Edward
Bartender
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- London, UK
Yeah, I learned about the back pocket through my research -- there's no mention of it, and it doesn't appear in the photos for the auction listing of the one I bought. So I don't know for sure yet if mine even has it! But I assume it will -- I should know in a few days.
Hopefully if more of these turn up, or someone has some more info on them, they can find this topic and add what they have to it now that I have it started.
I'll probably keep saying it, I'd love to see Aero, Thedi, Himel, Lost Worlds, or one of the other top makers introduce a reproduction of this model. Depending on how wearable mine turns out to be, I'd consider sending it to someone to have a copy made, and I'd be particularly happy to see it turn into a regular production item.
Carlos' LW looks great. I'd love to see an Aero version of this as well; Aero's patterns work for me, and I really like their bike jackets. LW stuff is great ime too - but dealing with the import issues and additional costs is off-putting for me.
Funnily enough, recently I've been sort of fancying something akin to a Schott 184 in black, but one of these with s black mouton collar would be a step better...
Could the pockets be vents?
A lot of modern motorcycle jackets have zipped opening in the front to allow air in, and usually one or two zipped openings in the back to allow air out, to prevent balooning at higher speed.
Could it just be that the front "map pocket" was the first iteration of a front vent.
Putting the "air out" vent one on the action back would make sens too.
Horrible design, but you get the idea:
https://www.rhinoleather.com.au/leather-motorcycle-jacket-with-vents-and-armour-australia/
That's where my mind went with it too. Potentially could have been used as such even if the original design purpose was other, giving birth to the idea of purposely placed vents later on...
I wonder what the purpose is for the back zipper, if it's not intended to be a pocket...
Map pocket? I think that's what a lot of what we now know as pillion pockets started out as (which also explains why there was often only one...) Could have stowed gloves too. I've also read about rider back in the day stuffing them with newspapers for added insulation in Winter. Tucked under the vent like that perhaps also made it less obvious to would-be pick-pockets?
Let me add fit pics to this thread, i have been wearing it a lot since these pics where taken and the grain has really popped out.
In use it is a very nice jacket, the "sandwich pocket" (as Stuart calls it) is super practical, you can fit a bottle of wine in there comfortably.
Did they ever do these cut for women? The placement of that big pocket-zip looks, at least in photos, like it would have made it very easy to reverse the front zip and pocket zip on the pattern to create a jacket that fastens right over left... This looks like it's cut a little longer than the likes of a Perfecto - though not "modern over-long", more like it's style for the guy that wants just a bit more length in the bodycut. The proportions work well to my eye.