Favorite vintage brands

[oskar]

Hello,

thanks to all the reading here I know a lot of great modern day brands for leather jackets.

However, now I am on the hunt for a vintage jacket with lots of wear. I am thinking about a jacket in a perfecto style.

Which are your favorite vintage brands? Even better if they are affordable xD

Maybe it will be difficult to find a fitting jacket because I am quite tall.
Arms 26.5, back 26.5, shoulders 20, chest 22

Thanks for the help

 

[Seb Lucas]

Sounds like a modern 42 or a vintage 44. These are almost my measurements and I am six two - 185 pounds. I prefer 23.5 chest.

Perfecto refers to a range of jackets made by Schott. Even today Schott jackets tend to be no longer than 25.5 inches so I am not sure you will find a cross zip pattern with that back length - 24 to 25 is average for a larger size.

 

[SinSir]

I need longer arms too and vintage is a challenge for me. I also don't like a short jacket for my jean style and height which is another problem with vintage. In a perfecto cross zip cut I found an old branded garments on the cheap which was pretty close to working, at least for the sleeves but still a shorter jacket than I typically like. When I do find a perfecto style long enough for my taste it never looks right on. Where you will find some luck is some of the nicer custom made brands. I'd suggest maybe looking for a Cal if after a vintage cross zip. Jacket length will probably still be somewhat of an issue but sleeve length will be easier if you look for a jacket made for riding vs a fashion or hybrid of the two. Also the back may be longer with a kidney panel dip but the front will be shorter. Lesco might be another good option for a good jacket at a fair price, especially the earlier ones.

Good luck, vintage is a whole nother level of a hunt.

 

[jonbuilder]

I say it depends on what style of jackets you would like to wear. There are a lot of department store jackets from the 50s and 60s the 50s general more desirable in quality. The band is not important the jackets do not even need a label to be desirable and wearable. The department stores did not make jackets the labels were marketing names.
There are a lot of fine 60s cafe racers both US and European makers that appear on the market for less than $200 sometime $100.
D pockets and names like Hercules, Buco, Harley Davison, Windward will bump the price Cal Leather was PROLIFIC maker over a long time span lot of jackets available so LCHP and Cafe Racers can be scorched for reasonable prices. Cal Leather being a custom jacket maker over such a long time frame there will be vast differences in the hides, proportions, and weight of the jackets

 

[oskar]

Thanks fo the information. I am looking for a d pocket in a better quality with lots of patina. Now I am asking myself where and how to find them

 

[Will Zach]

eBay, Etsy, rakuten, Yahoo Japan auctions, motorcycle swap meets - the hunt is the drug!

 

[handymike]

My favorite vintage brand is Ralphs-Pugh:

Unfortunately, they are an inch too short in both length and sleeve for my tastes (I'm 5' 10").
In your situation, I’d go look at the Bill Kelso Archive line.
https://billkelsomfg.com/shop/vintage-leather-jacket-archives/
Any of these beautiful jackets can be made-to-measure.

 

[Carlos840]

Maybe i have just been unlucky in the past few years, but to me vintage jackets with these measurements "Arms 26.5, back 26.5, shoulders 20, chest 22" are basically unobtainium. (these are the exact nubers i try to look for...)
Usually you will find 25" sleeves and 24-25" backs.
A second problem is that vintage jackets that are longer will usually be much wider at the bottom hem and fit like a bag if you are quite V shape.
I would love to be able to find old jackets that fits me, but i haven't seen many.
Good luck.

 

[l0fielectronic]

Not as vintage as most of the jackets posted so far but I've seen some Perfecto styles from Brooks.

In my experience they tend to be slightly longer in the arms and body, and the brand still seems to sit at the more affordable side of the vintage/used market.

 

[Mandarin]

Canadian brand Brimaco had a reputation for making longer cafe racers. But their crosszips seem to have been built according to the usual proportions, i.e pretty short. Here's a size 46 that still might be too short for you:
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Vintage-70s...a=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

[SinSir]

Maybe i have just been unlucky in the past few years, but to me vintage jackets with these measurements "Arms 26.5, back 26.5, shoulders 20, chest 22" are basically unobtainium. (these are the exact nubers i try to look for...)
Usually you will find 25" sleeves and 24-25" backs.
A second problem is that vintage jackets that are longer will usually be much wider at the bottom hem and fit like a bag if you are quite V shape.
I would love to be able to find old jackets that fits me, but i haven't seen many.
Good luck.

I couldn't agree more. I look for similar measurements but have practically gave up all together. I'm unhappy with the fit too frequently and its not worth the compromise considering the other quirks and trade offs that come with vintage. Too bad for me but leaves more of a chance for the rest...

 

[Will Zach]

Vintage will work better for smaller guys - people were much smaller 50 years ago.

 

[Claybertrand]

Vintage will work better for smaller guys - people were much smaller 50 years ago.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This should be etched on a stone tablet.

Look no further than the popularity and prevalence of cool vintage leather in Japan. Nothing that will fit me but tons of cool stuff in the 36-40 range.

Echoing SinSir here---you need to be willing to compromise some aspect(s) of perfect fit in order to wear true vintage--which is another way of saying basically that if one aspect of the jacket fits you, others will not. For example, to find a 26.5" Length--IF you find one--it'll be in a larger size than your chest/shoulder proportions.

A potential almost kinda sorta solution would be to look for 60s--but more likely 70s vintage--and try to find a 42 or 44 orrrrr mayyyybe a 46 LONG. At least, you may get that .5"-1.5" jacket length and sleeve length that may get you closer to an ideal fit. Otherwise, you can take comfort in knowing Joey Ramone was still hella cool and his jackets were almost always an odd fit. Gabba Gabba HEY!

 

[AeroFan_07]

It's true, these are very rare finds if able to be found at all. Vintage is a very tough market for taller folks overall.

I'd look for used Langlitz jacket (won't be D-pockets) as they were primarily made to measure ever since the start. With patience and some luck, you may find one. Or order up something through Carrie at Thurston brothers, sign off FL and make it VIntage over your next 50 years of life.

 

[tmitchell59]

Thanks fo the information. I am looking for a d pocket in a better quality with lots of patina. Now I am asking myself where and how to find them

No lack of nice Vintage D pockets on ebay. All sorts of prices, all sorts of fit, all manner of styles.

 

[jonbuilder]

I like to wear a vintage leather jacket and am willing to yield a perfect fit for an otherwise handsome jacket. Seventy years ago jacket wearers did not require a bespoke fit; jackets were not recycled because the sleeves or back were an inch short of some perceived ideal length. Honey, I going to sell my new trojan jacket I brought this year for half of what I paid because the back only covers half my belt and that does look cool to me when I looking at my back in the mirror.

 

[oskar]

@handymike
Does Bill Kelso uses distressed hides for the vintage jackets or the standart hide? Do you have any experince with kelsos vintage jackets?

ps: Thx for all the help

 

[handymike]

I would send an email. Their standard Liberty hide is designed to wear quickly- or so I’ve heard.