The Colour of Leather

[Edward]

We're all familiar with vintage leather jackets being predominantly brown, or black, with the odd oxblood example, but.... Looking around these days as other colours of leather start to hit people's radar, from Aero's blue Vicenza through Horween's midnight blue FQHH, to Thedi's green leather and beyond, I begin to wonder just what the earliest examples of leather jackets other than black or brown are. Clearly it wasn't the case that such things didn't exist until Lewis started marketing bright orange(!) or canary yellow jackets as safety wear in 1978.... there were cars rolling off the production line in the 20s with leather seats in blue, green, oxblood, cream.... all sorts. So when did somebody first see the potential in turning these other colours of leather into jackets? Surely somebody must have tried it by the forties, when varsity jackets with all sorts of colours of leather sleeves, at least, started to appear?

 

[ton312]

I recall seeing some Canadian made all leather university jackets on ebay in navy blue and maroon. I believe they dated to the 1950's. I believe the explosion in color can be attributed to Bates. They really pushed the color boundary in the 60's with their racing suits. Interesting question...would love to see some really old stuff but I suspect outside the racing community there wouldn't have been much call for non traditional colors in leather.

 

[Dav]

A quick search found this https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DQkAAOSwQwBZjuTD/s-l1600.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.clustersupply.top/coats-jackets-c-1_6_7/&h=1024&w=682&tbnid=2igtuvYSK4orCM:&tbnh=275&tbnw=183&usg=__9aF7ZdbwYvWR5WzKT9IelB2fGBo=&vet=1&docid=QnmXkKm1UCwtcM not quit what you're after though I think

And assuming it's actually from the 40s

 

[tropicalbob]

When I was a little tyke back in, er, a long time ago, I used to borrow my mom's blue, green, or wine-colored gloves and run around the house with them on. I claimed that I was just doing it because all the cowboys had gloves. Honest.

 

[Skyhawk]

According to Volume 4 of the Smithsonian Air & Space reference books, some the original A-1's were made from Olive color Capeskin.
This would be 1927 - 1930. That is the earliest mention of colored leather I have seen used on jackets.
I have heard this before but didn't realize that is was actually documented by Smithsonian as fact.
https://books.google.com/books?id=Q...ved=0ahUKEwiv6cn-y4_aAhVVz2MKHfiMDPMQ6AEIPDAE
I may have to buy this book. I can't find an online copy.

 

[tropicalbob]

Julius Caesar was famous for his red leather boots. He may have worn them in emulation of the ancient kings, but he was one stylin' Roman.

 

[navetsea]

When I was a little tyke back in, er, a long time ago, I used to borrow my mom's blue, green, or wine-colored gloves and run around the house with them on. I claimed that I was just doing it because all the cowboys had gloves. Honest.

they were elemental gauntlets of course

 

[Flightengineer]

Julius Caesar was famous for his red leather boots. He may have worn them in emulation of the ancient kings, but he was one stylin' Roman.

And not only Caesar )

 

[Lean'n'mean]

There were a lot of brightly colored leather jackets during the middle ages but unfortunately the only photos available from the period are in black & white.

 

[rocketeer]

On the biking scene in the UK, a more modern look of yellow gloves are often worn by big Cruiser riders. I am guessing this probably originated in the US as the gloves are often described as 'Ropers gloves', referring to the old cowboys on the drives etc.
What I want to ask is why the yellow colour?
Thanks, J.

 

[Carlos840]

On the biking scene in the UK, a more modern look of yellow gloves are often worn by big Cruiser riders. I am guessing this probably originated in the US as the gloves are often described as 'Ropers gloves', referring to the old cowboys on the drives etc.
What I want to ask is why the yellow colour?
Thanks, J.

Just regular work gloves, If you google image "leather work gloves" they are all yellow... I just bought leather work gloves in Belgium and they are yellow too. They dye your hands yellow if you work in the wet, which is a nice plus!

 

[Edward]

A quick search found this https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DQkAAOSwQwBZjuTD/s-l1600.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.clustersupply.top/coats-jackets-c-1_6_7/&h=1024&w=682&tbnid=2igtuvYSK4orCM:&tbnh=275&tbnw=183&usg=__9aF7ZdbwYvWR5WzKT9IelB2fGBo=&vet=1&docid=QnmXkKm1UCwtcM not quit what you're after though I think

And assuming it's actually from the 40s

If it is forties - as you say (it could be 70s does 40s) - it's an early version of the 'natural'/ivory look, I think... interesting that it's a woman's jacket. Womenswear does seem to press ahead of menswear in the use of colour in relation to some things.

When I was a little tyke back in, er, a long time ago, I used to borrow my mom's blue, green, or wine-colored gloves and run around the house with them on. I claimed that I was just doing it because all the cowboys had gloves. Honest.

Ha, I remember doing the same with a single, black leather glove. I never much cared for Luke Skywalker (even as a six year old I knew Han Solo was far superior), but I really liked the idea of having such a mechanical hand. I still do (though I know the real science is still a few years away).

According to Volume 4 of the Smithsonian Air & Space reference books, some the original A-1's were made from Olive color Capeskin.
This would be 1927 - 1930. That is the earliest mention of colored leather I have seen used on jackets.
I have heard this before but didn't realize that is was actually documented by Smithsonian as fact.
https://books.google.com/books?id=Q...ved=0ahUKEwiv6cn-y4_aAhVVz2MKHfiMDPMQ6AEIPDAE
I may have to buy this book. I can't find an online copy.

That's a good one, yes. Of course green would make sense from a military point of view. In civilian terms, I begin to suspect part of the issue was that the average man would only have had one jacket - and at that his leather jacket might have been the only outerwear he owned, thus the conservative sticking to black or brown as most easily worn with the rest of his limited wardrobe.

Julius Caesar was famous for his red leather boots. He may have worn them in emulation of the ancient kings, but he was one stylin' Roman.

Good point - red hues seem to have been common in Roman leather (assuming what was taught was accurate!).

On the biking scene in the UK, a more modern look of yellow gloves are often worn by big Cruiser riders. I am guessing this probably originated in the US as the gloves are often described as 'Ropers gloves', referring to the old cowboys on the drives etc.
What I want to ask is why the yellow colour?
Thanks, J.

AFAIK, that particular leather hue was at least originally the result of the natural leather being tanned and treated but undyed. Gloves designed to be purely functional wouldn't have the cost of dying wasted on them, of course. Then, as often happens with these utilitarian things, the colour became traditional, became cool, and here we are. I've often wondered too whether, in addition to the 'cowboy cool', there was an element of the Native American cool to it (not an unknown aesthetic factor in motorcycle world - Indian motorcycles, Dennis Hopper's fringed suede shirt/pullover jacket, the idea of rejection of the established order in favour of a general notion of 'freedom'....), given what I've seen of First Nation clothing that utilised undyed animal skins.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The work gloves I have do indeed look like dyed yellow cowhide with a suede strip sewn across the palm, fleece lined and pre-curved. Made by Wells Lamont. Pretty common here in the states.
HD

 

[rocketeer]

The work gloves I have do indeed look like dyed yellow cowhide with a suede strip sewn across the palm, fleece lined and pre-curved. Made by Wells Lamont. Pretty common here in the states.
HD

About 30 years ago, a shop opposite to where the now American Classics in Endel Street London is situated stood a shop selling most things American at Premium prices including USA made levi shrink to fits and Pendleton work shirts. In the window were a new item, gloves as you describe. These were described as(English marketing strategy
coming up) hard to get American scaffolders and roping gloves for only £35+!!!!!. A friend got me a pair back then while holidaying in the US, price? $7 and I think the exchange rate was more than $2 to the £. English rip off eh!