Hi new here. Is wearing a leather jacket basically an invitation for trouble?

[Aloysius]

HAHAHAHAHA you can't be serious! a) given that comment was made on a site that was founded on the premise of interest in vintage "Golden Era" clothing and style, and b) I don't know what the rockers/rockabillies are like in your corner of the world, but here they eat skinheads for breakfast. Some bad hombres to mess with.

I think that might be an exclusively Australian (and maybe Japanese yanki gang) thing.

In the US and Europe, where Monitor is from, I'd associate it with somewhat nerdy people or girls in a particular makeup and dress subculture.

 

[MrProper]

It's perfectly okay for the OP to express his concerns here and ask about his experiences. That's what forums are for.
And when I look around, many people have all kinds of concerns. Do I look too fat, too thin, too gay, too costumed, too young, too old, not enough women's magnet, too serious, not serious enough, too normal, etc.? And then there are also those who are afraid of getting a few in the mouth.
And where better to address these concerns than in the nicest forum on the Internet?
So don't stop with it. And if the answers you get are a little reassuring, bingo.

 

[Tom71]

It's perfectly okay for the OP to express his concerns here and ask about his experiences. That's what forums are for.
And when I look around, many people have all kinds of concerns. Do I look too fat, too thin, too gay, too costumed, too young, too old, not enough women's magnet, too serious, not serious enough, too normal, etc.? And then there are also those who are afraid of getting a few in the mouth.
And where better to address these concerns than in the nicest forum on the Internet?
So don't stop with it. And if the answers you get are a little reassuring, bingo.

Well spoken, Karsten!

 

[TheBigTimeBecks]

So you are basically fighting around the world?

"Street Fighter" tournament, but in real life

 

[Monitor]

HAHAHAHAHA you can't be serious! a) given that comment was made on a site that was founded on the premise of interest in vintage "Golden Era" clothing and style, and b) I don't know what the rockers/rockabillies are like in your corner of the world, but here they eat skinheads for breakfast. Some bad hombres to mess with.

Sure I'm serious!

This site, alongside with all the people I've met on this journey, proves my point - We're all mega-nerds. Vintage inspired fashion has certainly picked up and entered mainstream in the decade that I've had an active interest in it but I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty and that is whenever I'd see a toughest, meanest looking dude that was dressed in this TFL stuff, he turned out to be a weeb of epic proportions.
We count creases here. And that's fantastic! I love that! But we're nerds & I'm one, too.

As for the rockers vs. skinheads... Now, I'm relatively certain rockabillies no longer exist in their true form but mainly as a cosplay / heritage scene & while the skinhead subculture has also been at a steady decline since the 90's, the thing is that rockers are simply fans of a certain music & nostalgia based aesthetic while bad skinheads, the ones using ideologies to justify their actions, are borderline sociopaths. These people aren't well.

But I don't know what it's like in Australia. I've been to a few rock'n'roll / biker clubs in Melbourne and it was fairly regular as what I'd seen in Canada, plus you guys have much tougher law enforcement than Europe where any subculture with whatever ideologies has been allowed to run rampant until like 2015.

 

[58panheadfan]

As long as you wear your OWN leather jacket there shouldn't be any problems...

 

[JMax]

I still have my stand off-ish demeanor if I show up in a onesie. I think people are basically just people

Pics please. Wear the vintage buco racing cap too.

 

[Johnny Deadlifts]

The only trouble I envision is having a good comeback to the question: "Where is your bike"?

I always come back with" your wearing jeans, what coal mine do you work at"

 

[navetsea]

I have bike at home, so I would answer at home sleeping

 

[AHP91]

Pics please. Wear the vintage buco racing cap too.

I've got another cap on the way. Looks like it was buried in the ground in 1920 and then resurrected from the dead. Not so sure the Fedora side of the site would want to put this one next to their Stetsons

 

[J_mo75]

I was a little apprehensive at first to wear a cross zip but I said screw it. I’m glad I did as it turned out to be one of my favorite leather jackets. I often get a lot of compliments on the jacket and I haven’t experienced any negative looks towards me. Just go for it! You will be glad you did.

 

[TheBigTimeBecks]

I was a little apprehensive at first to wear a cross zip but I said screw it. I’m glad I did as it turned out to be one of my favorite leather jackets. I often get a lot of compliments on the jacket and I haven’t experienced any negative looks towards me. Just go for it! You will be glad you did.

You look good in the jacket btw. I just don't know how to 'be' or 'act' if I wore a leather (cross zip or cafe racer).

A hypothetical scenario; if somebody said something about your jacket or said a negative comment towards you, how would you react? Would you escalate that scenario to physical violence/threat like "I dare you to say that again", only because of the reputation of cross zip leather jacket being for badasses/tough people/gang members.

 

[Aloysius]

You look good in the jacket btw. I just don't know how to 'be' or 'act' if I wore a leather (cross zip or cafe racer).

I think this says (to me anyway) that you shouldn't be wearing either. (And there's nothing wrong with that.) If you feel like a particular kind of jacket would require you to play a role, even just to yourself, I don't think you'll ever feel at home in it.

And anyway, I think motorcycle jackets are really overrepresented, even as someone who owns several. There are so many interesting types of jackets that go overlooked–I particularly like the ones with a bit of a western or outdoorsy theme. Aero's Wilderness jacket is a firm fave that I often pull out of the closet. Likewise, half-belts are extremely flattering, and are perhaps the most versatile jacket to dress up and down as leather goes.

 

[soundwavvves]

You look good in the jacket btw. I just don't know how to 'be' or 'act' if I wore a leather (cross zip or cafe racer).

A hypothetical scenario; if somebody said something about your jacket or said a negative comment towards you, how would you react? Would you escalate that scenario to physical violence/threat like "I dare you to say that again", only because of the reputation of cross zip leather jacket being for badasses/tough people/gang members.

Congrats on trolling the entire leather jacket community lol this is the longest running shitpost I have ever seen.

You should ask the fedora-wearing folks if they are compelled to solve crimes and drink martinis.

 

[J_mo75]

You look good in the jacket btw. I just don't know how to 'be' or 'act' if I wore a leather (cross zip or cafe racer).

A hypothetical scenario; if somebody said something about your jacket or said a negative comment towards you, how would you react? Would you escalate that scenario to physical violence/threat like "I dare you to say that again", only because of the reputation of cross zip leather jacket being for badasses/tough people/gang members.

Thank you. Just be yourself. The jacket shouldn’t change the way you ‘be’ or ‘act’

I learned a long time ago not to give a shit what people say. I would just say “to each their own” and move on. Now, if they became physical first and it became unavoidable then “it’s on!” But I have been wearing leather jackets for over 15 years and not have had any issues. I think you are overthinking it.

 

[barnabus]

I just don't know how to 'be' or 'act' if I wore a leather (cross zip or cafe racer).

Just 'be' or 'act' yourself. Why wouldn't you?

How old are you OP?

 

[AerGuitar]

You look good in the jacket btw. I just don't know how to 'be' or 'act' if I wore a leather (cross zip or cafe racer).

A hypothetical scenario; if somebody said something about your jacket or said a negative comment towards you, how would you react? Would you escalate that scenario to physical violence/threat like "I dare you to say that again", only because of the reputation of cross zip leather jacket being for badasses/tough people/gang members.

The proper response would be to flick a lit cigarette off his forehead(preferably his own cigarette), run a comb through your hair, and then ride away with his girlfriend on the back of your chopper.

 

[JMax]

Congrats on trolling the entire leather jacket community lol this is the longest running shitpost I have ever seen.

You should ask the fedora-wearing folks if they are compelled to solve crimes and drink martinis.

Haha. Solve crimes got me good. Damn.

Incredible run by OP. Tip of the fedora to ya.

 

[TheBigTimeBecks]

Thank you. Just be yourself. The jacket shouldn’t change the way you ‘be’ or ‘act’

I learned a long time ago not to give a shit what people say. I would just say “to each their own” and move on. Now, if they became physical first and it became unavoidable then “it’s on!” But I have been wearing leather jackets for over 15 years and not have had any issues. I think you are overthinking it.

Okay, this makes sense. I will go with a cafe racer, likely one that's worn/second hand but not worn down where it looks like crap. The bonus here is it would be a small monetary loss if I never wear it or don't feel comfortable in it. The upside is if I feel at ease/confident in it, I can wear it lots and maybe even add a second leather jacket down the line.

 

[TheBigTimeBecks]

Congrats on trolling the entire leather jacket community lol this is the longest running shitpost I have ever seen.

You should ask the fedora-wearing folks if they are compelled to solve crimes and drink martinis.

Not trolling, just leather is a different kind of beast to wear. The amount of used black Perfecto/cross-zips I see on Grailed and eBay is overwhelming, but I can see what happened. Many have failed to wear it well or don't feel confident in it, and likely sold at a loss to recoup some money back-- and lesson learned personally for them. I just don't wish to waste money and have decided to make this topic in order to get some responses.