Fake leather?

[UWS Cowboy]

Just stumbled across this "Leather House" jacket and got it for a decent price. However, I was a bit worried about the hard, plastic like feel of the leather. It's not at all soft or pliable like my other jackets. Anyone familiar with the brand's reputation or know whether this is real leather that's just gotten hard with age or is it fake?

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[JLStorm]

Im no leather expert, but I see that the grain varies on the jacket which would lead me to believe its real leather. It may of course be split leather or some cheaper cut. I have had real leather that has been very cheap, thick but inexpensive and of poor quality. In fact I have one jacket that is made of quite cheap leather and has survived 15 years of hard wear...so if you like it and it feels like it will hold up...wear it!

 

[garzo]

Looks like an original Sears coat and Sears leather jackets used to be inexpensive but usually top American-made quality back in the day. This might be from the late 60s early 70s. No doubt real leather . . .

 

[johnnyjohnny]

LeatheR uP!

have no fear, sears leather shop was sears' name for their leather ware the 60s/70s, possibly 80s...i even have a schott 184sm style jacket made from their leather...not only does it look real with grain variegation that would definitely NoT be so varied if it wErE fake, but sears leather shop did not make fakes...

leather uP, and enjoy

 

[UWS Cowboy]

Excellent, I'm so glad I picked it up. With a little conditioning it already feels a lot softer, and I'm sure will only get better with a little wearing in. It's basically brand new.

 

[Longshanks]

Sears = real

Hi--
I had a Sears jacket, and also a couple of other coats from the era including Cresco and Cooper (at least they're very vintage with that wide-lapel brown/red leather look). They're real leather, but they all have the same odd plasticky feel to them, and I think that's just the way the leather was preserved or presented or the look they liked. I don't know if it's really plasticky and whether they're more water-resistant because of it, but it's possible it really is some kind of polymer/plastic coating on the leather.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Excellent, I'm so glad I picked it up. With a little conditioning it already feels a lot softer, and I'm sure will only get better with a little wearing in. It's basically brand new.

That's the trick. I have been given a couple of old leathers that were stiff like that. Conditioner did wonders. I even hastened the process a touch by using conditioner liberally on a soft (T-shirt) cloth dampened in hot water.

G'luck!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

P.S.

My first leather jacket came from Sears in Orlando, Florida. It has that same label. It's the real McCoy and I've had it for nearly 30 years! Still wears great.

 

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

UWS Cowboy -

I think it's just the spray finish that is on the leather. I've got a tan-colored Sears leather jacket from that same era (it even has the same zip out lining)...the leather gets better looking with wear.

Enjoy your jacket!

Noel

 

[Doug C]

personally I'm not crazy about the style but the leather itself looks pretty good to me. I even really like the russet color. Can't you see a suede like texture under the collar from inside where the lining zips in and out? Seems like you could from the picture, and that would be the obvious way of telling. The graining on the surface reminds me alot of a "shrunken lambskin" and people are paying big money for that lately. I'm a fan of the shrunken myself and I recently bought a capeskin leather jacket with very similar surface texture. Good buy, wear it with confidence.

Doug C