Field Leathers

[Will Zach]

^^
I went to a Blondie concert last year in NYC and you would not believe the number of people in biker jackets and skinny black jeans in the audience, all grey, in their late 60s and 70s...lookin' good, though!

 

[Aloysius]

^^
I went to a Blondie concert last year in NYC and you would not believe the number of people in biker jackets and skinny black jeans in the audience, all grey, in their late 60s and 70s...lookin' good, though!

Next week in Jersey City, there's a screening of Rock N Roll High School with Monte Melnick (tour manager for the Ramones, who was there for every single thing they did) and the director Allan Arkush.

Can't think of a better reason to break out a Perfecto. I'm sure many of the people at last year's Blondie show will be there.

 

[Will Zach]

Next week in Jersey City, there's a screening of Rock N Roll High School with Monte Melnick (tour manager for the Ramones, who was there for every single thing they did) and the director Allan Arkush.

Can't think of a better reason to break out a Perfecto. I'm sure many of the people at last year's Blondie show will be there.

I live in Jersey City...
PS - Tickets bought. I am going to have my wife wear a Taubers that was too small for me, and I am going to put on a Cal. Hey ho, let's go!

 

[handymike]

I used to have a red crushed velvet tuxedo jacket from the movie…stolen by an ex…

 

[Tom71]

This is complete misconception, albeit a widely believed one today. Any honest British punk enthusiast will admit it.

The Sex Pistols look was developed by Malcolm McLaren based on things he had seen observing the New York punk scene, especially during his failed bid managing the New York Dolls.

Their core look was copied from Richard Hell, who Malcolm McLaren observed when he was in New York. This is where things like the safety pinned shirt came from (incidentally, Hell didn’t do that as a fashion statement; rather a junkie had literally cut up his shirt so he had to safety pin it together.)

Then they wore English rocker clothes (Sid wore a Dominator from Lewis) while wanting to look like the Ramones. When they did their bizarre US tour, they went into a leather shop and Sid got a Perfecto so that he could look like Dee Dee Ramone, whom he idolised. This is why he wore the eagle pin, as a nod to Joey’s pin.

It absolutely was a costume, and a conscious one at that.

Well, I really enjoyed that post! Not least because I’ve never taken that perspective. Makes sense, though.

Still: Rock musicians and leather will ALWAYS have a costumy quality in the sense that it’s the ultimate cliche.
However, I find it a bit rich to call one of the absolute punk icons „costumy“, when all he does is mirror the flavour of the day (and his image) when at the same time, we are basically imitating a top-dollar iteration of the 1920‘s working man or moonshiner.
Before shouting costume at a typical representative of a subculture 50 years old, we should all ponder how we may look to others when we wear full garb…

 

[Tom71]

Big Motörhead fan, I know he loved Ramones and he praised them often live. It had always been a pleasure watching him playing live, rip.

Same! Saw him play the last time four weeks before he past away. Took my stepson too. A magical night. When we left the venue, the first snow of the season had started to fall.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Well, I really enjoyed that post! Not least because I’ve never taken that perspective. Makes sense, though.

Still: Rock musicians and leather will ALWAYS have a costumy quality in the sense that it’s the ultimate cliche.
However, I find it a bit rich to call one of the absolute punk icons „costumy“, when all he does is mirror the flavour of the day (and his image) when at the same time, we are basically imitating a top-dollar iteration of the 1920‘s working man or moonshiner.
Before shouting costume at a typical representative of a subculture 50 years old, we should all ponder how we may look to others when we wear full garb…

Just Because it's popular at the time doesn't mean it isn't a costume. I know I'm basically playing dress up every day of my life, but at least I'm aware of it. Plus, I'm wearing what I wear because I actually genuinely like it and wear it every day. I'm sure that's true for many of us on here. To me, thats more genuine than trying to keep up with trends.

 

[Aloysius]

Well, I really enjoyed that post! Not least because I’ve never taken that perspective. Makes sense, though.

Still: Rock musicians and leather will ALWAYS have a costumy quality in the sense that it’s the ultimate cliche.
However, I find it a bit rich to call one of the absolute punk icons „costumy“, when all he does is mirror the flavour of the day (and his image) when at the same time, we are basically imitating a top-dollar iteration of the 1920‘s working man or moonshiner.
Before shouting costume at a typical representative of a subculture 50 years old, we should all ponder how we may look to others when we wear full garb…

No, it’s uniquely appropriate to say about the Pistols because they were literally managed by a clothing store as a form of viral marketing for the product. They’re a unique situation.

Tommy Ramone came up with a loose costume/uniform of leather jackets for his band, other bands have done similar (Beatles with black leather in Hamburg, later suits in England, for instance). However this is distinctly different from being actively a form of advertisement.

Bizarre as it is to say, the modern equivalent of the Sex Pistols’ clothing is a sponsored Instagram post. Steve Jones is pretty open about this, now that it’s been a few decades.

Sid was not “a typical representative of a subculture”.

 

[Tom71]

No, it’s uniquely appropriate to say about the Pistols because they were literally managed by a clothing store as a form of viral marketing for the product. They’re a unique situation.

Tommy Ramone came up with a loose costume/uniform of leather jackets for his band, other bands have done similar (Beatles with black leather in Hamburg, later suits in England, for instance). However this is distinctly different from being actively a form of advertisement.

Bizarre as it is to say, the modern equivalent of the Sex Pistols’ clothing is a sponsored Instagram post. Steve Jones is pretty open about this, now that it’s been a few decades.

Sid was not “a typical representative of a subculture”.

If you refer to the „sex„ boutique on King‘s Road as the clothing store that used the SP „as a form of viral marketing“, I don’t share your opinion. As to MMcL designing the band as an artificial product, I repeat that I find that a fascinating and not unconvincing view.

Comparing the Pistols to a sponsored IG post is perhaps underestimating the lingering impact of the former on popular culture.

 

[Tom71]

Just Because it's popular at the time doesn't mean it isn't a costume. I know I'm basically playing dress up every day of my life, but at least I'm aware of it. Plus, I'm wearing what I wear because I actually genuinely like it and wear it every day. I'm sure that's true for many of us on here. To me, thats more genuine than trying to keep up with trends.

Well, in that case, the Pistols MADE that trend. And lived the life, until the botter end. One doesn’t have to like them to accept that they represented the punk lifestyle much more than most of us here have anything to do with old timey working people.

 

[Maxxmitten]

Just Because it's popular at the time doesn't mean it isn't a costume. I know I'm basically playing dress up every day of my life, but at least I'm aware of it. Plus, I'm wearing what I wear because I actually genuinely like it and wear it every day. I'm sure that's true for many of us on here. To me, thats more genuine than trying to keep up with trends.

Wearing something because it gives you joy or makes you feel good is authentic. If someone happens to have a cohesive wardrobe that captures a particular style, whether present or historic, it could just mean they really like it and have invested thought and money in their hobby.

I think it becomes costume when it's not authentic, like when someone wears X only because they think it goes with Y and Z, or think they can't wear X because it's incoherent with they rest of their wardrobe.

For better or worse I don't have a coherent look because I just wear what I like (or have).

Your clothes, on you, is genuinely you. Your clothes on me is a costume.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Wearing something because it gives you joy or makes you feel good is authentic. If someone happens to have a cohesive wardrobe that captures a particular style, whether present or historic, it could just mean they really like it and have invested thought and money in their hobby.

I think it becomes costume when it's not authentic, like when someone wears X only because they think it goes with Y and Z, or think they can't wear X because it's incoherent with they rest of their wardrobe.

For better or worse I don't have a coherent look because I just wear what I like (or have).

Your clothes, on you, is genuinely you. Your clothes on me is a costume.

Very well said. Coherent is a relative term for clothing and style. You can turn something into a coherent look even if it isn't traditionally so if you have the confidence and everything fits properly.

I'm pretty sure brown engineer boots with 1930s deerskin jackets and denim wasn't actually a look in the 1930s, but I like it so I wear it.

 

[FullSnd716]

Got a compliment in the rain.

 

[Daniel Veit]

Got a compliment in the rain.

Is that the full pigment shinki?

 

[FullSnd716]

Is that the full pigment shinki?

Yes

 

[Marc mndt]

Work in progress...

 

[Salmosalar]

Work in progress...

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Looking good! Mine was done yesterday…also a brown D-pocket!

 

[Marc mndt]

Looking good! Mine was done yesterday…also a brown D-pocket!

I had a feeling that one would be yours, it looks absolutely amazing!

 

[Aloysius]

If you mean that Carl Murawski guy, that wasn’t a special order… unless you consider what I assume to be at least 20 co-branded jackets to be an individual order.

 

[Aloysius]

So it was a special project to make 20 of the same jacket? Was it sheepskin? I didn’t see that leather as an option for my jacket unless it was the cow with mouton backing or something.

Something like that. Murawski is an electrition and outdoor enthusiast, so he writes on ‘rugged’ brands from the perspective of someone who uses the stuff, as opposed to a fashion perspective. He does collabs with companies to develop special limited runs of things that aren’t part of the regular collection (yet–they usually become so, if the special run is successful). His company name is his name, so I think you must have been under the impression that it was an order for one person. It wasn’t. It’s a company.

Last year he did it with Nick’s boots for a special run of Tanker boots that look like the original 1940s examples, but contain all of the work boot refinements. These are now available as part of the standard line, albeit without the deadstock soles.

I expect there will be new Field jackets to the spec the two of them developed.