Colorful cafe racer thread

[newtojackets]

I thought it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to colorful cafe racers. All racing shirts are welcome, as long as they're in a color other than black or brown.

I'll kick off with this blue Luda Clothing racing shirt.

I did a thorough internet search but there is hardly any information to be found on the maker. All I could find were two or three eBay listings from a couple of years ago. Those jackets were supposedly from the 60s and they were made in England.

And that's exactly how this particular jacket was sold to me by the seller from France:

"Blouson café racer vintage 60s made in England.

Tres belle patine d'époque, aucun accroc, tous les zips fonctionnent."

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The leather is in great condition and has just the right amount of patina. The jacket feels really solid. It's a nice touch how the stripes' edges are folded instead of showing the rough edges. Overall, stitching looks ok with exception of the sleeve zippers. Stitching on those looks a bit sloppy.

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Fit / pattern

You can tell it's a racing jacket the second you put it on. The sleeves are really curved and the chest is tight. The jacket is in it's natural position when reaching forward. When standing straight with the arms hanging down, the chest feels a bit tight and the shoulder seams feel slightly uncomfortable.

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I love it. Those angled chest pockets make a unique design and the blue / black color combination is great to match with black or indigo jeans.

Would you recommend a Luda. Have send a few floating about, and thought I might jump on one

 

[JMax]

Stunning- where’s the jacket from?

It’s an Apparel Annex. They made distinctive jackets in a variety of colors. There is a blue x zip on eBay I’ve been eyeballing.

 

[bigmanbigtruck]

Not mine, but saw this bates on Finds & Deals thread but think it belongs here. It’s certainly a vibe.

 

[zebedee]

Aero Café Racer in tan steer hide. I also want to get one in FQHH blue.

 

[Marc mndt]

Would you recommend a Luda. Have send a few floating about, and thought I might jump on one

They're not very suitable for evey day use (off the bike). The curved sleeves, tight chest and rotated sleeve pitch make it uncomfortable to wear while standing upright.

 

[newtojackets]

They're not very suitable for evey day use (off the bike). The curved sleeves, tight chest and rotated sleeve pitch make it uncomfortable to wear while standing upright.

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Ah good to know, thanks

 

[MrProper]

I don't think I've posted my green one here yet...

 

[newtojackets]

It’s an Apparel Annex. They made distinctive jackets in a variety of colors. There is a blue x zip on eBay I’ve been eyeballing.

Jump on this. I know I would if I were in the US:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325906391398

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I’d like to see this one up close.
Wonder who made it….Vanson??

 

[3.14nche]

Maybe Z Custom ?

 

[AHP91]

My Cal

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

My Cal

Now there’s a unicorn!
Is that in the Cal thread?
If not….
B

 

[newtojackets]

Not quite a cafe racer but close enough.
Recent pickup from me. It’s from an English brand called Crowtree leathers

Annoyingly the red is slightly lighter in person than in the photos (I want the jacket to be the same colour as the photos. Any tips for darkening?

 

[Tom71]

Not quite a cafe racer but close enough.
Recent pickup from me. It’s from an English brand called Crowtree leathers

Annoyingly the red is slightly lighter in person than in the photos (I want the jacket to be the same colour as the photos. Any tips for darkening?


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You can use cherry/cordovan coloured shoe polish. Try on a hidden spot first (inside of hem?).
Biggest risks that the colour will not darken The leather evenly but will appear streaky.

 

[Marc mndt]

These bright colored jackets are usually pigment dyed having a thick topcoat. Shoe cream won't penetrate the topcoat. The only way to darken it is by applying on a new topcoat. I think @Canuck Panda did so with a couple of his jackets?

 

[newtojackets]

These bright colored jackets are usually pigment dyed having a thick topcoat. Shoe cream won't penetrate the topcoat. The only way to darken it is by applying on a new topcoat. I think @Canuck Panda did so with a couple of his jackets?

Ah interesting, curious to hear about what he has to say. If it is too difficult, I may just stick with the colour.

Out of curiosity, will a regular conditioner e.g. Pecard’s darken it

Also I noticed this jacket has this really cool tea core like effect, but the underlying layer is actually white, so there is white peeking through (quite hard to capture on camera):

 

[02 nighttrain]

neatsfoot oil will darken many types of leather

 

[Tom71]

Ah interesting, curious to hear about what he has to say. If it is too difficult, I may just stick with the colour.

Out of curiosity, will a regular conditioner e.g. Pecard’s darken it

Also I noticed this jacket has this really cool tea core like effect, but the underlying layer is actually white, so there is white peeking through (quite hard to capture on camera): View attachment 617443

Although @Marc mndt is usually right, I would still try with shoe polish. I would indeed use the cream as a topcoat of sorts, for it will still darken the leather.
Of course, this will wear down with time but can be repeated. I was suggesting this as a fairly easy remedy which shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.

With an assembled jacket, you can’t soak/dye the whole piece without painting up the white parts too.

 

[newtojackets]

Although @Marc mndt is usually right, I would still try with shoe polish. I would indeed use the cream as a topcoat of sorts, for it will still darken the leather.
Of course, this will wear down with time but can be repeated. I was suggesting this as a fairly easy remedy which shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.

With an assembled jacket, you can’t soak/dye the whole piece without painting up the white parts too.

A cherry colored one like you mentioned earlier right?

 

[DLBERNAU]

My silver/red Vanson AR. Bought this a month ago, according to Vanson it was made in 2010. Appears to have never been worn. I love it.