Leather now and then.

[Matt Deckard]

I was having a chat with Wildo Root a few days ago about how back in the 30's leather was considered more as low cost work clothes that men doing manual labor jobs would wear to prevent abrasion or pilots would use as a windbreaker. You'd see them all over the Sears Boebuck catalog in the work wear section. Nowadays leather jackets you find in department stores are super soft and considered a luxury item. That is my view... what do you think?

Has the general publics mentality of leather changed? I know motorcyle riders still swear by leather as an item of protection, though outside of them, has leather been relegated to being a luxury item?

 

[Kentucky Blues]

I think that when it comes to jackets and coats, leather is now more of a luxury item, though I'll still wear my Raiders jacket when I'm on an 'adventure'. Though I must admit that I usually wear it because I like how it looks...and the same with my other leather jacket which I never wear...

 

[rick5150]

A good leather jacket is one of those clothing items that I will never be without. I think that back in the day leather was more of a functional material rather than the stylish material it has become. Leather was used where a tough material was needed. The fit was closer to one's body. In today's age of synthetics and nearly everything containing a "space-age polymer" of some type, leather is seen as fashionable more than functional.

Gone for the most part is the tough stiff leather as everyone is concerned with instant comfort which usually translates into a thinner, cheaper, softer leather. I will take a good stiff horsehide that has been well-broken in over anything offered today. If done properly, the jacket feels comfortable since it is broken in to your body and will not fit anyone else the same way, yet it feels like armor as well.

Plus, I challenge anyone to name a material that is available today that smells as good as leather.

 

[Mr. Rover]

I bought a vintage A-2 the other day when I was in a vintage shop, and boy- this leather is grainy, heavy, tough as nails. I'd be hard pressed to find a jacket with this much riggedness in a dept. store.

 

[shamus]

I'm a big supporter of leather... I love it, especially Horse. Nothing is better. Wear it in the rain, snow, sun... Like Paddy says.. gets better and better. Although I won't wear it to work on the car. Afaid of grease and oil!

Steer Hide is good too, Avoid Cow. Avoid sheepskin.. (except if it's shearling)

If you think back... People who wore leather were workers... Motorcycle "gangs" wore leather.. Cops wore leather. Respectiable men, do not wear leather... at the time.

If you're thinking of getting a jacket, do not buy it at a mall. Go online, get real horse, Front quarter if you can stand to break it in, used front quarter is wonderfull,... new front quarter will drive you insane. A nice 3 oz horse will be all you need for everyday wear and tear....

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

True. That is probably also part of the reason why leather jackets grew to be seen as a sign of rebellion and being cool.

I am not a huge fan of the A2 style (just not my bag) but I really like the longer length belted styles from the 30s and 40s. But realistically, unless you had some practical reason for wearing it most men at the time would probably see such a coat as improper attire for a gentleman.

 

[MikeyB17]

I was having a chat with Wildo Root a few days ago about how back in the 30's leather was considered more as low cost work clothes that men doing manual labor jobs would wear to prevent abrasion or pilots would use as a windbreaker. You'd see them all over the Sears Boebuck catalog in the work wear section. Nowadays leather jackets you find in department stores are super soft and considered a luxury item. That is my view... what do you think?

Has the general publics mentality of leather changed? I know motorcyle riders still swear by leather as an item of protection, though outside of them, has leather been relegated to being a luxury item?

I think a lot of the reason people think differently about leather, particularly horse, is that it was a lot more plentiful and thus cheaper back in the 30's-there were a lot more horses around. I believe the AAF went for horse for the A-2 because there were a lot of horses knocking around spare after the Army mechanized. Nowadays I also believe it's illegal to slaughter horses for leather production, they have to have died from natural causes. Plus the tanning methods used back then are now prohibitively expensive for most manufacturers, apart from a few trying to recreate that old stuff. Nowadays, as has been pointed out, people can't be bothered to break in a good, heavy leather jacket-they want the soft, light stuff you can wear straight off the peg. My wife's uncle proudly showed me his new jacket a while ago, I reckon I could have stuck my finger straight through the leather with no effort at all, but he was happy with it. In contrast I was wearing my Aero smooth horse A-2, which 7 months later is still nowhere near broken in, despite as much wear in all conditions as I can manage. As far as motorcyclists are concerned, most of the ones I know prefer kevlar nowadays, although to be fair most of the ones I know are riding japanese and Italian rocket sleds, not traditional US iron. But I agree with all of you who say there's nothing like a good piece of well-worn leather. Leather is great for the accumulation of character-no matter how much you knock it about, it just keeps looking better and better. And Rick, you are dead right , nothing beats the smell. I asked this question on one of the jacket forums the other day, think I'll ask it here too-which is your best-smelling leather jacket? Mine is without a doubt my Aero buffalo Highwayman.

MB17

 

[jake431]

Old leather takes time to break in - an A-2 (which isn't even all that thick), or a M-422a (mine is three years old and still breaking in, although it finally feels like it's totally MINE) or an old motorcycle jacket - all these jackets take a commitment that transcends loyalty to trends or fashion (please excuse the Stuartesque nature of this post). But most people don't want to be caught out of step with whatever current fashion is, and a jacket has to look broken in, or at least "soft" as soon as possible, otherwise - by the time you've got it nice and loosened up, it's time to move on to a new trend!

Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject.

-Jake