What's you all's opinion of Bestaff?

[wanz]

I bought a belstaff cougar used for $600. I love the look and fit of it. It is a light leather but i like having that option in me closet. But i would never pay retail for one. If the price is right, buy it.

I have a few of their leather jackets from before they were acquired by Labelux in 2011. They aren't the same style as many of the jackets discussed here but it's nice to have the option. I looked at the first few seasons of the Labelux designs and they shifted too far too the fashion end of the spectrum for me.

I didn't (and wouldn't) pay retail. The quality was (is?) better than the average fashion brand, but is not as solid most of the brands that are popular here.

 

[Peter Mackin]

Iv been motorcycling for over40 years & had a few trailmasters over the years,,wax cotton & heavy duty..great jackets..among my riding jackets I have a belstaff Montana,,easily on par with any of my vansons,bks,axo etc...the new range is purely fashion ...don't confuse the two

 

[Sloan1874]

if someone was willing to pay millions of pounds to wear one of their jackets, I'd be smiling too.

 

[Plumbline]

There's a Bellstaff factory Outlet at Bicester Village and they have some really cool stuff. ( There's a Barbour Outlet there as well)

Their leathers aren't gonna win any prizes for durability or materials abut they seem well made fashion jackets. The Waxed Cottons are as durable as ever and the T's and sweats are pretty cool.

If you are paying full whack then they're expensive for what you get ... but from the factory outlet they're pretty reasonable ( I bought a belstaff logo T for £12 )

 

[jacketjunkie]

This thread has made me spend some time online today, checking out their leather jackets.. but I dislike most of them due to the overload of pockets and design elements. However I found an interesting looking coat on a german trading platform. It looks like a mix of a trench and a rfc coat: double breasted but offcentered/asyymetric front closure (like on a perfecto) and a breast pocket on the broader, overlapping half.

Anyone is into older Belstaff designs and can tell whether they ever produced something alike and this jacket is legit or whether it's a fake?

 

[ProteinNerd]

If you have any questions, go to the filmjackets forum and ask there. Some of those guys have encyclopaedic knowledge of belstaff and are happy to help out.

 

[Bunyip]

If you have any questions, go to the filmjackets forum and ask there. Some of those guys have encyclopaedic knowledge of belstaff and are happy to help out.

You an insomniac too mate?

 

[navetsea]

http://www.kingoffuel.com/belstaff-veetwin-jacket-racing-leather/

this one looks great

 

[wild_balls]

The leather ones, to THIN!!!


Cheers Joakim

 

[Worf]

Thanks for the information folks. You're all aces in my book!

Worf

 

[Seb Lucas]

View attachment 31217
they seem happy in their thin leather jackets... who am I to judge

Do they? Just looks like a clumsily staged promotional shot to me.

 

[Seb Lucas]

http://www.kingoffuel.com/belstaff-veetwin-jacket-racing-leather/
View attachment 31237
this one looks great

To me that jacket looks a size too small - too short, too tight and generally unremarkable. Compare it to a Vanson and it vanishes.

 

[Doctor Damage]

You know what I'm thinking now? I'm thinking middle-aged guys who only wear jeans on the weekend, dragged to Starbucks by their wife and kids, standing around awkwardly waiting for a table while their wife lines up to order some kind of dessert in a plastic cup, wearing their expensive Bellend jacket and feeling masively generation-gapped by all the teenagers (getting wildly excited taking selfies of themselves with a dessert in a plastic cup).

Pass.

It's just a jacket. It's not a lifestyle.

He lives in Japan. The lifestyle/fashion links are big there.

 

[navetsea]

To me that jacket looks a size too small - too short, too tight and generally unremarkable. Compare it to a Vanson and it vanishes.

I like how the collar installed, and the fit is okay for my taste, leather is too thin, and totally out of my budget

 

[broiler]

I see this thread has stalled, but I'm a fan of their waxed cotton traditional designs i.e. Roadmaster, Trialmaster/Tourist Trophy. Like others in this thread, I wasn't always a fan of the style, but I got gifted a winter Roadmaster back in 2011 and was won over by the quality. Also, I'm not a stylish guy but got compliments on that jacket from 70 yo women and 25 yo hipsters alike. When I lost the jacket a few years ago (to a friend, long story), I missed it and just bought another one on eBay (older Malenotti winter version, not today's Labelux fashion stuff with the d-bag marketing campaign).

w/o liner, these are not warm jackets so the winter Roadmaster is good as a well made spring/fall/winter jacket down to above freezing. For truly cold/wet conditions, you're best off with technical fabrics. In my opinion, I don't see the practicality of the summer versions as any thinner/less warm and you lose the point of being a jacket - it's basically a wax cotton shirt that costs $400+ (if you get the discounted price).

As has been stated, Belstaff website has end of season sales for ~50% off retail, which is also what you can generally get for new old stock on eBay. I think this is a fair price for the quality, assuming you like the style.

 

[Edward]

I would agree with the prevailing wisdom here: the bike-dedidcated stuff is good, but forget anything in the fashion range - overpriced and not that good either. If o's waxedc cotton you're after, for my money Barbour produce jackets that are at least as good, at a significantly smaller price (though they're more than they were as their name too has become trendy). Hunt around the specialist motorcycle-wear places, and you'll find a lot of people doing very nice waxed cotton type jackets that are as good, at a sensible price.

The people who previously owned and sold Belstaff to the Italians started over a few years back as Matchless. http://www.matchlesslondon.com/en/man.html Crazy money, though, and nowhere near as stylish as Aero, Lewis or even half of what they had done themselves as Belstaff... Somebody must be buying, though, as the website is still up and in business...

Not my style, either. Absolutely no interest for me in the mostly overly pocketed coats.
HD

Yeah, some of them are a bit..... Selkirk school of design.

if someone was willing to pay millions of pounds to wear one of their jackets, I'd be smiling too.

Ha! As long as I got time off to wear something cool as well....

 

[Big J]

He lives in Japan. The lifestyle/fashion links are big there.

This is true!

I think that Belstaff has become a victim of it's own marketing now; I think of Hammond on Top Gear, the guys with Beckham in the photo linked above. In the same way that even if I could afford an Aston Martin, I wouldn't buy one because everyone else will only ever see the baggage of 007 that the brand has, and that makes me look like a sad wannabe, I also would never buy a Belstaff jacket because I don't want to be 'that guy'.

Sorry.

If you really do look like a male model, then hell yeah, go for it.

 

[broiler]

I think Belstaff wax-cotton is worth wearing as long as you're honest about its main attribute: looking really cool. Even for the Pure Motorcycle line, if you're after protection, you're best served with leather or synthetic technical fabrics. What you get with either the motorcycle or fashion line is a quasi-water and wind-proof jacket that just looks way cooler than leather or gore-tex.

Personally, I'm a fan of the brown and beige colors, which take on a nice patina. The black jackets look interesting, but I couldn't pull it off without looking like I'm on my way to a superhero convention.

For reference, here's the jacket I just bought:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...a-real-Belstaff-Roadmaster&highlight=belstaff


And here's some British guy who is more handsome than I am, rocking the same jacket after some wear:

http://spotted.tv/spots/dan-snow-jacket-spotted-on-the-one-show/


I could care less about brand cachet and ordered a Barbour last year that I ended up returning, because it didn't fit as well and just felt flimsier and cheaper. Belstaffs are really well made, and the people I got compliments from actually had no idea what brand it was - they just thought it was a cool looking jacket. The labeling on the classic stuff isn't ostentatious, and unless you run with a British motorcycle gang or the NYC hipster crowd, I don't think most people on the street even know what Belstaff is.

If you want a waxed jacket with a boxy fit for a decent price, Barbour or Filson is the way to go. If you have a lean build and want a more fitted look (and I'm not talking about the ridiculous "2 sizes too small" look on some of their models), a Belstaff in the right size will make you look good.

 

[navetsea]

those people didn't watch Liam Neeson in the movie Taken, or looking at tabloid with David Beckham photos in it?

I think people do aware of the logo, that's why so many knock off Belstaff jackets.

 

[broiler]

Labelux is trying to market it as a true luxury brand a la Burberry but I don't think they're there yet. Belstaffs have been appearing in movies and TV for years however, and look the part of the generic detective/hitman/superhero/badass jacket.

I can't speak for everyone but despite watching many movies, I had never heard of the brand until I was given one basically for free (although I recognized the style). I suspect many people don't associate the brand with the style unless they're into biking, are fashionistas or movie jacket buffs, or have a Japanese vintage clothes fetish or something. I'm sure these segments are very active on eBay and have enabled the counterfeit market.

I know they're very popular in the UK and in Europe, but I hardly ever see Belstaffs in the U.S.