Five Star Leather Jackets

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead · Oct 21, 2020

Seb Lucas said:
I would be more surprised if these kinds of things didn't happen. We've all become very used to precision from the high craft jacket makers.

For sure. Really trying to keep expectations in check. But some green, mostly tan thread is the deal breaker. The paper thing is kind of bad but not end of world.

But I used to buy Andrew Marc jackets back in the day before I started educating myself, and I think those are made in Pakistan, and they were pretty good builds. Leather was not great, but they were on point with construction. And they were usually in the $250-300 range on the endless sales they have. I remember I had one that I was almost subconciously trying to destroy to justify buying a new jacket. I had it in the wash multiple times, dryer high heat for hours, took sand paper to it to distress it. Thing is still strong as ever. LOL.

ton312 · Oct 21, 2020

Man that just plain sucks! While the expectation bar is certainly set lower for 5 star that kind of thing is just plain sloppy. A remake is absolutely in order. Hopefully it works out that way. No dice for me today. Jacket is in Chicago but DHL couldn’t get ‘er done. I’m dying to know if my fit tweaks will bear any fruit....

Seb Lucas · Oct 22, 2020

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead said:
For sure. Really trying to keep expectations in check. But some green, mostly tan thread is the deal breaker. The paper thing is kind of bad but not end of world.

But I used to buy Andrew Marc jackets back in the day before I started educating myself, and I think those are made in Pakistan, and they were pretty good builds. Leather was not great, but they were on point with construction. And they were usually in the $250-300 range on the endless sales they have. I remember I had one that I was almost subconciously trying to destroy to justify buying a new jacket. I had it in the wash multiple times, dryer high heat for hours, took sand paper to it to distress it. Thing is still strong as ever. LOL.

The issue isn’t where it’s made - it’s what QC the supervising Brand company provides. Five Star Is one off knock offs for private buyers. This will happen. I also wonder if they are up to our requirements long term.

I remember a time 30 years ago where even some of the better custom leather makers here did similar things occasionally.

Jin431 · Oct 22, 2020

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead said:
yeah, there's a top stitch and bottom? stitch. Not sure on the terminology, but the thread that feeds through the machine, and the thread from the bobbin. At least in traditional sewing, not sure if a leather machine is different.

I know this is one of those things only perfectionists will care about, but it does bug me. More so that some of the details are green but most of the threading is tan. I definitely wanted contrast, but with the olive was going to be more subtle. Nothing wrong with the tan, like I said I just bought Aero Sheene with same exact style. But was going after a different look here.

And not to pile on, but I caught another mistake. On one of the pockets, it looks like some of the pattern paper is still attached. It's barely noticeable, only from the top looking down, but like one of those things, once you see it, your eyes keep going there. Looks like they had a bad day with my jacket I guess. We'll see. Either remake it and take that opportunity to make sleeve another .75 longer, or maybe if they give me a partial credit, I'll keep what I got and call it a day.

Hope you find a good resolution for the issue, too bad it wasn't up to expectations.

navetsea · Oct 22, 2020

Marc mndt said:
Now that I look at it more closely, I think I see another green thread right here:
View attachment 272502

Maybe they used two different thread colors, one for the top and one for the bottom.

I find it difficult to explain because I've never even touched a sewing machine so obviously I don't know what I'm talking about. Here's a piece of leather with stitch lines in green beige red and brown on top (photo on the right) while having a blue thread on the back side ( photo on the left)
View attachment 272501

They stitched the hanging loop from the inside, maybe that's why you see the bottom thread (green) on the outside.

that's a run off thread from that square stitching accidentally caught by another seam, just poke it inside with toothpick

Hobbes1 · Oct 22, 2020

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead said:
yeah, there's a top stitch and bottom? stitch. Not sure on the terminology, but the thread that feeds through the machine, and the thread from the bobbin. At least in traditional sewing, not sure if a leather machine is different.

I know this is one of those things only perfectionists will care about, but it does bug me. More so that some of the details are green but most of the threading is tan. I definitely wanted contrast, but with the olive was going to be more subtle. Nothing wrong with the tan, like I said I just bought Aero Sheene with same exact style. But was going after a different look here.

And not to pile on, but I caught another mistake. On one of the pockets, it looks like some of the pattern paper is still attached. It's barely noticeable, only from the top looking down, but like one of those things, once you see it, your eyes keep going there. Looks like they had a bad day with my jacket I guess. We'll see. Either remake it and take that opportunity to make sleeve another .75 longer, or maybe if they give me a partial credit, I'll keep what I got and call it a day.

That's really a bummer that you got a jacket with several flaws that were noticeable to this degree. I mean, many people may not ever notice these things (probably never amongst all the people you might encounter day to day) but for those who care more, such as TFL people, it stinks.
I have looked over my recently purchased FS jacket and it's without any flaw that I can find. I sincerely hope that you can get your jacket remade to the same excellent standard either for free or vastly reduced cost, due to the errors in your jacket.
One thing I have noticed about my jacket, with wear and tear, I have seen a few little "dings" or "damage"?? I don't know the right descriptor but it is where the top coat (seal color) has worn off a bit in a few edge areas and exposed a lighter brown below. I have no idea if this is "normal" or not but it isn't really a bother to me. I have been wondering what is below the top coat on the jackets anyway, and now I'm beginning to see. Hopefully, the wear process will proceed forward to a great looking jacket (even "more great" than I already feel about it). Best wishes for a happy resolution to TMHOOH.

handymike · Oct 22, 2020

The test of a business is how they handle issues and challenges like yours. Sorry that your jacket wasn’t 100%, but mistakes happen all the time... I hope they resolve the issue in a quick and satisfactory manner.
@navetsea is right that it could just be a runoff that got caught...that’s an easy fix... 2 thread colors is not. Good luck!

jacketjunkie · Oct 22, 2020

The olive stitching is the attachment of the hang-up-loop-thingy, right? I guess it is olive because it was sewn inside onto the lining and matches the color of that lining? Kinda stupid to match it to the inside rather than the outside and not thought-through but less so an error than an aesthetical question because it was either not matching stitching inside or outside. Please don't take offence but I feel demanding a remake over such a thing on a jacket that was 300 Dollars including both custom pattern and size is you being picky and kinda looks like an excuse to cover for your own mess-up with the sleeve length.

handymike · Oct 22, 2020

Is it only on the hanger?!?
If that’s the case, then @jacketjunkie is right...seems like a design choice. Not really a big deal. I thought it was a much bigger issue, like epaulets. You can get some brown dye or felt marker to tone it down.

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead · Oct 22, 2020

I think we're all on same page here. I know shit can happen and clearly they've done a lot of good work. And I wasn't expecting Real McCoy's level detail or craftsmanship for the price.

But the response I got from Shawn was not good. He's saying that the thread is the olive color. It's a 6 ply vs a 3 ply and that's the color difference between the legit green (3 ply) and the more tan color (6 ply) which he claims is still olive. But makes no sense because he says the 6 ply is for the outer shell, while they use the 3 ply for inner and hidden stitches. Then why are the Xs on the outer shell (basically the back side of the collar hangar) in the 3 ply on the outside?

He sent me the thread chart and to my eye, it looks like they used either #2 Light Cognac or #6 Dark Cognac. Keep in mind, they use a flash to take this picture, so everything appears brighter. The color of the leather which is seal in the example is a darker color in real life. So the threads as well relatively speaking should be darker as well.

Regarding that paper type thing around the pocket, he was very dismissive like it's just tape, no big deal, you can remove it. Believe me, I'm pretty handy so I'd have no issue if it was just a question of taking some tweezers or quick snip with the scissors to avoid the hassle of all the back and forth. But the only way to get that out of there is going to be with a razor blade and I'm not going to chance that.

As you guys may or may not know, I was the one who started this thread because I was curious about the company and the possibilities. And straight out was excited. So I have no axe to grind. I hope my response to him returns a better reaction, because if he's saying I got what I ordered, then they've lost any future biz from me and I will definitely look into contesting the credit card charge. But hopefully it doesn't have to go there. I'll keep you posted.

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead · Oct 22, 2020

jacketjunkie said:
The olive stitching is the attachment of the hang-up-loop-thingy, right? I guess it is olive because it was sewn inside onto the lining and matches the color of that lining? Kinda stupid to match it to the inside rather than the outside and not thought-through but less so an error than an aesthetical question because it was either not matching stitching inside or outside. Please don't take offence but I feel demanding a remake over such a thing on a jacket that was 300 Dollars including both custom pattern and size is you being picky and kinda looks like an excuse to cover for your own mess-up with the sleeve length.

yes, it's part of the collar hanger piece. But in case I was not clear, that color thread is on the outside of the jacket. So it's not a question of them matching the liner, although maybe that's what they tried to do on the inside. So basically on the outside of the jacket, I now have two different color threads. The idea of using shoe polish or marker etc. is actually a good idea to get them to match or at least not be so contrasting. The problem though is the green color is the color I wanted for all the stitching.

Bahabp100 · Oct 22, 2020

Those pockets look nice and thick.

Bahabp100 · Oct 22, 2020

I’m sure he will repair or remake, especially if you offer to send it back. His quality control is definitely slipping on this order/day but seems to be okay in general. I guess we are all learning lessons about this manufacturer. Hope everything works out fine.

Bahabp100 · Oct 22, 2020

Did he send you quality control pictures with measurements etc before he shipped ?

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead · Oct 22, 2020

Bahabp100 said:
Did he send you quality control pictures with measurements etc before he shipped ?

here's a comparison shot. I did my best to match the exact lighting, shades, etc.

QC Photo he sent me. Thread looks green:

What I got delivered. More tan, definitely more contrast, less subtle than the above. Or am I just losing my mind LOL. I mean honestly, tell me, maybe I'm wrong:

Jin431 · Oct 22, 2020

^^ looks green on my screen. Looks like the contrast is bothering you a whole lot

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead · Oct 22, 2020

Jin431 said:
^^ looks green on my screen. Looks like the contrast is bothering you a whole lot

thanks for that. I see your point.

Maybe I should have been more clear. That's not what the jacket looks like in real life. I was trying to match the photo to the qc photo he sent me. I was curious if it was my mistake that I didn't notice in the QC process. The photo is showing more green, not so in real life. I wish it were that color and there would be no complaints.

It's straight up tan in real life. That's why I showed the other picture of the Xs because those are green so I have a reference to what their Olive Green should be and had I got that for all the stitching, would have been beyond the moon. Similar to this Aero:

But what I got, all of the stitching (other than the Xs) is tan. So yes, contrast was not expecting to be that extreme.

Anyway, my last post on this. I'm just going to move on to something else. This is turning into first world problems LOL. It's still a nice jacket. Not quite what I wanted. The tape or paper or whatever left over on the pocket is sloppy and telling me to fix it myself is not very professional.

Best case, if that tan thread is in fact Olive Green to that company, he needs better photos on the website and probably shouldn't call it Olive Green. Maybe "Khaki" is better. To avoid any confusion. Worst case, the thread really loses pigment color for some reason or they totally screwed up and used the wrong thread (most likely, I think they used the cognac color as top stitch) or when they redid the collar, somehow bodies got swapped. Idk.

I know a lot of you have jackets in cue, so I'll be watching and cheering those on. No scorched earth or sour grapes from me for sure. But definitely be really clear, if you're asking about colors, get some sort of reference in the same picture so you know what the color really is, etc. and do not assume anything. Drawings, photos, diagrams, etc.

Jin431 · Oct 22, 2020

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead said:
thanks for that. I see your point.

Maybe I should have been more clear. That's not what the jacket looks like in real life. I was trying to match the photo to the qc photo he sent me. I was curious if it was my mistake that I didn't notice in the QC process. The photo is showing more green, not so in real life. I wish it were that color and there would be no complaints.

It's straight up tan in real life. That's why I showed the other picture of the Xs because those are green so I have a reference to what their Olive Green should be and had I got that for all the stitching, would have been beyond the moon. Similar to this Aero:

But what I got, all of the stitching (other than the Xs) is tan. So yes, contrast was not expecting to be that extreme.

Anyway, my last post on this. I'm just going to move on to something else. This is turning into first world problems LOL. It's still a nice jacket. Not quite what I wanted. The tape or paper or whatever left over on the pocket is sloppy and telling me to fix it myself is not very professional.

Best case, if that tan thread is in fact Olive Green to that company, he needs better photos on the website and probably shouldn't call it Olive Green. Maybe "Khaki" is better. To avoid any confusion. Worst case, the thread really loses pigment color for some reason or they totally screwed up and used the wrong thread (most likely, I think they used the cognac color as top stitch) or when they redid the collar, somehow bodies got swapped. Idk.

I know a lot of you have jackets in cue, so I'll be watching and cheering those on. No scorched earth or sour grapes from me for sure. But definitely be really clear, if you're asking about colors, get some sort of reference in the same picture so you know what the color really is, etc. and do not assume anything. Drawings, photos, diagrams, etc.

I see your point expecting the photos to match real life, bummer it don't match your expectations. I'm sure it's as you say that it is tan up close and personal, I just hope the jacket grows on you.

Great point on asking for reference stitching on a sample leather before deciding as it will help make up your mind with the look you are going for. I also have the OD contrast from aero and I kind of get what you mean that you want to achieve that subtle contrast that is clearly not present with this jacket.

Have you reached out to five star about the concerns? If yes, what did they say?

leper-colony · Oct 22, 2020

Here's an interesting comparison:
https://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/sale_asdubow_0001.html
https://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/sale_asdubow_0001.html

The stitching color looks the same as your Five*, but it's called out as light green. Alos interesting that Aero assembled it (so an Aero sourced thread).

The colors do vary from the hanger thread to the rest of it, and it would tend to bother me as well.

Hope it works out.

ton312 · Oct 23, 2020

My 50’s all weather repro arrived. I am exceedingly happy with it. Shawn nailed every single fit and design point right to the ground. I just opened the bag (still not a fan of that) and had to snap a pic. I’ll get better when the light returns. I’ll be wearing the absolute shit out of this.

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