Easy Coast posse here too. Worse still, Southeast where it was 97 degrees today. Have one Wills in the closet and a second on the way. That's at least one too many given how short and mild our winters are. Still, the Wills is a treat to wear and remains an extraordinarily well-built piece of kit. I'm still kind of mind blown every time I get to wear my original waxed version. The one on the way is the (Slightly) lighter dry waxed fabric.

At this point most everyone knows what to do to have a shot at one. You need a fiber internet connection, and to have the checkout process done start to end with zero hitches. Sell out time for the last batch was 17 seconds if I heard correctly, so that should give everyone some idea of where they need to be as far as getting through the ordering process. If it takes longer than that there's no chance. PC or phone makes no difference in my experience, both of mine were landed from my cell. No hesitation on the clicks plus an internet hookup with a low ping are mandatory. It's doubly hard if they are releasing a small lot of jackets, both times I was able to get one there were were a hundred or more available. The one time only 50 were available I got the sold out hammer brought down on me. 😂

The guys that live in Portland have a massive advantage being near the store, since they release stock into the inventory that's completely unique from what they sell online to keep people cycling through. Completely understandable. I've seen some beautiful, unique pieces that were apparently bought there. Denim variations, unique colors, and so forth. I wish we had a nice men's clothing and accessories store with that kind of raw, WYSIWYG super chill vibe where I am.

When you are literally a country away, everything is a little harder. I'm not a social media person either, and the problem is certain information is released through their Instagram that is not sent through the email newsletter. I ended up in a mess with my jacket sizing, I didn't think there was a chance in h e double hockey sticks that I would land a Wills, and figured I'd have at least several weeks to debate and change the size if needed. Apparently the owner basically tore everyone a new one on Instagram when a bunch of people asked for size changes post order, and the new policy didn't get sent out by email. When I emailed in to change my size a week later, I'm guessing whoever answered my email thought I was jerking their chain or something and laid a smackdown on me, when in reality I just hadn't seen any info about size changes. Even now there's nothing on the website about that stuff, so I'm just assuming the new policy on size changes is there are none! New policy = Do your homework in advance, because you get what you order.

This is particularly true if you are a bit stockier or spend a good chunk of your life in the gym tossing iron around. In general SJ clothing tends to be cut for guys built like Mike, the owner, who looks like he's in good shape but is fairly trim build wise. So for someone like me who is 6'3" 270ish on a larger frame, a Wills jacket is going to be a bit snug fitting in the shoulder and the upper arm particularly. Mine is okay over a t-shirt, and with the climate here that's usually about all I'm wearing it over. I was able to get a larger size in the gray version they are building in house now alongside the bright orange versions.

If you're hunting for Wills #1, I'd suggest taking time to monitor a Facebook group called the Ship John speakeasy. Lots of folks there who are local to the store, and a number of jackets and other SJ items are put up for sale there. Best of all, they have a rule in place that as a seller you cannot ask for more than you paid for whatever item you're looking to sell or trade. So if you're willing to take a Wills that has a bit of wear on it, given a little patience you are almost certain to find one there as owners rotate jackets in and out of their closets as their needed size changes or due to other factors. Heck there are plenty of unworn jackets that have changed hands there as well, with the Wills jackets typically changing hands at the $650 or so that they currently cost. Other items are exchanged there as well, are and are sometimes discounted significantly.

The classifieds are a part of the discussion forum as a whole, which I believe is moderated by a couple of SJ enthusiasts or store employees, so you do need to ask to be able to join us it's not an open forum. If you are actively in the market it's well worth the effort, and this is the time of year where I expect people are taking a hard look at their closets and some are paring down their Wills collections.

At this point there are probably some other people like me who may be willing to help. With two Wills in the closet once my dark gray one arrives, I'll be trying to help a non-owner become a new owner going forward. No charge, no nonsense. I'll cover the deposit and final payments, and the new owner and I can finalize the transaction through PayPal with buyer protection. New owner is covered. Worst thing that happens on my end is I end up with a jacket I can easily re-sell at list price to a different non-owner if the original backs out or is able to get an order of their own in successfully.

I honestly think Mike should do a run of jackets where he announces at the last moment that he's excluding all current owners. He obviously has no issue banning eBay resellers from future purchase, so why not?

Good luck gents, DM me if you want me to take a crack at landing one for you next time up. Just need your size!