New forum member brand (Rugged West)

[TartuWolf]

Okay folks, take 1 of trying to get a proper leather jacket for my wife.
Type 1 from RW just dropped in. I think RW and Leilah did a great job with! Wife is super happy about it overall.
Adding some fit pics.
Please share your thoughts on the fit!

Current plan is to send back this stock jacket and upgrade to custom.
What I think about the fit:
- Chest and upper back seem pretty spot on, both in terms of looks and mobility. Sleeve length and shoulder width seem very good as well.
- Body length is too short, at least for my taste, especially the front. Should be 1-2" longer. She definitely has some Anterior Pelvic Tilt going to as well. I think some front drop would help with that. Type 1 with 0.5" front drop? Abomination?
- Needs more taper in the waist, too much loose material in the lower back at the moment. Right now it's ~17.75. I'd reduce that to ~16.5" or something like that and then flare it back out at the bottom hem (especially if we got for longer body) to ~17.25-17.5".

Wife finally wearing it a bit from time to time when I'm persistent enough. I also conditioned and softened the leather quite a bit making the jacket somewhat more comfortable.

 

[Christoise]

My first post here! I got the rugged west type 3 in Cordovan. I love it. I added on the hand warmer pockets.

 

[Khilij]

Got my Trojan in today. Very happy with it. Pics hopefully to come soon.

 

[Khilij]

Weather turned foul just as I went outside to get pics. I'll try again in the weekend.

In the meantime, here's a quick picture I took to give y'all an idea. I am 5'11 and 160lbs. I am wearing a size M.

 

[vincent29]

Hello everyone,

Here are some photos of the Sentinel I just received.
I'm really pleased with the jacket and the quality of the leather, especially at this price.
The fit is perfect—I just don't want to gain another kilo, otherwise it's ruined

It's not a custom-made model: I simply asked Leilah to remove the shoulder gussets.
The stitching and finishing seem very neat.
The leather seems very good quality; we'll see how it develops over time, but so far it's excellent—again, especially for the price.

I own the same jacket from Aero, made of horsehide, so I was able to compare.
The finishing touches may not be quite the same, and the Aero leather seems a step above, but the difference isn't obvious. And yet, I really want to wear this one.

For me, it's a great success.

 

[herculance]

Been getting regular wear with mine lately. No problems yet with my Marling, very comfortable; I even got rained on yesterday

 

[Arin666]

Hello everyone,

Here are some photos of the Sentinel I just received.
I'm really pleased with the jacket and the quality of the leather, especially at this price.
The fit is perfect—I just don't want to gain another kilo, otherwise it's ruined

It's not a custom-made model: I simply asked Leilah to remove the shoulder gussets.
The stitching and finishing seem very neat.
The leather seems very good quality; we'll see how it develops over time, but so far it's excellent—again, especially for the price.

I own the same jacket from Aero, made of horsehide, so I was able to compare.
The finishing touches may not be quite the same, and the Aero leather seems a step above, but the difference isn't obvious. And yet, I really want to wear this one.

For me, it's a great success.

Beautiful jacket and great fit.

Quick question - how does the weight and thickness of this steerhide leather compare to the Aero horse hide?

 

[vincent29]

It's hard to say, because my horsehide jacket is less fitted than the Rugged West.
It's both a little thicker and a little softer.
It all depends on the tanning you choose from Aero.
For me, it's the Pinnacle, which is the softest leather Aero offers.
It drapes better than the cordovan one; more wrinkles, I'd say.
But this cordovan is new, so we'll see how it goes over time.
When you look closely, horsehide leather feels more premium, but it's much more expensive.

I love both of them so far. Leilah's is great for mid-season with a light sweater, for example, and Aero's is more for winter with a thick sweater underneath.
Was that your question?

 

[vincent29]

Been getting regular wear with mine lately. No problems yet with my Marling, very comfortable; I even got rained on yesterday

View attachment 740363

Magnificent, I hesitated a little with this model

 

[TartuWolf]

Beautiful jacket and great fit.

Quick question - how does the weight and thickness of this steerhide leather compare to the Aero horse hide?

I have two Aero HH jackets and an extra thick (requested and delivered) RW steerhide one. The two leathers are night and day different. RW is much lighter and very soft. Very different tannage and finish. I'll refrain from using any negative adjectives - it's all a matter of taste! I personally wish I had gone for the oil black bison over this steerhide, even though I'd loose the teacore in that case.

 

[vincent29]

I should point out that I'm in France, and the translator is sometimes inaccurate.
Regardless, I'm very impressed by Leilah's work.
She had to make some compromises, which I find very intelligent, to offer us such beautiful jackets at these prices.
It's very pleasant to interact with her, and she's very friendly.

 

[MrProper]

The two leathers are night and day different.

That's also the case with my three RW jackets. Much softer than my Aeros, but in my case heavier in weight. At almost 6 lbs, the brown RW Crosszip is the heaviest leather jacket I own.

 

[TartuWolf]

That's also the case with my three RW jackets. Much softer than my Aeros, but in my case heavier in weight. At almost 6 lbs, the brown RW Crosszip is the heaviest leather jacket I own.

Both my Aero CXL Hooch Hauler and RW RR3 are 2kg, same weight. But the feeling is very different (hand, stiffness, drape, etc..).

 

[ABCD]

I just checked the RW website to see which models they are offering. Maybe it's just me but I find their styles incredibly uninspired. There's the ad nauseum copied J24, there's an Aero Highwayman copy, an Aero cafe racer copy, a type III, a Perfecto style jacket and then there's the 'Stockman' which looks like a Mister Freedom 'Ranch blouse' knockoff but with a slightly altered pocket shape.

I can understand why they chose to copy these particular styles if their 'unique' selling point is to be the cheaper option for those customers who aren't willing to pay Aero, Schott, RMC or MF prices.

But then there's the Olympia Collection which price point will probably be at the high end of the market (because Shinki leather and made in London) yet the first Olympia jacket is yet again a copy of some other maker's design: I see a mashup of the Freewheelers Mulholland and Bodie.

Why would people buy these high end price point jackets if what they get is an uninspired copy of some other high end brand's jackets?

Not everyone can be an artist like Theodoros (Thedi Leathers) who comes up with unique jacket designs, but how hard is it to browse through one of the Lightning Archives books and pick any of the hundreds designs that haven't been copied/reproduced already by every heritage brand and their mother?

RW Olympia vs Freewheelers Mulholland / Bodie

 

[vincent29]

The advantage is that it's an economical alternative to the brands you mentioned,
and it's a solid alternative in my opinion.
As for Shinki, it's the same thing; it will be cheaper than other brands.
Another interesting point is that you can customize your order a little more aero

 

[Leilah RW]

I just checked the RW website to see which models they are offering. Maybe it's just me but I find their styles incredibly uninspired. There's the ad nauseum copied J24, there's an Aero Highwayman copy, an Aero cafe racer copy, a type III, a Perfecto style jacket and then there's the 'Stockman' which looks like a Mister Freedom 'Ranch blouse' knockoff but with a slightly altered pocket shape.

I can understand why they chose to copy these particular styles if their 'unique' selling point is to be the cheaper option for those customers who aren't willing to pay Aero, Schott, RMC or MF prices.

But then there's the Olympia Collection which price point will probably be at the high end of the market (because Shinki leather and made in London) yet the first Olympia jacket is yet again a copy of some other maker's design: I see a mashup of the Freewheelers Mulholland and Bodie.

Why would people buy these high end price point jackets if what they get is an uninspired copy of some other high end brand's jackets?

Not everyone can be an artist like Theodoros (Thedi Leathers) who comes up with unique jacket designs, but how hard is it to browse through one of the Lightning Archives books and pick any of the hundreds designs that haven't been copied/reproduced already by every heritage brand and their mother?

View attachment 740483
RW Olympia vs Freewheelers Mulholland / Bodie

I make what I find appealing. But I tell you what, I’ve just received the Lightening book for my birthday so gimme a few months to sort out some patterns, and you might actually be in luck

 

[vincent29]

I make what I find appealing. But I tell you what, I’ve just received the Lightening book for my birthday so gimme a few months to sort out some patterns, and you might actually be in luck

Happy birthday

 

[Leilah RW]

I make what I find appealing. But I tell you what, I’ve just received the Lightening book for my birthday so gimme a few months to sort out some patterns, and you might actually be in luck

Also - Theodore is an artist. Couldn’t agree more. Has always been and will always be my favourite jacket maker.

 

[Leilah RW]

Happy birthday

Thank you Vincent! Thirty three and thriving XD

 

[GDawg]

How does one order the new Olympia jacket? It's not in the web store. Looks phenomenal. Love the collar shape.