Johnson Leather Jacket

[Aloysius]

This post is a comparison review. There are some questions I had that I wanted to find out for myself for a while.

M-500 xzip vs WWL-41 xzip.

M-500 is the current Bay area police department contract jacket, mine is in stock size 40.

WWL-41 is their other police jacket, and mine is in stock size 42.

M-500 on the left, WWL-41 on the right
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JL's M-500 pattern has been one of my favorite ever since I got it. Mostly because it's very comfortable and I can wear it all day. Practical and no nonsense.

The WWL-41 pattern is quite a bit flashier than the understated M-500 imo. But still has great range of motion. Quite amazing for a tight fitting jacket pattern.

If the M-500 is an modified unmarked cruiser putting down 500+hp at the wheels, then the WWL-41 is a Lambo police car.

That's all I got. Thanks for reading.

I wonder how different the patterns are when you equalize for sizing via shared PTP, because your size 40 M-500 measures very similarly to the size 44 WWL-41s I saw at the shop.

I bring this up because nothing about the WWL-41 has that "skinny fit" of many repro jackets (like the worst feature they have, skinny biceps that limit motion); the difference seems to be mostly in size numbering, with the WWL-41 doing the 1950s thing of the chest circumference being 2" more than the tagged size. So I wonder if it's really just the numbers.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I wonder how different the patterns are when you equalize for sizing via shared PTP, because your size 40 M-500 measures very similarly to the size 44 WWL-41s I saw at the shop.

I bring this up because nothing about the WWL-41 has that "skinny fit" of many repro jackets (like the worst feature they have, skinny biceps that limit motion); the difference seems to be mostly in size numbering, with the WWL-41 doing the 1950s thing of the chest circumference being 2" more than the tagged size. So I wonder if it's really just the numbers.

The WWL-41 feels like a completely different pattern to me top down, no tag size game here, and the size 42 works for me. I tried to show that with all the mobility poses, it’s got a bit of pattern engineering. However, the case with all custom jackets, it’s best to go with how you would like it to fit, just to be on the safer side.

 

[Goel]

They also have a newer mandarin collar crosszip, similar to the Langlitz Cascade.

 

[Aloysius]

The WWL-41 feels like a completely different pattern to me top down, no tag size game here, and the size 42 works for me. I tried to show that with all the mobility poses, it’s got a bit of pattern engineering. However, the case with all custom jackets, it’s best to go with how you would like it to fit, just to be on the safer side.

I agree that the pattern is different. I'm just saying the sizes are graded differently so I didn't find them to fit very differently where the PTP was the same.

Like yes if someone bought a 42 in both, they would feel dramatically different. But a 40 in one measures like 44 in the other, and when I tried those on, they felt similar.

 

[Furrowson]

About 1" longer body would have been OK. I spec'd this jacket for riding in mind.
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Bit of a slow reply here but #1 looking great man! #2 in my experience cow/steer hide stretches and molds where denser horsehide does not. Enjoy the jacket!