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Badalassi Carlo Nappa - Second jacket from Tony Leathers

matchankh

One of the Regulars
Messages
123
So this is the second jacket I made from Tony Leather in Shanghai. I am happy with the fit and construction with the first jacket with Tony so I placed another order soon after I recieved the first jacket.

I based this jacket on the Mister Freedom Campus Jacket in raw hide but darker. Kind of like after the raw hide has been aged and darken.

Sourcing the leather: Since the leather choice from Tony is quite limited. I asked if I could send over the leather of my choice and have him make it. The leather I went for is the Badalassi Carlo nappa in cognac. The sourcing for the leather is really easy here in China. I just went on Taobao and found a leather supplier. The leather arrived to Tony's workshop in a day or two after I made the purchase.
tb_image_share_1634103561978.jpg
8e9d7d095dd00e26c20a3251ce1f910d.jpg


Leather: From what I understand the leather used by Aero is the Badalassi Nappa Lux. The Lux means a high shine finish. Mine is the just the Nappa which means it has kind of a matte finish. However I'm not sure if this one I have is the exact same as the one Aero uses because I think I read somewhere that Aero skives their Badalassi leather down. I'm not 100% sure but I think Nappa is a 3-3.5oz leather and should be just right for jackets. The heavier version is called Minerva and are more used for boots.Maybe Aero skived the Nappa down even more or they ordered something thicker like the minerva. I have a tobacco Badalassi Hooch Hauler in production with Aero and should arrive sometime next month. So I can compare the 2 Badalassi leathers more.

The surface of my cognac Badalassi is quite grainy. Not as stiff and shiny comparing to Tony's in house steerhide. That makes break in quite a bit easier. I have been wearing it around the house for 2 days and the edge are already starting to darken . The leather is a lot softer already and creases on the sleeve are setting rather quickly as well. This leather should patina quite drastically which is interesting to see.

However this leather is quite prone to water. I already got some water marks on the cuffs from water splashing on them while washing my hands. This might be due to the leather lacking the Lux/Oil shine finish as a protective layer. I might wet the whole jacket with damp cloth to darken the jacket and even out the water marks. Also since the colour of the leather is pretty loud and orange-ish. I am really tempted to try something to darken it. Maybe first attempt should be just wet it evenly and see how it goes. Then maybe a light layer of neatsfoot oil with sunlight after if I still want to darken more. Maybe someone with more experience can chip in on this matter?
IMG_20211013_125322.jpg
IMG_20211013_125338.jpg
IMG_20211013_125541.jpg


IMG_20211013_125354.jpg


Fit: I'm happy with the first jacket I got from Tony besides the length being a little to long. Also the jacket is a T-shirt fit(2" + my chest measurement) and I can't layer under. I want to be able to layer with this one. So for this jacket we increased the p2p by 0.75", shoulder by 0.5",bicep by 0.2" and Hem by 1". The length reduced by 1.5".

I'm quite happy with the result. The fit is nice and comfortable right out of the box. It works with just wearing a T shirt and also works with wearing a denim jacket under. The new length is quite short but still covers my belt easily. All in all I'm happy with how it turns out.

IMG_20211013_133043.jpg
IMG_20211013_131306.jpg
IMG_20211013_133330.jpg
IMG_20211013_130647.jpg


Next project: For the third project I ordered some shinki Navy horsehide. It should be the same kind that Field leather uses. For the style I would go for a some simple half belt. Still in discussion with Tony about the details. Really excited for how that one turns out!

Sorry for the not so good pics though. Also the colour is quite hard to capture. It seems more brownish in natural sunlight and more orange indoor.
 

MrProper

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,839
Location
Europe
Really nice. That's exactly how I would imagine it if it were my jacket. Congratulations.
 

Imuricecreamman

One Too Many
Messages
1,551
So this is the second jacket I made from Tony Leather in Shanghai. I am happy with the fit and construction with the first jacket with Tony so I placed another order soon after I recieved the first jacket.

I based this jacket on the Mister Freedom Campus Jacket in raw hide but darker. Kind of like after the raw hide has been aged and darken.

Sourcing the leather: Since the leather choice from Tony is quite limited. I asked if I could send over the leather of my choice and have him make it. The leather I went for is the Badalassi Carlo nappa in cognac. The sourcing for the leather is really easy here in China. I just went on Taobao and found a leather supplier. The leather arrived to Tony's workshop in a day or two after I made the purchase.
View attachment 368967 View attachment 368968

Leather: From what I understand the leather used by Aero is the Badalassi Nappa Lux. The Lux means a high shine finish. Mine is the just the Nappa which means it has kind of a matte finish. However I'm not sure if this one I have is the exact same as the one Aero uses because I think I read somewhere that Aero skives their Badalassi leather down. I'm not 100% sure but I think Nappa is a 3-3.5oz leather and should be just right for jackets. The heavier version is called Minerva and are more used for boots.Maybe Aero skived the Nappa down even more or they ordered something thicker like the minerva. I have a tobacco Badalassi Hooch Hauler in production with Aero and should arrive sometime next month. So I can compare the 2 Badalassi leathers more.

The surface of my cognac Badalassi is quite grainy. Not as stiff and shiny comparing to Tony's in house steerhide. That makes break in quite a bit easier. I have been wearing it around the house for 2 days and the edge are already starting to darken . The leather is a lot softer already and creases on the sleeve are setting rather quickly as well. This leather should patina quite drastically which is interesting to see.

However this leather is quite prone to water. I already got some water marks on the cuffs from water splashing on them while washing my hands. This might be due to the leather lacking the Lux/Oil shine finish as a protective layer. I might wet the whole jacket with damp cloth to darken the jacket and even out the water marks. Also since the colour of the leather is pretty loud and orange-ish. I am really tempted to try something to darken it. Maybe first attempt should be just wet it evenly and see how it goes. Then maybe a light layer of neatsfoot oil with sunlight after if I still want to darken more. Maybe someone with more experience can chip in on this matter?
View attachment 368969 View attachment 368970 View attachment 368971

View attachment 368976

Fit: I'm happy with the first jacket I got from Tony besides the length being a little to long. Also the jacket is a T-shirt fit(2" + my chest measurement) and I can't layer under. I want to be able to layer with this one. So for this jacket we increased the p2p by 0.75", shoulder by 0.5",bicep by 0.2" and Hem by 1". The length reduced by 1.5".

I'm quite happy with the result. The fit is nice and comfortable right out of the box. It works with just wearing a T shirt and also works with wearing a denim jacket under. The new length is quite short but still covers my belt easily. All in all I'm happy with how it turns out.

View attachment 368977 View attachment 368978 View attachment 368979 View attachment 368980

Next project: For the third project I ordered some shinki Navy horsehide. It should be the same kind that Field leather uses. For the style I would go for a some simple half belt. Still in discussion with Tony about the details. Really excited for how that one turns out!

Sorry for the not so good pics though. Also the colour is quite hard to capture. It seems more brownish in natural sunlight and more orange indoor.
Wow! YOu got an amazing batch of leather. I personally wouldn't touch the leather and rather let it age naturally. The fit looks perfect to me and the leather looks a little more substantial than the Badass that Aero uses.
 

matchankh

One of the Regulars
Messages
123
Wow! YOu got an amazing batch of leather. I personally wouldn't touch the leather and rather let it age naturally. The fit looks perfect to me and the leather looks a little more substantial than the Badass that Aero uses.

Thanks very much!

Yes I figure I should leave it for now. If the water marks become unbearable then maybe I'll just wipe the jacket down with a damp cloth to even things out.
 

Imuricecreamman

One Too Many
Messages
1,551
Thanks very much!

Yes I figure I should leave it for now. If the water marks become unbearable then maybe I'll just wipe the jacket down with a damp cloth to even things out.
Yeah! I'd do the same if I feel they were too pronounced. Wow. You got the length spot on. The length is so crucial to get right on these jackets.
 
Messages
17,105
Location
Chicago
WOW!!!! Best looking shawl collar jacket I have ever seen. Blows away all the top tier makers by a country mile. That is freaking brilliant! What a fit!
 

Imuricecreamman

One Too Many
Messages
1,551
I was quite worried as the measurement does look quite short. I'm 5'8 and the back length is 22.75 with about 1" front drop. Turns out pretty good.
After I started tucking my shirts, I've been getting a lot more use of my vintage jackets as they are a lot shorter in length. Looks much better proportioned to my eyes.
 

Cheech

A-List Customer
Messages
326
Location
NC, US
That jacket is stunning. Easily surpasses the original (Mister Freedom), dare I say it!

I was just planning on having a custom reproduction of the Mister Freedom Baloo made in a natural leather. Anyone order from Tony Leather without going to Shanghai first?
 

matchankh

One of the Regulars
Messages
123
That is one fine jacket. You wear it well. Congrats!

Worf
Holy cow, that is a stellar jacket. The fit works so well on you, and the leather is an absolute dream. Enjoy!

WOW!!!! Best looking shawl collar jacket I have ever seen. Blows away all the top tier makers by a country mile. That is freaking brilliant! What a fit!

That jacket is stunning. Easily surpasses the original (Mister Freedom), dare I say it!

I was just planning on having a custom reproduction of the Mister Freedom Baloo made in a natural leather. Anyone order from Tony Leather without going to Shanghai first?

Thanks for the kind words. It would not be possible without the the amazing knowledge this forum provides!
 

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