Psychology: The One

[Xopher]

I often think about the psychology behind my jacket collecting and chasing the perfect one. So far Ive noticed that many people never actually find "the one", we cycle through many that are close but not quite there.
It made me wonder, is the idea of the perfect jacket a fruitless effort? I find that the moments in my life that made me the happiest, I did not plan and had zero expextations for, but they topped my happiness charts. Same with cheap noname jackets. One of my favorites was a 200 dollar spearhead thunderburd field jacket. I had low expectations for it but I love it anyway. I dont feel like I need to be its care giver.

My other thought is why do we like jackets? Im sure there are all sorts of reasons. For me I almost feel like it could be a security object, a habit I picked up from childhood. I feel a tad out of sorts without one on, and no matter how hot it gets I always have one in the car or with me on trips, even if I never need it. I like the sense of preparedness. Is thats the case with other folks?

Let me know your thoughts folks, Id love to hear what yall have to say.

Chris

 

[Boyo]

Hey Chris,
I think I have found my one perfect jacket, but its brown, unlined and not "right" for every occasion so I've accumulated about 12 more and look just about everyday at ebay, the classifieds here and a few other places. for me the joy is the search, the build up of expectation while following the tracking info and opening the box, once you put the jacket on and wear it a day or two it becomes.... a jacket again.. and the search continues.
I too wear or carry a jacket long after the temperature dictates i should, but I think that's me justifying having so many.

 

[ton312]

Let's just be honest and agree we all exist somewhere on the spectrum for Aspergers syndrome (I'm sure I do). Outside of leather 3 leather jackets I have 7 of the exact same Navy Blue t-shirt. 3 of the exact same pair of jeans, 2 of the exact same hoody. I seldom wear anything other than these items outside of work. And I'm much less comfortable when I have to.

 

[Peacoat]

This will sound like heresy, especially in light of @Xopher's post, but my jackets, leather or otherwise, serve one purpose: Protection from the elements, especially the cold. After the temps have risen into the 50s, the jackets are put away In favor of a vest, as a vest is so much more comfortable to wear. I derive no particular pleasure in wearing a leather jacket other than its ability to protect me from the elements.

 

[Peter Bowden]

Truthfully I like showing off.I like the notion of hardy well-made period outerwear which might suggest I live that kind of life.I enjoy the retail therapy and knowing that other people enjoy it too.I love the character of leather which is to my mind exemplified by its use in fine jackets.I don't think I have ever sought the One though.

 

[johnnycanuck]

One problem I have as an adult is size. Trying to keep my weight at a reasonable level is a challenge. I fluctuate about 20 pounds over the course of the year. So a trim fitted jacket is pretty much out of the question. I also live in Canada so I have a winter jacket, Two leather jackets from Wested in Goat and Cow for different temperatures and a light denim jacket for summer. So no one jacket will ever do me for more than a few months at a time.


I don’t know about “the one” jacket but I do love my jackets. It goes back to childhood. I would wear my jackets like second skin until they wore out or I grew out of them. Usually Denim jackets. Fond memories. It was also an adult thing. You would see characters in movies and TV shows with a distinct look and style that was just “Them” so I tried to emulate that. My “the one” jacket is probably my wested Raiders Jacket. Loved Indiana Jones and the jacket is distinctive but generic enough very few people notice it as an Indiana Jones jacket.


That’s my two cents worth anyway.


Johnny

 

[Doctor Strange]

Not all of us are on the hunt for "the one". Not all of us are obsessives or completists. Not all of us have been through piles of jackets to find a personal best in a given style. Not all of us constantly buy/sell on ebay, or are even vaguely interested in acquiring vintage/used jackets. Not all of us think spending a thousand-dollars-plus on a jacket is necessary or desirable.

I've been coming to this and similar forums daily since 2001, and I've never done any of those things. I have a variety of jackets I like to wear, and only some of them are examples with historical or stylistic importance. And I like wearing my $200 jackets just as much as my more expensive ones.

It's very easy to get a skewed view from those who post the most and loudest here: many of them buy and sell daily, have closets full of a particular style, and have spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on their collections in years of searching. But that's not true of MOST of us.

 

[ton312]

Not all of us are on the hunt for "the one". Not all of us are obsessives or completists. Not all of us have been through piles of jackets to find a personal best in a given style. Not all of us constantly buy/sell on ebay, or are even vaguely interested in acquiring vintage/used jackets. Not all of us think spending a thousand-dollars-plus on a jacket is necessary or desirable.

I've been coming to this and similar forums daily since 2001, and I've never done any of those things. I have a variety of jackets I like to wear, and only some of them are examples with historical or stylistic importance. And I like wearing my $200 jackets just as much as my more expensive ones.

It's very easy to get a skewed view from those who post the most and loudest here: many of them buy and sell daily, have closets full of a particular style, and have spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on their collections in years of searching. But that's not true of MOST of us.

 

[Doctor Strange]

No, I'm not mad at all. I'm just trying to correct some assumptions about "all of the regulars on this forum" that actually don't apply to many of us.

That is, if you mean angry mad. If you mean crazy mad, that's a distinct possibility!

 

[Otter]

To paraphrase Gollum "We wants the Precious" !

 

[dubpynchon]

For me the next jacket is always 'the one', the jacket I will wear for the next twenty years and watch it age and gain patina. Then in a moment of mindfulness I think on the other jackets I own, and realise that they could all be the perfect jacket, and each would still look great, or better in every case but goatskin, in twenty years. It's an addiction, chasing an illusion.

Leather jackets are so cool though... I don't think there's a cure.

 

[scottyrocks]

I don't necessarily need 'the best.' I just want what I feel is right for me, regardless of what it is.

Re hats and jackets . . .

I've been wearing leather jackets for 40 years. I have consisently searched out brown leather jackets, although I've had my share of black ones, as well.

In particular, I like A2s. Leather collar, hand warmer and patch pockets with flaps, knit cuffs and waistband.

I also shop by price. No, not the cheapest, because there's stuff out there I wouldn't wear if it was free. But I look to see what I like and then note the price point. Then I start shopping in earnest.

Same thing with hats. There's stuff I wouldn't wear, but I have found what is for me a brand (and model) of hat that fits my needs, looks great, is well made, and is a bargain by today's standards, so that is my starting point, and the price range I use when shopping for any similar hat of a different brand. I will go higher for just the right hat of a different brand and/or vintage, but that's a rarity.

 

[red devil]

I am simply having fun
I already have a good collection of jackets, but still want to try out more ideas
Right now, a grizzly is under consideration
For some is us, the answer can be pretty simple

 

[nick123]

In the quest for the One, one discovers the infinite beauty of the Zero. Meaning, while nice jackets are nice, the people and non-material objects in life that can’t be quantified are where true contentment is found. Somewhere along the quest the shallowness of the elusive One sinks in and meaningful things fill the void.

 

[ton312]

In the quest for the One, one discovers the infinite beauty of the Zero. Meaning, while nice jackets are nice, the people and non-material objects in life that can’t be quantified are where true contentment is found. Somewhere along the quest the shallowness of the elusive One sinks in and meaningful things fill the void.

This is very true...I really don't feel attachment to any of my material things. I like them, sure, but I can cut and run/sell a jacket or object with little or no regret.

 

[Stlawrence]

It's a sickness, and the damned internet tubes feed it for me.

I've been through this with boats, firearms, guitars...eventually I decide I've spent enough money (meaning, my wife asks me what the f is going on) and settle on what I have.

But I think the search for the ultimate is engrained in the human spirit. Isn't it also, though, a testament to our disposable income? I doubt my father, who worked every day of his life, had the same compulsions. He had to do with "good enough," and didn't have the funds to search for "the perfect."

Remember. Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

 

[nick123]

This is very true...I really don't feel attachment to any of my material things. I like them, sure, but I can cut and run/sell a jacket or object with little or no regret.

I’ve been more or less feeling this realization now for a couple of years. No doubt a jacket(s) are therapeautic and fall somewhere into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but I just sold a nice Eastman M422a and your halfbelt for bills, bills, bills. To hopefully put a roof over the gf/I. Worth it. If I didn’t have financial worries I think I’d relish in jackets a little more. The cousin just had a newborn; after some medical complications that had the family in tears he’s alright. That>jackets. Life is great outside of jacketing, but it is a daily withdrawal to disconnect from jacket addiction. Not easy.

 

[Superfluous]

Personally, I am NOT searching for the one and only, end all, be all, singular jacket. Rather, I prefer variety and the ability to wear different jackets on different days. I would never be satisfied with only one jacket.

On the other hand, I do not engage in an ongoing, ritual search for jackets. I do not peruse e-bay or the classifieds in the hope of unexpectedly finding a desirable jacket (that I was not looking for). Rather, as I decide that I would like a particular jacket, I pursue that particular jacket and only that jacket.

In my case (and likely others), jacket obsession is merely a subset of a larger addictive personality trait. As a teenager, I was profoundly addicted to drugs. With help, I was able to address that addiction at a young age (and continue to do so). Thereafter, my addictive personality turned to several alternative pursuits, including – at one time or another – watches, cars, poker, audio equipment (both home and auto), sunglasses, leather jackets, and several other sub-categories of clothing (e.g., suits, ties, dress shirts, sneakers, flannels, jeans, non-printed t-shirts, baseball caps, etc.). Thus, the compulsive tendencies underlying my affinity for leather jackets permeate many other aspects of my life. This is a broad personality trait/shortcoming that far transcends leather jackets.

 

[nick123]

Personally, I am NOT searching for the one and only, end all, be all, singular jacket. Rather, I prefer variety and the ability to wear different jackets on different days. I would never be satisfied with only one jacket.

On the other hand, I do not engage in an ongoing, ritual search for jackets. I do not peruse e-bay or the classifieds in the hope of unexpectedly finding a desirable jacket (that I was not looking for). Rather, as I decide that I would like a particular jacket, I pursue that particular jacket and only that jacket.

In my case (and likely others), jacket obsession is merely a subset of a larger addictive personality trait. As a teenager, I was profoundly addicted to drugs. With help, I was able to address that addiction at a young age (and continue to do so). Thereafter, my addictive personality turned to several alternative pursuits, including – at one time or another – watches, cars, poker, audio equipment (both home and auto), sunglasses, leather jackets, and several other sub-categories of clothing (e.g., suits, ties, dress shirts, sneakers, flannels, jeans, non-printed t-shirts, baseball caps, etc.). Thus, the compulsive tendencies underlying my affinity for leather jackets permeate many other aspects of my life. This is a broad personality trait/shortcoming that far transcends leather jackets.

Funny, I started here in 2012. Right about the time I cleaned up. Not from drug addiction; rather drug experimentation. Ugly ugly high school times. I was out of my mind. Jackets are okay for rehab. Lesser evil, but even jacket splurging has to stop sooner or later, or you just have to get smart!

 

[thor]

I derive no particular pleasure in wearing a leather jacket other than its ability to protect me from the elements.

^^^ Now that’s just crazy-talk @Peacoat