Craziest Pre-Fedora-Lounge jacket purchase?

[AeroFan_07]

Ok folks, looking to have a little fun with this thread. Like the title says, what did you buy prior to being on FL that looking back, makes you wonder a bit? Can be any type of jacket here - leather, nylon, parka, denim, cotton etc. If you have photos, please post those too. Ideally of you wearing it - or trying to. Give a little history on it, like how it happened, etc.

Could be any catagory of crazy -- jacket design, details, fit (or lack thereof) or maybe you bought what you thought was a "44" only to find out it was sized for a different county and found it was in fact a "34". Anything within "crazy" reason goes here. And if you were one of those amazing souls who never bought a crazy jacket until you came to FL - well, go ahead and share those too.

I'll start out here with a quick backstory. In the late '90's and early '2000's I was really on the hunt to get a motorcycle. Only problem was I lived deep in the Chicago suburbs at the time - and those are sometimes not the ideal areas to start out riding in as a beginner. However I still liked jackets in those days too.

With time, I learned about several "old school" motorcycle shops and happened to be checking one out in Elmhurst, IL. Then I saw it...hanging on the wall...calling my name..."dude - put me on!" "Dude - Buy me and take me home!"
it was about this time I should have walked out of the shop, and into a hospital psychiatric ward. Instead I plunked down my credit card to a slightly bemused shop clerk - paid the $450 and walked out, still wearing the jacket. (They had never seen me before).

What was I wearing?

~ 2000 Vanson Star jacket.
Without a doubt, it was the craziest jacket I have ever owned, but golly, I loved it! It was much too short in the body (however that was the style) and boy did all those patches and the star itself draw alot of attention.

The most entertaining moment I ever have had wearing a leather jacket occured while wearing this jacket in Chicago Marshall Fields while Christmas shopping. Why I was doing that in the Vanson is still quite unknown. Several senior ladies all surrounded me and asked about the jacket. They absolutely loved it! one of them took down the brand name and said she was going to look it up and find a "women's version." I tend to think she did just that.

There you go - what have others done that was anything similar?

 

[Marc mndt]

Burberry Prorsum suede-leather lined trench coat. Pretty cool jacket but I would never spend that kind of money on a jacket anymore. I think it was almost 5k. Also, it was way too heavy for my taste (which I only realized after buying it). I wore it about 10 times before selling it last year. It had been looking cool in my closet for 8 years.

 

[Monitor]

Amusingly so, it took me five years for my taste to evolve to the point of realizing that the very jacket you bought first, Randy, might probably be the coolest leather jacket I could've ever hoped to wear. Vanson Star or something along these lines is absolutely something I plan on having, even as my last leather jacket purchase ever. Doubt it it'll be last but it's really difficult to go back to those... Let's call them regular styles, once you get used to wear something as fun as this.

My first purchase that was somewhat out there was this Harro. Nothing obscene but I actually did get a couple of compliments on it.

 

[dwilson]

Not a jacket really but it took me quite a few trials and errors to learn that I'm a US small and a Japanese large. I have quite a few shirts from when I started buying things direct from Japan that look like they could fit one of my 12 year old cousins. My 5'2" wife is currently rocking my first Strike Gold hoodie I bought at the moment ...

 

[ton312]

Hold my beer....(not pre-TFL though)

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Tony, I hope you wore that in downtown Chicago at some point...

 

[Marc mndt]

Hold my beer....(not pre-TFL though)

OMG hehe

 

[AeroFan_07]

Amusingly so, it took me five years for my taste to evolve to the point of realizing that the very jacket you bought first, Randy, might probably be the coolest leather jacket I could've ever hoped to wear. Vanson Star or something along these lines is absolutely something I plan on having, even as my last leather jacket purchase ever. Doubt it it'll be last but it's really difficult to go back to those... Let's call them regular styles, once you get used to wear something as fun as this.

Absolutley right Monitor! I'm keeping my eyels peeled for a "44" Star these days. Preferable from the same time frame so the same leather. Just for the fun of it!

 

[TREEMAN]

Hold my beer....(not pre-TFL though)

Without the yoke it's not a bad jacket....leather looks kinda thick.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Burberry Prorsum suede-leather lined trench coat. Pretty cool jacket but I would never spend that kind of money on a jacket anymore. I think it was almost 5k. Also, it was way too heavy for my taste (which I only realized after buying it). I wore it about 10 times before selling it last year. It had been looking cool in my closet for 8 years.

View attachment 330651

Marc - I see Burberry is still at it - here is a Lambskin snap-up bomber for, well, $2650 USD.

https://us.burberry.com/logo-embossed-lambskin-bomber-jacket-p80298181

 

[abone]

My errors, if you will, have been committed multiple times.

Well before retirement I frequented a men’s shop for my MTM suits, slacks and sports coats. They carried Andrew Marc leather jackets and given the shop carried nice bespoke lines of clothing, I assumed the leather would be of a suitable quality.
Over a few years I bought 4 of these POS jackets, each costing north of 1000 clams.
Two left in the closet gathering humiliation dust, the other are long gone to goodwill. Call me a slow learner.

My other more embarrassing moment is shortly after I bought my first Harley. I spotted a brand new cross-zip in a shop for $100. Thought “how can I go wrong?”
It had a patch on the back. When I got home my boys broke out into hysterics laughing at the patch. “Dad you can’t wear that!!” The patch said “Harley Rules”.
I still cringe thinking about that.

 

[ton312]

Absolutley right Monitor! I'm keeping my eyels peeled for a "44" Star these days. Preferable from the same time frame so the same leather. Just for the fun of it!

No. Never. It was returned in 24hrs.

Without the yoke it's not a bad jacket....leather looks kinda thick.

This is true. The hide was actually really, really nice. Which begs the question, why do this to that hide.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Mine wasn't just a jacket, it was a whole suit. Back in the 1986 I was in my last year of high school, age 16 turning 17. I was into all things Rockabilly in a huge way and scoured the thrift stores for anything vintage 50s clothing-wise. I found a couple of nice suits and one that was 80s-imitates-50s, which was a thing back then - a lot of new clothes for young men were flecked and trousers often had pegged bottoms etc. But what did I love most about this beauty? It was MINT GREEN.

Yes folks, I purchased Mr Mint Green Suit with the hard-earned dough from my after school grocery store job and took him home, much to the amusement of my parents. My school friends didn't say anything when I wore the thing to school dances and so forth; they were used to me being the crazy cat with the way-out hair and wild clothes, and besides, we were all kids wearing pastel colours back then.

So come the end of the year, I wore the jacket with some other trousers, grey or black I don't remember, and took this chick I had a major crush on to see a band in the city. The guy at the door, who managed a lot of the Rockabilly bands and venues in the scene at the time, raised an eyebrow but let me in, even though he knew I was underage - he could clearly see I was right into the music etc. His name is Rick Stone, and in subsequent years we became friends. He lives in Queensland now, and all these years later, whenever we catch up he grins at me and says, "Remember that damn green jacket?"

How could I forget it?

Benny Holiday aged 16 (sans mint green suit!):

 

[Bahabp100]

Ok folks, looking to have a little fun with this thread. Like the title says, what did you buy prior to being on FL that looking back, makes you wonder a bit? Can be any type of jacket here - leather, nylon, parka, denim, cotton etc. If you have photos, please post those too. Ideally of you wearing it - or trying to. Give a little history on it, like how it happened, etc.

Could be any catagory of crazy -- jacket design, details, fit (or lack thereof) or maybe you bought what you thought was a "44" only to find out it was sized for a different county and found it was in fact a "34". Anything within "crazy" reason goes here. And if you were one of those amazing souls who never bought a crazy jacket until you came to FL - well, go ahead and share those too.

I'll start out here with a quick backstory. In the late '90's and early '2000's I was really on the hunt to get a motorcycle. Only problem was I lived deep in the Chicago suburbs at the time - and those are sometimes not the ideal areas to start out riding in as a beginner. However I still liked jackets in those days too.

With time, I learned about several "old school" motorcycle shops and happened to be checking one out in Elmhurst, IL. Then I saw it...hanging on the wall...calling my name..."dude - put me on!" "Dude - Buy me and take me home!"
it was about this time I should have walked out of the shop, and into a hospital psychiatric ward. Instead I plunked down my credit card to a slightly bemused shop clerk - paid the $450 and walked out, still wearing the jacket. (They had never seen me before).

What was I wearing?

View attachment 330649

View attachment 330650

~ 2000 Vanson Star jacket.
Without a doubt, it was the craziest jacket I have ever owned, but golly, I loved it! It was much too short in the body (however that was the style) and boy did all those patches and the star itself draw alot of attention.

The most entertaining moment I ever have had wearing a leather jacket occured while wearing this jacket in Chicago Marshall Fields while Christmas shopping. Why I was doing that in the Vanson is still quite unknown. Several senior ladies all surrounded me and asked about the jacket. They absolutely loved it! one of them took down the brand name and said she was going to look it up and find a "women's version." I tend to think she did just that.

There you go - what have others done that was anything similar?

Come and get it
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174743697564

 

[Khilij]

I only rented it, and thank God all pictures of it have been lost, but my biggest clothing blunder was a pink tuxedo I rented for my high school senior prom at the behest of my date. I'd like to say I made it look good, but the honest truth is I looked like a darn flamingo.

 

[AeroFan_07]

View attachment 330737
Come and get it
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174743697564
View attachment 330737

Dang! I saw this on ebay recently! Quite a nice jacket there - but I honestly think the "42" would be a bit too small for me.
Do you have shoulder, pit to pit and back length dimensions? Thank you!

 

[Bahabp100]

Dang! I saw this on ebay recently! Quite a nice jacket there - but I honestly think the "42" would be a bit too small for me.
Do you have shoulder, pit to pit and back length dimensions? Thank you!

It’s still there

 

[navetsea]

Ok folks, looking to have a little fun with this thread. Like the title says, what did you buy prior to being on FL that looking back, makes you wonder a bit? Can be any type of jacket here - leather, nylon, parka, denim, cotton etc. If you have photos, please post those too. Ideally of you wearing it - or trying to. Give a little history on it, like how it happened, etc.

Could be any catagory of crazy -- jacket design, details, fit (or lack thereof) or maybe you bought what you thought was a "44" only to find out it was sized for a different county and found it was in fact a "34". Anything within "crazy" reason goes here. And if you were one of those amazing souls who never bought a crazy jacket until you came to FL - well, go ahead and share those too.

I'll start out here with a quick backstory. In the late '90's and early '2000's I was really on the hunt to get a motorcycle. Only problem was I lived deep in the Chicago suburbs at the time - and those are sometimes not the ideal areas to start out riding in as a beginner. However I still liked jackets in those days too.

With time, I learned about several "old school" motorcycle shops and happened to be checking one out in Elmhurst, IL. Then I saw it...hanging on the wall...calling my name..."dude - put me on!" "Dude - Buy me and take me home!"
it was about this time I should have walked out of the shop, and into a hospital psychiatric ward. Instead I plunked down my credit card to a slightly bemused shop clerk - paid the $450 and walked out, still wearing the jacket. (They had never seen me before).

What was I wearing?

View attachment 330649

View attachment 330650

~ 2000 Vanson Star jacket.
Without a doubt, it was the craziest jacket I have ever owned, but golly, I loved it! It was much too short in the body (however that was the style) and boy did all those patches and the star itself draw alot of attention.

The most entertaining moment I ever have had wearing a leather jacket occured while wearing this jacket in Chicago Marshall Fields while Christmas shopping. Why I was doing that in the Vanson is still quite unknown. Several senior ladies all surrounded me and asked about the jacket. They absolutely loved it! one of them took down the brand name and said she was going to look it up and find a "women's version." I tend to think she did just that.

There you go - what have others done that was anything similar?

to break even you have to come full circle, you have to.

 

[navetsea]

my first self bought leather jacket is this

after a year and I glued the flimsy collar down and patched and machine washed.
pre and post wash

I must say... I dress the same way

The most recent time I wear the jacket

Lucky the orange ness somehow evaporated oxydized ? Maybe cheap dye was unstable... I surely didnt wear the jacket enough to be faded by sun, I'm not complaining it is more wearable in the end.

 

[nickv]

Hold my beer....(not pre-TFL though)

Love that song! Jacket made me chuckle though.