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Posted by Michaelson from leospace047.utsi.edu on January 22, 2001 at 13:42:07:

In Reply to: About newsprint and jackets... posted by Patterson on January 22, 2001 at 12:13:13:

In my "function" as a consultant to IndyGear, I too receive many emails pertaining to gear and such, and in the last month I received a like story from an individual located in Texas who had purchased a jacket from an individual, and in taking his jacket to a tailor for alterations, stated that he had discovered the same newpaper, and stated it was "The London times". In following up the conversation (I had had not one, but two long talks with Peter Friday night), have found that this individual ALSO had the Disney version, and NOT a Wested as he had believed. This detail will need to be ironed out between the individual and the person he purchased it from, but the bottom line is that the two jackets in question were apparently NOT Wested's, but Disney versions, so Patterson, your tailor may or may not have done the repair with the paper, as it may have come that way originally. The individual I was dealing with confessed that he had just repeated what he had read here as it being the "London Times", as the tailor never told him what the paper was, and he just assumed it was the same. Just wanted to let you know, Patterson, that you were not the only one in that boat. High regards. Michaelson


: I was driving home Friday – with very little gray matter left after a hectic week – and the phone rang. Peter Botwright was on the line and wanted to discuss some of the recent posts – especially the newsprint I found in one of my jackets. We talked for about 45 minutes – me reassuring him that I did in fact see the newsprint inside the jacket and that is was one of his, and he reassuring me that it was absolutely impossible for that to have happened within his factory. We left the conversation agreeing that we’d look into possible explanations involving third parties, though I was not optimistic. He felt there was no way anything like this could have happened on his side of the Atlantic, and I explained to him that the only third party that had the jacket before I opened it up was a local cleaner who waterproofed it for me. I was pretty sure he had outsourced this particular jacket. He stated absolutely that none of his jackets are outsourced.

: All I can say is, “Thank goodness for wives”, as mine was the one who untangled this puzzle on Friday. Here are excerpts from an email I sent to Peter late Saturday night after a bit of digging on my part. Sorry for the length – I’ve only included what seemed pertinent to the forum audience.

: “Peter,

: I was at a bit of a loss after our conversation on Friday. I felt that I knew what I knew to be the truth and it appeared that you did as well. I discussed the matter with my wife over dinner. Afterwards she began to ask me a few questions - as wives will do. Finally, she looked at me and said, “I don’t think that was the jacket you had waterproofed.” She was correct - as wives will be…

: My Wested lambskin was another story. When I received it in February of 2000, I was on my way out the door on a business trip. I tried it on quickly, and noted that the sleeves were too long. I asked my wife to drop it off to have them altered. She was already taking my Disney Indiana Jones jacket in for the same alteration, as well as to have one of the pockets repaired and have some stitching in the shoulder seam repaired. When I returned a few weeks later, I noted that the sleeves on the Wested were about ¼ inch too short. I did nothing about it until one night in May when I decided to put Raiders in the VCR and lengthen the sleeves myself. That was when I found the newspaper – behind the pockets, across the shoulder, and in the cuffs.

: Until now, I had not connected the needed repairs to my Disney jacket with what I found in my Wested. Though I do not have the Wested any longer, I decided to test my hypothesis on the Disney jacket, which, fortunately, I do still have. I turned it inside out tonight, and found the same in it – newsprint pasted to the back of the leather where the repairs were to have been done as reinforcement to the stitching. I can only surmise that the “repairs” were inadvertently done to both jackets. I shall try to contact the business where they were taken…”

: …I have enough circumstantial evidence to conclude myself that I cannot hold you responsible for this particular problem with my jacket. I do, however, still have the issue with the stitching falling apart…

: …I feel satisfied that I can explain this incident to my own satisfaction without holding you responsible for this particular problem. I do apologize that the matter was thrown out into the forum as it was before we could investigate further…

: One thing however? I did in fact email you on this particular topic right after I found it… I have located an email that I sent to you last May asking for an explanation, to which I received no response. As such, I do not feel I can be blamed completely for reaching the conclusion that I had at the time – that the newsprint was originally used in the construction of the jacket. I took the lack of response as confirmation of my suspicion at the time. But, what’s past is past, and I’d like to do whatever is necessary to put this behind us….”

: Again, sorry for being long-winded. I felt it necessary to set matters straight, and I apologize to anybody who may have altered their opinions and/or purchasing decisions because of this. While the conclusion was incorrect, I believe the reasoning behind why I reached it was sound. One last thing – I cannot attest to what paper it was, nor is it really important. The “London Times” thing was a convenient twist to communicate the irony of the whole thing.

: Cheers!

: Patterson



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