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The DIY Customized Designer Bomber Jacket

The Before Jacket

The After Jacket

On a major mission to create gives me both pleasure and a bit of pain.  Prior to going to NYC for the Holidays, I was pretty obsessed over the  black Stampd bomber jacket.  Checked their site every 3 days to see if it was back in stock. Then they came out with another version and I wanted it even more. But living in a warm area most of the year, I figured both jackets were nice, but a bit too pricey (Over $300) for 11 days in the cold. So I figured when I got to New York, I would just make my own.

Picture of my inspiration. The Stampd Bomber Jacket:

Friday morning I go uptown and around 10am I find a fairly inexpensive ($69.99) bomber jacket at H&M. I think it’s a bit pricey so pass on it for the morning. After a day of non-stop shopping and window shopping uptown, I end up at MSG at 5:30pm to get some Knicks vs Bulls tickets. After I walk back towards my hotel, I realize I’m near Fashion Ave. So I go to the accruement strip on the street and head into M&J Trimming. Here I have a fantastic time. On a mission to get the back portion done, I show the picture to 4 workers and they don’t really get what I’m doing. But the back was super easy to spot so I buy 2 sets of way too many dark blue strips. Then I spot the Orange striping and immediately get it, buy some skull strips just cause’ they look awesome,  I spot a couple patches, get em’. Then buy some scissors, glue that says it sews for you, which it does, and just in case; a whole ton of various sized safety pins.

Pictures of many of the Goods used to customize the bomber Jacket: (Everything here is from M&J Trimming 1008 6th Ave between 37th + 38th St. Manhattan, NY).

M&J Trimming-Very Fun accruement store in NYC

Many of my supplies from M&J Trimming

M&J Trimming has many silver and gold safety pins in many different sizes

While at M&J, I meet some really cool people and have a great time discussing our projects together. One was making a full blown Lolita dress for an Anime convention, the other was doing up a pair of jeans with fluorescent spikes. Cost for my Goods: $80.

I notice on my iPhone that the store that they shop at during Project Runway is a couple blocks away. So I head over to MOOD to see if I need anything else for the jacket. I see many tourists and a few local designers. Met a nice lady at the front who called me Sweetie.  Then, bought some needles and thread, just in case I need to sew things on if the pins and glue don’t work. Didn’t need the needles and Thread. Cost of my Goods: $12.

Here is where I lose it a bit. Friday Night at 8:30pm I have all I need to make the jacket except the jacket. I head back out to H&M to buy  the bomber from earlier in the day. Was so enthused I walked right by it and needed to walk back 5 blocks in the Massive Mid-Town Christmas Crowd. I get to H&M at 8:50pm, it closes at 9:00pm I cant get it to zip, so don’t buy it. Then I realize I’m on vacation and need to breath, so I head to the Deli for Salami Sandwiches and Grape soda. One of my favorite Vay-Cay treats!

Grape Soda, S-SW, S-Cookie

BIG Salami SW from Deli in Soho on Broadway near Astor-Dec 2015 NYC

Saturday I head Downtown. I typically get dropped off at Astor and work my way down to Canal. But this time I start at Spring, went down a bit then back up towards Astor. Here at 3:45pm, I spot a perfect bomber in the window of French Connection (FCUK). The entrance sign says big sale, so I’m hoping it’s on sale and it is! Regularly over $158, marked down to $109, and just for today there was an extra discount, so I got my already very nice bomber jacket that fit perfectly for a mere $65.  ($65 plus $80 plus $12=$157) Plus major obsession over this project. That gives me both a thrill because it’s quite fun to do a project like this. But at the same time, I’m supposed to be relaxing, recharging and chilling in NY.

While walking  in Downtown on Broadway, I check out Atrium and Kith. At Kith, I find the real Stampd Jacket in my size. I try it on and it is really nice. Feels comfortable inside and is worth the $300.  Tempted to buy it, but I don’t vibe well with the workers at Kith. And if I’m not having fun shopping, no matter what it is, I won’t buy it. And I wasn’t having fun at Kith, plus I was on a mission to make my own.  Here’s a picture of the Stampd jacket IRL:

Stampd Bomber Front

Stampd Bomber Label

Saturday night I don’t need to make the jacket because I can’t wear it on Sunday since I go out with friends and it was too cold for the bomber.

Sunday Night 1:00am – 2:30 am.  I make the custom jacket. I put the orange ribbon around the sleeve instead of the dark blue, use big silver safety pins to affix it. Then I bust out the glue that sews to put on the patches (It works really well). I notice one patch is a skull, so I add in the skull ribbon on the top and use the last of the safety pins to affix it.

Close up of Right Sleeve

Close up of Orange Striping with Medium sized Safety pin

Back portion and Right Sleeve

 

Let dry over night and head to breakfast at the Roosevelt Hotel and over to Dover Street market on Monday in my new custom jacket.

Right Sleeve

In Front of DSMNY

Montage of My New Customized Bomber Jacket

As seen thru the Ferns at Lord and Taylor

Cool thing I notice at DSM. In the Patricia Field section they have some pretty pricey yet very nice custom jackets that used spray paint, patches and get this…safety pins to affix some of the acruements. I’m right on trend.

Patricia Field at DSM Safety Pin Jacket

Patricia Field at DSM December 2015 Display of Goods

Patricia Field At DSM Safety Pin Jacket Pic 2

Here’s a quick sampling of quotes about my jacket that I was able to wear 2x in NY and 3x in Chicago.

I like your jacket.  Quote from Employee number 1 at DSMNY

I Love your jacket. Quote from Employee number 2 at DSMNY

Where did you get your jacket? Quote from co-shopper at Around the World Magazines at 148 W. 37th St. Between Broadway and 7th Ave. NY.

Dope jacket, you can Kiki here all day long. Quote from employee at Patricia Field’s at 360 Bowery. NY.

Look it’s Adam Ant, check out his coat. Quote from G-Spot when I DJ’d in Evanston, Illinois.

All in All, I would say it was a fun project to do. I think I just got a bit too obsessed with it. Like who would go all the way to New York from Hawaii to spend many hours making a jacket? Ahhh…Me. Hehehe.   I was in NY to de-stress, not add any. But, I think having this project to do led me to:

Having fun meeting new people at M&J Trimming and chatting about shared interests. I felt more at home than at home, like doing something like this wasn’t so wierd. Other people were doing things like this in NY  and even bigger.

It led me to MOOD, the store from Project Runway, which I never would have seen if I didn’t do this project.

Now I have tons of dark navy strips to use, glue that sews, new super sharp scissors that cost less than $12, velcro, silver and gold safety pins for future projects and some pretty cool pictures of the process of making and wearing the jacket.

A fun time wearing the jacket and hearing all of the fun compliments. Most people don’t know it was homemade. When asked about it in Illinois, I mentioned it was Designer and no one blinked.

Sense of accomplishment and confidence to explore future projects.

A good time in the Big Apple.

I leave you today with this quote from the designer Juun. J about bomber jackets from Fashion for Men Winter 2015/Spring 2016. Did you notice Obsessed By? I just caught it and I’ve read this many times before saving it for this blog posting.

See you on the Streetz!