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Leather choices ...

Pandemic

One Too Many
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In The Flat Field
I am trying to narrow down my choices for a first custom leather jacket. I am looking for a rich brown mid to heavy weight.

Natural light isn't great outside right now (we are currently being battered by a tropical storm), but I took some pictures of my initial sortings.

Top contenders:
L1A.jpg
L1B.jpg


Not out of the running yet:
L2A.jpg
L2B.jpg



I think I've ruled-out:

L3A.jpg
L3B.jpg



Would welcome any input from all you knowledgeable folks on these selections!!
 

Psant25

One Too Many
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1,545
very hard to tell from a small leather sample as there is variation within the same hide. I would keep it simple with a color you like and a reputable tannery like horween
 

El Marro

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,468
Location
California
I’m guessing Simmons Bilt based on the Blattwerk and Clayton samples. I cannot even venture to offer an opinion regarding the samples you have selected because they all look too damn similar on my tablet.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
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4,919
Location
London
I would say pick whatever you like, our opinion is worthless we are never going to wear that jacket, you are. Just keep in mind that the jacket you end up receving might be made from a hide that looks nothing like the sample you handled...
There is a lot of variation between batches, and IMO samples are pretty much a waste of time, i don't even bother asking for them anymore!
 

Marc mndt

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6,768
IMO samples are pretty much a waste of time,
I disagree. If you're relatively new to the world of leather jackets, or even if you have a few nice jackets already but you haven't handled dozens of jackets like some of us, a sample can be helpful in deciding between different types and finishes. Goatskin, horsehide or cowhide, pigment dyed or aniline. Chrome or vegetable etc.

Also, the color in real life is always different from the color on your screen. All those brown tones are especially difficult to capture on photo / screen. Or these black horsehide samples for example, one has more red tones than the other.
0C141987-455A-40C8-9E1B-35D59D307387.jpeg
 

Boyo

Call Me a Cab
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2,211
Location
Long Island NY
All the samples look nice, and I would imagine you'll get a great jacket regardless, but, The only insight I can offer is if you view the reverse side of each sample you can see if the color penetrates through the entire hide or is just a top coat. as the jacket wears in you can expect the undertone to show through.. which is great if you like that, not so great if you don't.
 

Robbie79

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2,122
IMO SB's swatches are simply too small for making a final decision. IMO Himel's swatches are much larger (5-7 times larger, at least mine were) which gives you a better impression on how the jacket would look like. I also received about 10 different swatches from Debs (SB) and 6 from Himel....decision was easy. Why don't you ask her to provide you with much larger ones or your two or three favorite colours?
 

Jin431

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2,912
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Bay Area CA
That's a lot of options to choose from, you probably can't go wrong with whatever you go for. good luck on your first custom order, may it be the first of many. TFL effect.
 

Pandemic

One Too Many
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1,503
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In The Flat Field
I’ll take a few more days to play with the leather samples and think about it, but I’m pretty much sold on the Horween Milan.

At 3oz, the weight is probably just what I need. When I set out on this adventure, I justified this purchase by telling myself I already have a heavy leather jacket, but this is going to be different because it will be mid weight. That said, part of me still drifts into the thought of heavier = better.
 

navetsea

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6,711
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East Java
while leather texture might be interesting to look up close probably more interesting as small swatches like that, but ultimately the choice is just down to thickness and whether the leather have good crease memory or soft springy that hard to set in creases.
 

Pandemic

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1,503
Location
In The Flat Field
while leather texture might be interesting to look up close probably more interesting as small swatches like that, but ultimately the choice is just down to thickness and whether the leather have good crease memory or soft springy that hard to set in creases.

Thanks. I’ve spent the last week scrunching up and stretching these little scraps of leather! It’s really hard to gauge the thickness/weight, but I got an email this morning telling me the weights of my top four faves.

The Milan doesn’t seem to make hard (knife edge type) creases, not a lot of pull-up colour variation, stiff but not too heavy and doesn’t scuff badly.
 

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