Dare to Dream: Your "Ultimate" Leather Jacket

[2jakes]

Passion is happiness.

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Years ago for the longest time my quest for this rare bike was such that at times I would have dreams of someday owning one.

It was great when owning one became a reality.
There have been other things as well.
But I realized that it was the search, going
to different places, meeting new people
that I enjoyed the most.

Passion is happiness...indeed!

 

[Bigbenbs]

Here's a try: I saw the gif and also the 4 quotes that I realize now are your signature. I thought that the meaning of your message was somehow communicated between the gif and the four quotes, which confused me, and led me to believe that the only possible answer was that I was being mocked in a particularly subtle way. After Ton's message, I realized what was happening. It was just the gif. The quotes were always there. The feeling of understanding triggered an impulse to let out a psuedo-philosophical rant, which was also partially inspired by the book I am currently reading, as well as the mild self-hatred I felt for getting up every 20 minutes or so to check my damned computer.

 

[Superfluous]

@Bigbenbs : I only have one thing to add . . . Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 2 is tonight.

 

[Mich486]

I can’t believe people on a clothing forum (this section at least) prefer to wear uniforms to work and find putting together an outfit a tiring and stressful task... personally is one of the thing I like the most!




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[ton312]

Clothes don't make the man and they never have. Happiness isn't found in possessions. We are all just costumers. It can't be equated to anything more than that.
If you equate a leather jacket with anything other than a costume....you have a problem. I've worn many costumes. Not a one brought me measurable "happiness" over another. I appreciate the details or features (for a little while anyway). But nothing I've ever purchased has ever brought me any real happiness. When I built my M/C I was happy that I could do it and it worked. That passed too. There's no secret knowledge or lesson to be learned here. It's just a jacket. It's literally useless as a myriad of other jackets could do the same thing. It's nothing but the pursuit of vanity. don't fool yourself into believing anything else.

 

[dannyk]

When I had a better job last year and bought myself 3 jackets I was in bliss but it passed. There’s a Mad Men quote fitting to this. “But what is happiness? It’s the moment before you need more happiness.” These obsessions and purchases, costumes, styles are great. I’m not sure I’m happy or what true long lasting happiness is, but I can tell you it doesn’t come from a jacket, a uniform, usually not even a job though it can on the last one. It’s usually family, friends, significant others, spending time registering voters in whatever party, volunteering at the soup kitchen or mentoring, or joining a group of people who meet depressed or suicidal people to be a support, donating to medical research, watching a child grow, and sometimes even achieving a personal goal of whatever professional/work you consider success. Jackets, clothes, motorcycles, houses, those are expressions of our personal success, not the answers to them.

 

[Monitor]

@Bigbenbs : I only have one thing to add . . . Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 2 is tonight.

Jesus Christ it's still not over!? Didn't all the zombies rot away by now?

...which was also partially inspired by the book I am currently reading, as well as the mild self-hatred I felt for getting up every 20 minutes or so to check my damned computer.

What book are you reading?

 

[Monitor]

Even when I was downright suicidal, I've always at the same time felt this immense happiness from... just being alive, I guess. Everything is absolutely beautiful and every second I've existed as a conscious being was an absolute joy. Even the shitty ones.

For me, things like this, jackets, clothes, whatever; it's just something to channel my happiness through. To give it a form, a name. It'd still be there, though, just not directed at something but rather everything.

So I see this as fun. Just that. And that'll do.

 

[Seb Lucas]

The benefits of school uniforms: https://www.summitacademyschools.org/apps/pages/school-uniform-benefits

Below are seven reasons why we feel school uniforms benefit our students, their families, and our teachers in creating a positive learning environment:

1. Reduces distractions

Uniforms help remove distractions in the classroom by creating common ground for everyone; students can focus on their academics rather than on what they and others are wearing.

1. Improves community and school spirit

Students wearing clothing in school colors with the school mascot creates a unified community, reduces competition among students, and improves school spirit.

1. Helps prevent bullying

Many students feel pressure to wear stylish clothes to school. And, parents often feel the economic pressure to provide their children with clothing that reflects the most current fashion trends. Therefore, students who do not wear the latest and greatest, may feel left out, criticized, or even bullied by their peers. School uniforms reduce economic and social barriers between students that often leads to bullying.

1. Prevents on-campus violence

Clothing that displays any form of vulgarity or gang reference encourages hostility, which sidetracks students from their education and positively participating in school activities. School uniforms eliminate inappropriate clothing from entering the learning environment and provides administrators a way to identify unwelcomed visitors on campus.

1. Streamlines morning routines

Mornings are hectic enough without having to decide what to wear. Schools with a school uniform policy, have students who can get ready for school quickly and have time to eat breakfast and organize for a successful day.

1. Lowers clothing costs

Buying the latest clothing trends to prepare their children for school, parents spend an average of $231 per child, per year (National Retail Federation). However, the average cost of school uniforms per child, per year, was $150 or less (National Association of Elementary School Principals).

1. Encourages other ways to express oneself

Because self-expression is important to us, and we want to encourage ways students can appropriately demonstrate their identity, uniforms inspire students to express themselves through their personality and achievements rather than by what they wear.

I have adopted a uniform for many years. Mostly black - same items every day, either a t-shrt and jeans or a black dress shirt and jeans. I have maybe 40 of the same t-shit and 20 of the same jeans, 25 of the same shirt. I WAY prefer things this way.

 

[Bigbenbs]

Jesus Christ it's still not over!? Didn't all the zombies rot away by now?



What book are you reading?

A biography of David Foster Wallace. Just finished Infinite Jest à few days ago, working throughone of his book of essays too. His whole authorial thing is about addiction, suffering, sincerity, and transcendence. Here's one of my favorite quotes from another piece he did:

"in the day to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles—is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness."

The thing he doesn't quite get to, because he's investigsting so much the way out of soul crushing addiction, is how one can obsessively pursue things on the other side of being eaten alive.

 

[Bigbenbs]

Clothes don't make the man and they never have. Happiness isn't found in possessions. We are all just costumers. It can't be equated to anything more than that.
If you equate a leather jacket with anything other than a costume....you have a problem. I've worn many costumes. Not a one brought me measurable "happiness" over another. I appreciate the details or features (for a little while anyway). But nothing I've ever purchased has ever brought me any real happiness. When I built my M/C I was happy that I could do it and it worked. That passed too. There's no secret knowledge or lesson to be learned here. It's just a jacket. It's literally useless as a myriad of other jackets could do the same thing. It's nothing but the pursuit of vanity. don't fool yourself into believing anything else.

Taken as an end in itself, I agree. I just think that once you've seen through it as a potential end in itself, then trying to bring a certain perfection to every aspect of one's life, of filling oneself as much as possible with excellence, can be an important expression of real meaning.

 

[TheMarriedHermit]

Even when I was downright suicidal, I've always at the same time felt this immense happiness from... just being alive, I guess. Everything is absolutely beautiful and every second I've existed as a conscious being was an absolute joy. Even the shitty ones.

For me, things like this, jackets, clothes, whatever; it's just something to channel my happiness through. To give it a form, a name. It'd still be there, though, just not directed at something but rather everything.

So I see this as fun. Just that. And that'll do.

Thou hast spoken wisdom, pilgrim.

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[dubpynchon]

A biography of David Foster Wallace. Just finished Infinite Jest à few days ago, working throughone of his book of essays too. His whole authorial thing is about addiction, suffering, sincerity, and transcendence. Here's one of my favorite quotes from another piece he did:

"in the day to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles—is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness."

The thing he doesn't quite get to, because he's investigsting so much the way out of soul crushing addiction, is how one can obsessively pursue things on the other side of being eaten alive.

I read Infinite Jest years ago, it took me a whole summer. It's great, I love the poetic image of Don Gately at the end lying on the beach. I nearly wrote a letter to the publisher asking if there was a sequel planned, I think that might have been part of the jest.

I took it down from my book shelves just now, and the actual pages smell of marijuana, which is kind of fitting. As I said, it was years ago when I read it.

 

[ton312]

Taken as an end in itself, I agree. I just think that once you've seen through it as a potential end in itself, then trying to bring a certain perfection to every aspect of one's life, of filling oneself as much as possible with excellence, can be an important expression of real meaning.

I guess I don't find much in the way of excellence (ambiguous term) in outerwear. Plenty of craftsmanship and artistry but that can be found in the cheapest of Chinese knock offs TBH. Hide quality. Ok sure. But then I reach in my closet and pull out something not built very well, beat to pieces. No greater reward either way. I just end up wearing a jacket. The pursuit you seek is fueled by ego. I understand it. Been doing it for quite awhile. I haven't found a tier above or below that brings more or less satisfaction.
I would never view well made clothing as a sign of excellence in ones life. It's just clothing. Covers your naughty bits. When you enter this realm you are looking to put a status on display. Anyone who says anything to the contrary is lying to themselves. I could be very happy wearing the same t shirt and jeans everyday. But somehow...that's not the case.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Uh..well..an ultimate jacket isn't the ultimate everything. I value many things much more than a leather jacket. My God, my Son and Daughters, my Grandkids and the security of my home and retirement.
However I do remember the joy of my first custom jacket. A Highwayman of brown CXL FQHH. I was absolutely thrilled to have a better fitting jacket much different that folks in my neighborhood wore ( mainly mall jackets ). It was/is special and at that time..the ultimate. An old feller in a Harley shop made the first comment about it being wonderfully like they use to make em. Then others complimented me about every time I wore it. It was icing on the cake for I was pleased with it personally anyway.
Then came other custom jackets where I chose the color, hide and fit. and I think That I have gotten comments on all of them. That's nice, but I liked them already regardless.
Finally I whittled them down to only six custom jackets ( not counting my HD crosszips, Schotts, and Cafe style jackets MC riding jackets).
Now all are different. My zip Highwayman in brown CXL, zip Bootlegger in Vintage brown CXL, Button Stuart in black vintage hvy HH, button Battered Tan Teamster, Aero B-6 shearling...and my cross button Thedi in tan buffalo.
So to me these will be my ultimate leather jackets. I wear them all..but the Thedi might be my favorite and most comfortable jacket if it's like my try on jacket.
Thinning my custom jackets down to several in different styles and colors is the ultimate feeling. Other jackets were trials and lessons. These keepers are the 'finish wearers'..( now don't laugh )..
HD

 

[Bigbenbs]

Uh..well..an ultimate jacket isn't the ultimate everything. I value many things much more than a leather jacket. My God, my Son and Daughters, my Grandkids and the security of my home and retirement.
However I do remember the joy of my first custom jacket. A Highwayman of brown CXL FQHH. I was absolutely thrilled to have a better fitting jacket much different that folks in my neighborhood wore ( mainly mall jackets ). It was/is special and at that time..the ultimate. An old feller in a Harley shop made the first comment about it being wonderfully like they use to make em. Then others complimented me about every time I wore it. It was icing on the cake for I was pleased with it personally anyway.
Then came other custom jackets where I chose the color, hide and fit. and I think That I have gotten comments on all of them. That's nice, but I liked them already regardless.
Finally I whittled them down to only six custom jackets ( not counting my HD crosszips, Schotts, and Cafe style jackets MC riding jackets).
Now all are different. My zip Highwayman in brown CXL, zip Bootlegger in Vintage brown CXL, Button Stuart in black vintage hvy HH, button Battered Tan Teamster, Aero B-6 shearling...and my cross button Thedi in tan buffalo.
So to me these will be my ultimate leather jackets. I wear them all..but the Thedi might be my favorite and most comfortable jacket if it's like my try on jacket.
Thinning my custom jackets down to several in different styles and colors is the ultimate feeling. Other jackets were trials and lessons. These keepers are the 'finish wearers'..( now don't laugh )..
HD

That sounds pretty excellent to me.

 

[zebedee]

Mine's my Aero Highwayman in brown fqhh that has been with me on my travels. It was also the start of my buying of more Aeros; even if I sell all the rest, I'd always keep the Highwayman.

I was never happier than when I went minimalist and did not have many clothing items either for work or casually, and would happily wear a limited combination each week. It's what I aim to get back to before my next stay overseas.

 

[Bfd70]

Wow. This thread has gone places.

 

[nick123]

Clothes don't make the man and they never have. Happiness isn't found in possessions. We are all just costumers. It can't be equated to anything more than that.
If you equate a leather jacket with anything other than a costume....you have a problem. I've worn many costumes. Not a one brought me measurable "happiness" over another. I appreciate the details or features (for a little while anyway). But nothing I've ever purchased has ever brought me any real happiness. When I built my M/C I was happy that I could do it and it worked. That passed too. There's no secret knowledge or lesson to be learned here. It's just a jacket. It's literally useless as a myriad of other jackets could do the same thing. It's nothing but the pursuit of vanity. don't fool yourself into believing anything else.

Yes, but a jacket temporarily ends the semi-misery that is "want". I'm single again and now I remember what it feels like to really want another jacket. I totally have a problem.

Joking a bit of course.

 

[nick123]

Right now it's a custom two tone M-422a in cream as a base color with black accents and mouton.