Around December last year i contacted Lost Worlds to order a J-23.
I have to say that after many years of browsing his website i didn't know what to expect, but communication with Stuart was very easy and straightforward.
He is a man of few words, straight to the point, but always answered my emails within a few hours.
It only took 5 or 6 emails and i had my order in.
By the end of February, i had received the jacket, and it was everything i had hoped for.
I went with the 3.5oz leather, the full Crown zipper package and i asked for a curly black mutton collar if he could get one. Stuart was originally reticent about the black collar, as it wasn't "correct" but when he shipped the jacket he told me they had found a couple curly skins in stock and i had my curly collar!
I had also asked for hides with stretch marks to be used, Stuart originally said it wasn't a thing, but what i received was exactly what i had in mind.
Here is the jacket out of the Box:
Straight away i was blown away by the leather, it has a very distinctive smell, a very nice hand, soft but consistent at the same time, with amazing grain straight out of the box. Construction is on par with the top Japanese makers, this jacket is stitch perfect, everything is straight and precisely done.
I had always found the NOS zipper obsession thing weird, but i have to say that these zippers converted me, the main Crown zipper is a thing of beauty, the spring loaded puller, the chunkiness, the noise it makes when used, it really is something else. They really don't do them like they used to. The other zippers are less mind blowing, but they are clearly better quality than modern equivalent.
Really i have only two slight negatives, the wrist openings are huge even when zipped shut. According to Stewart, this is how they were on originals.
Fair enough, but i would rather they were smaller.
Secondly, i am not a fan of the quilted lining, IMO they always have loose threads in no time, this one is no exception. I think that a jacket at that price should be available with a cotton drill lining at no extra cost.
Fit wise, i have nothing bad to say, this is a super comfortable pattern, range of movement is very good, it isn't heavy on the neck, it doesn't ride up, it is overall a very well designed jacket.
Then i spotted this, just above the right hand side handwarmer pocket:
It looked to me like the prongs of a shoulder bar tab had been pressed into the leather, and pierced it almost all the way through...
As you can imagined, i was a bit annoyed, this is definitely not a big deal, but it is annoying on a brand new jacket, especially at that price.
I sent Stuart a picture, not asking for anything, just wanting him to know about it.
His answer was straightforward, "This should not have reached you like this, send it back, we will change the panel"
I was a bit worried about that, as i have seen how bad a zipper change can end up looking, i told him that i would only be ok with a panel change if he could guarantee it would be invisible, if not i would rather keep the jacket with these small defects.
He told me "my guy is the best in the world, you won't see a thing"
He was right, in April i received the jacket back, and you would never be able to tell it had been through major surgery, there is not a single sign of the panel change ever happening.
I got my water bottle out and started break in:
After 6 months of wear here is what it looks like:
After a couple weeks of wear, i realized i had lost one of the zipper stoppers (the small bent metal pieces that prevent the slider from coming off the tape), i sent Stuart an email and within a week i had a small bag with 3 stoppers in my mailbox in the UK.
All in all, i have to say that this has become one of my favourite jackets. It is IMO the only non Japanese made jacket that i own that can compete with the obsessive precision of something like a Freewheelers or a RMC. The leather used is very unique and has a lot of character, break in was very easy, you can really see it evolve and see the grain pop as you wear it.
Stuart is easy to deal with and absolutely stands behind his product. I know it isn't easy for some to see past his website, but if you give it a go you won't regret it.
I have to say that after many years of browsing his website i didn't know what to expect, but communication with Stuart was very easy and straightforward.
He is a man of few words, straight to the point, but always answered my emails within a few hours.
It only took 5 or 6 emails and i had my order in.
By the end of February, i had received the jacket, and it was everything i had hoped for.
I went with the 3.5oz leather, the full Crown zipper package and i asked for a curly black mutton collar if he could get one. Stuart was originally reticent about the black collar, as it wasn't "correct" but when he shipped the jacket he told me they had found a couple curly skins in stock and i had my curly collar!
I had also asked for hides with stretch marks to be used, Stuart originally said it wasn't a thing, but what i received was exactly what i had in mind.
Here is the jacket out of the Box:
Straight away i was blown away by the leather, it has a very distinctive smell, a very nice hand, soft but consistent at the same time, with amazing grain straight out of the box. Construction is on par with the top Japanese makers, this jacket is stitch perfect, everything is straight and precisely done.
I had always found the NOS zipper obsession thing weird, but i have to say that these zippers converted me, the main Crown zipper is a thing of beauty, the spring loaded puller, the chunkiness, the noise it makes when used, it really is something else. They really don't do them like they used to. The other zippers are less mind blowing, but they are clearly better quality than modern equivalent.
Really i have only two slight negatives, the wrist openings are huge even when zipped shut. According to Stewart, this is how they were on originals.
Fair enough, but i would rather they were smaller.
Secondly, i am not a fan of the quilted lining, IMO they always have loose threads in no time, this one is no exception. I think that a jacket at that price should be available with a cotton drill lining at no extra cost.
Fit wise, i have nothing bad to say, this is a super comfortable pattern, range of movement is very good, it isn't heavy on the neck, it doesn't ride up, it is overall a very well designed jacket.
Then i spotted this, just above the right hand side handwarmer pocket:
It looked to me like the prongs of a shoulder bar tab had been pressed into the leather, and pierced it almost all the way through...
As you can imagined, i was a bit annoyed, this is definitely not a big deal, but it is annoying on a brand new jacket, especially at that price.
I sent Stuart a picture, not asking for anything, just wanting him to know about it.
His answer was straightforward, "This should not have reached you like this, send it back, we will change the panel"
I was a bit worried about that, as i have seen how bad a zipper change can end up looking, i told him that i would only be ok with a panel change if he could guarantee it would be invisible, if not i would rather keep the jacket with these small defects.
He told me "my guy is the best in the world, you won't see a thing"
He was right, in April i received the jacket back, and you would never be able to tell it had been through major surgery, there is not a single sign of the panel change ever happening.
I got my water bottle out and started break in:
After 6 months of wear here is what it looks like:
After a couple weeks of wear, i realized i had lost one of the zipper stoppers (the small bent metal pieces that prevent the slider from coming off the tape), i sent Stuart an email and within a week i had a small bag with 3 stoppers in my mailbox in the UK.
All in all, i have to say that this has become one of my favourite jackets. It is IMO the only non Japanese made jacket that i own that can compete with the obsessive precision of something like a Freewheelers or a RMC. The leather used is very unique and has a lot of character, break in was very easy, you can really see it evolve and see the grain pop as you wear it.
Stuart is easy to deal with and absolutely stands behind his product. I know it isn't easy for some to see past his website, but if you give it a go you won't regret it.
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