Favorite jacket? Owned or dreamed of.

[dannyk]

Gosh - just shows how different we all are. My weight is the same as what it was 36 years ago in high school. So I still fit jackets I was wearing in 1983. Boots I tend to wear out in a year. I personally don't spend more than $30 to $100 on any items except jackets. I have 7 Aussie made work boots that cost $100 each, I rotate them each day. I do not own any other type of footwear. It's not that I don't have the cash, I just don't see reason to spend it.

Regardless of whether boots/shoes are your thing or not. You certainly are an exception for weight. Not that most people change drastically. But most people do change. And especially when talking about expensive jackets where people tend to spec the hell out of them to get the perfect fit where a few lbs one way or another would effect the look.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

At first vintage leather jackets held my interests but after realizing that a good vintage fit was a rarity for me ( being tall with long arms and torso ), I moved on. After owning quite a few leather jackets from several of the main repro brands..I found Thedi..and surprisingly fell in love. I enjoy the bees wax crisp finish that doesn't scratch easily or water spot, slightly antiquing wash and somewhat molded fit. Still a heavy leather..but slides right on and falls in place and easy to move in. It is the ultimate for me over all others. I now own a couple Thedis and moved everything else on except a battered tan Aero Teamster. Now I'm completely satisfied after a long journey of trial and error.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Regardless of whether boots/shoes are your thing or not. You certainly are an exception for weight. Not that most people change drastically. But most people do change. And especially when talking about expensive jackets where people tend to spec the hell out of them to get the perfect fit where a few lbs one way or another would effect the look.

Maybe - but I also never buy close fitting items, so even if I were to put on 2 pounds over a self-indulgent Christmas, say - I wouldn't expect it to make a difference to anything I own. I have never fully understood the speccing to within an inch of it's life - to me that seems more about control than jackets, but as I say everyone's different.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Interesting to hear people say they don't spend much on their shoes. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way to do it of course, but I do buy high quality boots. Sure, jackets cover more of your body and I do think a leather jacket is the ultimate statement piece, but they can only be worn so often. I doubt anyone lives somewhere where they can wear a leather jacket all year long. Boots can be worn all year long much easier.

Beyond that, I personally do not understand wearing high quality leather jackets with other cheap clothing. If I'm going to wear high quality clothing, why wouldn't I want all of my clothing to be at least solid quality? Again, I'm not saying anyone who does things differently is wrong, but I certainly don't understand it.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Interesting to hear people say they don't spend much on their shoes. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way to do it of course, but I do buy high quality boots. Sure, jackets cover more of your body and I do think a leather jacket is the ultimate statement piece, but they can only be worn so often. I doubt anyone lives somewhere where they can wear a leather jacket all year long. Boots can be worn all year long much easier.

Beyond that, I personally do not understand wearing high quality leather jackets with other cheap clothing. If I'm going to wear high quality clothing, why wouldn't I want all of my clothing to be at least solid quality? Again, I'm not saying anyone who does things differently is wrong, but I certainly don't understand it.

No offense, I find your reaction amusing and not unexpected. There's a bunch of assumptions in what you say - and doubtless they are shared by consumers everywhere. And maybe you don't really think like this. The assumption is that high price is better than cheap; that good aesthetics is inherent in cost; that clothing can be rated according to price; that high quality is a necessary product of high price.

Sorry to be tedious, but to answer your question, a list - I wear $12 t-shits in black which look as good to me as any $300 t-shirt. They tend to last 5-10 years. I wear $25 Wrangler jeans that look no worse than expensive jeans and, judging from friends with $300 denim, the Wranglers will outlast them despite being many times cheaper. I have several plain black $80 wool sweaters that are currently 15 years old with no holes or obvious wear. My boots are $100 but they last about the same as the $500 RM Williams boots I flirted with for a while, which were less comfortable and cost a lot to maintain. I just pick stuff that does the job well for less and looks fine.

I generally don't spend all that much on leather either. I like to get used stuff for $100 to $200 a jacket. I did buy a nice Aero half-belt new for a ridiculous $1700 but to be honest it doesn't please me more than any other jackets.

 

[Superfluous]

I’ve lost all interest in ultra heavy, stiff leather. I love to look at it... but wearing it kind of sucks.

Soon to be a signature quote.

 

[BloodEagle]

My absolute fave - Real McCoys Buco J-24L, bought in April of this year and breaking in quite nicely - I love the back especially. I haven't worn it with the mouton collar attached yet, plenty of time for that in the cold months that lay ahead.

 

[Superfluous]

Favorite that I own: Buco J-100

Favorites that I do not own:

Sear Hercules with additional length in the body and sleeves

Custom Freewheelers Caboose (OTR doesn't fit)

 

[Marc mndt]

There's a bunch of assumptions in what you say

There is also an assumption in what you say: you assume that people pay a higher price for their clothing only because they expect the clothing to be of higher quality in terms of looks or longevity.

I wear $12 t-shits in black which look as good to me as any $300 t-shirt.

That may be the case but your $12 tshirt is made in Bangladesh, India or any other Asian country where people who work in the clothing industry are exploited. Your $12 doesn't reflect the true price of that garment. Its at the expense of fair working conditions and also the environment.
I buy $40 white t-shits because I know they are produced (semi) locally (Portugal) by people who earn fair wages. Made organic cotton.

I wear $25 Wrangler jeans that look no worse than expensive jeans and, judging from friends with $300 denim, the Wranglers will outlast them despite being many times cheaper.

I'm pretty sure those Wrangler jeans are not produced in the USA or Japan, unlike your friends' $300 denim. They may look good and they may be durable, but that's just part of the story.

I'm not judging you or anybody else for buying cheap clothing. I'm just saying that there are other quality aspects to take into account. Personally, I'm happy to pay extra $ for those.

 

[Monitor]

Interesting to hear people say they don't spend much on their shoes. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way to do it of course, but I do buy high quality boots. Sure, jackets cover more of your body and I do think a leather jacket is the ultimate statement piece, but they can only be worn so often. I doubt anyone lives somewhere where they can wear a leather jacket all year long. Boots can be worn all year long much easier.

Beyond that, I personally do not understand wearing high quality leather jackets with other cheap clothing. If I'm going to wear high quality clothing, why wouldn't I want all of my clothing to be at least solid quality? Again, I'm not saying anyone who does things differently is wrong, but I certainly don't understand it.

Agreed.

I was a loud advocate that clothes other than leather jackets shouldn't cost more than $50 and while, to be perfectly honest, I still don't see what's making $400 + jeans SO much nicer than the $80 Wrangler or Lee (good pair, of course, not something lame with stretch), I gotta admit that wearing a high end pair of jeans makes me feel better and it's because I'm wearing exactly what I wanted, instead of just getting something that looks good enough. The difference may be barely perceivable and even if it's not there, just wearing something that took effort to discover makes me happier.

Having said that, I have again given up on pricey jeans simply because I don't like jeans as much to justify spending huge amounts of money on them. But yeah, anyone who loves jeans absolutely should go for the best pair out there. I think most of us will go thru an entire day in the same pair of jeans so only makes sense to get the best possible pair & something you truly want to wear as unlike jackets and boots, pants are something we actually live in.

Boots, though... I can't say I've even gotten into boots but the difference between a top shelf pair to something even mid range couldn't be any more obvious. Clinch boots are a work of art and I don't mean the construction or just quality, but the way they're shaped, every part designed to look perfect. It's a fantasy engineer boot but it works. Lol not all that unlike Blahnik or Loubotin (not that hack Choo, tho).

 

[Seb Lucas]

There is also an assumption in what you say: you assume that people pay a higher price for their clothing only because they expect the clothing to be of higher quality in terms of looks or longevity.

That may be the case but your $12 tshirt is made in Bangladesh, India or any other Asian country where people who work in the clothing industry are exploited. Your $12 doesn't reflect the true price of that garment. Its at the expense of fair working conditions and also the environment.
I buy $40 white t-shits because I know they are produced (semi) locally (Portugal) by people who earn fair wages. Made organic cotton.


I'm pretty sure those Wrangler jeans are not produced in the USA or Japan, unlike your friends' $300 denim. They may look good and they may be durable, but that's just part of the story.

I'm not judging you or anybody else for buying cheap clothing. I'm just saying that there are other quality aspects to take into account. Personally, I'm happy to pay extra $ for those.

Nice work. But all of that is a series of compounded assumptions from you. You would need to prove that the stuff I own causes harm. I think providing jobs to people in other countries is perfectly fine. See what happens to them when we don't buy. You now need to prove the direct connection between my clothing and specific harm caused. Smear by association isn't enough. Nevertheless I'm not a total Right-wing prick. My stuff for the past 2 years generally comes from an Australian company that sources it's stuff from the realm of ethical sourcing and supply chains too. Do we believe them? The rest of my kit comes used from eBay and a thrift shop near me and for all I know children were slaughtered so that I may wear a $15 Harris tweed jacket. I kind of hope that's not the case.

 

[Marc mndt]

Nice work. But all of that is a series of compounded assumptions from you. You would need to prove that the stuff I own causes harm

I wrote my master thesis on this subject. Did my own research but also studied and reflected upon existing scientific knowledge:

http://www.ubvu.vu.nl/pub/fulltext/scripties/27_1774751_1.pdf

 

[Seb Lucas]

I wrote my master thesis on this subject. Did my own research but also studied and reflected upon existing scientific knowledge:

http://www.ubvu.vu.nl/pub/fulltext/scripties/27_1774751_1.pdf

A thesis is just an argument put forward, Marc. The best you can do is say you have gathered some information and lit reviews about general systemic examples of customer behavior across demographics. Interesting though that might be. We'll take this off line if you want to continue. Don't want to clog the thread.

 

[Marc mndt]

Custom Freewheelers Caboose (OTR doesn't fit)

I love the caboose. @dudewuttheheck rocks his. I especially like the high bottom hem panel, looks badass. Here's a vintage jacket that shares some design features :

For me, OTR also won't fit. I took some of the design elements and asked Greg whether he could incorporate those into his Idaho pattern. This is how it looks so far:

 

[Seb Lucas]

This one for me 1946 Californian Sportswear half belt. I reckon it will work with my fairly dull and inexpensive clothing.

 

[Davy Crockett]

Just for info' I think the Wrangler jeans Seb is alluding to (13MWZ or 936) are made of US manufactured material and are assembled in Mexico, and very fine jeans they are too.

D

 

[Carlos840]

Interesting to hear people say they don't spend much on their shoes. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way to do it of course, but I do buy high quality boots. Sure, jackets cover more of your body and I do think a leather jacket is the ultimate statement piece, but they can only be worn so often. I doubt anyone lives somewhere where they can wear a leather jacket all year long. Boots can be worn all year long much easier.

Beyond that, I personally do not understand wearing high quality leather jackets with other cheap clothing. If I'm going to wear high quality clothing, why wouldn't I want all of my clothing to be at least solid quality? Again, I'm not saying anyone who does things differently is wrong, but I certainly don't understand it.

To me the difference is between "show clothing" and "functional clothing"...
We might not be wearing these fancy jackets to show off, but we wear them for what they look like.
None of us (other than @Dav maybe) wears a leather jacket as a "work" jacket, we would be afraid to ruin them.

When i look at the condition of most boots worn here, they have crossed into similar territory (show clothing), people wear big old leather work boots that cost 1500$ and only use them to walk on paved sidewalks, greasing and brushing them on a regular basis, keeping them brand new looking.

To me boots have to remain functional clothing, i wear boots daily because i never want what i have on my feet to hold me back in anything i do. Whether i am unloading flightcases out of a van, working in the woods, crawling under a car, having to walk in mud, i never want to think "crap, i am going to ruin my shoes".
I can take a jacket off if i am afraid i might damage it, i am not running around bare feet to save my boots.
Once again, @Dav is probably the only user i see who is using expensive boots like that.

For me RedWings is the right compromise, they are high quality enough that i feel i am wearing quality, but cheap enough that i don't care too much about actually using them for what they are. Personally i would not have the heart to do the same thing if i wore boots made by Bryan the bootmaker, they would probably still look brand new...

 

[dudewuttheheck]

No offense, I find your reaction amusing and not unexpected. There's a bunch of assumptions in what you say - and doubtless they are shared by consumers everywhere. And maybe you don't really think like this. The assumption is that high price is better than cheap; that good aesthetics is inherent in cost; that clothing can be rated according to price; that high quality is a necessary product of high price.

Sorry to be tedious, but to answer your question, a list - I wear $12 t-shits in black which look as good to me as any $300 t-shirt. They tend to last 5-10 years. I wear $25 Wrangler jeans that look no worse than expensive jeans and, judging from friends with $300 denim, the Wranglers will outlast them despite being many times cheaper. I have several plain black $80 wool sweaters that are currently 15 years old with no holes or obvious wear. My boots are $100 but they last about the same as the $500 RM Williams boots I flirted with for a while, which were less comfortable and cost a lot to maintain. I just pick stuff that does the job well for less and looks fine.

I generally don't spend all that much on leather either. I like to get used stuff for $100 to $200 a jacket. I did buy a nice Aero half-belt new for a ridiculous $1700 but to be honest it doesn't please me more than any other jackets.

There are a few assumptions in what you say as well. Firstly, you seem assume that durability is of high importance for my choice of denim. It isn't. My specific choice in denim is weird, even for people who like raw denim. Without going into too much explanation, I know that my jeans will not last all that long, but I actually like that. Also, we would have to define what makes jeans better or worse. I'm not saying your $25 Wranglers are worse than my WWII Levi's repro jeans from Japan. They can't even be compared because they are so incredibly different.

Again, you assume that durability is the primary concern with the boots as well. If that was my main concern, I'd walk around in actual work boots from Wesco or Nicks. Also, I'm sure you're just throwing out a number, but I don't buy $300 t shirts. I don't know anyone who does. I don't know anyone who pays even half that much for a t shirt.

In fairness, I oversimplified when I said "quality." What I should have said was "enthusiast" or something along those lines. The leather jackets we buy are mostly made for people who are leather jacket enthusiasts. We care about the details of our leather jackets, from the leather, to the patterns, to the hardware, construction, etc. To me, I would feel weird buying a leather jacket made for leather jacket nerds and not buy other clothing that is also made for enthusiasts.

Also, I agree that price is not always equal to quality. I have boots that cost $400 that are better than boots I own that cost $900. Like I said before, I should not have used the word "quality" in my initial post. However, I do not believe that durability is not the only mark of quality. A top fuel dragster engine needs to be rebuilt after every 1/4 mile pass, but I wouldn't call those engines low quality. There are other qualities besides long life that people are trying to achieve when they make things.

I'm not trying to be assumptive, but much of what you wrote revolves around that idea of durability and cost per wear it seems. If cost per wear is extremely important to you, then that's awesome. For me, that's not my goal.

Agreed.

I was a loud advocate that clothes other than leather jackets shouldn't cost more than $50 and while, to be perfectly honest, I still don't see what's making $400 + jeans SO much nicer than the $80 Wrangler or Lee (good pair, of course, not something lame with stretch), I gotta admit that wearing a high end pair of jeans makes me feel better and it's because I'm wearing exactly what I wanted, instead of just getting something that looks good enough. The difference may be barely perceivable and even if it's not there, just wearing something that took effort to discover makes me happier.

Having said that, I have again given up on pricey jeans simply because I don't like jeans as much to justify spending huge amounts of money on them. But yeah, anyone who loves jeans absolutely should go for the best pair out there. I think most of us will go thru an entire day in the same pair of jeans so only makes sense to get the best possible pair & something you truly want to wear as unlike jackets and boots, pants are something we actually live in.

Boots, though... I can't say I've even gotten into boots but the difference between a top shelf pair to something even mid range couldn't be any more obvious. Clinch boots are a work of art and I don't mean the construction or just quality, but the way they're shaped, every part designed to look perfect. It's a fantasy engineer boot but it works. Lol not all that unlike Blahnik or Loubotin (not that hack Choo, tho).

Yeah you're into diminishing returns when you buy jeans that are over $100 probably, and maybe even before that. What you said is what I'm after: exactly what I want vs. good enough. I'm not saying people HAVE to wear more expensive clothing with their nice leather jackets, I'm saying that's what makes sense to me. Also, A solid pair of non-stretch Lees that fit well are still pretty solid. Definitely better than cheapo stretch stuff.

Also, mid level boots like Red Wing, Wolverine, etc are also great. That's still enthusiast stuff in my opinion. I'm not saying the boots need to cost as much as the jacket. I just don't understand why people wear a high end leather jacket with cheap mall shoes or low quality sneakers (I'm not anti-sneakers either, but why not at least get 70s Chucks?).


I guess another way to put it is that I like everything in my outfit to be pretty cohesive. I'm wearing vintage-style leather jackets, so I wear vintage-style hats, shirts, jeans, and boots too. I'm probably extra weird for doing things this way, but this is what makes sense to me

 

[dudewuttheheck]

To me the difference is between "show clothing" and "functional clothing"...
We might not be wearing these fancy jackets to show off, but we wear them for what they look like.
None of us (other than @Dav maybe) wears a leather jacket as a "work" jacket, we would be afraid to ruin them.

When i look at the condition of most boots worn here, they have crossed into similar territory (show clothing), people wear big old leather work boots that cost 1500$ and only use them to walk on paved sidewalks, greasing and brushing them on a regular basis, keeping them brand new looking.

To me boots have to remain functional clothing, i wear boots daily because i never want what i have on my feet to hold me back in anything i do. Whether i am unloading flightcases out of a van, working in the woods, crawling under a car, having to walk in mud, i never want to think "crap, i am going to ruin my shoes".
I can take a jacket off if i am afraid i might damage it, i am not running around bare feet to save my boots.
Once again, @Dav is probably the only user i see who is using expensive boots like that.

For me RedWings is the right compromise, they are high quality enough that i feel i am wearing quality, but cheap enough that i don't care too much about actually using them for what they are. Personally i would not have the heart to do the same thing if i wore boots made by Bryan the bootmaker, they would probably still look brand new...

I completely understand that. I probably didn't make it clear enough, but something like Red Wings still counts as high quality overall. I was referring to stuff well below Red Wing when I made my post. You are absolutely right, much of what we wear is "show clothing." However, I would not quite go that far, personally. In the first place, one reason I wear boots is for comfort. Over a long day of standing and/or walking, I find these thicker, work-style/vintage-style boots that I wear now to be vastly more comfortable than the sneakers, dress shoes, and fashion/dress boots that I used to wear. Basically, the boots I wear now are the most comfortable footwear I have owned. In fact (and this is subjective), my most expensive boots are easily my most comfortable and are what I reach for if I'm going to be on my feet for 12+ hours in a day.

That said, I do baby my stuff a bit and take care of it all. On the other hand, I do have some boots that I have no issue beating up and using for manual labor. Hell, I actually used to use one of my pairs of Clinch for doing manual labor. Yes, there are certain boots I own that I would NOT do hard work in because I care about them too much, but I do have other boots that I think are high quality that I don't mind beating the hell out of, like you with your Red Wings.

Plus, it helps that I can wear all of this to work. I wear my leather jackets to work. Sure, it's not physical labor, but I still get to wear this stuff all day every day (aside from quarantine )

 

[Seb Lucas]

Good come back, Dude. We differ. I still like you.