Remember the leather jacket fad of the 70's?

[GHT]

I've 2 from the 70's/80's... I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this thread. Sigh... the mistakes I've made over the years. I once bragged on here about my Wilson Car Coat.... I was as green as that...
Worf

Who hasn't? I am of an age to remember some of the fashions. One that I didn't succumb to was the appalling cheap leather coat with the faux fur collar. The leather looks more like PVC and the collar, dear oh dear. It was popular in the early seventies probably due to some similar appalling bad TV show, where the hero wore such a garment.

Your Wilson Car Coat fades against my all leather trench coat. I kid you not, a leather trench coat. SHould have saved my money and bought a gaberdine one. Burberry did a nice one. But there you go, I wanted to be different.

 

[SJC]

The vintage are so much better .I scored a 70's leather trucker jacket from Terry Mitchell's etsy page . They just don't create quality like this anymore . Just spent $1,400 on a ELMC History Preservation jacket where the reproduction style zipper is BRAND NEW AND IS ALREADY JUNK TRASH!

 

[jonesy86]

Who hasn't? I am of an age to remember some of the fashions. One that I didn't succumb to was the appalling cheap leather coat with the faux fur collar. The leather looks more like PVC and the collar, dear oh dear. It was popular in the early seventies probably due to some similar appalling bad TV show, where the hero wore such a garment.
View attachment 98019

Your Wilson Car Coat fades against my all leather trench coat. I kid you not, a leather trench coat. SHould have saved my money and bought a gaberdine one. Burberry did a nice one. But there you go, I wanted to be different.
View attachment 98020

You still have them? Cool. I’m looking for a 3/4 70s coat. Pm me if you have one.

 

[GHT]

You still have them? Cool. I’m looking for a 3/4 70s coat. Pm me if you have one.

Do I still have them? Well I didn't buy the faux fur collar one, but the trench coat has a tale to tell. I bought it round about 1973/74, wore it for a while, got bored with it and just let it hang in my wardrobe. Later, my sister asked if I still had it and could her boyfriend borrow it. He borrowed it, and a few months later he walked out on my sister, who by now was three months pregnant, and was never heard of again. I've no idea if he took the coat, and as I wasn't too bothered about it, I never questioned my sister, as it was too much of a painful time in her life.

If you are interested in a 1970's leather coat, just Google: "Men's 1970's leather coats." There's loads, mostly on E-bay everything from motorcycle messenger coats to the trench coat that I once had, and a good deal in between. Happy hunting.

 

[Markoman]

I grew up in the 70's/80's in the US and was just remembering how there were leather jacket stores everywhere in the late 70's, and everyone was wearing leather jackets...the short waisted fashion jacket style w/tight highwaisted wide leg jeans LOL. Anyone else remember this era?

I do....The big store in the Boston area was Snyder leather.
I bought two coats there, one was a 3/4 length car coat, big fat lapels ala David Soul in Starsky and Hutch.
The second was a waist length jacket with a big collar. Both of them were burgundy.

Marko

 

[scottyrocks]

It must be where I live. People wear anything and everything, and criticism is few and far between, if at all, imho.

 

[GHT]

It must be where I live. People wear anything and everything, and criticism is few and far between, if at all, imho.

They don't criticise because they really can't believe their own eyes.

 

[Butch_Coolidge]

I grew up in the 70's/80's in the US and was just remembering how there were leather jacket stores everywhere in the late 70's, and everyone was wearing leather jackets...the short waisted fashion jacket style w/tight highwaisted wide leg jeans LOL. Anyone else remember this era?

Yes. Grew up in the same time frame. I bought a black leather cafe racer type jacket from Wilson’s that I put on layaway. I paid it in installments, and was very proud of it. It had thick padding on the elbows and elsewhere. Looked like something that Judge Dredd would wear in a sci-fi movie. I think it could probably stop a bullet. Those were the days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jonesy86]

Fashions come in, and go out again. Then come back in again as "vintage". Thanks for the tip GHT on hunting down a memory. The Village, Little Italy, NYC early mid 70s. Tough guys wore them (and they were not poseurs, trust me). Not trench coat, but not blazer either. They were always black, boxy, but shorter than "Carlito's Way". Difficult for me to find used sizes. And even I have to admit that some of the widest lapels are a little out there.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Those 1970's car coats were popular not just with urban hoodlums but even here with university students and creative types. In fact they have come in and out of fashion a few times since 1970. The English TV series Life on Mars and Dr Who revived interest in black leather coats for a while in the mid 2000's. And of course Fight Club generated an interest in red or rust brown versions of this style. Stallone in the original Rocky wears a black leather coat in just such a 'tough guy' outing.

 

[jonesy86]

Those 1970's car coats were popular not just with urban hoodlums but even here with university students and creative types. In fact they have come in and out of fashion a few times since 1970. The English TV series Life on Mars and Dr Who revived interest in black leather coats for a while in the mid 2000's. And of course Fight Club generated an interest in red or rust brown versions of this style. Stallone in the original Rocky wears a black leather coat in just such a 'tough guy' outing.

\

Yeah, hadn't thought abut Rocky. Just googled it and found this:
http://americanleatherjacket.com/Ro...JFa62S9454RR4HjSIMuwJdKIbFPaRQYRoCOvcQAvD_BwE



Also had looked into another costume company for Life on Mars:

http://www.leathercult.com/celebrit...LQGeJRzENTrZT05yzIrlphqABWcICajhoCsWgQAvD_BwE



I have been advised to stay away from this stuff as it is supposed to be total cr#p.

Would love to find something like this from that era that is somewhat authentic, and of half way decent quality. The hunt continues.

 

[Michael A]

Fashions come in, and go out again. Then come back in again as "vintage". Thanks for the tip GHT on hunting down a memory. The Village, Little Italy, NYC early mid 70s. Tough guys wore them (and they were not poseurs, trust me). Not trench coat, but not blazer either. They were always black, boxy, but shorter than "Carlito's Way". Difficult for me to find used sizes. And even I have to admit that some of the widest lapels are a little out there.

You might search for Grais - Angel Skin or Cabretta. Or Cresco. Or Schott. Or Lakeland. I've got one or more of each of those brands in about the length you are looking for. Or I think about the length. They were all mainline brands and good quality. All defunct today as far as I know, except for Schott.

Michael

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yeah, they are pretty easy to find. Sizes 42 to 44 in black come up every few weeks in good numbers but you may need to wait now until next year. McGregor, Reed and Sears also turn up a range of options. Most thrift shops I go to have 3 or 4 hanging up at any given time and that's in Melbourne where far fewer of these things were available.

Soul Revolver make copies of film and generic 1970's jackets. If you get the cowhide rather than leather they are pretty good. See below - "The Hitman". Pity to waste good money on a copy however when you can get the real thing for very little. Unless you are after a huge size you should be able to get a good one within a fortnight.

 

[jonesy86]

They don't criticise because they really can't believe their own eyes.
View attachment 98229

Yikes. When I saw this fashion statement (prison chic), I was aghast. Why these kids these days, "pull up your pants son". Sounded like my father, "get a hair cut you look like a girl, and get a job, you dang hippy". Luckily this seems to have faded somewhat in the "inner city" here.

 

[jonesy86]

I guess you can both laugh and cry re. this thread. Pretty much anything goes in my neighborhood, I don't think that anyone really gives a sh#t what you are wearing. The city of San Francisco had to pass a special ordinance banning nudity unless you had a parade license, but they love a parade. Oakland is still on the other side of the bay, but not by much anymore.
Thank you all for the tips on brand names to search for, comments, and suggestions. I'm hunting. Now going to plug in Grais - Angel Skin or Cabretta. Or Cresco. Or Schott. Or Lakeland, into ebay see what comes up. Also saw Soul Revolver, but I agree that it would be better to not waste the money on film/tv copy or a costume jacket, and look for the real thing. Michael A. you rock those lapels! I know this style is not de rigueur on this forum, but if anyone sees one with 26" or 27" sleeves that doesn't have P to P made fot The Hulk anywhere let me know.

Peace.

 

[Bamaboots]

Members Only were popular around here. Yeah, I had one just like this.

 

[HanauMan]

I remember that all the cool dudes wore leather jackets and coats in the 70s. I was really influenced by popular culture, mostly by watching TV. Remember Henry Winkler who played The Fonzie in Happy Days. Man, I really did dig his jacket. Also watching old movies like Rebel Without a Cause and seeing those guys messing around with James Dean, wearing those black biker jackets. Another influence was the musical Grease with Danny and his gang, all with their black jackets. I was 13 years old and wanted a black Perfecto so badly! Mom wouldn't allow me one (years later, in my twenties, I finally bought a Schott Perfecto). Anyhow, I saved my pocket money and in 1978 bought myself a cheap black leather jacket. We lived in Bavaria at that time and I couldn't find a leather jacket in any of the PXs nearby so I bought one on the economy, in a German Kaufhof in Schweinfurt. It was, I recall, like a A2 jacket, only in black leather. It had slash side pockets, elasticated cuffs and waist and a flared collar (it was the 70s!!). It was the bomb, man, I loved that jacket. It was almost the same style as the one Fonzie wore. I don't recall who made it, it was probably a cheap German make. By the end of my teens I had outgrown it and it was falling to bits because I wore it so much.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Members Only were popular around here. Yeah, I had one just like this.
View attachment 98415

That's the 1980's, a whole different range of sartorial sins.

 

[Bamaboots]

That's the 1980's, a whole different range of sartorial sins.

Thanks for that important correction, Seb. Mid 70's to early 80's all a blur to me.

 

[scottyrocks]

I remember that all the cool dudes wore leather jackets and coats in the 70s. I was really influenced by popular culture, mostly by watching TV. Remember Henry Winkler who played The Fonzie in Happy Days. Man, I really did dig his jacket. Also watching old movies like Rebel Without a Cause and seeing those guys messing around with James Dean, wearing those black biker jackets. Another influence was the musical Grease with Danny and his gang, all with their black jackets. I was 13 years old and wanted a black Perfecto so badly! Mom wouldn't allow me one (years later, in my twenties, I finally bought a Schott Perfecto). Anyhow, I saved my pocket money and in 1978 bought myself a cheap black leather jacket. We lived in Bavaria at that time and I couldn't find a leather jacket in any of the PXs nearby so I bought one on the economy, in a German Kaufhof in Schweinfurt. It was, I recall, like a A2 jacket, only in black leather. It had slash side pockets, elasticated cuffs and waist and a flared collar (it was the 70s!!). It was the bomb, man, I loved that jacket. It was almost the same style as the one Fonzie wore. I don't recall who made it, it was probably a cheap German make. By the end of my teens I had outgrown it and it was falling to bits because I wore it so much.

And then there was The Lords of Flatbush (1974), pre-big-fame days for Stallone and Winkler. I am a Brooklyn boy so this was particularly cool for me (although I am not particularly proud of it now).

The images in this film stayed with me through the '80s, when I was able to afford things I wanted.