NEWS FLASH: High fashion isn’t just for the pretty people
anymore. With the
Dockers
Mobile Pant for men, Burton’s iPod and
Minidisc jackets for snowboarders, and the
Laks USB watch,
geek chic seems to be the in thing these days. I’m happy to announce that sharp
dressed geeks now have an additional outerwear option with the
SCOTTeVEST Version Three.0 Limited
Edition leather jacket.
I’ve been interested in the SeV line of technology enabled jackets since
their first vest
was introduced in 2001. I reviewed that first version and although I was
impressed with the concept, I wasn’t very impressed by the style. One year
later, Judie reviewed a
newer version
of the vest which included removable sleeves. This past summer, I was fortunate
enough to review their
latest
version, and totally fell in love with the fleece liner. Since that review,
the sporty and comfy fleece jacket has become an excellent every day jacket for
me.
A few weeks ago Scott Jordan, CEO and founder of SCOTTeVEST, asked if I would
be interested in reviewing the Version Three.0 Limited Leather Edition jacket. I
told him that I didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to do the review
because I’d probably end up wanting to keep the jacket. With a $400 price tag, I
knew I wouldn’t be able to justify it. ;o) He talked me into it though, so
here’s the review…
It’s important to point out from the start, that the Version Three.0 Limited
Edition Leather jacket is not a mass produced coat. It is really something
unique. With only 400 of these jackets made (200 remain as of this writing),
buyers will be happy to know that it would be a rare thing indeed to run into
someone with this same great jacket.
Made of Napa lambskin leather, this jacket has to be the softest leather
jacket I have felt in my life so far. Like a Lay’s potato chip, you can’t just
touch it once. It’s almost like you are compelled to tell people "feel my
jacket"…
Like SeV’s previous versions, this jacket has pockets galore. 28 individual
pockets to be exact! The layout is very similar to current Three.0 Version
jackets, so I’m not going to go into super detail about each pocket, what it can
hold, and its location. You can check out the previous reviews and the SeV
website if you want specifics.
Let’s start with the exterior. Each side has a breast level vertical zippered
pocket that is large enough to hold a wallet, PDA, etc. All of the pockets are
connected via the PAN (Personal Area Network) system of small openings. The PAN
allows you to route wires from devices such as phones, PDAs and MP3 players
throughout the jacket. Both exterior sides also have a waist level zippered
pocket and of course, two deep zippered hand pockets.
The right side of the jacket has an additional pocket near the shoulder area.
Inside is a pull out ID holder with a see through vinyl window.
A heavy duty nylon zipper allows you to close the jacket completely up to
chin level. A leather flap can also be snapped over the zipper. A SCOTTeVEST
logo is embroidered on the outside of this flap.
There are only two things about this jacket that I wish were different. The
first thing is the collar. The collar used on this jacket is a 3" stand up
collar. Actually, all SeV jackets have stand up collars… I would rather have a
flat fold down collar. Since I prefer to keep my hair short, I find that the
collar is constantly in my hair line which drives me nuts… I realize that this
is a personal preference, but hopefully, SeV will offer this as an option in the
future. As it is, the collar on this jacket is comfortable and soft. The
exterior is all leather, but the interior is partially made of a knit material.
Little elastic loops along the bottom of the collar allow you to thread your ear
bud wires through them.
The back of the jacket has a large zippered pocket that is spacious enough to
hold magazines, and even a laptop computer if you so desire. I can’t imagine
actually wanting to carry around a laptop in your jacket, but if you want to,
you can. As you can see, another SeV logo is sewn into the middle back shoulder
area.
The sleeves have two metal snaps on the cuff so that you can adjust the fit
to your wrist. I should also mention that the sleeves on this jacket are not
removable.
The biggest difference between this jacket and previous SeV’s (besides being
constructed of leather) is that the interior is made of a silky nylon instead of
mesh. I love this difference. Although you can not see the objects in the
pockets through the material like you can with the other jackets, this material
feels more robust and snag proof. Not to mention the fact that it just plain
looks great with all the little SeV logos (not visible in pictures) in the
material.
The interior on the right side has a ton of storage. Along the zipper area is
a small pocket for ear buds, and two pen / stylus slots. 3 other zippered
pockets and one Velcro’d pocket are also located on this side. An owner’s label
sewn into the lining.
The left side has a matching ear bud basket and pen / stylus slots. There is
a zippered pocket at the top which reveals an eye glass cleaner cloth attached
to an elastic band. Below it is a large Velcro’d pocket which matches the one on
the other side of the jacket. The bottom most pocket has a zippered closure and
inside it is separated by a Velcro wall. This is called a PIP (Pocket in Pocket)
pocket. If you need to start a large object, you can open the wall to enlarge
the area. On the outside of this pocket is a small see through compartment that
is sized perfectly for credit cards.
In addition to the collar, the only other issue I have with this jacket is
with all the logos. I can understand that branding is very important, but I
think there is a point where it’s just too much. Not including all the logos on
the jacket lining, I counted 15 (I probably even missed a couple) in other
locations on the jacket. I don’t mind the ones on the lining, the embroidered
ones on the exterior, or even the ones on the zipper pulls… But I don’t care
for the TEC (Technology Enabled Clothing) badge thing on the outside or the very
large Leather Edition Three.0 SeV embroidered logo at the bottom front.
Besides that gripe, I just totally love this jacket. It is soooooo
comfortable to wear. Even though it isn’t a very heavy jacket, it was able to
keep me warm on my walk into work this past week, when the temps dipped below 25
degrees. I think the style compliments both men and women, and looks great with
either jeans or dressier clothes. The price may seem expensive at $400, but a
jacket of this quality is well worth it in my opinion. If you are a Gadgeteer
that wants to look great while carrying your gizmos and you have some extra
change in your pocket, then trust me when I tell you that the Version Three.0
Limited Leather Edition jacket will definitely earn you some cool points with
all your techno-savvy friends.
Price: $399.99
Pros:
Very stylish
Wonderfully soft leather
Pockets out the wazzoo
Cons:
Too many logos for my personal taste
Product Information
| Price: | 399.99 |
| Manufacturer: | SCOTTeVEST |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
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Julie,
You did a wonderful job with this review and you were right in being leary about reviewing it and getting hooked. My wife ended up buying me one after I had one sent to me for review. It is the softest jacket I have also ever felt and is working out great at keeping me warm as the temps drop here in Washington.
Thanks for the review!
Scott
Julie
I first saw the SV at a mobile planet show and liked them, after your review of the last SV I too placed my order.. “love – it” .
Just wore it to 2 days at Disney, IT WAS PERFECT … The fleese
kept me not to hot or cold, and the water on those water rides
did not stay on long enough to soak in.. This a must, for a travler with kids and gadgets…
I have been thinking that leather would look good too and now i will be ording one also.
A msg for scott ; Tell Julie Merry Christmass, us gadget geeks support julie and f her site, you will make up the 400 many times over !!!!
Julie hope this helps, if not thanks for your hard work, your reviews have identified many great products, your reviews are
aways perfect…
by – the – way, you are correct, dropping a logo wouldnt hurt.
laurence
The leather version isn’t so bad. Seems to be well put together.
Although I’m not a fan of all the “lines” or seams traveling throughout the front of the jacket, I understand there is virtually no way around this if you want all of the pockets on the outside. But even with this, I think you did a pretty good job. You might consider a version with all of the interior pockets and just two outside pockets. This would eliminate most of the seams in the front while still providing wearers with storage.
I do have to agree, though… on leather, the logos gotta go. ALL OF THEM. I won’t buy any leather jacket, especially one with a pricetag of $400 with all those logos, and I’m in the majority. Let the jacket speak for itself. All the seams in the front will allow people to easily recognize who the jacket is made by. Failing that, you could have a logo on the inside of the jacket, which is how all the other really nice leather jacket manufacturers do it.
And I’m sorry if I seem like I’m beating a dead horse, but that collar… I just don’t get it. That collar has GOT to go! Fold down collar!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!
In the photo where Julie has the jacket zipped up, that vertical section that hides the zipper looks a bit wrinkled. But I’m not talking about the natural characteristics of the leather itself. It looks like the leather there might be too thin and is hiding a bulky zipper underneath. It would look nicer if the leather there was smoother.
The only other thing I’d change on it would be the snaps on the sleeve cuffs. For me, I don’t prefer snaps, velcro, or elastic. If anything needed to be on the sleeve cuff, I’d say a couple of nice black buttons instead of anything else. But truthfully, I just prefer a straight barrel cuff with no slit up the cuff and no snaps, velcro, elastic, or buttons. It looks nice by creating nice clean lines on the jacket arms and it feels good, too, especially if you’re wearing a larger watch. And barrel cuffs have never prevented me from staying warm.
But the leather looks to be higher quality from what I can see in the photos. Everything else looks decent.
See my responses below in ALL CAPS
IT IS THE HIGHEST QUALITY LAMBSKIN AVAILABLE.
…and when you make it in brown and add a slightly girlier version (princess seams and slightly shorter length), then I will have to own one. 😀
It looks FAB as it is, those are just my personal wish list items.
Judie :0)
Will do!! Happy Turkey Day! We are off skiing (in our backyard!).
Scott
Scott, see my replies in red below…
Although I’m not a fan of all the “lines” or seams traveling throughout the front of the jacket, I understand there is virtually no way around this if you want all of the pockets on the outside. You might consider a version with all of the interior pockets and just two outside pockets. This would eliminate most of the seams in the front while still providing wearers with storage.
THE LINES ARE REQUIRED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER WITH LAMBSKIN, BECAUSE THE PIECES OF LAMBSKIN ARE NOT LARGE ENOUGH OR UNIFORM IN SIZE. SO, EVEN IF WE ELIMINATED THE EXTERIOR POCKETS, YOU WOULD STILL SEE THE LINES.
I understand what you’re saying, Scott, but I’m wondering if there is some way that when sewing the inner pockets, they could be sewn to an additional inner liner layer of some sort that would reside in between the lambskin and the outer liner on the inside of the jacket, to help prevent some of the seams on the outside of the jacket (of course, assuming that you created a model that only had two standard pockets like you see on most jackets). I have a leather jacket that is lambskin, and although it has some seams (only a couple) on the back because the jacket is larger, the inner pockets don’t create any seams on the outside of the jacket. My jacket also was $400.
**************************
I do have to agree, though… on leather, the logos gotta go. ALL OF THEM. I won’t buy any leather jacket, especially one with a pricetag of $400 with all those logos, and I’m in the majority. Let the jacket speak for itself. All the seams in the front will allow people to easily recognize who the jacket is made by. Failing that, you could have a logo on the inside of the jacket, which is how all the other really nice leather jacket manufacturers do it.
IF I HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, WHICH I MAY SOMETIME ON ANOTHER VERSION, I WOULD REMOVE TWO OF THE OUTSIDE LOGOS, THE ONES ON THE LOWER FRONT. I DON’T THINK HAVING TWO SMALL SeV LOGOS AND ZIPPER PULLS IS THAT DISTRACTING. MANY OF THE OTHER LOGOS COUNTED WERE IN THE INSIDE OF THE JACKET AND ARE NOT VISIBLE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURES, THE LOGOS DON’T POP OUT AT YOU.
I believe you. It looks nice in the photos. Not like that real shiny, cheap stuff. Good choice on the leather.
**************************
Thanks for taking an interest in some of my suggestions and replying. I really appreciate it. I believe that my suggestions would make your jacket even nicer and would love to see these things incorporated into future versions, as I could really take advantage of all the pockets these jackets provide.
Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Good job Julie as usual. Ever think about “modeling”? You’d be great at it. 🙂
I have two products from Scott and they are both great and useful. I already have two leather jackets that are not of his manufacture only because they were purchased last year.
Keep up the good work both of you!
Being a very picky person, I think the collar and logos on the SeV’s are fine the way they are and I like them.
The SeV collar does as it was intended to, keep one warm. My old beat up leather jacket with its fold down collar does not protect my neck from wind like the SeV collar does (Scott, keep the collar the way it is).
I think the straight up collar is of a futuristic style (which I like very much over the old stuff with fold down collars). If you take a look at sci-fi movie and tv shows… the costume designers put a straight up collar on a lot of the garments (seeing such garments in my favorite tv shows had at times made me wish that someone would make and sell stuff like that).
The logos on a SeV are nicely designed and not noticable as some other garments out there with logos… such as North Face with its giant jump out at you logo on the front panel.
You make some excellent points, especially about the NorthFace logos. I think they are offensively big, but yet very popular.
By contrast, my leather jacket with its fold down collar keeps me very warm. At times, I actually become hot. I’ve never had a problem with fold down collars, and for some reason, I don’t suspect most people do, for the simple fact that the highest majority of jackets are made with fold down collars. And most jackets that are designed to keep you warm have fold down collars that can be flipped up if necessary.
What I don’t quite understand about all the talk about the collar as it relates to warmth, is that people talk as if they’re going to be walking out into a blizzard in this thing. If you’re in need of that kind of warmth, a good solution would be to buy and wear a turtleneck.
And yes, keep the collar the way it is. Then make another version for those of us who don’t like it. 🙂
Each to his own. But IMHO, you are seriously in the minority with that fashion perspective. I guess I’m looking to blend in a little more. For me, I’m not interested in having people think I’m trying to look as though I’m from the future or just walked out of a Battlestar Galactica or a Star Trek episode. I guess that makes me “different”, but it’s just my preference.
I’m sure you’re right in regard to that, but for me, I’m just not into logos on leather. I have no reason to believe that most people are, based on what I’ve seen out there, and what I’ve heard customers express. (I used to manage a store that sold a lot of leather jackets, so part of my perspective derives from this experience).
I realize that we all have our opinions and experiences, our likes and dislikes. But, Scott, I think that you may be ignoring a significant audience due to certain styling with your jackets. I’m only trying to communicate a few things to you because although your jacket concept is a fantastic idea, fashion can be a very sensitive thing when it comes to potential customers… often times, there is a fine line between attracting them and not.
One,
Seems you’re into more the fashion and opinions than the function of the said garment. Which is ok, but to think you’re in the majority could be a little off. If the majority thinks negative about the collar,logos and other fashion details…. why is it that Scott has been able to sell so many of the SeV’s? Could it be function out-weighing fashion or something else?
With clothing, I do tend to care more about it’s looks than it’s function. Who knows, maybe that’s due to me having been an artist my whole life. I think it has something to do with my perspectives.
In my view, that’s what clothes are primarily about, though. The fashion aspect. Not function. Not to say that function isn’t important. But people may define function in slightly different ways. Some feel the function of clothes is merely to achieve a certain look and little or nothing more. But I understand what you’re getting at in terms of this jacket. Moreover, most pants have their typical pockets as well as many shirts and jackets, but we dress like we do largely because of how we wish to look.
In terms of Scott’s jackets, I do care about their function because of their unique properties and what purpose they serve, simply for the fact that in terms of function, they answer a need for people like you and me and many others who choose to carry a lot of devices around at all times. But with clothing, I care about the looks first, and function second. If it doesn’t look good to me, I won’t buy it no matter what it can do. To me, clothes, for most, are different from buying anything else in the way that with electronics, for example, we might put up with something that isn’t quite as attractive as we might wish, because it provides us with the features that we’re looking for. But with clothing, people are not so tolerant in this way simply for the fact that a piece of clothing’s main purpose is to serve our appearance first, and any particular function, second. Your appearance is what others see first or at all, not the function. Naturally, I’m speaking of clothes that someone may wear to an office, or out on the town, etc., not specialty clothes that would be used for construction work or something of that nature where appearance is largely irrelevant.
Some people will think that my perspectives are not accurate. But apart from my own interest in my own image to whatever degree, my perspectives about what I believe most others think is influenced on how much value our society indeed places on image and being aware of how clothing is so intimately tied into this.
I’m sure Scott has sold many of these jackets… I don’t doubt that. But my perspectives are also influenced by some of the design details found on most jackets. I understand that it isn’t always easily accepted when someone includes terms like “majority” when speaking of the level of adoption they think their opinions may have among the masses, as I have. But the highest percentage of jackets I’ve seen in many different popular stores, as well as what I see most people wearing in populated suburban cities, have no logos plastered on them, or collars that don’t fold down. I realize there are those jackets that do, but I have every reason to believe their count is the smallest minority. It’s just not a popular design, and there’s a reason for that. This is what communicates to me that my suggestions may be more poplular. But my desires are not influenced by what I think just happens to be popular, but rather simply what I find looks good. I would like to see, one day, versions of Scott’s jackets that would integrate the particular fashion suggestions that I have made. And so I think that sales may increase that much more taking these suggestions into consideration and implementing them into additional versions of his jackets. Keep the style he has now, and merely add other versions with the styles that I’m suggesting that would appeal to others.
I’m just very interested in Scott’s jackets, but I have certain wishes in terms of looks, and so because I care about it, I share my thoughts. Even if it may annoy some. 😉
A leather jacket with logos? Tell me it isn’t so!
Speaking of which, my objection to the scott evest logo isn’t simply that it’s everywhere on their clothing. I don’t like the logo because in my humble opinion it is an amateur effort. Combination of letter logos (particularly with varying fonts) are frequently used by amateurs to create logos because they don’t have graphic arts skills. I.e., they use combinations of letters simply because that’s all they can do.
All the other logos mentioned in the scott evest threads, e.g., northface’s, were done by professionals and that’s obvious from looking at them.
I could resist no more… after having worn and enjoyed the Fleece, FineTex, Spring version, and Sport TEC, I have ordered the Leather version and am going nuts :wow: waiting for it to arrive.
allen_tec:
You’re going to love it. I’ve been wearing mine this winter. Even though it was only 0 degrees yesterday morning and 1 degree today, it kept me warm!
Let me know what you think when you get it.
Julie,
I recieved the leather jacket yesterday. I do agree that it is thin, but I am a bit afraid of wearing it in freezing temps. Are you wearing a heavy sweater or lots of layers with the jacket?
allen_tec:
I wear very thin sweaters or even short sleeve sweaters with the jacket. Today it is maybe 33 degrees here and the jacket was perfect. Give it a try 🙂
Well if we’re making wishes, I’ll have a goth version of the jacket. 😉 As it is now, it looks a bit too boring for me. (What is it with clothes anyway? All of the interesting stuff lacks pockets. Hmph.)
It’s funny that you want it to be more “goth,” as my 15 year old enjoys flirting with that scene. She actually wears my black leather 3.0 and loves how it looks! The only thing I think she would change is the collar – I keep catching her folding it down a bit. I don’t think she likes it touching her neck.
I suppose if it had some chains hanging from it and a rivet or two, she would call it perfect. 😉
You actually let her touch it?!?!? 😀
Of course I do! She loves that coat, and is always going on about how soft it is, and warm. 😀 I mean, how can I say no?
:unsure:
I just spent 2 weeks fighting off a terrible cold (caught it changing a flat tire), I think I will wait til I ‘m fully better before I experiment with outerwear options. My Finetex and Fleece are keeping me warm in the freezing temps we’re having.
Scott,
I like the Leather Jacket lots, the design style is cool looking. I should have gotten one sooner. I was very surprised by how soft the leather is. I have never owned leather products with leather so soft. As with the the other eVests I own, the Leather Version is a perfect fit on me, as if custom tailored (sleeves just right and body not baggy… maybe I am lucky in that regard). Its also a good thing that the pocket layout is the same on all versions of 3.0 eVests, makes it easy to navigate for those of us with multiple versions.
In my opinion the logos dont ruin the appearance of the jacket, looks very good on the leather. The soft “Technology Enabled Clothing” patch is nice too, although I have gotten used to not brushing my hand over the area of the plastic patch on my other eVests. Personally I like the “SeV” and “Technology Enabled Clothing” logos.
A minor disappointment for me with the jacket is the lack of a 2-way front zipper. I am so used to having that on my Finetex, Spring, and SportTEC versions. I find that on those really chilly days, its easier to unzip the lower part of the zipper for getting into the car. Makes me wonder if the lack of magnets on the flap is the reason for not having the 2-way zipper.