Ken Calder 1969 Creation Uncovered.

[Sloan1874]

Ken was in touch with me today to share some pics of a jacket that he made way back in 1969 which had been re-discovered, amazingly, in Edinburgh.
Made from genuine python skin, the jacket has the distinctive Ruskin label that Ken used on some of his early work down in London.
Only a handful were made at the time, all off-the-peg, and were, for the time, pretty damn expensive - 300 guineas each - and Ken reckons at least one of them went to the rock star Carlos Santana or a member of his band. To give you a sense of how much this is, Ken says the cost of four of them was the equivalent of one Mini car, or a month's rent for a top-of-the-tree apartment in the plusher parts of London.
Anyway, here's some pics. I'd certainly still wear it. It's got proper rock star cool, you can imagine Keef or Iggy wearing it:

 

[dannyk]

Absolutely hideous in the best sort of 1969 way!

 

[ton312]

I’d pay top dollar to have that label sewn into a jacket. To me that’s the absolute crown jewel.

 

[Sloan1874]

Tis very cool. Did anyone notice the current front cover of Mojo with Bowie in his Aero jacket?

 

[Monitor]

I’d pay top dollar to have that label sewn into a jacket. To me that’s the absolute crown jewel.

Seconded. This needs to be reissued.

 

[nick123]

Too cool.

 

[Sloan1874]

See? This divides the rock star wannabes from the Great Gatsbys

 

[Edward]

"Did I ever tell ya that this here jacket represents a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom?"

Very definitely a style of jacket that Bowie or Jagger at their gender-norm-challenging peak might have worn; Hendrix, of course, could also have no only rocked it, but convinced everyone it was the most manly look in town. Unlikely we'll see its true like again, given the environmental protections now in place. I've never handled snake-skin before (at least not without the snake still alive inside it), but I wonder what it's like to work with as compared to leather?

 

[red devil]

Do you know how this was made? Is the python skin backed by another leather? What is the lining like?

 

[red devil]

"Did I ever tell ya that this here jacket represents a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom?"

Very definitely a style of jacket that Bowie or Jagger at their gender-norm-challenging peak might have worn; Hendrix, of course, could also have no only rocked it, but convinced everyone it was the most manly look in town. Unlikely we'll see its true like again, given the environmental protections now in place. I've never handled snake-skin before (at least not without the snake still alive inside it), but I wonder what it's like to work with as compared to leather?

Python skin is still readily available, and you could easily commission a jacket in whatever style you like. Only thing, python is more expensive than the leathers we usually see here.

Edit: typo yet again...

 

[Edward]

Python skin is still readily available, and you could easily commission a jacket in whatever style you like. Only thing, python is more expensive than the leathers we usually see here.

Edit: typo yet again...

Oh, yes - it's crazy expensive. You could have a dozen Aero leather jackets for the price of that one pair of snakeskin trews Kate Winslet wore some years ago.

I think it depends on the python; a minor celeb type was convicted last week in England for selling items made from the skin of an endangered variety.

 

[red devil]

Oh, yes - it's crazy expensive. You could have a dozen Aero leather jackets for the price of that one pair of snakeskin trews Kate Winslet wore some years ago.

I think it depends on the python; a minor celeb type was convicted last week in England for selling items made from the skin of an endangered variety.

Would it be much more that twice the price?
I am thinking the Lewis Leather lightning pattern could look very well with the right python skin

 

[Seb Lucas]

"Did I ever tell ya that this here jacket represents a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom?"

Nice. I was going to say that somewhere Nicholas Cage is quivering.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

What is trews..??

 

[Captain Sensible]

HD, trews are trousers. Sloan, was this jacket found for sale or just beside a spear in a bedroom?

 

[Sloan1874]

It turned up in an auction of all places. Went for a song!

 

[Edward]

Would it be much more that twice the price?
I am thinking the Lewis Leather lightning pattern could look very well with the right python skin

As with anything, probably depends where you get it. Most of the stuff I've seen has probably been an inflated cost because it is primarily high-fashion designer-wear. Not sure how you'd source it these days, presumably you have to go through a licensed dealer in some shape or form, given how many species are on the protected list.

What is trews..??

As the good Captain has pointed out, it's a term for trousers. It's actually Scots Gaelic (Triubhas - 'trews' is an Anglicised spelling that has fallen into common usage). Strictly speaking, it refers specifically to the slim, high-waisted trousers that were common among Lowland Scots by the mid-16th century (typically seen today as a semi-formal or formal wear alternative to the kilt, often with a regular DJ though most correctly a short, kilt-jacket like a Prince Charlie), but it's very common used in Scots-Irish dialects of English as a generic for any form of trouser.

 

[jonbuilder]

looks like something Nick Cage would wear