The black leather jacket - a mark of respectability

[Rabbit]

Thanks for posting these shots. Interesting the Semi A2 jacket in the 33 Spiegal catalog, with no knits on the sleeves, but the correct looking pockets.

In the 20s-30s there were lots and lots of waist-length jackets with or without knits at the waist and/or sleeves, in grain leather, suede and textile. The generic term used back then was cossack jackets, although it was a very loose term that could mean almost any waist-length jacket. Today we know the A-1 and the A-2, but their many predecessors are mostly forgotten - well, except the Aeromariner type with shawl collar that many repro brands have recreated.

More in these threads.

1920s cossack jackets:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/leather-jackets-in-the-1920s.72429/

1910s-20s leather jackets - note that these ads put the jackets more strongly in context with sports rather than as a general alternative to a tailored jacket:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/guiterman-bros-leather-jackets-1910s-and-1920s.72459/

 

[tmitchell59]

Thanks again.

 

[handymike]

Is that Ronnie Reagan????

He's wearing my favorite D-pocket:

 

[tmitchell59]

Black box work jacket stands out for me. The mall jackets have overly complicated mall features. I wonder what you thought of the Penney horsehide. For such a vintage era, the patina looked a little tired, or maybe it has potential?

I just rubbed down the Penney. The leather/jacket are quite nice. I'll let it dry and do some pictures.

That particular jacket is what a Black Leather jacket means to me. It wasn't inexpensive, won't fit me, no head room, but I have not seen another in Black. That is just the way I think about/value a Black Leather jacket.

 

[Zombie_61]

Any truth to the reason why they put Fonzy in a BROWN leather jacket on "Happy Days?"

Probably for the same reason Winkler wore a gray windbreaker for the first several episodes unless he was riding, or near, his motorcycle--ABC was concerned that Fonzie would be perceived as a hoodlum or criminal by the viewing audience. Once the character was established and shown to have a strong moral compass they were more comfortable with him wearing a leather jacket all of the time; they probably thought brown was "less threatening".

By the way, he did have a black jacket in some of the earlier episodes. Rumor has it he started wearing the brown jacket because the original black one had been donated to the Smithsonian once the show had been deemed a success.

 

[hpalapdog]

Yeah... the Bothers out West, after the War, rode hard and fast!

Worf

Same guy but with the factory standard bars on the Vincent. Then as now these were the Rolls Royce of motorcycles and very expensive.

 

[Bunyip]

I love those old catalogues. I don't own a single black jacket. I ride a black motorcycle, but still no tough black jacket. I'm flirting with the idea, but I've always preferred brown.

 

[Worf]

I think that those catalogs were done to "standard". They put the jacket wearer with a tie and pipe no matter what jacket he was supposed to be modeling. That's just how "men" were depicted. They'd be fired if the painted a jacket on a tee-shirt wearing hood with sunglasses and a D.A.

Worf