Favorite jacket? Owned or dreamed of.

[dudewuttheheck]

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

Hey that's great and I still like you too. If everyone liked the jeans I liked, I wouldn't live long enough to get a pair of them

 

[Carlos840]

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

I think that this sentence of yours shows that you do things differently...
Personally i have never thought of what i wear as an outfit, to me each part is just there because it is the most functional choice.
I wear American Apparel T shirts, they are good enough to keep their shape and colour for a few years, cheap enough that i don't care if i tear/stain one. Uniqlo cashmere or merino jumpers, same logic.
I only have IH 634 jeans, they are my favourite fit, only variation i need is different thickness depending on weather/heat.
RedWing boots, cause boots are the easiest footwear to live in IMO and RW are the correct value for money for me.
Leather jacket cause it is IMO the most versatile natural material for a jacket and they look cooler than anything modern you see "regular" people wearing. ( I also hate the sound of modern fabrics, the swooshing drives me insane!)

If i did what you do and created complete "outfits" i would feel like i am creating a character that i am not, or wearing a disguise/fancy dress.
But on the other hand i can see how if you really care about "outfit authenticity/cohesion" and enjoy creating these different "characters" then having a fancy loopwheeled T shirt that is period correct might be important to you.
Do you see yourself as a "reenactor of vintage looks"?

 

[Edward]

gaining or losing weight is your freewill is not a fate.

You're either an incredible rarity, or still under thirty.... Rapidly getting closer to fifty than forty and with a desk job, I'm trying to get back down to an ideal size I'd have considered positively elephantine when I was eighteen and five foot ten with a 28" waist!

Why did the Schott hate begin, though, is something I'll never understand. Sure they're not top of the line, material wise (I still claim the 618/613 pattern is as good as it gets) but they're still definitely in the competition.

I don't think it's hate, more that their own price rises - greatly exaggerated for those of us in the UK by the pound having dropped down the toilet since June 2016 - have raised the cost of a new 618/613/118 to in some cases more than a standard Aero, while the quality of their product has not significantly improved. It's not that they are in any way bad, more that if VW raised the price of a Golf to the same as a Morgan Plus Eight, most car guys would consider the Golf to suffer by comparison. I'd definitely consider a Schott at three, four hundred pounds new. Though as a garment I've found many from Pakistan or India as well made with as good, I'd accept that US manufacture will raise the price somewhat (as with many of us, I do worry about the working conditions of those who make my clothing). Also, while I'm unmoved by branding and much of the (questionable) "heritage" (Schott's marketing department can be 'creative'), a tangible benefit of the Schott is that they get the proportions right - too many of the cheaper alternatives may be perfectly well made, but are simply all off in the pattern. The number of Perfecto styles I see out there which are about four inches too long and just look all out of balance, like a leather version of one of those knee-length MA1s that were considered very fashion-forward some years ago....

For me, with Schott it just keeps coming back to the price, and the simple fact that for me (subjective, I know), I can get far better for the same money now. Schott have gone the way of ELC and priced themselves out of my market. But hey, it's not for me to say they're "wrong" to do so, if they can still fidn a large market willing to buy, good luck to them. Some of their special editions really are something wodenrful, but again way beyond what I'd ever be willing to spend.

Yeah I used to be a heavy hide nut. Now I honestly couldn’t care less. Good fit and a bit of character is where it’s at for me these days. I’ve lost all interest in ultra heavy, stiff leather. I love to look at it... but wearing it kind of sucks.

I cut my leather teeth on seventies and eighties bike jackets which were all about heft, before modern protection techniques like armour panels came into play. For a long time I only wanted heavy leather. It was about durability for me - heavy good, heavy last, light rip easy, light bad... - but of course as I've learned more my tastes have broadened. I still enjoy a heavy leather (and will buy more), but I've also come to enjoy the drape of a midweight hide, and Aero's goat has become among my absolute favourites. Always good to have leather you can wear in different seasons...

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.

I hear you. My problem with vintage is more on the horizontal than vertical plane, but there's a lot to be said for reproduction cut to fit the frame one has. For me, 'vintage' right across the board - and I do aspire to dress pre-1959 on a daily basis, head to toe - is about the style rather than provenance. I dream of having clothes stores I can walk into and come out with all new but cut to vintage patterns and styles. The biggest plus, aside from the surety that it will last that bit longer, is knowing thaT I can go out and enjoy myself without worrying I'm the one who could ruin a priceless piece of history by wearing it through...

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.

Thedi definitely seem to have come to be "your" signature brand as it were. I love those ones that look a bit like the original Snake Plisken jacket. Aero are my personal go-to - it's great to have a brand, which ever that may be, that you 'know' and that gives you the fit you want and all the rest. I've not had the chance to handle a Thedi in person as of yet, but they do look very nice. What I particularly like about them is how far they have come in the design aspect. There's been a real shift fom their original 70sish look in the first collection to earlier styles, but they've really added their own thing to it. Entering a pretty crowded marketplace where several brands have gone under across the years, Thedi have I think done well to create their own look, much as the othe successful bands. It's always great to see a new option that offers something new and interesting rather than another 'me too' copying the established brands.

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.

All depends what you want and what you priorities are, really. I think a lot of us on here end up buying *some* premium stuff because it's the only way to get hold of it. I know I often pay much more for trousers than a similar quality pair (of ethical manufacture) simply because I cannot abide a wasitband that sits below my natural waist. When it comes to underwear, I can buy new undershirts and undershorts that wouldn't look odd in the 50s from my local supermarket (all guaranteed ethically sourced and produced), so for something semi-disposable like that and which is of a reasonable quality standard, well, I don't have the cash to blow on that. I think what it comes down to is that I like "the best" in everything, but with finite resources I also have to be very aware of where the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and where I want to jump off that train. Leather jackets and footwear have a long lifespan, so I'm prepared to spend more for 'quality'; other things like trousers or jeans that wear out at the same rate for me no matter how much "more" I would spend, I'll jump earlier - if I can get the right cut. "Settling" for my Wrangler 13MWZs, cut unchanged since 1947, rather than spending £100 more on, say, Naked & FAmous or Levis cut to a similar pattern, means I save that extra money which can then go into better boots, jackets or other items I am prepared to put more into.

TL/DR: it's all about priorities and limited budgets fo most of us.

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

I discovered them via this forum a year and a half ago; my first pair have now, after heavy wear for avbout fourteen months, worn a little hole in the upper inner thigh area on each side and I have set aside to patch. My second pair are now doing well also. I still enjoy having a few pairs of other jeans as well for different looks, shades, wabash... but I'll tell you what, if Wrangler would but do this Cowboy Cut in a darker wash (ideally selvedge, but they're otherwise so good that's not a deal breaker), a wabash option, and a traditional black denim (one of the warp/weft being black and one white so they can have the contrast cuffs I love on the blue), I'd be hard pushed to go elsewhere for day to day jeans.

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 think there's a lot to be said for this school of thought as well. It's one key reason I would always rather have repro over original vintage (even my favourite pens to actually use day to day are the current Wing Sung 601, an as near as dammit perfect, and actually slightly improved, take on the Mark 1 Parker 51 from the late forties).

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I think that this sentence of yours shows that you do things differently...
Personally i have never thought of what i wear as an outfit, to me each part is just there because it is the most functional choice.
I wear American Apparel T shirts, they are good enough to keep their shape and colour for a few years, cheap enough that i don't care if i tear/stain one. Uniqlo cashmere or merino jumpers, same logic.
I only have IH 634 jeans, they are my favourite fit, only variation i need is different thickness depending on weather/heat.
RedWing boots, cause boots are the easiest footwear to live in IMO and RW are the correct value for money for me.
Leather jacket cause it is IMO the most versatile natural material for a jacket and they look cooler than anything modern you see "regular" people wearing. ( I also hate the sound of modern fabrics, the swooshing drives me insane!)

If i did what you do and created complete "outfits" i would feel like i am creating a character that i am not, or wearing a disguise/fancy dress.
But on the other hand i can see how if you really care about "outfit authenticity/cohesion" and enjoy creating these different "characters" then having a fancy loopwheeled T shirt that is period correct might be important to you.
Do you see yourself as a "reenactor of vintage looks"?

Interesting points. I guess one difference is our idea on leather jackets being the most versatile material for jackets. Personally, I feel that leather jackets are not the most practical at this point given the modern materials and designs available. I still love them of course, but I wear them because they look cool, feel cool, and I love the materials and details etc.

Great question in regard to if I see myself as a "reenactor of vintage looks." In my own mind, I do not see myself as that. This is for several reasons. The first and probably biggest reason is that I don't own very much vintage clothing. What I wear are clothes that are either reproductions or vintage-style or vintage-inspired looks. Many of the brands I wear even specifically point out that they make clothing that could have been from the past, but did not actually exist back then. Another reason is that I am not trying to recreate specific outfits that I see from the past. So in that sense it's not really reenacting. Also, I get a lot of inspiration for "style" from other people who wear the same type of clothing I do. In fact, I get more inspiration from them than I do from actual vintage photos and such, meaning I'm copying people living today more than people who lived in the past in a way.

The best way to explain it is by pointing out that a lot of brands and makers I wear combine details from different decades in one garment sometimes and also put their own twists on everything. That's what I feel like I'm doing. People can call my style fantasy or cosplay, whatever. My LVC triple pleat blouse that I just posted in WAYWT thread is a jacket that was originally made no later than 1880 if I remember correctly. It's an actual reproduction. However, I'm also wearing it with 1940's style engineer boots and a custom Art Fawcett Fedora that would probably be closest to a '40s style, but with a thin, western style ribbon - so it's a hat that probably never really existed. The henley t shirt is vintage-inspired, but also something that never existed and the duck trousers are also made by a single person operation and as far as I know, were not meant to reproduce any specific vintage items (I could be wrong, though).

I wear these clothes because I think clothing from the later 19th-mid 20th century look great. Also, I wear them because I love the materials, details, craftsmanship behind them as well. Some of it is also the small batch production and the passion behind the product being created by small, or sometimes two or even single person operations. It's all super nerdy, but like my original point- we're this nerdy about our jackets, so I'm this nerdy about my other clothes as well. That makes sense to me. I'm sure it doesn't to everyone and that's cool. I get compliments and weird looks in almost equal measures (probably more weird looks, but that's largely because of the hats alone haha ) . I'm comfortable with it and maybe it is reenacting or cosplay. I don't think of it as such, but if it is, I'm cool with that too.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

All depends what you want and what you priorities are, really. I think a lot of us on here end up buying *some* premium stuff because it's the only way to get hold of it. I know I often pay much more for trousers than a similar quality pair (of ethical manufacture) simply because I cannot abide a wasitband that sits below my natural waist. When it comes to underwear, I can buy new undershirts and undershorts that wouldn't look odd in the 50s from my local supermarket (all guaranteed ethically sourced and produced), so for something semi-disposable like that and which is of a reasonable quality standard, well, I don't have the cash to blow on that. I think what it comes down to is that I like "the best" in everything, but with finite resources I also have to be very aware of where the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and where I want to jump off that train. Leather jackets and footwear have a long lifespan, so I'm prepared to spend more for 'quality'; other things like trousers or jeans that wear out at the same rate for me no matter how much "more" I would spend, I'll jump earlier - if I can get the right cut. "Settling" for my Wrangler 13MWZs, cut unchanged since 1947, rather than spending £100 more on, say, Naked & FAmous or Levis cut to a similar pattern, means I save that extra money which can then go into better boots, jackets or other items I am prepared to put more into.

TL/DR: it's all about priorities and limited budgets fo most of us.

That definitely makes sense. In fairness, I do spend more on the jackets and boots than anything else too because they do have longer lifespans.

I think I should also point out that my t shirts are never worn as undershirts. They are always worn as visible parts of the outfit. I actually personally do not wear undershirts unless I am layering for cold weather (which only happens on vacations of business trips.) If I wear wearing undershirts, I don't think I would buy the same t shirts that I buy now for that purpose.

The fit issue you mention is a great point as well. Especially now that I have found how much I enjoy higher rise jeans and trousers, I also spend more money sometimes even within my own niche of clothing to get higher rises and fuller legs (basically, a more vintage cut) because even in the niche amekaji world, lower/mid rise and tapered or slim legs are more common.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I think I've privileged leather all these years because you can sponge it clean, it needs almost no maintenance and you can wear it for years, while it shows any wear as a virtue not a deficit. I like faded slightly worn things, probably because I'm a faded slightly worn thing myself.

 

[Monitor]

Leather jacket cause it is IMO the most versatile natural material for a jacket and they look cooler than anything modern you see "regular" people wearing. ( I also hate the sound of modern fabrics, the swooshing drives me insane!)

Nothing looks better than a leather jacket but it takes a leap of imagination to think of them as functional clothes in this day and age.

They're actually horrible, horrible things to wear and literally the only positive thing they've got going in is the fact that they're windproof but then again, so is nylon and a bunch of other material used in clothes today.
Leather jackets are uncomfortable to wear, restrictive, they smell bad, aren't any good at isolating heat and are worse when it's hot and God forbid you get them soaked. Not only does it takes days for the jacket to dry up but it might end up ruined, too.

Right now I can't think of any other piece of outerwear that has as many drawbacks as a leather jacket and yet... Here we are.

Another member said a couple of years ago that we shouldn't kid ourselves and admit it's all cosplay what we're doing here and I agree.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Nothing looks better than a leather jacket but it takes a leap of imagination to think of them as functional clothes in this day and age.

They're actually horrible, horrible things to wear and literally the only positive thing they've got going in is the fact that they're windproof but then again, so is nylon and a bunch of other material used in clothes today.
Leather jackets are uncomfortable to wear, restrictive, they smell bad, aren't any good at isolating heat and are worse when it's hot and God forbid you get them soaked. Not only does it takes days for the jacket to dry up but it might end up ruined, too.

Right now I can't think of any other piece of outerwear that has as many drawbacks as a leather jacket and yet... Here we are.

Another member said a couple of years ago that we shouldn't kid ourselves and admit it's all cosplay what we're doing here and I agree.

Yeah I'm with you on that. After wearing my leather jackets here in socal as well as in Denver, CO in fall and in Japan in winter I realized that it's actually pretty hilarious how terrible leather jackets are in terms of temperature versatility. I have to adjust what I wear under them like crazy to adapt them to the weather at all.

I still love them and there are worse things you can wear as outerwear, but we wear them because we think they're cool, not because they're actually super functional.

Mine have been fine in the rain, though. That said, we don't exactly get downpours here in socal.

In fact, I made this a few days ago to post on Instagram in regard to leather jackets:

It may be slightly exaggerated, but you get the point

 

[dannyk]

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.

Me either on the spec part. I didn’t mean to sound like I do that. It’s just something common we find amongst our ranks. And I can name a bunch of people I still talk to from HS that have grown or shrank since then. I’m actually with you and what I would say is rare. I’m within a few pounds of where I was in high school. Last point I actually don’t spend a ton of shoes/boots either. Well relative to jacket costs. I don’t currently have a pair over 350. More expensive than the average person but much less than around here. The point I wanted to try and make was simply was foot size is a constant. After puberty it doesn’t change. So if you wanted to invest in a really expensive pair and you really take care of them they truly can last a lifetime or close to it. Where as jackets really are something that you can grow/shrink out of in a few years if not careful.

 

[Monitor]

As for the boots, it's really exactly the same as with leather jackets.

These are nice Engineer boots...

These are work of art...

To me personally, this isn't the matter of cons and pros of one boot vs. the other as I'm sure both perform equally well and will last you just as long.

I don't think that nowadays, we can any longer delude ourselves that footwear isn't all about making a statement which what Clinch is all about and something they do best. It's no different than with any high end jacket maker. So yeah, I can see why it could be considered odd not to get a high end leather boots to accompany your high end leather jackets.

Thing is though, making a good pair of leather boots is a process just as elaborate as making a great leather jacket so I'm not really buying into the $1000 Chucks knock-off or stuff like that... Or at least I can't see it. But with boots, the leap in quality & looks is as obvious as with leather jackets.

 

[navetsea]

You're either an incredible rarity, or still under thirty.... Rapidly getting closer to fifty than forty and with a desk job, I'm trying to get back down to an ideal size I'd have considered positively elephantine when I was eighteen and five foot ten with a 28" waist!

I wear 28 or 29 size pants now.
but I can count with one hand how many times I drink soda and eat icecream this year, I can count with one hand how many times I eat KFC + Mc D + Dunkin in the last decade. I don't think I have special genes, just lack of love for food.

 

[dannyk]

I wear 28 or 29 size pants now.
but I can count with one hand how many times I drink soda and eat icecream this year, I can count with one hand how many times I eat KFC + Mc D + Dunkin in the last decade. I don't think I have special genes, just lack of love for food.

Yeah but something @Edward was hinting at is that genes matter, personal choices matter, your job matters, your lifestyle, your. Environment, how much free time etc...it all plays a role. So weight is part choice but also another half of it has a lot to do with things outside your control or at least outside your choice. But this all started because of my comment about footwear verse jackets haha. In my above comment I hope I at least made it clear what I meant. To sum it up for me I simply was making the comparison that foot size doesn’t change. After puberty it will literally never change. While weight can fluctuate. Whether people want to spend on boots there reasons for or not for doing it. All that aside I have no skin in the game and people can do whatever they want. I just meant literally foot size doesn’t change it’s a constant. There’s never a doubt there. Where as with jackets whether you’re lucky or put in work to remain the same size...it’s still something that can change. Whether it does or not, it can. Foot size ain’t changing no matter what. Unless of course some accident or surgery is required but that’s outside the norm.

 

[Carlos840]

Nothing looks better than a leather jacket but it takes a leap of imagination to think of them as functional clothes in this day and age.

They're actually horrible, horrible things to wear and literally the only positive thing they've got going in is the fact that they're windproof but then again, so is nylon and a bunch of other material used in clothes today.
Leather jackets are uncomfortable to wear, restrictive, they smell bad, aren't any good at isolating heat and are worse when it's hot and God forbid you get them soaked. Not only does it takes days for the jacket to dry up but it might end up ruined, too.

Right now I can't think of any other piece of outerwear that has as many drawbacks as a leather jacket and yet... Here we are.

Another member said a couple of years ago that we shouldn't kid ourselves and admit it's all cosplay what we're doing here and I agree.

You have both ignored the "natural material" in my post...
I am aware of leather's limitations as a material, it's just that i don't wear "plastic" if i can avoid it.
That doesn't leave much choice as far as a waterproof/windproof shell/jacket goes.
I have worn jackets made from wool, cotton, waxed cotton, and to me leather is the best at doing what i want a jacket to do without wearing plastic.

If i had to climb everest i would wear modern fabrics, but for everydaylife i would rather wear leather, it's enough for me.

 

[Monitor]

You have both ignored the "natural material" in my post...
I am aware of leather's limitations as a material, it's just that i don't wear "plastic" if i can avoid it.
That doesn't leave much choice as far as a waterproof/windproof shell/jacket goes.
I have worn jackets made from wool, cotton, waxed cotton, and to me leather is the best at doing what i want a jacket to do without wearing plastic.

If i had to climb everest i would wear modern fabrics, but for everydaylife i would rather wear leather, it's enough for me.

No, I agree with you. Just was expanding on my thoughts about leather in general. Don't know why I actually quoted your post, TBH. But yeah, as far as natural material goes, canvas is something I've so far been most happy with. It's basically cotton, sure but it's produced in a way that it has similar properties to leather (it's sturdy, thick) only with added breathability while being pretty much equally water/wind proof.

Sadly, it still doesn't look nearly as cool and frankly, most styles in it are either dirt ugly or plain boring. Even if they weren't tho, I'd definitely stick to leather despite it being the least friendly "material" to have any piece of clothes made of.

 

[navetsea]

Yeah but something @Edward was hinting at is that genes matter, personal choices matter, your job matters, your lifestyle, your. Environment, how much free time etc...it all plays a role. So weight is part choice but also another half of it has a lot to do with things outside your control or at least outside your choice. But this all started because of my comment about footwear verse jackets haha. In my above comment I hope I at least made it clear what I meant. To sum it up for me I simply was making the comparison that foot size doesn’t change. After puberty it will literally never change. While weight can fluctuate. Whether people want to spend on boots there reasons for or not for doing it. All that aside I have no skin in the game and people can do whatever they want. I just meant literally foot size doesn’t change it’s a constant. There’s never a doubt there. Where as with jackets whether you’re lucky or put in work to remain the same size...it’s still something that can change. Whether it does or not, it can. Foot size ain’t changing no matter what. Unless of course some accident or surgery is required but that’s outside the norm.

yeah, I get it. I just don't factor weight gain into sizing my clothes you won't wake up one morning and suddenly everything you have doesn't fit, when you're gaining weight you are totally on top of it day by day meal by meal and it is your choice to cut back the food or keep on enjoying it. I also never buy clothes so tight it will burst if I gain a kilo or two, all my leather jackets can be worn over denim jacket and overshirt.
after all I too spend my days sitting behind desk allday and in my 40s, if I gain a kilo then the next day I eat less or skip the biscuit or any new snack I take a habbit of eating in between meals, if I lose a kilo, then I eat some more.

 

[Bfd70]

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.

Not with jackets but I find that a closet full of expensive pants is the final push i need some mornings to go running.

 

[navetsea]

As for the boots, it's really exactly the same as with leather jackets.

These are nice Engineer boots...

These are work of art...

To me personally, this isn't the matter of cons and pros of one boot vs. the other as I'm sure both perform equally well and will last you just as long.

I don't think that nowadays, we can any longer delude ourselves that footwear isn't all about making a statement which what Clinch is all about and something they do best. It's no different than with any high end jacket maker. So yeah, I can see why it could be considered odd not to get a high end leather boots to accompany your high end leather jackets.

Thing is though, making a good pair of leather boots is a process just as elaborate as making a great leather jacket so I'm not really buying into the $1000 Chucks knock-off or stuff like that... Or at least I can't see it. But with boots, the leap in quality & looks is as obvious as with leather jackets.

someone must be blind to not see the differences, but will that price difference or how polished it looks when new would make someone too aware of its price and beauty and never wear it enough to get character to look cool with creases, scrapes and dings and scratches, it might become a dress shoes with a shaft that rests on a wooden shoetree that remains looking new 5 years after you own it.

 

[Bfd70]

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. View attachment 251892 View attachment 251893

Currently this is my favorite too. At least to look at. There is just something about this model that checks boxes in a way that others with a similar design don’t. I’m not sure i’ll ever own one. I just don’t think i’m a double rider guy. That said, i do keep my eyes open for a deal.

 

[Bfd70]

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.

I made this argument to my wife once who had a succinct and reasonable reply. “People in Vietnam need to eat too.” While i agree the exploitation is real, is their situation improved by me choosing not to by products made there? There is NOWHERE near enough concern about this globally to effect actual change. “Doing my part” may just be an emotional bandaid.

 

[ton312]

Yeah I'm with you on that. After wearing my leather jackets here in socal as well as in Denver, CO in fall and in Japan in winter I realized that it's actually pretty hilarious how terrible leather jackets are in terms of temperature versatility. I have to adjust what I wear under them like crazy to adapt them to the weather at all.

I still love them and there are worse things you can wear as outerwear, but we wear them because we think they're cool, not because they're actually super functional.

Mine have been fine in the rain, though. That said, we don't exactly get downpours here in socal.

In fact, I made this a few days ago to post on Instagram in regard to leather jackets:

It may be slightly exaggerated, but you get the point

This is so totally true but I’d change the temp range from 32-50 degrees. A sunny 50 degree day with no wind renders a leather jacket useless for me. It becomes a sweat bag. I would flank either end of the range with denim. Sherpa lined on the cold side, unlined on the warm. That said I’ll be curious to see how my shearling lined Goodgal handles the cold. It seems like it will be too hot to wear anywhere but outside and sub-freezing.