Five Star Leather Jackets

I noted that this one is also based on an original. I don't know which others are though... I want to say there was a trucker, but it's not a style I'm personally interested in, so it didn't make it to my notes.

OKAY TEAM, IT'S HERE

Provided there are no surprises lurking down the road, overall I'm extremely pleased with how it came out.

The Fit
It has worked out even better than I expected. Basically, the pattern proportions work even better than I thought, as did sizing up in the chest and down in the sleeves. I have room to layer, plenty of mobility thanks to the back action, and it doesn't feel all that heavy when worn, compared to how it feels when picked up. I actually would not change a thing, it's perfect.

Modifications
Uh... perfect? The collar is great, and looks way better without the fur imo. I appreciate that for reproduction enthusiasts it's a whole look, but I wanted this to be a daily-driver rather than a statement piece, and the understated materials and size here are exactly what I wanted. Again, really happy with the pattern choice here, as I think the neater collar suits me a lot more than a big one would. My biggest worry were the handwarmers, and they came out perfectly. Plenty of room with bare hands, and enough with gloves.

Materials
The leather is exactly as I imagined. Really thick, slightly stiff, and feels really durable. I've already gotten some rain on it, and it rolled right off. There are some very minor imperfections and marks in the leather as pictured, but they're really not significant. More problematic is that one of the cuff knits had a hole upon arrival. I'm not going to lose my mind over it, but given that I tipped, I am going to ask for some of that refunded, as that's a QC issue that shouldn't really have been missed.

Misc
It really, absolutely, pongs/stinks/whiffs out of the box. I'll get more photos when it's fit for public consumption. It's already a lot less smelly after a morning on the line, so I don't think this is a real issue.

Overall
I'm basically chuffed. (K)nitpick aside, it's come out even better than I hoped, and I think it really looks and feels the business. Big thanks to everyone here for contributing to this hilariously enormous thread, and in particular to @Aloysius for his suggestion about patterns. While seemingly obvious, I hadn't really thought about that aspect of it at first, and just having that mentioned ended up being a huge help.

Attached: photos of me in the jacket looking relatively normal, me in the jacket pulling the goofiest pose I could come up with on the spot, and the marks and imperfections.

Furrowson said:

Do you know if the premium goat is full veg tanned? Sounds like a cool spec you've ordered. I think this is my favourite looking jacket of theirs, not that I've done a deep dive. It looks boxy and tapered and... hefty. The shoulder width seems quite large for the chest size, but i wonder if thats because of the extra pleats at the back. Did you alter that at all? Very curious to see how this turns out. Saving for an Aero atm so I'm enjoying this vicariously haha.

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I have it somewhere in my head from reading around that the premium goat is a mix. I considered the chrome to be a positive because many people say it has better water resistance, and I live in Ireland so that is wholly desirable.

Based on this, I think the sizing charts for the reproductions are broadly accurate. But I think it's worth reading about jacket patterns and their proportions, and what is likely to suit your body shape. I'm short, so stuff that fits me at the shoulders/chest tends to be too long in the torso and sleeves. Reading around, a few people suggested that this pattern was short and slightly narrow at the waist. For them this was a problem, but for me it was ideal: that way I didn't have to trust 5* to take up the length. Then I just sized down on the sleeves.

mysternee said:

It really, absolutely, pongs/stinks/whiffs out of the box. I'll get more photos when it's fit for public consumption. It's already a lot less smelly after a morning on the line, so I don't think this is a real issue.

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The garbage smell of Five Star goat doesn't go away even after weeks of airing. Might be worth machine washing the jacket.

Aloysius said:

The garbage smell of Five Star goat doesn't go away even after weeks of airing. Might be worth machine washing the jacket.

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My goat jacket only had a slight petroleum smell, quick rub down with Pecards and it was gone within a day.

Aloysius said:

The garbage smell of Five Star goat doesn't go away even after weeks of airing. Might be worth machine washing the jacket.

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Haha, oh well. Honestly the outside doesn't smell that bad, but the inside reeks. Could be that the inside of the hide smells worse, or that it's just the liner. I'll probably just use it to walk the dog and get it wet a bunch before putting anyone in a position where they have to sit next to it. Might febreze the lining as well.

5 Star does have that Pee-Yoo smell...

mysternee said:

Haha, oh well. Honestly the outside doesn't smell that bad, but the inside reeks. Could be that the inside of the hide smells worse, or that it's just the liner. I'll probably just use it to walk the dog and get it wet a bunch before putting anyone in a position where they have to sit next to it. Might febreze the lining as well.

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I would honestly recommend just giving it a delicate machine wash with a few drops of Woolite, because it didn't air out in weeks whereas I think a light wash like that would probably do the job.

GraceNote13 said:

My goat jacket only had a slight petroleum smell, quick rub down with Pecards and it was gone within a day.

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Yeah, some of you were lucky like that. I was two for two on the gross smell.

mysternee said:

I have it somewhere in my head from reading around that the premium goat is a mix. I considered the chrome to be a positive because many people say it has better water resistance, and I live in Ireland so that is wholly desirable.

Based on this, I think the sizing charts for the reproductions are broadly accurate. But I think it's worth reading about jacket patterns and their proportions, and what is likely to suit your body shape. I'm short, so stuff that fits me at the shoulders/chest tends to be too long in the torso and sleeves. Reading around, a few people suggested that this pattern was short and slightly narrow at the waist. For them this was a problem, but for me it was ideal: that way I didn't have to trust 5* to take up the length. Then I just sized down on the sleeves.

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Yeah that makes sense, cheers for the tip re patterns and that.

A little chrome in Ireland definitely won't hurt at all! Nothing against combination tanning or anything, was just wondering as I didn't see it written anywhere. Aero's goat is full veg and seems to be everything proof, guess i wondered if its a similar deal.

Anyway, the jacket looks great on you man! Congrats, what a successful result! You can sew up that hole pretty easily but im sure you know that. Shame that their QC is so lax.

I had an 80s biker jacket that beefed and it didn't go away. Machine washing a leather jacket seems mental haha but whado i know.

Enjoy it dude! Your dogs are gonna get shredded from the extra long walks they'll be getting

GraceNote13 said:

I ordered a double rider using Mysteryo’s 1930’s original jacket pattern in the 2mm CHL from 5*. These sleeves have a ton of curve and taper to them. The vintage pattern and the 6 pages of pics/ instructions I sent Fargham made the difference. The pattern has a lot of curvature, definitely not the tube sleeves I received on my first 5* jacket. In the last pics you can see how much it curves near the elbow. Jacket just shipped, will review once it arrives.

I went with the CHL steer, not a big fan of the premium goat. I soaked my last jacket in hot bath water for 20 minutes and tossed it in the dryer to get rid of plastic feel. Still don't care for the pebble finish but it feels way better and no longer squeeky.

Thank's Mysteryo for sending in your original jacket to create the pattern.

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Wow, this looks very promising. I'm following this with interest. The CHL is absurdly heavy though. It doesn't really drape because its so thick. Its very nice hide though.

Compare that to my way to specified custom order sleeve from 2021

And the arm holes .Oval/ low vs round /high

I've read their customer service sometimes sucks; I’d like to share my experience which could of ended poorly but they turned it around.

When Fargham sent the jacket pic's they didn't make the pockets as requested. I sent pics of the pockets on my Monarch I wanted duplicated, but the 5* had their standard pockets. I let them know it wasn't preferred, but I would take the jacket as is and to ship it. Two days later it was redone with the correct pocket style without me asking for a remake or a discount. Fingers crossed the jacket fits well otherwise all for naught.

I know there are some controversies about the leather jackets from fivestarleather, all of which are justified from different perspectives (including the ethical point of view)

BUT…

Every time I put this Jacket on (my only fully custom made one atm) I feel like I've hit the Jackpot Fivestarleather really delivered! The Leather , the Cut, the Hardware etc. absolutely a Masterpiece

give us the deets on that one. How much was it? which model from the site? which leather? Looks great!

I hope I'm as lucky with mine. I'm trying to get information on how they do fitment jackets to shore up my odds since I don't have a pile of jackets to compare and get measurements from. Shawn has not responded at all on Facebook, and I'm getting the sort of issue with WhatsApp where you get half an answer to a question that wasn't exactly asked... I know there are busier and less buy times of year. I figure this is end of season, and should be pretty chill... I could be wrong.

blm14 said:

give us the deets on that one. How much was it? which model from the site? which leather? Looks great

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Do your homework at the Weekend and check out this tread... but to make it a bit easier put in keyword "trojan" an my membername into search and your questions will be answered, he, he...

spectre6000 said:

I hope I'm as lucky with mine. I'm trying to get information on how they do fitment jackets to shore up my odds since I don't have a pile of jackets to compare and get measurements from. Shawn has not responded at all on Facebook, and I'm getting the sort of issue with WhatsApp where you get half an answer to a question that wasn't exactly asked... I know there are busier and less buy times of year. I figure this is end of season, and should be pretty chill... I could be wrong.

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To be successful with Fivestar, it's best to do your own work. There's a wealth of information in this thread. I also set up an order sheet that should simplify the ordering process. But it doesn't work without a pattern jacket, it will inevitably go down the drain (there are several examples here). Therefore, as mentioned many times, do your homework and deliver your finished product on paper to 5Star, then you will be successful. If you are new to this “business”, there is a lot to learn and as already mentioned, it takes several attempts before it works with 5Star. Ultimately it's the more expensive option, so it's better to switch to one of the renowned manufacturers straight away...

I've read every single page and post of this thread over the last few weeks. I've taken detailed notes, including noting at least a few of the jackets based on existing patterns. The consensus... Is it still a consensus if it's unanimous?... is to get measurements from an existing jacket. I don't have any leather jackets to pull from. I've ordered a handful of a variety of jackets from Amazon to use as guides, and if I can get some bandwidth in my busy schedule, I'll try to find a store of some sort that has a variety of at least mall quality jackets I can poke at.

I took some time to look through a gallery of vintage jackets, and I know I want a half belt. I'm not sure if any Fivestar half belts are based on originals though, and I can't get Shawn to answer "how do you do fitment jackets?" in the one-question-at-a-time format that has been suggested.