Do you ever try to guide how creases should form on your jacket?

[navetsea]

Sorry if this sounds a little crazy, but since leather jacket will eventually form creases following our movement, and these creases would be more or less permanent and eventually also affect how the leather would fade leaving darker and lighter shades throughout our jacket, do you guys have any special attention on their appearance? Do you just wear it and let them form naturally, or give some guide to how they should appear more symmetrically?

on my tighter fit jacket these creases would immediately appear around the shoulder and stomach area, I often find myself kneading, pinching, pushing, balancing how these lines should be:eusa_doh:

Care to share opinion and tips on this

thanks

 

[Seb Lucas]

I usually let wear take its course - creases look best when they are natural - but I sometimes shape a collar or remove a fold that shouldn't be there after packing, etc.. You soak the area and flatten with a large book or similar until dry. Like ironing. In fact you can steam and iron wrinkles out in leather too. Like others I wash some jackets in a washing machine to loosen them up and speed up break in. Most of the time jackets are best left alone.

 

[Dr H]

No, the thought has never crossed mind.

 

[Big J]

I only care about collars creasing correctly.

 

[nick123]

No such thing as crazy. We have a few here, I being a proud one. I don't focus on creases too much, but the few times I've had a jacket stored folded or bunched up, I'd sometimes notice a big crease that developed, and I'd get bummed out. The feeling would last for a few minutes, then kind of go away when I realized over time the rest of the jacket would catch up to it or the crease would go away altogether in due course.
What does get to me are creases from jackets being shipped in too small of a box. I've sent a return in one, when I was new to this and was careless. I still feel kind of guilty to this day.

 

[Vespizzare]

I'm a loser going in. One shoulder is higher than the other. Not as bad as Richard 3rd; but then again I'm not a king. It makes for some crazy diagonal creases in back; but luckily I'm not vain (about how I look from the back).

 

[Deacon211]

OK, I'll admit it...I'm a creaser.

I mostly find that I do it in my ELCs. Of course, I mostly only HAVE ELCs. In general and as has been posted before, ELCs seem to start out a bit stiffer than average. I'm not sure if this is completely period accurate or if it's just the method that ELC chooses to use.

In any case, the consequence seems to be that the jackets tend to form folds that soften as the rest of the jacket softens up. I'd have to admit being a little OCD about some of these. But, partly as I got over it and partly as I never seemed to be able to do anything about it, I just accepted the creases as part of the character of that jacket.



Call it a battle scar. After all, had I been strapping into my Yellow Peril back in 1941, I probably wouldn't have too much time to worry about such things I suppose.




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[IXL]

I just wear them and let the creases form where they will.

 

[Worf]

The collar crease is the only one I care about. My D1 Redskin is developing some unwanted creases from driving in it so much during this "winter from hell". Urrrgh!

Worf

 

[Edward]

Call it a battle scar. After all, had I been strapping into my Yellow Peril back in 1941, I probably wouldn't have too much time to worry about such things I suppose.

I'd love to be able to take a trip through time, to give some of the guys who were issued with these jacket originally a look at how we all can obssess about the details..... their reactions would be priceless!

I'm a bit precious about actual damages to the leather, but otherwise, I don't think about creases - let them fall where they may with wear, that's what makes it my jacket...

 

[navetsea]

Thanks all for the opinions
I don't really make it all symmetrical line by line, I put it on first and move around in it, but then after it develop some creases, whenever I look in the mirror, I can't help but trying to guide the crease to somewhat look more appealing and more or less balanced from what's going on the left and the right side as far as I could, I really can't stand lopsided line going across my back just because it happened naturally or accidentally. Well at least for me this OCD-ness will keep me busy and content with one jacket for a much longer time .



Thanks Seb Lucas for the tip, I will try to make it damp a little bit and put a bible on top overnight.

 

[handymike]

I try not to wear mine while driving. I think that will keep the shoulder and back ok. Other than that, I've been wearing my new horsehide jacket all around the house and even laying on the couch while wearing it to get it worked in a bit.
But when the cat starts kneading it, off she goes.

 

[tropicalbob]

I've instructed my cats that if they so much as look at my Aero they'll be residing in the alley and hoping for the occasional mouse.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

No. Never.

 

[Treetopflyer]

Nope, never worried about the creases. I have a God awful crease on the lower back of my G-1 from wearing it with my survival vest in the cockpit over the years. When I look at it I think how horrible it appears, but then think about how the crease was formed and then I smile.

 

[Dr.Seuss]

My two cents: I wear mine, it creases, and it becomes mine. (If I could just get that crease on my forehead straight. My wife would be happier. )

 

[Peacoat]

I try not to wear mine while driving. I think that will keep the shoulder and back ok. Other than that, I've been wearing my new horsehide jacket all around the house and even laying on the couch while wearing it to get it worked in a bit.
But when the cat starts kneading it, off she goes.

Driving is one of the best ways to get the shoulders and back broken in. If you are neglecting that, then you are missing out on a good and natural breaking in technique.

I agree with the part about the cat. Cats and leather just don't do well together.

 

[handymike]

I'm not wanting the left shoulder to get weird from the seatbelt. I wear a backpack that will break in both shoulders equally

 

[navetsea]

today I collected two way zippers I ordered online from the post office, now I can zip up my longer jacket while driving without the neck hole ends up to my chin, ever since I have a diagonal scar across one of my jacket's back, I drive with my jacket zipped up and avoid jacket with generous room on the body, and also alter the sleeves of my jackets to be rotated forward a little at the shoulder so whenever I raise my arms the back of the jacket would be firmly pressing against my back leaving no room for accidental creasing with the back rest of the seat. To me riding motorcycle is a better way to break in the leather more equally (unless you're riding on a long road with the sun shining on your side leaving one side of the jacket paler than the other... OK I have a mental issue:eusa_doh

 

[handymike]

You could do Bikram Yoga with the jacket zipped up.