ShadowBoxer
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 58
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
For those who enjoy Short Stories or Long Posts. Especially about jackets.
Hi,
How are you today? I'm sharing my story here because I don't know who else would care besides a bunch of strangers who love jackets. Please tell me if any of this sounds or feels familiar. Am I crazy? Am I being unreasonable? I hope I am not alone in my insanity.
So about half a year ago I got the idea of a Langlitz jacket in my head. When I shop/buy expensive stuff like this I usually shop used. However things like clothes require a proper fit (at least 90%?) or there is little value outside of beauty and interest.
Once I narrowed my search to a Cascade with pads and pinstripes I began looking in earnest. I found many of course but I only had to look at the ones that fit. That reduced the choices a lot fortunately. As I got closer to my birthday of August 23, I started thinking that it would be cool to find one from the correct decade; the 1960s. Earlier would be okay too. As you all know, it's possible to get a ballpark date using hardware like the zippers in this case.
Something like this:
Going by the zippers Langlitz would date this jacket around late 1960s - early 1970s. This jacket was a little too small and sold for about $1000. which was more than I wanted to pay anyway since I could buy a brand new custom fit from Langlitz for around $1200.
Earlier, and what probably set me off on this path, was I found some vintage competition breeches by Langlitz, here in Los Angeles. I met the guy and tried them on. They fit surprisingly well. Something extra special about them was that the knee pads were actually pockets with zippers so one could fit protective pads inside. Langlitz told me that back in the day Ross (the founder) sometimes made those. They don't make them like that anymore. I ended up getting them. I am a big fan of design and industrial design. The idea of a unique vintage item like my Langlitz breeches (I've never seen another pair like them) makes me happy. These came with stripes down the legs which I was not looking for but not against either. When riding at night I noticed in one of my videos that the stripe was illuminated by the car lights and then I thought it was a good idea.
For this reason I thought I would be fine with a stripe or two on the jacket. Some had stripes down the front or around the arm or up the arms. They were all different colors. I was talking to a friend and mentioned that a grey jacket would probably be cool as that would be different and brighter at night. I like different and brighter at night without going all the way to a white jacket.
However all that seemed too much to ask considering that just getting a reasonable fit, in the style I wanted, from the correct decade, at a price I could afford was challenging enough. I mean how many grey jackets are there from the 1960s? So forget that. For this reason I also was not worried about the time frame. If it happened by August, great, if I found something later or next year, well that's fine too.
Most of what I found that was my size ended up going for too much. I lost auctions. All of them were located somewhere else so I could not try them on either, which made the risk higher.
About a week ago, an auction came up for a "Vintage 60's jacket".
The measurements seemed close enough for a second look. It had a dime sized hole on the inside of one sleeve and was described as very dry and stiff and in need of conditioner. You could see cracking and flaking here and there but especially on the sleeve that had the hole. What looked like holes in the back at first, seemed to be tar or grease smears/blobs around the center of the lower back in the close-up. The jacket looked like dirty-white in the pictures and clearly had dirt and stains but was listed as grey. The starting bid is $199.
The seller is located in Los Angeles.
The auction will end on August 23rd.
I figured out that the seller was a vintage store in Hollywood. I called them and asked to see and try on the jacket. The jacket was not at the store but would be there for me to try on August 22nd in the afternoon. I had to wait four days to try it on. AAAHHH!!!!
For the first three or four days the auction did not move. No bids. Then two people started a bidding war and the price creeped up to about $265. On August 21, I sent a follow up text reminding them that I was going to come in and try on the jacket the next day. I just wanted to make sure it was there if not already there. Maybe I could try it on a day early? There was no immediate reply.
When I did not get a response, I knew the worst had happened. They sold it to someone else, or they forgot and the jacket was still somewhere else. Probably in a hot warehouse in New York and unavailable. An hour later I got the reply, "The jacket will be here tomorrow after 3. See you then. : ) " Okay, calm down. We're still on... Am I acting insane or what?
August 22nd I suited up, lit up my old 1993 BMW and rode across town. Traffic was bad in the afternoon and it took about an hour. It's hot. I find parking in front. Taking off my helmet, jacket and gloves, I brush my hair a little and walk in. The jacket is hanging on a rack behind the counter. The person behind the counter is sewing, repairing holes in a wool jacket.
I set my stuff on the counter and he hands me the jacket. It's heavy. I go to a full length mirror towards the back of the shop and try it on. I think... I think... I think it does fit? Yes. It does fit.
The poor jacket is so dry that it only fits after a fashion. It's weird.
Like wearing a paper grocery bag.
However the sleeves are long enough and the body is short enough. The shoulders seem to be landing right at the seam correctly. I'm not positive though because there are some weird things about it. The bottom snap is way over so that it is mounted under the zipper. How can I snap it there? The zipper end cap will interfere with the snap. The top snaps on the collar won't reach each other when I gently try to pull the collar around. The inner front panel has several large wrinkles near the zipper that seem semi-frozen. I can pull it almost across but it springs back. Probably to where it's been for 30 years!
I do not try to force any of these things. I just note them. The sleeve with the hole is the worst part of the jacket. Major cracking and flaking at the triceps area. The top half has been creased so that the outer layer of grey leather has been stripped away leaving a bald line going down the arm. There is heat damage around one pocket in front were the leather has been ironed flat by something and is puckering a little. It's not really discolored though. It's not that obvious. Many small cracks around edges where you might expect them. I was surprised to see that where there is usually broken hems like around the cuff, bottom end and collar, none of these were broken. Just normal looking (to me) wear cracks and scuffs. All the zippers were almost completely black with corrosion. They did function though. I did not whip them all up and down but noted that they were not broken (even the original leather pull are there) and the zippers seem to be still well attached to the cloth tapes. The snaps had some corrosion as well.
I asked the clerk to take a few pix of me so I could see the overall fit better in a more natural stance than a selfie.
I look at it and think a bit. It is dry and will need conditioning and a lot of love.
Yet in spite of the damage and even a hole, it really does seem to check all the boxes. I'm 90% sure the jacket is from the 1960s based on the main and pocket zippers. Only the wrist zippers are something I've not seen; Conmatic. Never heard of that one. It can't be too far off though. How much is this small, trivial miracle worth?
I'll still have to wait until the next day to win the auction and that is only if no else out bids me. Someone could offer $1000. It's happened before. What would I do if I had to bid that high? Or the price may stay relatively low because of the damage and admission that the jacket is dry, stiff and needs conditioning. Maybe grey is not a desirable color?
I am walking around thinking these thoughts when, without really meaning to, I say to the clerk, "Okay, I think it fits. Can I buy it?"
As soon as I say that, I think I'll hear something about the auction, bids already on the table, etc. Instead the clerk says, "Sure. Let me just call the owner." There is some back and forth while I go back to the full length mirror. I come back to the counter as he's hanging up.
"The jacket is in an eBay auction that ends tomorrow,"
I knew it.
"but the owner will end it and let you buy it for $500. tax included."
Oh...
Hi,
How are you today? I'm sharing my story here because I don't know who else would care besides a bunch of strangers who love jackets. Please tell me if any of this sounds or feels familiar. Am I crazy? Am I being unreasonable? I hope I am not alone in my insanity.
So about half a year ago I got the idea of a Langlitz jacket in my head. When I shop/buy expensive stuff like this I usually shop used. However things like clothes require a proper fit (at least 90%?) or there is little value outside of beauty and interest.
Once I narrowed my search to a Cascade with pads and pinstripes I began looking in earnest. I found many of course but I only had to look at the ones that fit. That reduced the choices a lot fortunately. As I got closer to my birthday of August 23, I started thinking that it would be cool to find one from the correct decade; the 1960s. Earlier would be okay too. As you all know, it's possible to get a ballpark date using hardware like the zippers in this case.
Something like this:
Going by the zippers Langlitz would date this jacket around late 1960s - early 1970s. This jacket was a little too small and sold for about $1000. which was more than I wanted to pay anyway since I could buy a brand new custom fit from Langlitz for around $1200.
Earlier, and what probably set me off on this path, was I found some vintage competition breeches by Langlitz, here in Los Angeles. I met the guy and tried them on. They fit surprisingly well. Something extra special about them was that the knee pads were actually pockets with zippers so one could fit protective pads inside. Langlitz told me that back in the day Ross (the founder) sometimes made those. They don't make them like that anymore. I ended up getting them. I am a big fan of design and industrial design. The idea of a unique vintage item like my Langlitz breeches (I've never seen another pair like them) makes me happy. These came with stripes down the legs which I was not looking for but not against either. When riding at night I noticed in one of my videos that the stripe was illuminated by the car lights and then I thought it was a good idea.
For this reason I thought I would be fine with a stripe or two on the jacket. Some had stripes down the front or around the arm or up the arms. They were all different colors. I was talking to a friend and mentioned that a grey jacket would probably be cool as that would be different and brighter at night. I like different and brighter at night without going all the way to a white jacket.
However all that seemed too much to ask considering that just getting a reasonable fit, in the style I wanted, from the correct decade, at a price I could afford was challenging enough. I mean how many grey jackets are there from the 1960s? So forget that. For this reason I also was not worried about the time frame. If it happened by August, great, if I found something later or next year, well that's fine too.
Most of what I found that was my size ended up going for too much. I lost auctions. All of them were located somewhere else so I could not try them on either, which made the risk higher.
About a week ago, an auction came up for a "Vintage 60's jacket".
The measurements seemed close enough for a second look. It had a dime sized hole on the inside of one sleeve and was described as very dry and stiff and in need of conditioner. You could see cracking and flaking here and there but especially on the sleeve that had the hole. What looked like holes in the back at first, seemed to be tar or grease smears/blobs around the center of the lower back in the close-up. The jacket looked like dirty-white in the pictures and clearly had dirt and stains but was listed as grey. The starting bid is $199.
The seller is located in Los Angeles.
The auction will end on August 23rd.
I figured out that the seller was a vintage store in Hollywood. I called them and asked to see and try on the jacket. The jacket was not at the store but would be there for me to try on August 22nd in the afternoon. I had to wait four days to try it on. AAAHHH!!!!
For the first three or four days the auction did not move. No bids. Then two people started a bidding war and the price creeped up to about $265. On August 21, I sent a follow up text reminding them that I was going to come in and try on the jacket the next day. I just wanted to make sure it was there if not already there. Maybe I could try it on a day early? There was no immediate reply.
When I did not get a response, I knew the worst had happened. They sold it to someone else, or they forgot and the jacket was still somewhere else. Probably in a hot warehouse in New York and unavailable. An hour later I got the reply, "The jacket will be here tomorrow after 3. See you then. : ) " Okay, calm down. We're still on... Am I acting insane or what?
August 22nd I suited up, lit up my old 1993 BMW and rode across town. Traffic was bad in the afternoon and it took about an hour. It's hot. I find parking in front. Taking off my helmet, jacket and gloves, I brush my hair a little and walk in. The jacket is hanging on a rack behind the counter. The person behind the counter is sewing, repairing holes in a wool jacket.
I set my stuff on the counter and he hands me the jacket. It's heavy. I go to a full length mirror towards the back of the shop and try it on. I think... I think... I think it does fit? Yes. It does fit.
The poor jacket is so dry that it only fits after a fashion. It's weird.
Like wearing a paper grocery bag.
However the sleeves are long enough and the body is short enough. The shoulders seem to be landing right at the seam correctly. I'm not positive though because there are some weird things about it. The bottom snap is way over so that it is mounted under the zipper. How can I snap it there? The zipper end cap will interfere with the snap. The top snaps on the collar won't reach each other when I gently try to pull the collar around. The inner front panel has several large wrinkles near the zipper that seem semi-frozen. I can pull it almost across but it springs back. Probably to where it's been for 30 years!
I do not try to force any of these things. I just note them. The sleeve with the hole is the worst part of the jacket. Major cracking and flaking at the triceps area. The top half has been creased so that the outer layer of grey leather has been stripped away leaving a bald line going down the arm. There is heat damage around one pocket in front were the leather has been ironed flat by something and is puckering a little. It's not really discolored though. It's not that obvious. Many small cracks around edges where you might expect them. I was surprised to see that where there is usually broken hems like around the cuff, bottom end and collar, none of these were broken. Just normal looking (to me) wear cracks and scuffs. All the zippers were almost completely black with corrosion. They did function though. I did not whip them all up and down but noted that they were not broken (even the original leather pull are there) and the zippers seem to be still well attached to the cloth tapes. The snaps had some corrosion as well.
I asked the clerk to take a few pix of me so I could see the overall fit better in a more natural stance than a selfie.
I look at it and think a bit. It is dry and will need conditioning and a lot of love.
Yet in spite of the damage and even a hole, it really does seem to check all the boxes. I'm 90% sure the jacket is from the 1960s based on the main and pocket zippers. Only the wrist zippers are something I've not seen; Conmatic. Never heard of that one. It can't be too far off though. How much is this small, trivial miracle worth?
I'll still have to wait until the next day to win the auction and that is only if no else out bids me. Someone could offer $1000. It's happened before. What would I do if I had to bid that high? Or the price may stay relatively low because of the damage and admission that the jacket is dry, stiff and needs conditioning. Maybe grey is not a desirable color?
I am walking around thinking these thoughts when, without really meaning to, I say to the clerk, "Okay, I think it fits. Can I buy it?"
As soon as I say that, I think I'll hear something about the auction, bids already on the table, etc. Instead the clerk says, "Sure. Let me just call the owner." There is some back and forth while I go back to the full length mirror. I come back to the counter as he's hanging up.
"The jacket is in an eBay auction that ends tomorrow,"
I knew it.
"but the owner will end it and let you buy it for $500. tax included."
Oh...
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