for the nicer leather too.

But, the J100 he has on the website is almost there. I think it's more a question of getting the right lines in the torso, which would essentially come from your measurements. I think the wrist zips are in the wrong place too, but he can fix that easy. And he definitely needs to taper the sleeves more.

As I said in my first write up before I noticed some details were off, if you're ordering stuff off the website and you know your measurements well, this is an amazing deal. If you're trying to whip up something from scratch. Still an amazing deal, again, assuming you know what you want and can communicate it, and are willing to take the risk. But if you're trying to get an Aero ____ or a Simmons Bilt ____ on the cheap, I think you're better off saving up and buying the real thing. Of course, on long lost classic styles like Ton is doing, it's not an option, so that's a happy middle too.

 

[Bahabp100]

Took delivery of a custom cossack jacket from five star today. It's their cossack pattern, but with a smaller collar and leather on the inside of the lapels. I'll attach a few photos. It's in premium black steerhide.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the jacket! If I were to do it all again (and I may!), I would have perhaps gone with the premium goat but who knows since I haven't seen that in the flesh either. For me, the steerhide is very nice and has a good heft to it, but is perhaps a little shinier than I would have chosen in an ideal world.

It's a great jacket. The main two issues are (1) the buttons -- they're the premium horn buttons, but they seem pretty flimsy. Two of them have already lost the backing reinforcement, right on the first unbuttoning the jacket straight out of the bag. Snapped right off... But oh well. And (2) the arms: I specified the length, which is all good. But I should have also given other dimensions... the armhole is bigger than I would've thought necessary. If I were to re-do it, I'd probably specify a smaller hole, and a stronger taper on the sleeves as well. Another knock-on of this big armhole (12in on a jacket that is 21.5 pit-to-pit) is that the pit-to-pit measurement is lower than where you'd normally expect it to be...maybe that's why the chest area is a bit looser than I had anticipated. But equally I'm very new to this so I may have just got the measurements not quite right. If anything looks very off (I'll shove a photo on of me wearing it), please do say so, so that I can get it better in any future jackets I might buy (I won't be offended!).

But hey ho, overall I'm pretty pleased with it! I started a thread on here a while ago looking for ideas for a simple cossack jacket. My favourites were the MF Campus, the Himel Bros Heron, and the LVC Menlo. I didn't have the money for any of them, and couldn't decide which I preferred anyway, so... this is a frankenjacket of the three! It's

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Did he send along any extra horn buttons and backers to replace the broken ones ?
[scotch, so ....[/QUOTE]
from my experience it’s base price plus $30 for a new custom sized pattern and $30 for extras, premium leathers, zips and buttons etc, unless it a a lot of extras then add another $30, roughly, but at that price there was no shipping charge, it was included, “to your front door” said Shawn so maybe the “extra”, extras was actually shipping YMMV

 

[Bahabp100]

Sorry to ask for pudding without eating the meat on the plate but............

Ton, Can you possibly tip your hand on your upcoming project for us dreamers still yearning to order a custom piece??? What are you basing this one on?????? The suspense is killing me!! Especially since you teased you are raising the difficulty bar on this next one. I have been wavering on what kind of details are realistically in Shawn's wheelhouse. Would a center back pleat (I believe Jonesy may have gone this route) be too ambitious and just inviting disappointment??? How about front piping or as Aero refers to it, "deep cord effect"??? I don't know how big to go on some of these details that I really like in jackets.

I'm sure we'd all love to see what you got up your sleeve for this one. Its crazy. I literally fall asleep dreaming up possible custom jacket details now. I get distracted even watching TV thinking about possibilites. I go back and forth between going for a solid repro of a known vintage jacket a la your All Weather, OR doing an amalgamation of all of my favorite details from vintage jackets and seeing if they can get them all done and have the jacket not look to busy or tacky.

But I digress........ If you could indulge us as to what you are basing your next one on....that would clearly be bitchen .

Based on my experience, Shawn can do whatever your imagination can conjure just add $30. 2 tone, suede pocket lining, cord piping, extra thick collar-cuffs, Removable Sherpa or fur hood, upgraded zips, snaps,buttons etc.......he has never said no, he just said that’s an extra $30 not for each - but for all. Except the removable collars , that was straight up extra $30-50.

 

[Claybertrand]

Suffice it to say all of your questions will be addressed soon (with many of your design features incorporated). My feeling is if he can make this one look good, the litmus test has been 100% passed. I’m thrilled with the All weather half belt. That one I felt was safe b/c he’s a flight jacket guy and that wasn’t too far away from that type of pattern. This one is pretty iconic and if it’s not well done...won’t be hard to spot! I love the thrill and fear leading up to Shawns email with pics of the finished product.

I feel like I'm (we're all) sorta riding along with ya!!!!!!!! Kinda in the back seat.......or out in the Rumble seat..... What you are trying sounds exactly like what I have been wondering about. You're confident enough and satisfied enough so far to push the envelope. I'm freakin jealous man!! The "thrill and fear" sounds like a typical unboxing of a vintage eBay buy when you first get the box and its that calm before the reveal...... But dude, this is truly kicked up to the highest level. The suspense....... is one of the parts of this hobby that I love. Maybe that All Weather was an easy one for him but now let's see if Shawn can hit your curveball bro!!!!!! Luckily with his production turn around and your diligent reporting back to us, the wait is actually palatable. Its really cool to follow this process man. My specs are pretty darn close to yours (love that 26" length on your AW---my sweet spot) so its especially interesting.

 

[Claybertrand]

Based on my experience, Shawn can do whatever your imagination can conjure just add $30. 2 tone, suede pocket lining, cord piping, extra thick collar-cuffs, Removable Sherpa or fur hood, upgraded zips, snaps,buttons etc.......he has never said no, he just said that’s an extra $30 not for each - but for all. Except the removable collars , that was straight up extra $30-50.

An extra $30 FOR ALL!!!!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! This feels like a dream man...... From what you are saying, the sky's the limit!!! I'm gonna do some sketches tonight.

 

[Bahabp100]

An extra $30 FOR ALL!!!!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! This feels like a dream man...... From what you are saying, the sky's the limit!!! I'm gonna do some sketches tonight.

He likes a complete PDF with all specs- leathers, fasteners.... with measurements etc . Mine was 20’pages long with pictures and sizes for every element . 20 pages did not even faze him. He just wanted the final specs so he could cut the patterns and get it into production- subject to your approval of course.

 

[Bonefish Jim]

So, I have a jacket just going into process. Shawn was diligent about the details, I didn't have a laundry list, like a half dozen small things. Literally, he had me measure twice, 2nd with photos of the jacket with measuring tape that I wanted to duplicate in size. This, plus I made a drawing at his request of the details. Should be good!

 

[red devil]

So,
It seems to be clear that you need to be very precise with Shawn. And, I am not nearly as precise as quite a few members here hence the call for help

I am looking at redoing the smoke

I have already been quoted for this jacket using one of the stock leathers. I could have any colour in goat for an extra $150, but that doesn't make it worthwhile for this initial attempt. So I will probably go for their lightest shade of brown or black... not sure yet. What do you guys think?

In terms of measurements, I am thinking of using this one as a base, as it is an East West repro after all

So calling on all of you to help with that!

On a final note, I had thought of asking for the rover, but thought it might be a tad too ambitious to start with

Or the Seven Arrows even more so

 

[Marc mndt]

In terms of measurements, I am thinking of using this one as a base, as it is an East West repro after all

The original smoke jacket seems a longer style than your eastwest repro. I think shortening the middle section might make the smoke jacket more suitable for your build.

 

[ton312]

WOW man!! You are REALLY stepping up the degree of difficulty! I LOVE it and will likely order one of these myself after you have it built! Measure your jacket with a tape and take pictures. If you want to make adjustments take note of where and mark-up those adjustments directly on the picture. Be super precise about how you want the seams done. Insist on consistent weight of the leather throughout the jacket.

 

[red devil]

The original smoke jacket seems a longer style than your eastwest repro. I think shortening the middle section might make the smoke jacket more suitable for your build. View attachment 274874

Agreed, If I am not mistaken Jelado did just that, what do you think?

WOW man!! You are REALLY stepping up the degree of difficulty! I LOVE it and will likely order one of these myself after you have it built! Measure your jacket with a tape and take pictures. If you want to make adjustments take note of where and mark-up those adjustments directly on the picture. Be super precise about how you want the seams done. Insist on consistent weight of the leather throughout the jacket.

Yeah, the idea is to go all the way. I am going to finalise the specs in this thread and send them as is. Hence why, need all the help I can get

Will post the measurements when I get the chance and we can take it form there.

 

[handymike]

Do you think they are up to the detail work? I hope so- I’ll be anxiously waiting along with you (2 weeks ).

 

[Bonefish Jim]

I am mystified by the desirability of these East West Musical Instrument jackets. They were not particularly well made. I had one hanging in my closet for 40+ years. As new and unworn, I sold it for a big number.