Washing a jacket, flooding a utility room, and other mishaps.

[BloodEagle]

Hey all - I thought I'd document my experience washing a particularly objectionable leather jacket, if not for anyone else, at least for me. Last week I got an old Perfecto and it was in a real state - lining gone in a few places, holes in the pockets, zips gone etc etc. All fixable, if not to a professional standard, at least to an acceptable standard, by me. However, on top of this it smelt - a lot according to my wife - and when a lady says an item of clothing smells, what can a man to do but try washing it, in the bath, as per a few threads I quickly researched on this forum. I had some free time yesterday/today, and heres the result after a 5 mintue soak and some mild agitation -

Nice. Whatever was turning that water brown stank like you cannot believe - I had unleashed something truly ungodly, but persevered and evenutally drained the now clear(ish)water from the bathtub after a few water cycles/rinses. Oh yeah - at this point heard I my wife yelling at the top of her voice - this is an alarming sound even when you expect it., and it turned out that I had somehow knocked the waste pipe from the joint under the bath and the absolutely reeking water was going directly onto the floor and through a hole (dont ask) into the utility room below. What happened next is too much to go into, but it wasnt conducive to a happy marital relationship. Anwyay, all that done I transferred it to the washing machine for a gentle rinse and spin cycle, just to be extra sure the funkiness had gone. Im pretty sure during the spin cycle some more finish came off it at high wear points - is this a mishap or a happy accident when something is so battered looking anyway? I dont know, it happened though. Anyway, I then got it, still at this stage pretty heavy and wet, out and laid it on the floor on a warm but not hot patio - photo for reference -

So i then left it for a few hours, periodically putting it on, moving around in it, doing some arm bends and generally acting like a lunatic in the eyes of my already not entirely impressed wife. Fast forward to this evening, where it is basically dry and no longer smelly and/or brownish and greasy - here is a shot/Schott -

And in the interest of completeness here's another shot of me wearing it, trying not to wonder if it was all worth it, and thinking how I can calm an particularly angry lady I know down.

 

[ton312]

Hey all - I thought I'd document my experience washing a particularly objectionable leather jacket, if not for anyone else, at least for me. Last week I got an old Perfecto and it was in a real state - lining gone in a few places, holes in the pockets, zips gone etc etc. All fixable, if not to a professional standard, at least to an acceptable standard, by me. However, on top of this it smelt - a lot according to my wife - and when a lady says an item of clothing smells, what can a man to do but try washing it, in the bath, as per a few threads I quickly researched on this forum. I had some free time yesterday/today, and heres the result after a 5 mintue soak and some mild agitation -

View attachment 435547

Nice. Whatever was turning that water brown stank like you cannot believe - I had unleashed something truly ungodly but I persevered and evenutally drained the now clear(ish)water from the bathtub after a few water cycles/rinses. Oh yeah - at this point heard my wife yelling at the top of her voice - this is an alarming sound even when you expect it., and it turned out that I had somehow knocked the waste pipe from the joint under the bath and the absolutely reeking water was going directly onto the floor and through a hole (dont ask) into the utility room below. What happened next is too much to go into, but it wasnt conducive to a happy marital relationship. Anwyay, all that done I transfered it to the washing machine for a gentle rinse and spin cycle, just to be extra sure the funkiness had gone. Im pretty sure during the spin cycle some more finish came off it high wear point - is this a mishap or a happy accident when something so battered looking anyway? I dont know, it happened though. Anyway, I then got it, still at this stage pretty heavy and wet, out and laid it on the floor on a warm but not hot patio - photo for reference -

View attachment 435548

So i then left it for a few hours, periodically putting it on, moving around in it, doing some arm bends and generally acting like a lunatic in the eyes of my already not entirely impressed wife. Fast forward to this evening, where it is basically dry and no longer smelly and/or brownish and greasy - here is a shot -

View attachment 435550

And in the interests of completeness heres another shot of me wearing it and trying not to wonder if it was all worth it haha.

View attachment 435549

Oh man the end result should be the top google hit for “cool leather jacket”! Those sleeves!!!!!

 

[TREEMAN]

I like it !!

 

[Imuricecreamman]

Hey all - I thought I'd document my experience washing a particularly objectionable leather jacket, if not for anyone else, at least for me. Last week I got an old Perfecto and it was in a real state - lining gone in a few places, holes in the pockets, zips gone etc etc. All fixable, if not to a professional standard, at least to an acceptable standard, by me. However, on top of this it smelt - a lot according to my wife - and when a lady says an item of clothing smells, what can a man to do but try washing it, in the bath, as per a few threads I quickly researched on this forum. I had some free time yesterday/today, and heres the result after a 5 mintue soak and some mild agitation -

View attachment 435547

Nice. Whatever was turning that water brown stank like you cannot believe - I had unleashed something truly ungodly but I persevered and evenutally drained the now clear(ish)water from the bathtub after a few water cycles/rinses. Oh yeah - at this point heard my wife yelling at the top of her voice - this is an alarming sound even when you expect it., and it turned out that I had somehow knocked the waste pipe from the joint under the bath and the absolutely reeking water was going directly onto the floor and through a hole (dont ask) into the utility room below. What happened next is too much to go into, but it wasnt conducive to a happy marital relationship. Anwyay, all that done I transfered it to the washing machine for a gentle rinse and spin cycle, just to be extra sure the funkiness had gone. Im pretty sure during the spin cycle some more finish came off it high wear point - is this a mishap or a happy accident when something so battered looking anyway? I dont know, it happened though. Anyway, I then got it, still at this stage pretty heavy and wet, out and laid it on the floor on a warm but not hot patio - photo for reference -

View attachment 435548

So i then left it for a few hours, periodically putting it on, moving around in it, doing some arm bends and generally acting like a lunatic in the eyes of my already not entirely impressed wife. Fast forward to this evening, where it is basically dry and no longer smelly and/or brownish and greasy - here is a shot -

View attachment 435550

And in the interest's of completeness here's another shot of me wearing it, trying not to wonder if it was all worth it, and thinking how I can calm an particularly angry specific lady down.

View attachment 435549

Great outcome. Those wear patterns and patina resembles that of my Schott carcoat.

 

[Kenan]

What a great post. Made me laugh a lot! Cool patina on the jacket too

 

[Damon141]

It was worth it, it looks great on you. Natural Teacore patina

 

[Monitor]

Perfectly correct washing procedure by any account - Sans knocking the waste pipe out of course. Just soaking the jacket is something I'm not a fan of because it never feels like any dirt actually gets kicked out so washing machine was a good call.
And also, putting the jacket on during whilst it's getting dry is crucial as just leaving it lying down the whole time will have it locked in as you left it. Once dry, leather will always feel a bit stiffer until you re-brake it in again & there's much less chance for cracking if you keep "reminding" it periodically of where its creases are.

Another thing; I've seen countless Schott Perfectos but ones that fade like this are very, very rare. They're either dyed all the way through or the finish is so substantial that instead of fading, there's only suede where it flaked off so you're truly lucky to have landed this particular jacket. Looking at the last two pics is a joy.

 

[BloodEagle]

Thanks for all the kind words - I was a bit nervous about shrinkage etc going into it, but it seems as long as you do a cold wash and exercise caution when drying it's all good.

I am pleased with how it turned out, and as a timely postscript to my story, what should arrive in the post today but these..

...replacement stars, sent from Schott NYC to the UK in an incredibly short space of time ( I think I emailed them last Friday!) No charge altough I did of offer - I cannot praise them enough for how nice of them this was. And here's a final picture of it with its new stars freshly installed in the exact same space/holes that the old ones were - no adjustments necessary!

 

[Will Zach]

Hey all - I thought I'd document my experience washing a particularly objectionable leather jacket, if not for anyone else, at least for me. Last week I got an old Perfecto and it was in a real state - lining gone in a few places, holes in the pockets, zips gone etc etc. All fixable, if not to a professional standard, at least to an acceptable standard, by me. However, on top of this it smelt - a lot according to my wife - and when a lady says an item of clothing smells, what can a man to do but try washing it, in the bath, as per a few threads I quickly researched on this forum. I had some free time yesterday/today, and heres the result after a 5 mintue soak and some mild agitation -

View attachment 435547

Nice. Whatever was turning that water brown stank like you cannot believe - I had unleashed something truly ungodly, but persevered and evenutally drained the now clear(ish)water from the bathtub after a few water cycles/rinses. Oh yeah - at this point heard I my wife yelling at the top of her voice - this is an alarming sound even when you expect it., and it turned out that I had somehow knocked the waste pipe from the joint under the bath and the absolutely reeking water was going directly onto the floor and through a hole (dont ask) into the utility room below. What happened next is too much to go into, but it wasnt conducive to a happy marital relationship. Anwyay, all that done I transferred it to the washing machine for a gentle rinse and spin cycle, just to be extra sure the funkiness had gone. Im pretty sure during the spin cycle some more finish came off it at high wear points - is this a mishap or a happy accident when something is so battered looking anyway? I dont know, it happened though. Anyway, I then got it, still at this stage pretty heavy and wet, out and laid it on the floor on a warm but not hot patio - photo for reference -

View attachment 435548

So i then left it for a few hours, periodically putting it on, moving around in it, doing some arm bends and generally acting like a lunatic in the eyes of my already not entirely impressed wife. Fast forward to this evening, where it is basically dry and no longer smelly and/or brownish and greasy - here is a shot/Schott -

View attachment 435550

And in the interest of completeness here's another shot of me wearing it, trying not to wonder if it was all worth it, and thinking how I can calm an particularly angry lady I know down.

View attachment 435549

Great work and great jacket. We've all been there. Our wives basically look at us as little boys doing little boys' things. Which we are (and do). Take her out (but wear a better jacket - in her view, of course).

 

[photo2u]

This is a great post. Much to learn from this. Perhaps we should have a section on how to / tips or experiences in washing, reconditing, and cleaning leather jackets.

 

[Damon141]

Thanks for all the kind words - I was a bit nervous about shrinkage etc going into it, but it seems as long as you do a cold wash and exercise caution when drying it's all good.

I am pleased with how it turned out, and as a timely postscript to my story, what should arrive in the post today but these..

View attachment 435645

...replacement stars, sent from Schott NYC to the UK in an incredibly short space of time ( I think I emailed them last Friday!) No charge altough I did of offer - I cannot praise them enough for how nice of them this was. And here's a final picture of it with its new stars freshly installed in the exact same space/holes that the old ones were - no adjustments necessary!


View attachment 435646

That’s so amazing they sent them for free, especially in a world where you are charged for everything.

I swear Schott should have a signature line with custom fitting, artisanal leathers and liners etc.

 

[Tom71]

Great post; great jacket!

Only four more months before I allow myself the next jacket purchase and finally a Perfecto is top of the shortlist.

 

[navetsea]

congrats, the fades look nice, thank you for the amusing story

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

thanks for reviving this thread. I remember reading it when it first popped up. It reminded me how great a company Schott is. I know they take a knock from some of the crowd over here from time to time, and if I'm being honest, I think they're overpriced as new (but then again what jacket isn't). I've dealt with them on several occasions and I've always been left satisfied with the correspondence. They've sent me new old stock talon zippers, pocket zippers, sliders, and stars for no charge, even though I didn't buy the jacket from them directly. They've also taken returns on jackets I bought from them that didn't work out for whatever reason, even past the "acceptable" return period. Family owned, long legacy, maybe somewhat exaggerated, but you can't deny their impact in this space.

 

[Aloysius]

I swear Schott should have a signature line with custom fitting, artisanal leathers and liners etc.

No, they shouldn't. I don't want to pay the cost of all that gimmicky marketing, and I prefer their in-house leathers to the special collabs (CXL, Shinki, etc) they do.

 

[Damon141]

No, they shouldn't. I don't want to pay the cost of all that gimmicky marketing, and I prefer their in-house leathers to the special collabs (CXL, Shinki, etc) they do.

I’d possibly buy one if they kept the price fair. And if they could offer standard sizing adjustments like Lewis Leather or Aero.

I think you are in Europe if I remembered correctly? So it’s quite possible you pay a great deal more after trade tariffs or your countries VAT or import taxes.?

But in my humble opinion Schott has kept their prices fair over the years considering their historical importance and impact to leather jackets, some using fairly thick leather and being made in the USA.

I base this on the countless pop up No Name overnight designer brands that have thin lamb leather jackets made in very poor countries.

 

[Aloysius]

I’d possibly buy one if they kept the price fair. And if they could offer standard sizing adjustments like Lewis Leather or Aero.

Lewis and Aero are entirely based around MTO, though. It’s a different model. Schott isn’t a huge company but the jacket parts are made in different parts of the factory.

They used to have a custom jacket program (including doing fully bespoke patterns) but it’s been on hold for several years now and I think that makes sense, since their range is so wide that there’s a pattern for pretty much everybody.

Like there’s another thread here by a guy who wanted a Schott 530 but it wasn’t long enough so he got a different jacket that he doesn’t seem to like. But if he’d paid attention he would have seen that the 530 is a variant of the 141, which is available in a longer size.

I think you are in Europe if I remembered correctly? So it’s quite possible you pay a great deal more after trade tariffs or your countries VAT or import taxes.?

I’m in the US, not all that far from Schott which is why I’ve been to their factory twice.

But in my humble opinion Schott has kept their prices fair over the years considering their historical importance and impact to leather jackets, some using fairly thick leather and being made in the USA.

Well, exactly. They don’t need an ‘artisanal’ sub brand.

 

[Damon141]

I just think they are missing the boat on higher craftsmanship, if they still had the patterns for historical models and they were made with the same attention to detail as Real McCoy’s or others. It would give a different market share and prove American can make desirable enviable jackets, other than the few tiny makers like Goodwear or Lost Worlds which are one off productions due to limited production capacity

 

[Aloysius]

We've had this exchange a million times before, most recently when you made a whole thread about this topic, but I'll try again.

I just think they are missing the boat on higher craftsmanship,

What do you mean by "higher craftsmanship"? Extreme skiving, tannery names as marketing terms, stitch counts so high the seam rips?

I genuinely think the Schott jackets are better made than the repros that fit those characteristics.

One of the Schott family members recommended on their site that if someone wants to speed up break in, he could stuff the jacket with cloth and smash it as a pillow, because they're stitched more strongly than medicine balls. Wouldn't want to try that with a Fine Creek…

if they still had the patterns for historical models and they were made with the same attention to detail as Real McCoy’s or others.

I think they do, considering the collar they made for my contemporary 613SH fits perfectly on my 1960s Perfecto, as in every snap lines up and the collar shape is identical.

The fact that they've further developed some of their patterns since the 60s isn't a bad thing. The range of motion you get from one of the Schott models with underarm footballs and bi-swing shoulders is basically like a full action back. They also offer 60s/70s pattern models for those of us who want those, but it makes sense that the 'standard' jackets would receive pattern refinement.

What are you defining as "attention to detail"? RMC patterning often has pretty dramatic changes from the American originals to give them a skinny fit.

It would give a different market share and prove American can make desirable enviable jackets,

Prove to whom? To you? Europeans, Japanese, and others quite eagerly buy American-made leather jackets. In fact they're often treated as superior for being the genuine article.

other than the few tiny makers like Goodwear or Lost Worlds which are one off productions due to limited production capacity

No one outside of this website and VLJ knows what Good Wear or Lost Worlds is, besides George Lucas and some collectors in Japan.

 

[Kenan]

What are you defining as "attention to detail"? RMC patterning often has pretty dramatic changes from the American originals to give them a skinny fit.

You clearly don’t know what you are talking about. Look at all the repros of Buco J-24 out there and then take a look at The RMC Buco J-24 (new fit). Not a single J-24 repro as beautifully made as that jacket. Especially with attention to detail. Labelling etc.

One of the Schott family members recommended on their site that if someone wants to speed up break in, he could stuff the jacket with cloth and smash it as a pillow, because they're stitched more strongly than medicine balls. Wouldn't want to try that with a Fine Creek…

The four Schott jackets I have owned all had loose stiching on several places on the jacket. Besides that they use a poor quality plastic like leather. I went through two Schott 618hh and the top coat of the leather literally started peeling. This happened on both of them and it did within the first two weeks of wearing them.

I get the feeling you just want to be mister opposite everything.