Ok so a couple reviews of Iconic Alternative recommended products, I meant to have everything together but some items are taking longer to get here and I'm impatient
Warning: Long!
First, the Spier and Mackay turtleneck from Spectre
https://imgur.com/Z4p1WOf
Just one picture because it looks exactly like on the site in person and is so soft and my new favorite sweater. My simple review is as follows, *ahem*
"Buy this. Buy this now it's great 10/10. SERIOUSLY THEY JUST PUT IT ON SALE FOR 20% OFF UNTIL TOMORROW, BUY THIS NOW"
Next my problematic favorite of this bunch of alternatives, the RSH Leathercraft Spectre Morocco jacket.
https://imgur.com/DzygHGM
https://imgur.com/Dao1bAJ
https://imgur.com/5YcEOBo
This jacket is great, solid 8/10. The suede is soft, light and has some color variation that gives the jacket character without making it not look solid in color. The details are all there when it comes to seams and stitching even including the double zippers and the sizing chart is very accurate.
Now onto the bad parts, the sizing chart is very accurate so the sleeves are about an inch too long on every size. The actual jacket did have longer sleeves but I need to get mine shortened. The collar is also too small, most replicas make this mistake but I felt like pointing that out. Those are still two small details I can live with. The reason it's not a 9/10 is the quilted lining!
They went through so much effort to make a beautiful light jacket then put a quilted lining that makes it much warmer than it should be. I'm getting this relined soon because it's still pretty light and comfortable but the lining is a major design flaw, maybe messaging the seller they could use a different lining.
Final verdict is I would recommend this over most other replicas as a bang for your buck option, at $100 less than other replicas which often look too dark or don't have the right details it's worth it especially if the seller does a different lining.
Next is the So-Shway Skyfall leather jacket.
https://imgur.com/3Olvazj
https://imgur.com/7joe0tQ
https://imgur.com/VhaWj65
https://imgur.com/6CtjjRA
So the jacket itself is good, the leather has very interesting distressing which I think is better than any other ebay or amazon sellers. I would even put the distressing above Wested (whose different hides are expensive and generally still don't look right, too solid in color.) and Magnoli (Whose products I love and praise all the time but their version of this jacket doesn't look right to the movie.) The construction is also good for a $130 jacket, only a few loose stitches all around, the lining is acetate and stamped with the company logo which is nice, and the leather itself is soft and lightweight. It really does seem like the best option for a jacket that feels like the Menlo rather than a jacket with accurate details that feels more like an Indiana Jones jacket.
Now the bad, there's quite a bit bad but mostly to do with the seller. So my jacket arrived very very late, and the seller said it was to do with the courrier but their tracking shows the seller seems to have just shipped it late and lied to me. This was also after they didn't give me a tracking number when asked, then simply updated the tracking number and let Amazon alert me rather than reply.
The jacket was so late Amazon instantly approved a full refund when I put in an inquiry for a partial refund, to give you an idea of how that all went down once they reviewed the situation.
Once the jacket arrived it had a broken buckle/d-ring on the belt on the back. You can see one side is loose in my picture above. So the jacket arrived late and damaged.
Then the seller messaged me saying they wanted me to send them back some of my refund and keep a partial amount, because Amazon shouldn't have given me a refund or some such. I thought they'd been rude the whole time and didn't reply. I know I got the jacket but the worry I'd been ripped off and then it arriving damaged made me think I'd rather leave this all done. Hopefully I don't come off as the bad guy here, just wanted full disclosure.
Also I took an extra picture because the buttons are bad, they're tan in the center and the contrast somehow comes off as cheap. I'm going to replace them with Dill Buttons 1170 which are much closer to the Menlo buttons.
So-Shway has a 90% seller rating on Amazon (I have yet to and will not submit a seller review) so maybe I just got very unlucky, maybe it was all a misunderstanding, but I can't in good faith not warn others about this experience. That said the jacket itself is very nice and very accurate for a great price, as I said before.
If you do buy it I hope this helps you make an informed purchase and prepares your expectations of the seller, regardless I hope you have a better experience than I did.
And one final review for an item not featured on Iconic Alternatives but I think should be. Old Navy has these https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product. … ge-content Straight fit trousers in Weimaraner. They are a budget dead ringer for the Spectre Morroco Trousers and a decent color alternative for the Ocean Club trousers. They're not linen and the color is more flat but they read a lot like those pants did on screen in Casino Royale.
https://imgur.com/VkX9eUs
Here are the trousers with the jacket from above and a budget polo, I think the color is very close to how the outfit looked here
https://external-preview.redd.it/AwRKQ1 … a6e0a7cf27
And then here they are, light on, with the Royale Filmwear Ocean Club trousers. Here they look warmer like the Spectre trousers sometimes do and are generally a more brown color than the Casino Royale pair.
https://imgur.com/vQsn9nn
That said with the lights off, in slightly below average natural lighting they're much closer in color and you can see where I'm coming from.
https://imgur.com/IZcKN5y
I think they're obviously better for the Spectre look but they're totally serviceable for the Casino Royale outfits and a great Budget Bond item.
Still to come, the Banana Republic Factory Spectre jacket alternative along with a pair of pants and mock neck sweater to complete that outfit and the Tie Bar Skyfall sweater, once they arrive. Apologies for the long post, I hope this is helpful to some of you!