Five Star Leather Jackets

[MrBlue44]

A brand new custom Aero is gonna set you back £800 to £900 these days and this is the non VAT prices. I've seen these CXL Aero police jackets out there for half that in like new conditions, so its worth to look at all options. The Aero version is a shorter jacket so there is no real estate for patched chest pockets, it's most likely built off their 50s pattern block. There are longer versions with A2 epaulettes and patch chest pockets, but button closures from existing uniform suppliers. Could also look into it. What you are describing, the jacket, is really very similar to a four pocket police jacket. Unless you want very specific material and lining, there are tons of options out there for police jackets. Also search police jacket surplus.
View attachment 615550

Thanks, well the patch pockets are not an absolute necessity - it's more that I think pockets that close in that overhead manner would look good. I want something longer than motorbike jacket length but shorter than coat length. Standard jacket length really. Is the police jacket that length?

Don't really like jackets with buttons so surplus is out. And I'd really want something that ages gracefully with a nice brown HH.

 

[MrBlue44]

Well in fairness this isn't just like the jacket you described.

If this would fulfill what you're looking for, you have a lot of options as this general design is used by many Northeastern American police departments. I even have a brand new one that I'm selling for cheap since I got the wrong size.

Vanson makes one under the name "Boston Police Jacket"; I expect they've been (or still are) an official supplier to that department. Schott has made several for various New York and New Jersey police departments, though not recently so you'd have to check eBay and the like for those.

There are probably also such jackets from regional factories/suppliers like Branded Garments and Fidelity leathers that you might be able to find new for cheap.

I see minor differences, at best, so yes its just like it.

 

[Aloysius]

Maybe you could offer useful feedback like Canuck Panda instead - that's at least helpful as opposed to just calling it a franken jacket. Which is now provenly factually incorrect thanks to the existence of police jackets.

I'm sorry but the jacket you described (whether good or bad) would have been a frankenjacket; that's not inherently a bad thing, indeed many including Mr Proper have commissioned hybridised/franken designs in the past.

But the police jacket layout does not include M-65 pockets or the other elements you talk about.

If the police jackets work for you, I'm glad because that introduces a lot of attractive and established models to work with, but the original idea you had of a lengthened Perfecto back, chest cargo pockets, etc would have resulted in a jacket you are not pleased with.

 

[Aloysius]

I see minor differences, at best, so yes its just like it.

Okay, perhaps that's true for you but we all took your specifications list more seriously than you did in that case. You can't blame us for envisioning exactly what you described.

 

[MrBlue44]

Okay, perhaps that's true for you but we all took your specifications list more seriously than you did in that case. You can't blame us for envisioning exactly what you described.

I think if I made examples of the jacket that I envisioned and a police jacket, people on the street could point out the differences but I seriously doubt anyone would have opinions beyond that. It's only true afficionados of the hobby that would realize what the differences meant.

Again, Canuck Panda offered a very helpful suggestion, without being insulting. I think you could learn something from that.

 

[jacketjunkie]

Words are wasted on this man, he knows better than any of us, I personally gonna lean back and enjoy the shitshow that his entry into leather jackets is gonna be.

 

[Observe]

In the interest of avoiding any escalation in hostilities, why don't you do a mock up sketch of your desired style so we can better understand what you're going for? The written description does seem to be a bit of a hodge podge.

 

[Aloysius]

I think if I made examples of the jacket that I envisioned and a police jacket, people on the street could point out the differences but I seriously doubt anyone would have opinions beyond that. It's only true afficionados of the hobby that would realize what the differences meant.

Where do you think you're posting?

If you say G-1 back here, we take that to mean "action back with half belt and underarm gussets", if you say A-2 back here, we take that to mean unstructured one piece back, if you say M-65 pocket, we picture an M-65 pocket. We assumed your specificity was deliberate, and you're acting like we've been wronging you by taking your own words seriously and carefully.

Again, Canuck Panda offered a very helpful suggestion, without being insulting. I think you could learn something from that.

I literally gave you examples of several jacket types with hand warmers and flapped pockets asking if those would suit your needs, a day before Canuck (not that there's anything wrong with his suggestions).

In any case, some quite cohesive (to my eye) handwarmer-cargo pocket combinations are the kind you'll see on Appalachian motorcycle jackets (look at Lost Worlds's repro for an example), the Aero Wilderness, and many Windwords.

None of us have been out to get you. We're giving you feedback based on the specific things you've said. We've gone down this road with many people before (some of whom are among the ones who gave you feedback this time! They were at the receiving end the first time, initially cross about it, got disastrous jackets, then changed their tune.)

 

[MrBlue44]

Words are wasted on this man, he knows better than any of us, I personally gonna lean back and enjoy the shitshow that his entry into leather jackets is gonna be.

This would technically be the fourth leather jacket I've ordered and the second (possibly, depending on what's available) custom leather jacket.

 

[MrBlue44]

Where do you think you're posting?

If you say G-1 back here, we take that to mean "action back with half belt and underarm gussets", if you say A-2 back here, we take that to mean unstructured one piece back, if you say M-65 pocket, we picture an M-65 pocket. We assumed your specificity was deliberate, and you're acting like we've been wronging you by taking your own words seriously and carefully.


I literally gave you examples of several jacket types with hand warmers and flapped pockets asking if those would suit your needs, a day before Canuck (not that there's anything wrong with his suggestions).


None of us have been out to get you. We're giving you feedback based on the specific things you've said. We've gone down this road with many people before (some of whom are among the ones who gave you feedback this time! They were at the receiving end the first time, initially cross about it, got disastrous jackets, then changed their tune.)

Fair enough, this is the forum of afficionados.

I suppose I expected that if you were to say its a mishmash of design elements that don't go well together, you'd be talking about visually. How a casual observer would see it and not an expert. That was my expectation of the meaning of your opinion - please correct if wrong.

An expert would know the difference between M65 chest patch pockets and police jacket chest pockets (I actually don't know the term for them). A casual observer would not.

To me, the silhouette of a police jacket is indistinguishable from the jacket I have in my mind. So if the mix of design elements would not work, the same would be true of a police jacket because it has the same silhouette. Again, only an expert would be able to tell the difference in chest pockets and epaulettes.

Franken jacket - maybe. But only experts would care and only because they know where those elements were taken from. Visually, to most observers, it would be virtually identical. So not design elements that would not work together, otherwise the same would be true of a police jacket. Again, visually they have the same silhouette.

 

[Aloysius]

To me, the silhouette of a police jacket is indistinguishable from the jacket I have in my mind. So if the mix of design elements would not work, the same would be true of a police jacket because it has the same silhouette.

They don't have the same silhouette. I own (and am even selling) one of those police jackets, but you described wanting a jacket sized/shaped like an M-65 which would be much longer and wider.

Did you look at the Vanson linked above?

 

[MrBlue44]

They don't have the same silhouette. I own (and am even selling) one of those police jackets, but you described wanting a jacket sized/shaped like an M-65 which would be much longer and wider.

Did you look at the Vanson linked above?

Read my post again - I never said anything about it being shaped like an M65. I just wanted it to have chest pockets like an M65. So again, the same silhouette.

Edit: found the post that confused. It was referring to the size of the pockets and not the jacket itself. Nonetheless my other posts have been pretty clear on the issue of the length of the jacket.

 

[MrBlue44]

View attachment 615373

May I suggest American style cuffs. And full action back or any pleats that goes low enough. If you put a pair of cinch at the top of the kidney panel (where the half belt usually goes) you can get any straight zip (single rider) jacket to fit like half belts.

Depending on how you want it to fit you would just pick the straight zip (single rider) jacket that best fit you and then add the epaulets, M-65 chest pockets and the waist cinch if you want. This isn't a hard job, more like a stock jacket with pocket changes, any maker can do it, it comes to the material you want.

Somehow I missed this post! What is the name of this jacket? Who made it?

 

[Aloysius]

Read my post again - I never said anything about it being shaped like an M65. I just wanted it to have chest pockets like an M65. So again, the same silhouette.

I was referring to you saying you wanted it M-65 size. Perhaps you meant something different.

 

[Aloysius]

Somehow I missed this post! What is the name of this jacket? Who made it?

It's a photoshop Canuck did of A-2 pockets on the chest of a cafe racer.

 

[MrBlue44]

I was referring to you saying you wanted it M-65 size. Perhaps you meant something different.

Found the post you're referring to - I was referring to patch pocket size. M65 chest pockets are smaller than A2 waist pockets.

 

[MrBlue44]

They don't have the same silhouette. I own (and am even selling) one of those police jackets, but you described wanting a jacket sized/shaped like an M-65 which would be much longer and wider.

Did you look at the Vanson linked above?

Wanted to add yes, thank you I did and it looks great. Something like that in decent brown teacore horsehide and without the dividing line down the middle of the back would be great for me!

 

[MrProper]

If we all shared our opinions as rudely as you, this forum wouldn't be very useful.

You find my text rude just because you don't like the content? LOL
Then I wouldn't like to know what you'd think if I were really rude.

How about you let Leilah make up her own mind instead of trying to guess what she would do?

Leilah will definitely decide for herself, because I don't see where I would have forbidden her to do that. I merely described what my advice would be. And that brings us back to opinions.

Maybe you could offer useful feedback like Canuck Panda instead

You'll have good feedback, and if you don't like what others say, that's not a problem. You don't have to accept feedback or think it's right.
Your reaction to this seems somehow preachy to me.
And regarding Frankenjacket... I should know, I'm the master of Frankenjackets.

 

[Aloysius]

Wanted to add yes, thank you I did and it looks great. Something like that in decent brown teacore horsehide and without the dividing line down the middle of the back would be great for me!

It might well be the case that these kinds of jackets (due to being full length) might require a split back of some kind because a one piece would just be impossible at that size of panel. Still, you could ask I suppose.

 

[Marc mndt]

I just wanted it to have chest pockets like an M65.

Yes I'm a jacket nerd but the M65 has cargo pockets and the (Vanson) police jacket has patch pockets. Two different things. That's why I initially suggested the Whitefeather which has cargo pockets.

Patch pocket

Cargo pocket

Cargo pocket