Jacket Purchasing Methodology

[ton312]

I'm only buying a new Aero if I can sell two other jackets. I reached a point where I am quite bored with having ones I don't really wear. I still ogle Aero's website occasionally, but don't bother with any other manufacturers, although I do visit Lost Worlds' page for the camp humour.

Same. I'm really trying to avoid going full boat on another custom. I just don't wear my jackets anywhere near enough to justify it. I find the process so much more enjoyable than the product. That's just messed up man. Even typing it I'm struggling to understand why. Like you, I too am a basement bombardier, and I enjoy reading Stu's site so much. The site is an absolute work of art and is best viewed in windows '95 with a warm PBR.

 

[Jejupe]

Not a book -- a soap opera!

Be careful then, the line between soap opera and farce is very subtle.

 

[Jejupe]

Same. I'm really trying to avoid going full boat on another custom. I just don't wear my jackets anywhere near enough to justify it. I find the process so much more enjoyable than the product. That's just messed up man. Even typing it I'm struggling to understand why. Like you, I too am a basement bombardier, and I enjoy reading Stu's site so much. The site is an absolute work of art and is best viewed in windows '95 with a warm PBR.

There are many hidden gems there. Here's one:

"People think, for instance, that fragile, short-lived, non-performing leather like lambskin is the thing to have. We don’t. We call such taxi leather – great if your life consists of getting in and out of taxis. Geez, they make condoms out of lambskin. Maybe that’s the point! You are what you wear? "

 

[zebedee]

Same. I'm really trying to avoid going full boat on another custom. I just don't wear my jackets anywhere near enough to justify it. I find the process so much more enjoyable than the product. That's just messed up man. Even typing it I'm struggling to understand why. Like you, I too am a basement bombardier, and I enjoy reading Stu's site so much. The site is an absolute work of art and is best viewed in windows '95 with a warm PBR.

I am trying to sell a couple of them to friends and will put my SB on ebay in a bit. Then I will get a Teamster in tumbled cordovan, sit down in the corner and weep tears of rage, giggling occasionally.

 

[Fanch]

With my long arms I have found generally I must always go custom. Hence virtually all of my keeper jackets have been the result of custom orders, mostly from Aero. Virtually everyone of my impulse bought jackets are now gone with one exception - my GW/Himel Californian Ventura with 27.5" sleeves that I bought from John Chapman that is definitely a keeper.

 

[TheMarriedHermit]

For the life of me, I cannot see why you buy so many jackets when there's no space to hang them. You are irrational, whereas I am as sound as the British pound. I bought a five bedroomed house with a loft so big that it could easily convert to two bedrooms. My missus and I have no children, so we have all that surplus space to put our must haves, never to be seen, let alone worn, again purchases. My missus has two spare rooms for all of her stuff and I have the other two. But as that's nearly not enough room for everything, we have two sheds, a cabin and a workshop, besides all that loft space and it's still not enough. Sorry, did I say that you were irrational? Maybe I might have been a tad harsh.

You are living the American Dream.

 

[TheMarriedHermit]

Sorry, did I somehow imply that I'm rational? I passed that bus stop a long time ago.

Call it a romantic quest. You're Don Quixote in leather armor.

 

[GHT]

Call it a romantic quest. You're Don Quixote in leather armor.

Brilliant! I'm going to steal that.

 

[red devil]

That is a good question yet again...

I don't scour the sales pages on a regular basis, but check them out when I see a link here most of the times. Haven't bought any used jackets, at least so far. Or from a sales page for that matter. Saying that, there was a mention of the SB sales thread recently, and I did find a jacket there that could fit me as is... We'll see what happens there.

When it comes to jackets, it's a mix of on the spot purchases and other ones that are thought out. My LW jackets for example were all planned and thought out for some time (yes even the navy leathertogs that is on order was planned, it just happens that @Jejupe posting his superb navy Suburban pushed it to the front of the queue )

For Thedi, it's the same, I had been looking at his models for quite a while until I decided to get a jacket, fell in love and got more... Already have more planned that need to make it to the "order made" phase.

For Tenjin, it was a bit more spontaneous, I went to visit them after not managing to get a good fit with RMC and Flat Head. Lo and behold, the JW02 fit perfectly, and I liked what I saw in the shop, so the order was made on the spot.

Freewheelers had been an object of desire for a while, I saw that unique purple jacket in the shop, and having lost weight at the time it fit me well... it was bought.

The Iron heart deerskin shirt was another one being watched for a long time, glad I finally got it. The deerskin is indeed tremendous!

There are other makers that I placed orders with:

- South Paradiso, thanks to @handymike for triggering it (as well as mentioning them, I wouldn't have found them otherwise) and my little wing that made me discover East West

- Dave Sheeley, thanks to @tmitchell59 who always shows amazing jackets, one of which will be remade

- Johnson leathers, thanks to @ton312, your jacket made me want to get an order in. Reproducing a jacket from the Tanaka book with some modifications

- Lewis Leather Lightning, which I had been thinking about for a long time

-GW, placed that order Nov 2016, not sure what to do about it. Hopefully John is attacking his waiting list with his machine that is now in working order

Just realised that I have quite a number of jackets on order lol

Edit: some typos, as well as to say that other makers are being considered even now

 

[JMax]

While all of your orders sound outstanding, that Navy Leathertogs is going to be sick AF.

 

[Bobby Peru]

With my long arms I have found generally I must always go custom. Hence virtually all of my keeper jackets have been the result of custom orders...V
View attachment 137829

Here too, except my issue is in the opposite direction. Arms too short. Most of my keepers are custom. Occasionally I end up with a OTR piece that fits as good, if not better, than custom pieces.

 

[red devil]

While all of your orders sound outstanding, that Navy Leathertogs is going to be sick AF.

Needed a rival to the J 24

 

[ProteinNerd]

My current methodology is very different to that of a few years ago. I now have too many great jackets to even be able to fool myself into thinking I need another.

Whenever I see a great jacket posted here I think "wow, I need one of them!" then realise that invariably I already have something virtually the same already, most likely in both Black and Brown. This happens to me a LOT.

I have been pretty much satisfied with my one in, one out situation (and have stuck with that for a few years now) with my in-queue Goodwear Modoc jacket as a reserve. That has taken way too long and I just purchased a brown ELMC Californian either as a place holder or instead of the Goodwear, I haven't decided yet but I really don't plan to keep both at this stage.

 

[navetsea]

thank god, I live in a country which currency make any price sounds incredibly expensive. so far my method starts with doodle on paper, and 90% of it ends there. I also luckily have a very narrow interest in models (collarless, with no or two angled chest pockets lol) , so it is quickly filled by my small number of current local made jackets already, as for color I only need one or two shade more, so I'm at the sunset of my leather jacket purchase phase, and currently I like to wear and take photos of their evolution with every wear way more than adding another one.

 

[mr_lits]

You start by fixating on a new jacket design for way too long; research it on the computer, find the details and maker(s) that you like best and finance the costs. Then (this is the hardest but most important part) lie in wait, scanning the web feverishly (usually late into the night) for that size 42-44. Yeah, it might take a long while, and at times a year or more will go by while you are methodically scanning the usual suspects. But sooner or later you'll find it. In between times, have a jacket on order with JC so you know you have something out there to look forward to. Several of my go-to jackets we found by the "lie in wait" method. Truth be told I almost like the hunt for new leather more fun that the trigger pull.

 

[Jwag]

I usually decide at the spur of the moment when I need a new jacket, however the process can take up to half a year. I will generally wake up one night thinking my life has become empty and without meaning..."it's time". Then go on a binge looking through hundreds of pages of old threads about certain jackets and fit/options. I always decide I want to be the original purchaser so I buy new/custom. I'll spend hours savoring close up shots of leather grain and colors. Once I finally place my order I too will spend money on useless stuff I didn't know I wanted until "the big day" comes. Once I receive my jacket I'll usually sell some stuff to feel better about myself because after all I just spent $1000+ on a piece of outerwear.

 

[Edward]

I vary between new and used. About 50/50, I think. The majority of my jackets are ones I specifically went looking for at one time or another, but my Highwayman was an impulse buy. A style I'd written off as too boxy for me, I was tempted when Ken put the first batch of 'Apprentice Made' (blue label, before the Robin Hood was introduced) on the Aero site, jumped on it, and it quickly became one of my most regularly worn jackets. I do have a list of other jackets I want (mostly, but by no means exclusively, Aero; my favourites all tend to be Aero, but I also own Wested, Schott, Johnson, Lost Worlds, Eastman and others), but they will come in time. Mostly it's different styles, colours and leathers. I've never owned two of the same model just in different colours - there's always been some significant difference as well as hide and colour. That said, I still fancy a goat Bootlegger one day.... I need to lose four stone again before I buy many more jackets, and I also have a few to sell (I have I few I've moved beyond, refined my preferences, styling, sizing....). The main rule with jackets for me is that they have to be wearable, not just for collecting purposes, as I don't have the space to store stuff that I can't wear.

 

[Downunder G Man]

I bought my first "quality" leather jacket in 1991 or so. An Eastman Luftwaffe in black horsehide with blue cotton lining.

A thing of beauty at the time , and I wore it almost constantly. By the late 90's the lining was worn through !

I took that jacket round the world with me on multiple occasions , adventures to the max !

SO : I had it relined in black cotton drill here in Perth Western Australia by a Greek leatherworker.

AND: At the same time he "remade" me a copy in Black goat , lighter for the hotter Western Australia weather.

That jacket was also worn non stop until just 2 or 3 years ago , when my "jacket quest" started in earnest.

I had discovered Schott before discovering the Fedora Lounge , and now have 4 of theirs, 2 "café" and 2 "collared"

One HH cafe racer , one "Easy Rider" steerhide café racer , 2 steerhide collared , but different styles

I found another "like new" Eastman Luftwaffe in the UK , and I found a Goat "Erich Hartmann" remake in Singapore.

Amongst the collection is a Walden Miller steerhide "Brando" style and an Avirex Horsehide A2 (thanks loungers for that !!)

For super cold weather I have a Schott steerhide peacoat , yes we do get a few days like that in southern West Australia.

I also have 2 recent purchases of Vanson steerhide , one a "Sturgis" collared the other a "Comet". LOVE THEM BOTH !!

Along the way I have sold a few , my only Aero highwayman (ex UK) and one Schott 141 steerhide café racer in black and another 654 cafe in "Black Cherry". A good mate loved it so much I sold it to him and now he wears it non stop. I have also sold a few others including an NOS unworn and still with tags 80's Schott Steerhide Motorcycle patrol jacket.

That makes 13 currently "in stock" but some of them may be thinned. Other "bargains" may be added to the fleet.

At work I am referred to by the "young ones" as "the leather jacket guy" ( and NOT in a bad way haha..)

I do wear all of them and make sure I cycle thru' them , quite OCD about that actually.

6 of these jackets have been bought "brand new", the others "used'.

 

[Camaro1967]

I didn't start off with a methodology.

I started with a cheap POS Wilson jacket in middle school. It looked cool to me from the point of view of a 12 year old. And that's all I cared about. Quality be damned. Then in high school, I moved on to one of those Harley branded riding jackets. It was a better, heavier, jacket, but not necessarily quality. Definitely utilitarian, though. It saved my @$$ from a few scrapes and falls going 50+mph.

Somewhere in my late teens to late twenties, that world of leather jackets didn't appeal much to me anymore. I still rode bikes, but opted for synthethics instead. Maybe the cool factor was lost. Or I wasn't old enough to have a midlife crisis. Yet. But I was also young, traveling and had disposable income to spend on other shit, so I was probably just invested elsewhere.

Now, in my thirties, I'm married with kids, have a stable job, and basically can't do some of the same crazy shit I used to do before. Suddenly, my wallet got a little heavier and an interest in nicer clothing hit me. Who knows why.

But I went from having no leather jackets in my closet 2 years ago to now having anywhere between 5 to 7 at any given time. Just this year, I got a couple Himels (even after questioning the price), a couple Lost Worlds (I gave up questioning the price), and a couple Freewheelers (maybe I should have questioned the price).

So, what were we talking about? Oh yea, methodology... I guess, if it makes you smile, rational or not, I pull the trigger. Sure, I don't need a 6th or 7th jacket (like I even needed a 2nd jacket...), but sometimes happiness is a cool f*cking jacket that makes you smile.

 

[ProteinNerd]

sometimes happiness is a cool f*cking jacket that makes you smile.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!