Leather trenchcoat

[Stand By]

I think that, in this day and age, anything goes. I'm reminded of that wherever I see people in this city.
If something like that coat feeds your soul for whatever reason (like a nice B-3, Irvin or A2 etc does for so many of us here - me included!), just wear it and feel better for it. Why not?

For years I wore a big waxed Aussie duster for wet dog walks and loved it - then I met my girlfriend who immediately hated seeing me in it as she said I had neither the size (I'm 5'7") nor frame for it to pull it off properly and it "drowned" me - and, in all fairness, I got what she was saying. Lee van Cleef I am not. So I let it go and got a smaller Barbour and I know in all honesty that it suits me so much better - but still, I really enjoyed that duster and and don't regret having it all that time. Get what you want and to heck with it because, at the end of the day, it's your soul that's being fed - not anyone else's.

PS. My girlfriend doesn't like my B-3 and Irvin so very much either (she thinks they look the same to her) - but I won't even entertain the thought of letting them go. They really do feed my soul and make me feel special when I wear them. So there.

 

[Big J]

This bloke is selling 3 on eBay (Germany)
feuerdrachen66

Yeah, and at least one of his is real nazi-era! lol

 

[Doctor Damage]

For years I wore a big waxed Aussie duster for wet dog walks and loved it - then I met my girlfriend who immediately hated seeing me in it as she said I had neither the size (I'm 5'7") nor frame for it to pull it off properly and it "drowned" me - and, in all fairness, I got what she was saying. Lee van Cleef I am not. So I let it go and got a smaller Barbour and I know in all honesty that it suits me so much better - but still, I really enjoyed that duster and and don't regret having it all that time. Get what you want and to heck with it because, at the end of the day, it's your soul that's being fed - not anyone else's.

I get what you're saying and at times I don't care what others think of what I'm wearing, but part of being an adult is finding a compromise between what you want to to and what you should do. There are so many clothing options out there that there's no reason to dress like a clown or in some manner that makes you look ridiculous (like being short and wearing an ankle-length duster). Plus it's a slippery slope when you start justifying choices with the "self actualization" or "self satisfaction" argument since it could be applied to all sorts of things: nakedness, for instance, or black bedsheets with eyeslits. I think if you want to wear something that's weird or gonzo or something, then a better though out justification than "I'll do whatever I want" needs to be found otherwise one is just being childish!

 

[zebedee]

I agree with this. I own five Aeros and don't have time to wear them all. I have a Stockman which is only for cold weather which I quite like, but no-one else seems to wear leather jackets where I am. I have a double-breasted leather jacket that may have been my most deluded purchase, and I maintain that most people (apart from the very tall) look damn awful in them I wear my highwayman pretty much all the time, but realise that others may well find this odd or quite possibly think of it as an affectation. It's only in deepest darkest winter that I feel that I should be wearing an Aero- I often wish that I wore them less, and went for a wool overcoat (I have a few) when I went out the door! I could vary my appearance as opposed to being 'that bloke in the leather jacket'; for some odd reason I always feel the need to sling it on... It's an odd addiction.

 

[Stand By]

I get what you're saying and at times I don't care what others think of what I'm wearing, but part of being an adult is finding a compromise between what you want to to and what you should do. There are so many clothing options out there that there's no reason to dress like a clown or in some manner that makes you look ridiculous (like being short and wearing an ankle-length duster). Plus it's a slippery slope when you start justifying choices with the "self actualization" or "self satisfaction" argument since it could be applied to all sorts of things: nakedness, for instance, or black bedsheets with eyeslits. I think if you want to wear something that's weird or gonzo or something, then a better though out justification than "I'll do whatever I want" needs to be found otherwise one is just being childish!

I agree, DD. I think we should dress respectfully for other people around us (and I do) - and I believe that compromise is the best way forward in most things in life, especially with jackets; Hence, the duster went out and the Barbour came in and I'm seriously good with that. Sometimes it takes someone else to make a well-intentioned observation that we wouldn't/couldn't make for ourselves and make us take note and make a change for the better …
But I still occasionally hear "You know World War Two is over, right?" when I wear my Irvin and really couldn't care less. Granted, I wouldn't wear a pair of M1936 Pattern boots with it in public nor a white silk scarf (nor a B-2 cap with the B-3 in daylight/public) and make sure I don't over-do the look - as stated elsewhere, it's what you pair it with that matters - but that's just me.
But if someone else wants to walk around looking like an extra from The Matrix - or Indiana Jones - or the Gestapo and they've been told so and don't care anyway, I could argue that they're grown ups and able to do what they want - any resulting ridicule is up to them to bear. It wouldn't be for me, but then, some would call me very conventional - and that's fair enough too. From their perspective they'd be right.
And hey, if the coat does feel somewhat Gestapo-esque after all, it can always be sold. At least the itch got scratched.

 

[Worf]

Hey, my B2 gets worn with my D1 and B10 plenty. Don't bother me none. My B-17's parked right out back!

Worf

 

[Stand By]

Both of ELC B-2 caps get worn a lot too, Worf - but before dawn! And I love them. But when it gets daylight and I'm out with my lady, the black and navy Buzz watch caps come out. I don't need to invite flak.

 

[alexeberlin]

I get what you're saying and at times I don't care what others think of what I'm wearing, but part of being an adult is finding a compromise between what you want to to and what you should do. There are so many clothing options out there that there's no reason to dress like a clown or in some manner that makes you look ridiculous (like being short and wearing an ankle-length duster). Plus it's a slippery slope when you start justifying choices with the "self actualization" or "self satisfaction" argument since it could be applied to all sorts of things: nakedness, for instance, or black bedsheets with eyeslits. I think if you want to wear something that's weird or gonzo or something, then a better though out justification than "I'll do whatever I want" needs to be found otherwise one is just being childish!

WOW that's a huge strawman, are you making a Wicker Man sequel?

 

[Fanch]

I dunno - no one criticizes me when I wear my Indy outfit in public.

 

[Seb Lucas]

WOW that's a huge strawman, are you making a Wicker Man sequel?

Really? I can see his point.

 

[Big J]

Really? I can see his point.

Yeah, me too.
Like Worf, I wear my B-3 with my B-2, and when I see people look at me sideways, I smile right back at them. And if I'm not in the mood for it, I wear different clothes.
I wear my trench coat with a fedora, and sometimes I get comments and I smile. If I'm not in the mood, I wear a hooded gore-tex jacket.
I can't imagine ever being in the mood to smile at people's Gestapo comments.

 

[Sloan1874]

Some years back, the editor of Loaded magazine, a lad mag of the worst sort of stripe, listed the Nazis in its 'best dressed' list, and the outrage it generated forced the editor to resign.

 

[Worf]

Some years back, the editor of Loaded magazine, a lad mag of the worst sort of stripe, listed the Nazis in its 'best dressed' list, and the outrage it generated forced the editor to resign.

Hell even I have to admit it. Nazi uni's were the chit. That black "SS" officers stuff looks wicked cool. BUT unless one is in a movie or an re-enactor, you might as well be wearing KKK robes in public.

Worf

 

[Big J]

Hell even I have to admit it. Nazi uni's were the chit. That black "SS" officers stuff looks wicked cool. BUT unless one is in a movie or an re-enactor, you might as well be wearing KKK robes in public.

Worf

OR....
unless you are a sexy vampire chick.
My wife loves those Underworld movies with Kate Whatever from Pearl Harbor running round in skin tight black latex, and a black leather trench coat (not that I noticed).
If you're a hot chick, you can get away with a lot of fashion choices that would be a massive 'no-no' for a guy, I think.

 

[Stand By]

I dunno - no one criticizes me when I wear my Indy outfit in public.
View attachment 35874

Yeah, a big old leather Webley holster will do that to people ….!

 

[Stand By]

Perhaps the best example I can think of where dressing like one's hero from the movies illustrates the point that reality is far from the fantasy:

I mean, I doubt there is isn't a man out there who's ever watched Clint Eastwood in any of his spaghetti westerns and seen that poncho and not secretly admired his look and wished they could exude that amount of cool.


And thanks to Marty McFly we know what it would look like if any of us actually tried.

 

[ButteMT61]

Hell even I have to admit it. Nazi uni's were the chit. That black "SS" officers stuff looks wicked cool. BUT unless one is in a movie or an re-enactor, you might as well be wearing KKK robes in public.

Worf

Funny you mention that. We have an event this weekend - "Battle of the Caucasus". It's us Ruskies vs the Germans. Normally we dress there and then after 2 days of battling/camping, we go out to eat before heading home. Only in the desert towns do I meet up with the German guys for that reason. Somehow (sarc here) the desert community folks don't bat an eye at that stuff...

I admit to being very uncomfortable being out in public with those cats - even though there is not a single one of them that are anything remotely racist, etc. They spend 1000's on their gear (it's all expensive - we gets ours made in Russia) but the Germans spend more that anyone by far, and it's indeed astonishing.

 

[Worf]

Funny you mention that. We have an event this weekend - "Battle of the Caucasus". It's us Ruskies vs the Germans. Normally we dress there and then after 2 days of battling/camping, we go out to eat before heading home. Only in the desert towns do I meet up with the German guys for that reason. Somehow (sarc here) the desert community folks don't bat an eye at that stuff...

I admit to being very uncomfortable being out in public with those cats - even though there is not a single one of them that are anything remotely racist, etc. They spend 1000's on their gear (it's all expensive - we gets ours made in Russia) but the Germans spend more that anyone by far, and it's indeed astonishing.

Unhh... the more I know about the less I seem to know.... Okay the re-enactor stuff I can kinda understand, (if I had the disposable income there's a few battles I'd like to fight) BUT why fight a Russian battle here in the U.S.? and last I heard the Caucasus' were a mountainous region, you're fightin' in the desert? I'm confused... help a fellah out will ya? Plus I MUST see a pic of you in Rooski kit!

Worf