Five Star Leather Jackets

RILO said:

I don't understand your impute? Her waist is at 18" down the back from the collar. and she wants it to flare out at the hips. Dose it work now? Please advise...

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I thought the jacket you drew stopped at the hips (while flaring out). Something like this.
This is one of my gf's jackets. She's 5'11

Therefore a 28' back length looked rather long to me.

Edward said:

Wasn't it yourself who had something similar made before by Wested? They seem to be in a similar ballpark to Five Star, though they don't as directly advertise the 'custom' side. I always felt that if Wested got somebody really creative in in the design department they could do some interesting stuff, though they may well be happy with their current level of business of course!



Looked into this a few months ago when it last came up around the time AVI were briefly 'a thing'; though the EU is looking into it, there's currently no legislation that either requires a country of origin label or defines what that implies. It is, of course, a tricky business given that almost nobody nowadays produces everything within a single country. My Wrangler 13MWZs are American denim woven from American cotton, with a Chinese (presumably - YKK) zip, all sewn up in Mexico... If memory serves, US law has a standard for "made in USA" which requires a certain level of final finishing, fit and assembly to be in US territory, which isn't a bad starting point. Perhaps it could go even further and be like food labelling - tell us where the ingredients came from and where they were 'cooked'?

I agree, though, it is desirable to know these things in the modern world. We do live in a global economy where "offshoring" is inevitable (hell, I've even bought an expensive import guitar that was made in the USA before now!), but I personally like to have as much information before I buy as possible.

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This one Edward, fitted generally well but tight across the chest from three quarter zipped. Finding the 5 Star build is getting more wear than the Wested did. Moved the Wested due to lack of use. Apart from custom builds I’ve seen I’m not generally struck with Wested jackets, I’ve visited there a couple of times but there wasn’t much of interest to me. Felt that some of the WW2 American flight jackets looked more cos-play than anything else.

MoFo said:

How does the goat leather smell? Does it stink as a dead cat or so? I've had a bad experience with goat leather made in Pakistan...

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The goat of my recent Dubow A2 did have a mild/moderate chemical scent which transferred to the shirt I was wearing. It did dissipate after a few days. My nose is not the most sensitive of devices.

red devil said:

I think that the Norwegian smoked salmon is shipped somewhere else for processing than shipped back?

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Wouldn't surprise me. I know the PSNI uniform cap has the body and peak made in two separate places in Eastern Europe, they're sent to NI and then mailed out together to a third Eastern European country for assembly.... Vastly cheaper than doing it all locally, though the environmental impact gives me the collywobbles...

Marc mndt said:

I somehow thought the European union has legislation in place regarding this matter but you're right, they don't.

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I'd assumed so too, it seemed such an obvious thing. Post-31 December this may change (in the UK, there's a possibility things could go the other way.)

bn1966 said:

This one Edward, fitted generally well but tight across the chest from three quarter zipped. Finding the 5 Star build is getting more wear than the Wested did. Moved the Wested due to lack of use. Apart from custom builds I’ve seen I’m not generally struck with Wested jackets, I’ve visited there a couple of times but there wasn’t much of interest to me. Felt that some of the WW2 American flight jackets looked more cos-play than anything else.

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I think you're on the money with the 'cosplay' comment. Wested do still do a lot of stuff for film and TV in the background as well as their retail business, though it's not always as clear as it could be which bits they did the original on, and which are 'homages' - e.g. they made the original jacket for Raiders, but their Captain America jacket is a copy of a jacket Aero actually made for the film. The cosplay crowd have different demands in a leather jacket than we would do: if it's only for a costume to be worn in an air-conditioned convention hall, a lighter lamb is fine, it doesn't have to be as durable and so on. There are a few designs they have which stand out to my eye - the Das Boot / Doctor Who jacket being one. They do have some nice hides that are fairly durable - their goat, though not as nice as Aero's, is very light and yet also solid, I wore mine in both India and China and it was great for a practical, warmer weather jacket. Much of their design catalogue does nothing for me - dreadful, modern, style-free things like the stuff worn in a Bond film, but if they got their finger out and did something with a better design, I think they could make it well. Of course, as I say, if they're perfectly happy with the model they have now they may well be as happy just selling to a 'cosplay' crowd. I don't mean to denigrate it - it's a legitimate business - but they're very much a different beast than a TFL market.

Edward said:

Wouldn't surprise me. I know the PSNI uniform cap has the body and peak made in two separate places in Eastern Europe, they're sent to NI and then mailed out together to a third Eastern European country for assembly.... Vastly cheaper than doing it all locally, though the environmental impact gives me the collywobbles...



I'd assumed so too, it seemed such an obvious thing. Post-31 December this may change (in the UK, there's a possibility things could go the other way.)



I think you're on the money with the 'cosplay' comment. Wested do still do a lot of stuff for film and TV in the background as well as their retail business, though it's not always as clear as it could be which bits they did the original on, and which are 'homages' - e.g. they made the original jacket for Raiders, but their Captain America jacket is a copy of a jacket Aero actually made for the film. The cosplay crowd have different demands in a leather jacket than we would do: if it's only for a costume to be worn in an air-conditioned convention hall, a lighter lamb is fine, it doesn't have to be as durable and so on. There are a few designs they have which stand out to my eye - the Das Boot / Doctor Who jacket being one. They do have some nice hides that are fairly durable - their goat, though not as nice as Aero's, is very light and yet also solid, I wore mine in both India and China and it was great for a practical, warmer weather jacket. Much of their design catalogue does nothing for me - dreadful, modern, style-free things like the stuff worn in a Bond film, but if they got their finger out and did something with a better design, I think they could make it well. Of course, as I say, if they're perfectly happy with the model they have now they may well be as happy just selling to a 'cosplay' crowd. I don't mean to denigrate it - it's a legitimate business - but they're very much a different beast than a TFL market.

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Yep, Peter Botwright, who owned and ran Wested (until he died), used to profess amazement that someone would want his jackets to last more than a season or two. Peter saw his own leather clothing as essentially disposable. Despite the fact that people hang onto Westeds for years, the stuff was designed on the run, made cheaply and to be worn for a short time (like in a movie, or in a civilian's case, a Halloween night). His quality certainly improved over the years.

I also think Wested could have increased its customer base if it had put more effort into patterns and used better linings (his standard cotton lining is paper thin). Despite this Wested leathers are usually pretty good.

Seb Lucas said:

Yep, Peter Botwright, who owned and ran Wested (until he died), used to profess amazement that someone would want his jackets to last more than a season or two. Peter saw his own leather clothing as essentially disposable. Despite the fact that people hang onto Westeds for years, the stuff was designed on the run, made cheaply and to be worn for a short time (like in a movie, or in a civilian's case, a Halloween night). His quality certainly improved over the years.

I also think Wested could have increased its customer base if it had put more effort into patterns and used better linings (his standard cotton lining is paper thin). Despite this Wested leathers are usually pretty good.

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I was certainly fairly impressed with the goat Raiders I bought. While I'd long wanted an Indy, I didn't want to spend big money on one. Actually, at the time I bought, I was actually looking for a cheap jacket that was not exactly disposable, but something that wouldn't be the end of the world if it got filched from a hotel room while I was out for the day, that could cope with warmer weather (light and breathable), and had plenty of practical pockets. The Indy from Wested ticked all those boxes. Turned out to be much better than I thought and has had a lot of wear. Not close to the quality of my Aeros, but it's a different beast too. The quality of manufacture is pretty good (at least on the light hides; I don't know how they do with the heavier offerings they do), though the zip is a little bit.... modern looking.

The cotton body lining is definitely thin - like something you'd get on an A2 rather than, say, an Aero halfbelt, but to be fair I've not had to repair it. I'd definitely, if buying another for the same purposes, have the sleeves cotton lined - the synthetic might slide on a little easier, but in the heat it very quickly sticks to the arm long before the rest of the jacket gets to be too much.

Overall, my assessment of Wested is that they are indeed primarily a 'costume' / 'fashion' company, but with careful selection they do have some nice materials and designs, and probably, if they wanted to shift market, could do "better" than their standard. No Aero or Eastman, but then they're also not in the same ballpark price-band wise, so it's hardly a fair like for like comparison. For a beater / style experiment / much less often worn jacket, the right Wested can be a serious option.

Edward said:

I was certainly fairly impressed with the goat Raiders I bought. While I'd long wanted an Indy, I didn't want to spend big money on one. Actually, at the time I bought, I was actually looking for a cheap jacket that was not exactly disposable, but something that wouldn't be the end of the world if it got filched from a hotel room while I was out for the day, that could cope with warmer weather (light and breathable), and had plenty of practical pockets. The Indy from Wested ticked all those boxes. Turned out to be much better than I thought and has had a lot of wear. Not close to the quality of my Aeros, but it's a different beast too. The quality of manufacture is pretty good (at least on the light hides; I don't know how they do with the heavier offerings they do), though the zip is a little bit.... modern looking.

The cotton body lining is definitely thin - like something you'd get on an A2 rather than, say, an Aero halfbelt, but to be fair I've not had to repair it. I'd definitely, if buying another for the same purposes, have the sleeves cotton lined - the synthetic might slide on a little easier, but in the heat it very quickly sticks to the arm long before the rest of the jacket gets to be too much.

Overall, my assessment of Wested is that they are indeed primarily a 'costume' / 'fashion' company, but with careful selection they do have some nice materials and designs, and probably, if they wanted to shift market, could do "better" than their standard. No Aero or Eastman, but then they're also not in the same ballpark price-band wise, so it's hardly a fair like for like comparison. For a beater / style experiment / much less often worn jacket, the right Wested can be a serious option.

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For me there's a middle path between Wested and Eastman. And I'm not sure comparisons are relevant, but preferences are. Which is why I tend to avoid the 'posh' brands or the artisan makers, whose work is more about how far you can push the craft side of a jacket. For me, as you have also partly indicated, a leather jacket is for wearing and knocking about in - so I regard all leather jackets as beater jackets. That's the point of them. Wested provide for this, but should be able to do better here, and so in their time did Gap and Banana Republic and Brooks and Vanson and Schott before Schott embraced fashion. The problem generally has been inadequate and often tacky pattern making, not so much materials or manufacturing quality. I think that's why I like the idea of Five Stars, you can enhance the patterns and get a jacket with an improved look which can be worn doing messy tasks. The fact that they are not always successful or 'get it' could be seen as part of the charm.

Seb Lucas said:

For me there's a middle path between Wested and Eastman. And I'm not sure comparisons are relevant, but preferences are. Which is why I tend to avoid the 'posh' brands or the artisan makers, whose work is more about how far you can push the craft side of a jacket. For me, as you have also partly indicated, a leather jacket is for wearing and knocking about in - so I regard all leather jackets as beater jackets. That's the point of them. Wested provide for this, but should be able to do better here, and so in their time did Gap and Banana Republic and Brooks and Vanson and Schott before Schott embraced fashion. The problem generally has been inadequate and often tacky pattern making, not so much materials or manufacturing quality. I think that's why I like the idea of Five Stars, you can enhance the patterns and get a jacket with an improved look which can be worn doing messy tasks. The fact that they are not always successful or 'get it' could be seen as part of the charm.

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Yah I fall into the same boat, which is what makes 5* so appealing. That said, I also don't plan to have a ton of these, and I really like owning things that look better with wear for a long time, so investing in something that feels special to me is worth it since I don't plan to buy many of these. And so goes the slippery slope, I mean once you spec the exact leather you want, then you're already tumbling down that slopey hill, lol.

Buffalo now non-distressed seal

Deerskin black and conic tan brown
Thickness max 1 mm

dannyk said:

Did you post pictures, I can’t recall seeing any. Completely possible I’m a fool and missed them though. If you did post can you link to them, and if you haven’t, can you post a few? Thanks.

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I didn't upload any photos, no. This was last year actually, looking back. Here is a cropped photo of the picture Shawn sent me before he shipped it. Cropped to hide a certain identifying feature which I'd rather not show. It's obviously not a a military styled jacket. I am not terribly happy with how the collar turned out (a bit sharp, and doesn't fit perfectly), but given I sent fairly vague measurements, I'm happy with how it turned out. As I said, it was an entirely custom design as well.

MrProper said:

Deerskin black and conic tan brown
Thickness max 1 mm
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Those two samples look fantastic... Need a jacket in each leather... Maybe an a-2 in the seal buffalo and a vintage cross zip in the deer... Wow!

How is the quality of the suede?

I just felt a sudden need for a black suede trucker (I bought one at Camden Markets on 1992 that I wore for years).

It’s pretty nice goat suede . Also it’s one of the cheapest offerings . Check 5* on eBay for best pricing

Bahabp100 said:

It’s pretty nice goat suede . Also it’s one of the cheapest offerings . Check 5* on eBay for best pricing

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What is their actual seller name? I tried a couple of variations without success. Cheers.

warrior-poet said:

What is their actual seller name? I tried a couple of variations without success. Cheers.

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These are 2 names they go by on eBay. Check the pricing carefully as some include free shipping and others not

Bahabp100 said:

These are 2 names they go by on eBay. Check the pricing carefully as some include free shipping and others not
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Cheers mate.

VolkswagenNerd said:

My jacket arrived late yesterday, it only took 4 days to make it from Pakistan to the West Coast of the USA. Crazy. I like the jacket in general, it's well constructed and the leather seems to be high quality. I expected the 1.4mm goatskin to be more substantial than it is, but I really don't know anything about goatskin weight vs thickness. The quilted lining is nice, I can tell the difference in warmth from a stock G1 I had previously. The lining is fused instead of stitched, we'll see how it holds up.

The measurements are for the most part the same as I ordered except the back length is a 1/2 inch shorter, and the wrist measurement is 1/4" to 1/2" larger. When I look at the back measurement photo Sean sent me I can see the measuring tape looks a bit slack, like they saw it was a bit off and moved the tape to make it look right. I understand how tolerances work, 1/4" is to be expected, but 1/2" or more and sending a photo that doesn't show reality doesn't seem right to me.

This is my first time doing made to measure, there are definitely some size tweaks I would make if I was doing this again. Tell me what you think of the fit. I snapped some selfies in the grocery store.

For some reason the gallery thinks my photos are rotated wrong. They look correct if you click the image name instead of opening the gallery.

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Yep, as I already posted, I had a similar experience with the measurements. just was not happy with Shawn’s measurements. Even though he sent pictures that looked right, I just could not get the same when I measured it, so i took him up on the offer to remake it for 50% off.

In my remake I changed a lot of things.
I changed the collar circumference, enlarged it by .25”

changed the body width and added 1”

Changed the collar color to the old dark reddish brown, because I was not a fan of the rust (premium reddish brown) I received...it doesn’t look bad, just not what I thought it was based on his pictures.

Changed the knits to seal from russet because with the collar color change going darker, just thought they might look better and to try something different. we’ll see how that turns out, I like the russet ones as well.

I asked for the bottom knit not to exceed 3” in width, didn’t like the wide 4” knits....thus should add about 1” of leather along the back length. Hopefully extending it enough that it doesn’t feel weird stopping short of my waist, which I felt was a problem with the first jacket.

Changed the overall length to add .5” to the original order length. My original came in .5” short, but his measurement said it was right on (same as your experience). I figured adding the .5”, along with the shorter knit width, would combine to make up for this difference in how we measure overall length and where the leather felt like it came up short on me on the original.

Shortened the sleeve length .5” to help avoid some of the tunneling on the original sleeve, which came in slightly longer than I had ordered.

I also think the leather feels surprisingly light and thin since other reviews spoke of how substantial it was (???) so I asked for the thickest and heaviest he has available.

kept the shoulder, P2P, liner, leather color, thread all the same.

It’s in production now. So should have it soon. Hopefully since I had the first jacket to compare to, this one will address all of the fit issues and be spot on.

If all goes well, I’ll be putting my first one up for sale here pretty cheap if anyone thinks it would suit them. I don’t need two.

Not happy with his mistakes yet expect for him to follow all of your new instructions. I don't get the attraction to such hit and miss productions.....

HoosierDaddy said:

Not happy with his mistakes yet expect for him to follow all of your new instructions. I don't get the attraction to such hit and miss productions.....

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Well, I can’t speak for everyone else of course, but the reason I decided to try Fivestar was the opportunity to have them build something that is not available from any other maker. And their prices means that even for a completely custom pattern, you can get four or five jackets compared to Aero or Thedi prices. Even if you’re unlucky and the first one has mistakes, you still have money over for a remake.
And there have been several extremely nicely fitting jackets coming from them to forum members.