Five Star Leather Jackets

[MrProper]

The second chapter of my Type III Trilogy takes place in an exotic city on the other side of the world.

First up, the leather. 2mm horsehide. Yes, 2mm horsehide. How pliable is it? How soft is it? What is the hand feel / surface texture / color like?

Collapsed on the floor next to its 1.2mm little brother. The 2mm horsehide is wearable out of the box. Very thick, but soft and pliable. View attachment 410007

Detailed shot of the top stitch work on the pocket.
View attachment 410008

And compared to another famous jacket maker who also uses very thick horsehide. The difference is that Shawn's black horsehide has a dark grey core, and I just assumed the other guy is black all the way through. The surface pigment is the same. The 2mm 5Star jacket weights about 7lbs, and the other one is a cross zip with belt and lots more metal parts and only weighs about one lb more. So this is comparatively a very monster (but pliable) jacket.
View attachment 410009

In short, the 2mm is very good stuff. However, only in black right now. No brown.

Where else can one get a 2mm horsehide jacket? The only down side is the extra shipping cost. And that the DHL guys might swipe your new 5Star. My package was opened and re-sealed. I am sure the ground crew guys had their fun with this jacket.
View attachment 410013

Now about Shawn's trucker jacket pattern. It has HIGH armholes. Slim fit body. Very Thedi. Not what I am used to. And it shows/feels more with the 2mm leather. The shoulder has a squared profile than the rounded I am accustomed to. For sizing, I chose to customize the standard L size with shorter sleeves (26") and shorter back (25") and tighter bottom opening (41" or 20.5" flat). Imo Shawn's stock sizing is on the longer side. So watch the length, unless you are 6'2".

View attachment 410014
View attachment 410015
View attachment 410016

Here are some outside shots right outta the box this afternoon. The black is not jet black but blacken anthracite.
View attachment 410017
View attachment 410018

I am not sure about the high armholes and the square shoulder. Mainly because most of my heavy leather jackets are all made with lower arm hole / rounded shoulder patterns. I will report back in a while to see if the two mash well together (for me). But this seems like how the Japanese brand Y2 is doing it too, 2mm high armhole, square shoulders. I just don't know because I don't.

The 2mm horsehide is the real deal. I am glad Shawn finally did it. This was a very special jacket for me and I appreciate all the work that were put in, including my two CHL jackets. Very few makers offer this (2mm horsehide), and the ones who do cost quite a bit more. So Shawn is selling 2 thousand dollar jackets for 400 now. Nice way to kick off the spring break!

I am also a fan of round shoulders, but would not worry about this jacket. looks wonderful. And I like high armholes as well.
my first reflex was: want to have too.

 

[MoFo]

So, I have found the time and the place to shoot a few fotos ...
Here are the fit pics: View attachment 314286 View attachment 314287 View attachment 314288 View attachment 314289 View attachment 314290 View attachment 314291 View attachment 314292 View attachment 314293

I am thinking about selling my Buffalo A-2. Not wearing it much, so I can make space for others...
Location Germany.

 

[ton312]

The second chapter of my Type III Trilogy takes place in an exotic city on the other side of the world.

First up, the leather. 2mm horsehide. Yes, 2mm horsehide. How pliable is it? How soft is it? What is the hand feel / surface texture / color like?

Collapsed on the floor next to its 1.2mm little brother. The 2mm horsehide is wearable out of the box. Very thick, but soft and pliable. View attachment 410007

Detailed shot of the top stitch work on the pocket.
View attachment 410008

And compared to another famous jacket maker who also uses very thick horsehide. The difference is that Shawn's black horsehide has a dark grey core, and I just assumed the other guy is black all the way through. The surface pigment is the same. The 2mm 5Star jacket weights about 7lbs, and the other one is a cross zip with belt and lots more metal parts and only weighs about one lb more. So this is comparatively a very monster (but pliable) jacket.
View attachment 410009

In short, the 2mm is very good stuff. However, only in black right now. No brown.

Where else can one get a 2mm horsehide jacket? The only down side is the extra shipping cost. And that the DHL guys might swipe your new 5Star. My package was opened and re-sealed. I am sure the ground crew guys had their fun with this jacket.
View attachment 410013

Now about Shawn's trucker jacket pattern. It has HIGH armholes. Slim fit body. Very Thedi. Not what I am used to. And it shows/feels more with the 2mm leather. The shoulder has a squared profile than the rounded I am accustomed to. For sizing, I chose to customize the standard L size with shorter sleeves (26") and shorter back (25") and tighter bottom opening (41" or 20.5" flat). Imo Shawn's stock sizing is on the longer side. So watch the length, unless you are 6'2".

View attachment 410014
View attachment 410015
View attachment 410016

Here are some outside shots right outta the box this afternoon. The black is not jet black but blacken anthracite.
View attachment 410017
View attachment 410018

I am not sure about the high armholes and the square shoulder. Mainly because most of my heavy leather jackets are all made with lower arm hole / rounded shoulder patterns. I will report back in a while to see if the two mash well together (for me). But this seems like how the Japanese brand Y2 is doing it too, 2mm high armhole, square shoulders. I just don't know because I don't.

The 2mm horsehide is the real deal. I am glad Shawn finally did it. This was a very special jacket for me and I appreciate all the work that were put in, including my two CHL jackets. Very few makers offer this (2mm horsehide), and the ones who do cost quite a bit more. So Shawn is selling 2 thousand dollar jackets for 400 now. Nice way to kick off the spring break!

That looks incredible!!!

 

[Rugby]

The second chapter of my Type III Trilogy takes place in an exotic city on the other side of the world.

First up, the leather. 2mm horsehide. Yes, 2mm horsehide. How pliable is it? How soft is it? What is the hand feel / surface texture / color like?

Collapsed on the floor next to its 1.2mm little brother. The 2mm horsehide is wearable out of the box. Very thick, but soft and pliable. View attachment 410007

Detailed shot of the top stitch work on the pocket.
View attachment 410008

And compared to another famous jacket maker who also uses very thick horsehide. The difference is that Shawn's black horsehide has a dark grey core, and I just assumed the other guy is black all the way through. The surface pigment is the same. The 2mm 5Star jacket weights about 7lbs, and the other one is a cross zip with belt and lots more metal parts and only weighs about one lb more. So this is comparatively a very monster (but pliable) jacket.
View attachment 410009

In short, the 2mm is very good stuff. However, only in black right now. No brown.

Where else can one get a 2mm horsehide jacket? The only down side is the extra shipping cost. And that the DHL guys might swipe your new 5Star. My package was opened and re-sealed. I am sure the ground crew guys had their fun with this jacket.
View attachment 410013

Now about Shawn's trucker jacket pattern. It has HIGH armholes. Slim fit body. Very Thedi. Not what I am used to. And it shows/feels more with the 2mm leather. The shoulder has a squared profile than the rounded I am accustomed to. For sizing, I chose to customize the standard L size with shorter sleeves (26") and shorter back (25") and tighter bottom opening (41" or 20.5" flat). Imo Shawn's stock sizing is on the longer side. So watch the length, unless you are 6'2".

View attachment 410014
View attachment 410015
View attachment 410016

Here are some outside shots right outta the box this afternoon. The black is not jet black but blacken anthracite.
View attachment 410017
View attachment 410018

I am not sure about the high armholes and the square shoulder. Mainly because most of my heavy leather jackets are all made with lower arm hole / rounded shoulder patterns. I will report back in a while to see if the two mash well together (for me). But this seems like how the Japanese brand Y2 is doing it too, 2mm high armhole, square shoulders. I just don't know because I don't.

The 2mm horsehide is the real deal. I am glad Shawn finally did it. This was a very special jacket for me and I appreciate all the work that were put in, including my two CHL jackets. Very few makers offer this (2mm horsehide), and the ones who do cost quite a bit more. So Shawn is selling 2 thousand dollar jackets for 400 now. Nice way to kick off the spring break!

You mentioned the DHL handlers having some "fun" with the jacket. Are you aware if there is any shipping insurance on the package?

 

[Hobbes1]

The second chapter of my Type III Trilogy takes place in an exotic city on the other side of the world.

First up, the leather. 2mm horsehide. Yes, 2mm horsehide. How pliable is it? How soft is it? What is the hand feel / surface texture / color like?

Collapsed on the floor next to its 1.2mm little brother. The 2mm horsehide is wearable out of the box. Very thick, but soft and pliable. View attachment 410007

Detailed shot of the top stitch work on the pocket.
View attachment 410008

And compared to another famous jacket maker who also uses very thick horsehide. The difference is that Shawn's black horsehide has a dark grey core, and I just assumed the other guy is black all the way through. The surface pigment is the same. The 2mm 5Star jacket weights about 7lbs, and the other one is a cross zip with belt and lots more metal parts and only weighs about one lb more. So this is comparatively a very monster (but pliable) jacket.
View attachment 410009

In short, the 2mm is very good stuff. However, only in black right now. No brown.

Where else can one get a 2mm horsehide jacket? The only down side is the extra shipping cost. And that the DHL guys might swipe your new 5Star. My package was opened and re-sealed. I am sure the ground crew guys had their fun with this jacket.
View attachment 410013

Now about Shawn's trucker jacket pattern. It has HIGH armholes. Slim fit body. Very Thedi. Not what I am used to. And it shows/feels more with the 2mm leather. The shoulder has a squared profile than the rounded I am accustomed to. For sizing, I chose to customize the standard L size with shorter sleeves (26") and shorter back (25") and tighter bottom opening (41" or 20.5" flat). Imo Shawn's stock sizing is on the longer side. So watch the length, unless you are 6'2".

View attachment 410014
View attachment 410015
View attachment 410016

Here are some outside shots right outta the box this afternoon. The black is not jet black but blacken anthracite.
View attachment 410017
View attachment 410018

I am not sure about the high armholes and the square shoulder. Mainly because most of my heavy leather jackets are all made with lower arm hole / rounded shoulder patterns. I will report back in a while to see if the two mash well together (for me). But this seems like how the Japanese brand Y2 is doing it too, 2mm high armhole, square shoulders. I just don't know because I don't.

The 2mm horsehide is the real deal. I am glad Shawn finally did it. This was a very special jacket for me and I appreciate all the work that were put in, including my two CHL jackets. Very few makers offer this (2mm horsehide), and the ones who do cost quite a bit more. So Shawn is selling 2 thousand dollar jackets for 400 now. Nice way to kick off the spring break!

That looks excellent! Well done!
So, to be clear, this leather, thick as it is....it's not a CHL baseball glove leather right? How does the collar feel on the back of your neck? The CHL leather was like iron on the back of my neck. Completely unyielding.
Anyway, I'm out of the new jacket thing for awhile as warm weather is pretty much upon us here. Cheers!

 

[Canuck Panda]

Thank you guys for your kind words!

Yes this 2mm horsehide is soft and wearable out of the box. But I think it's still good to wait to see if another one of two jackets. Constructive/Negative comments are all welcome too, this is the only way to make things better. This is coming from a guy who has all the iteration of the CHL jackets. Shawn has very fast turnaround time. This is both a curse and blessing. Waiting for a few weeks to pull the trigger would still benefit from the same fast turn around time, but there might be new info popping up in that time period.

In day light this "black" actually has a grey ish green blue tone to it. I like it. But if you are looking for jet jet black then this ain't it. Took a photo to pull out the green and greys. It looks black next to my black top garbage bin, but there is green grey tint next to my green top bin.

Also, there is a slight squeak. I think this is because of the thick top coat or waterproofing coat. Which my 1.2mm mid brown doesn't have (squeak). It is not loud like the Aero Badalassi but the faint squeak was there when I drove this morning. I am sure the squeak will go away in time as all do, but out of the box this is a squeaker.

One more photo trying to capture the grey green tone in day light. Inside it looks black. But out side it has a shimmering grey green tone. Very fancy imo.

I will stop spamming with the 2mm horsehide leather now. I am certain there are other jackets cut in this leather out there. If you are reading this, post a few pics of your 2mm jacket. Thanks.

 

[ton312]

Thank you guys for your kind words!

Yes this 2mm horsehide is soft and wearable out of the box. But I think it's still good to wait to see if another one of two jackets. Constructive/Negative comments are all welcome too, this is the only way to make things better. This is coming from a guy who has all the iteration of the CHL jackets. Shawn has very fast turnaround time. This is both a curse and blessing. Waiting for a few weeks to pull the trigger would still benefit from the same fast turn around time, but there might be new info popping up in that time period.

In day light this "black" actually has a grey ish green blue tone to it. I like it. But if you are looking for jet jet black then this ain't it. Took a photo to pull out the green and greys. It looks black next to my black top garbage bin, but there is green grey tint next to my green top bin.
View attachment 410137

Also, there is a slight squeak. I think this is because of the thick top coat or waterproofing coat. Which my 1.2mm mid brown doesn't have (squeak). It is not loud like the Aero Badalassi but the faint squeak was there when I drove this morning. I am sure the squeak will go away in time as all do, but out of the box this is a squeaker.

One more photo trying to capture the grey green tone in day light. Inside it looks black. But out side it has a shimmering grey green tone. Very fancy imo.
View attachment 410139


I will stop spamming with the 2mm horsehide leather now. I am certain there are other jackets cut in this leather out there. If you are reading this, post a few pics of your 2mm jacket. Thanks.

So Shawn told me this wasn't going to be readily available. It was an experiment, much like CHL, and due to cost would not be offered. Unless of course I misunderstood. I will ask for clairity! Your jacket turned out superbly and could very well be the only one of it's kind!

 

[Canuck Panda]

You mentioned the DHL handlers having some "fun" with the jacket. Are you aware if there is any shipping insurance on the package?

I don't know if Shawn insures his packages or not. But there is basic insurance covering up to 100 or 200 I am not sure. He even used a thicker box for shipping this jacket. It could just be an accidental drop and the heavy leather broke through or the customs guys having some lunch time fun. But no harm was done. I think the new cloth bag is great addition to his packaging.

That looks excellent! Well done!
So, to be clear, this leather, thick as it is....it's not a CHL baseball glove leather right? How does the collar feel on the back of your neck? The CHL leather was like iron on the back of my neck. Completely unyielding.
Anyway, I'm out of the new jacket thing for awhile as warm weather is pretty much upon us here. Cheers!

No, it is not CHL temper / stiff feel. It is pliable and wearable out of box, no break in.
BUT, the whole story is this:
I saw the 2mm on FB and I messaged Shawn. At first, like Ton said there just wasn't enough left to make another jacket. So I compromised and asked for combination of 1.2mm and whatever was left of the 2mm leather.
Then one day I just got a message from Shawn saying it's going into production and do I want 1.2mm or 2mm or combo. I said of course 2mm and mentioned the old communication where there wasn't enough left over. As you may also have experienced, the next communication is the photos of the completed jacket, and nothing in between.
So I don't know for sure if this was cut from the same 2mm as the first FB or if there were new stock added or what.
But my 2mm is not CHL and is wearable out of the box. It would really help if another 2mm jacket or two get posted here with any results.
CHL was something in the past I didn't wanna bring up to taint the new 2mm horsehide. So I refrained from posting a family reunion pic of how each draped last night. But here it is, the brown one is still stiff AF, the tan one got a few tubs of lube and is a lot better. The new 2mm horsehide (mine is) miles ahead in softness out of the box, same as the new 1.2mm.
The black sheep of the heavyweight family

compared to the new 1.2mm horse (repost the photo from previous post)

I drove with the 2mm just fine this morning. I don't wear either of my previous CHL jackets, they are "projects". I was kinda upset after the second CHL jacket. For a long time. I kept it to myself mostly. But the 2mm was Shawn's hail mary (for me). Essentially I paid 1100 for the 2mm horsehide trucker jacket and got two "project" jackets for free. And somehow it seems worth it to me, now. The fact that I couldn't get this 2mm trucker anywhere else for less. It would be nice to see another 2mm horsehide jacket with the same experience to prove this result is not just a fluke but repeatable.

 

[Canuck Panda]

So Shawn told me this wasn't going to be readily available. It was an experiment, much like CHL, and due to cost would not be offered. Unless of course I misunderstood. I will ask for clairity! Your jacket turned out superbly and could very well be the only one of it's kind!

Yes, just saw your post. Communication with Shawn is mostly mysterious to me.
On Feb 23 I got the 2mm video but at that time the leather situation was exactly as you said. So I compromised and asked for mixed panels. Nothing happens for a few days, and then a week later I get a FB message from Shawn telling me it's going into production and what leahter do I want? I got confused.

The communication with Shawn is what it is. I am sure everyone has similar experience. But he does his best to give his customer wants, sometimes without us knowing what's going on until a "surprise" message.

In the case of the 2mm horsehide. It was a very pleasant surprise.

I will stop posting now before I become spam. Which I have no intention. Just very excited about this 2mm horsehide. I paid more because I added up the past CHL jackets. But someone new who just came along is now getting a thousand dollar jacket for 400 now.

 

[hughesovka]

@Canuck Panda how's the quality of the metal snaps?

 

[Rugby]

I don't know if Shawn insures his packages or not. But there is basic insurance covering up to 100 or 200 I am not sure. He even used a thicker box for shipping this jacket. It could just be an accidental drop and the heavy leather broke through or the customs guys having some lunch time fun. But no harm was done. I think the new cloth bag is great addition to his packaging.


No, it is not CHL temper / stiff feel. It is pliable and wearable out of box, no break in.
BUT, the whole story is this:
I saw the 2mm on FB and I messaged Shawn. At first, like Ton said there just wasn't enough left to make another jacket. So I compromised and asked for combination of 1.2mm and whatever was left of the 2mm leather.
Then one day I just got a message from Shawn saying it's going into production and do I want 1.2mm or 2mm or combo. I said of course 2mm and mentioned the old communication where there wasn't enough left over. As you may also have experienced, the next communication is the photos of the completed jacket, and nothing in between.
So I don't know for sure if this was cut from the same 2mm as the first FB or if there were new stock added or what.
But my 2mm is not CHL and is wearable out of the box. It would really help if another 2mm jacket or two get posted here with any results.
CHL was something in the past I didn't wanna bring up to taint the new 2mm horsehide. So I refrained from posting a family reunion pic of how each draped last night. But here it is, the brown one is still stiff AF, the tan one got a few tubs of lube and is a lot better. The new 2mm horsehide (mine is) miles ahead in softness out of the box, same as the new 1.2mm.
The black sheep of the heavyweight family
View attachment 410148
compared to the new 1.2mm horse (repost the photo from previous post)
View attachment 410149

I drove with the 2mm just fine this morning. I don't wear either of my previous CHL jackets, they are "projects". I was kinda upset after the second CHL jacket. For a long time. I kept it to myself mostly. But the 2mm was Shawn's hail mary (for me). Essentially I paid 1100 for the 2mm horsehide trucker jacket and got two "project" jackets for free. And somehow it seems worth it to me, now. The fact that I couldn't get this 2mm trucker anywhere else for less. It would be nice to see another 2mm horsehide jacket with the same experience to prove this result is not just a fluke but repeatable.

The only 2mm+ HH my son has is a Lost Worlds test jacket and it is very stiff, like a saddle, but drapes really well.
But I have to admit I love the Horween CXL that JL offer. I've got one 1.6mm and it was wearable right off. If the leather on the trucker I've ordered from 5* is even a good approximation to the horween, I'll be very happy considering the price.

 

[MrProper]

I will stop posting now before I become spam.

Is not spam. Only info.

 

[ton312]

^Agreed. More pics, updates on evolution, etc. I will message Shawn about this possibility for my next build.

 

[MTS]

I also asked Shawn about the 2mm horsehide when I heard about it but he has never responded/answered my questions regarding it. But he did answer every other question I had. So maybe it is no longer available?

 

[Rugby]

I also asked Shawn about the 2mm horsehide when I heard about it but he has never responded/answered my questions regarding it. But he did answer every other question I had. So maybe it is no longer available?

I think it's still available. He gave me the choice between 2mm and 1.3mm. I went with the 1.3. I didn't know that the 2mm was as described by @Canuck Panda

​

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

@Canuck Panda I know it's hard to tell from photos sometimes, but that trucker is the best thing on here I've seen yet from a leather perspective. For criticism, I don't like how the snaps are laid out. They probably could have been spaced out better to be equidistant. I'm not totally opposed to how they're stacked on the bottom, works for some other designs, but I think for a trucker, we're all used to seeing them evenly spaced.

 

[troika]

Sharing pics of the Winchester after its had some time to relax

And one of my partner's suede trucker

 

[Canuck Panda]

@hughesovka The snaps are just ok. They are the generic ones. Nothing special. I went with snaps because other members who had buttons before had to replace them. There was one jacket with new (and better) donut ones recently but I didn't wanna risk it.

@TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead Thanks! The snaps doesn't line up. I've only seen a suede one here that has equal spaces. I assume he only has one set of jig for the spacing and only works for one length multiples. So the bottom one will always look stacked (out of proportion). With custom length options Shawn would have to figure out some flexible system for this for sure. To complicate things further there is the yoke section to factor in when spacing out the buttons. For this reason I believe Aero has set lengths, but Shawn's standard length are even longer than IH. The slim fit design is growing on me fast though. Same as the 30s HB. I didn't believe the size would work comfortably given the numbers but I was wrong. The slim fit torsos with higher arm holes don't work the same as the lower armholes.

@troika That suede truckers is perfect!

 

[Marc mndt]

This thing is badass, awesome.

If you can find someone who'll narrow down the sleeve ends for you it'll be 110% perfect. Maybe shorten them a bit too.

 

[Luigi79]

Buon giorno
Questa è la mia nuova Anj3 a cinque stelle in pelle di vitello
Ben fatto, mi piace
Only a doubt for the lenght, is 65,5 cm, 2 cm less than my b3
The first impression is that is slightly short.
I'm like your impression