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Jin431

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,912
Location
Bay Area CA
The best (and only) way to learn more about jackets is by handling a lot of jackets so I basically buy whatever I can find. I like to see and experience how jackets were made and what leather they're made of. Last weekend I got lucky with the finds and bought 5 jackets. I do try to limit my purchases to jackets that are rare or unusual in one way or the other. That's why I'm going to pass on this LVC trucker. It's a newer LVC of which there are plenty around.

Can't wait to receive this one, which looks like it's an original vintage. Bought from a guy in France. Should be delivered next week.
View attachment 319004

So true. There's so many jackets I want to handle whether it be because of the leather/pattern/or out of curiosity. That old unlined suede with the smooth leather collar looks cool, now I know where the new jackets are based from. Will you clean that up or leave it alone for a weathered look?
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,314
So true. There's so many jackets I want to handle whether it be because of the leather/pattern/or out of curiosity. That old unlined suede with the smooth leather collar looks cool, now I know where the new jackets are based from. Will you clean that up or leave it alone for a weathered look?
I think a good brush off at best but I don't want to remove any of the patina. This is something LVC can't recreate.
95E6E110-794E-4013-AF00-9730A283E872.jpeg
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,078
Location
London, UK
@Edward do you know about this English maker? Worth buying?

It's not a name I can recall having seen before. Unsurprising, really, as there were dozens of brands in England back in the day. Most of them died out long ago, though really well into the eighties it wasn't particularly unusual for the better quality jackets in bike equipment stores to be English or "British" made.

Insofar as I can judge from the photo, it looks to be leather. That particular shade of petrol blue was a popular one on English made leather bike jackets in the 70s and into the early eighties. In that cafe racer-style it would often have been paired with a pair of black leather trousers (the all-over power ranger / race replica style only really became common into the eighties to the best of my knowledge).

Value is hard to judge. The big money jackets have always been the Lewis branded ones; Belstaff and to an extent Rivett's as well. A dealer price on the like of this one I don't know - might be up a bit as the rise in price in old Lewis jackets has inevitably raised the bar for other brands, but for a "relative unknown" I should have thought you could still buy one for sub £100. Twenty odd years ago, you could have picked something like this up in Camden market for twenty quid; with it not being one of the big names (though for the most part the quality of hide was fairly good on anything I've handled by the 70s, usually cowhide rather than the sheep that was popular in earlier decades), I'd have thought it's down to the open market, really... usually you can be lucky and pick up a fairly nice jacket fairly cheap. This one looks to be in nice condition and avoids the comically overlarge zippers many of them had by the late 70s / early eighties.
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,314
It's not a name I can recall having seen before. Unsurprising, really, as there were dozens of brands in England back in the day. Most of them died out long ago, though really well into the eighties it wasn't particularly unusual for the better quality jackets in bike equipment stores to be English or "British" made.

Insofar as I can judge from the photo, it looks to be leather. That particular shade of petrol blue was a popular one on English made leather bike jackets in the 70s and into the early eighties. In that cafe racer-style it would often have been paired with a pair of black leather trousers (the all-over power ranger / race replica style only really became common into the eighties to the best of my knowledge).

Value is hard to judge. The big money jackets have always been the Lewis branded ones; Belstaff and to an extent Rivett's as well. A dealer price on the like of this one I don't know - might be up a bit as the rise in price in old Lewis jackets has inevitably raised the bar for other brands, but for a "relative unknown" I should have thought you could still buy one for sub £100. Twenty odd years ago, you could have picked something like this up in Camden market for twenty quid; with it not being one of the big names (though for the most part the quality of hide was fairly good on anything I've handled by the 70s, usually cowhide rather than the sheep that was popular in earlier decades), I'd have thought it's down to the open market, really... usually you can be lucky and pick up a fairly nice jacket fairly cheap. This one looks to be in nice condition and avoids the comically overlarge zippers many of them had by the late 70s / early eighties.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I just love how it looks so I made the guy an offer. I need something like this in my collection :)
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,314
It's it possible to get a reproduction of the Schott Perfecto cactus label somewhere? I have a 60s Schott which is missing its label. Or maybe there's a member here who has a stash of these laying around and is willing to part with one?

F6B964DC-8401-42E8-99C5-B0C6911C6DE0.jpeg


4765200F-48C8-4290-872E-7F06A3CB0840.jpeg
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,314
Can anyone id this jacket? Seller only included 1 photo with the listing. Listed as 50s but looks more 60s to me with those teardrop pulls.

6BCA787F-572E-4763-81DD-AC2CF601DF5F.jpeg
 

Pandemic

One Too Many
Messages
1,503
Location
In The Flat Field
Can anyone help me find a TFL review of Johnson Leather's J100? I could have sworn I saw a long and very detailed post at the start of winter from one of the regulars here who had one made in black.

I've gone from 'I'm done with buying new leather jackets' to 'I'm done with buying new brown leather jackets, for now' - which means I'm just kicking around ideas for something in black. It would be fun to try a new brand, but I do love a custom fit and a J100 should be very fitted, imo. So that takes me back to JL and FL, who I know will both do great things.
 

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,286
That looks like a Brooks cafe racer to me. Are there markings on the buttons?

vtg-brooks-leather-cafe-racer-motorcycle-jacket-fleece-liner-size-44-[3]-1659-p.jpg

il_794xN.470296532_j6uy.jpg
agree. if you got a shot of the back, we'll know for sure. Has more of that action back with the deeper cut lines (not the usual half circles you see on Aeros for instance). My Brooks has that sort of sprite pattern main talon and tear drop on the chest pockets, so it's a good sign.
 

TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,286
It's it possible to get a reproduction of the Schott Perfecto cactus label somewhere? I have a 60s Schott which is missing its label. Or maybe there's a member here who has a stash of these laying around and is willing to part with one?

View attachment 319656

View attachment 319657
You can try emailing Jerri at Schott. They might be a little hesitant obviously worried about people trying to create a fake or whatever. But I'm sure if you show her enough photos, maybe receipt of what you bought, etc. etc. She was extremely generous with me for some things I asked for and didn't charge me a cent.

Worst case, there may be a may to create one. I'm sure with a clear enough photo, somewhere on the internet you can create a tag. It would be like printing a hat or tshirt with the logo, so don't see why not.
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,314
You can try emailing Jerri at Schott. They might be a little hesitant obviously worried about people trying to create a fake or whatever. But I'm sure if you show her enough photos, maybe receipt of what you bought, etc. etc. She was extremely generous with me for some things I asked for and didn't charge me a cent.

Worst case, there may be a may to create one. I'm sure with a clear enough photo, somewhere on the internet you can create a tag. It would be like printing a hat or tshirt with the logo, so don't see why not.

I have sent them an email with a couple of photos of the jacket plus a photo of me wearing it. I don't have a receipt to show because the eBay seller didn't know it was a Schott.

Jerri replied that they don't send out branded labels.

I have thought about creating a label. However, that would be adding a fake label to a genuine product, which feels wrong. I'd rather have no label at all. Well, at least I tried :)
 

58panheadfan

One Too Many
Messages
1,650
Location
Switzerland
I have sent them an email with a couple of photos of the jacket plus a photo of me wearing it. I don't have a receipt to show because the eBay seller didn't know it was a Schott.

Jerri replied that they don't send out branded labels.

I have thought about creating a label. However, that would be adding a fake label to a genuine product, which feels wrong. I'd rather have no label at all. Well, at least I tried :)

Consider it as a part of the history of this jacket with the missing label... ;)

Therefore it's "The missing Label 60's Cactus Schott"
 

Mandarin

Practically Family
Messages
649
I had one of these. The leather is thick and very grainy, and the top coat wears off very fast.
 
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TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,286
I have a black one that I think was model before the one you're showing because it has buttons, not snaps. The best way to describe it is I paid $190 for it and I felt kind of ehhh. I know I've seen them selling for $400 plus which is crazy.

The black one is dyed through but does have a blueish tone underneath the top coat. Grain is awesome. Thickness is ok. I hand vintaged it with several washes and time in dryer and ultimately just dragging it across the concrete LOL. I like how it turned out. But I'd take a Gap 90's one over it any day.

The ones with the snaps from other posts I read in various threads supposedly are a bit thicker. And obviously the brown might have different characteristics. But bottom line, for me at least, I wouldn't spend more than $150-200 tops. And no idea what the over stock thing is about. The problem is there's not a lot of leather truckers out there. A lot of them are cut super short or odd dimensions (Schott) and the good ones are just expensive (Fine Creek, Aero, etc.).

But if you're looking for brown, I'd definitely keep eyes open for the Gap 90's version. Those go for $80-120 and they pop up all the time on Ebay. Unless it's like the older vintage Levis ones, but then those are going for several hundred dollars and then at that point I'd just get an Aero.
 

Riu

Practically Family
Messages
703
Location
UK
I have a black one that I think was model before the one you're showing because it has buttons, not snaps. The best way to describe it is I paid $190 for it and I felt kind of ehhh. I know I've seen them selling for $400 plus which is crazy.

The black one is dyed through but does have a blueish tone underneath the top coat. Grain is awesome. Thickness is ok. I hand vintaged it with several washes and time in dryer and ultimately just dragging it across the concrete LOL. I like how it turned out. But I'd take a Gap 90's one over it any day.

The ones with the snaps from other posts I read in various threads supposedly are a bit thicker. And obviously the brown might have different characteristics. But bottom line, for me at least, I wouldn't spend more than $150-200 tops. And no idea what the over stock thing is about. The problem is there's not a lot of leather truckers out there. A lot of them are cut super short or odd dimensions (Schott) and the good ones are just expensive (Fine Creek, Aero, etc.).

But if you're looking for brown, I'd definitely keep eyes open for the Gap 90's version. Those go for $80-120 and they pop up all the time on Ebay. Unless it's like the older vintage Levis ones, but then those are going for several hundred dollars and then at that point I'd just get an Aero.

Haha, so the concrete method worked :D

I like the grain but I wanted to ask here first before getting to talk to the seller about the price or anything else. I might just wait a bit more and start searching for Levi's or Gap version in the meantime.

Thank you for sharing your experience with it.
 

tamz0r

Familiar Face
Messages
80
So I just got a new goatskin G-1 and am wondering if the back should look like this... basically the bi swing back kinda sticks out instead of being flush against my body (both sides.) It's more pronounced when worn unzipped. This is just a random pic i found online but shows exactly what i'm talking about. Is this a common thing in g1's? will it be less pronounced or go away as the jacket is broken in? TIA
G1S_BLK_POS3_Img0404edit.jpg
 

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