Where do you fall on the functionality continuum?

[Edward]

I'm in the "pockets and comfort" school of functionality. I don't ride a motorcycle or work on a ranch, I don't even walk that much: I basically mostly drive from place to place. So I don't need any protective or hard-wear functionality. Most of my jackets are military repros: my interests are primarily historical respect and classic style.

But you know, I wear my under-$300 G&B black civil A-2 a lot more than my $950 Good Wear Dubow for two reasons: black matches the bulk of my clothes much better than brown, and those three extra pockets in the G&B are really useful. The G&B is, for me, functionally superior to the far more expensive/accurate GW. The GW is definitely "better" in every way... but I need to carry a shoulder bag when I wear it.

I hear you. My interest in non lancer front and black motorcycle leather jackets traces directly back to Indiana Jones, but ironically, by the tiem I bought an Indy jacket (after a dozen or more other leathers of all sorts), it was a purely practical decision: light Wested goat leather (and no knits or cuffs of any kind) for weather where my Aeros are too 'hot', those big pockets for stowing passports, plane tickets and such...

 

[Doctor Strange]

I love my lambskin Wested Raiders, it's my "summer weight" leather jacket. Okay, so it's just movie wardrobe, not a legit historical design... but it's very practical and flattering.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Functionality, interesting question and a very personal one. I would say for me leather jackets are very funtional.


A lot of the new jackets are just to light and flowy. I am an EDC kind of guy. Wallet, knive, pen, hankerchief, chapstick…. I have been tempted by the nice light down modern jackets. But they look like crap with all that stuff in your pockets weighting it down. Even the quick drying ones look burdened by what I would cionsider to be normal daily use tools.


Another factor is how long will it last. A good leather jacket you grease annually can last decades while looking just as classic as the day you got it. Modern jackets are stylish right now, in ten years is far from stylish. Usually donated or worn out and in a landfill somewhere.


What I am bad for is winter jackets. I still need to buy a good leather or wool winter jacket. Since I first thought about getting a nice pea coat I have gone thu four modern coats in the last 15 years. Would have paid for itself twice by now.


My two cents worth anyway


Johnny

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Because they look cool. I've trained myself to wear leather jackets when most people would say it's too warm for any jacket at all. They are semi functional, but let's be honest, if we were after function, we would not be wearing leather jackets at all.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Because they look cool. I've trained myself to wear leather jackets when most people would say it's too warm for any jacket at all. They are semi functional, but let's be honest, if we were after function, we would not be wearing leather jackets at all.

I don't know why people say that. Leather is still the only jacket you'll find that looks good after 60 years of hard wear. It never needs ironing. It doesn't really get dirty. You never need to clean it and it works efficiently as a wind breaker and has useful pockets. That's highly functional in my world.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I don't know why people say that. Leather is still the only jacket you'll find that looks good after 60 years of hard wear. It never needs ironing. It doesn't really get dirty. You never need to clean it and it works efficiently as a wind breaker and has useful pockets. That's highly functional in my world.

I'm thinking of functionality more in terms of practicality. Durability is... durability for me, not necessarily functionality. Otherwise, I agree with you. The fact that my jackets will last longer than me is something that I love about them.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Well durability was just one thing I mentioned - not getting dirty, not needing ironing, being a windbreaker and having pockets are practical. What's missing?

 

[Edward]

I love my lambskin Wested Raiders, it's my "summer weight" leather jacket. Okay, so it's just movie wardrobe, not a legit historical design... but it's very practical and flattering.

Funnily enough, it was the practicality of the Indy that has turned me on to the Aero Royale; I have my eye on one of those now.

 

[Edward]

Because they look cool. I've trained myself to wear leather jackets when most people would say it's too warm for any jacket at all. They are semi functional, but let's be honest, if we were after function, we would not be wearing leather jackets at all.

Used to be able to do that sort of thing even ten years ago.... now in my mid forties I struggle with the ungodly Summer heat so much living as far south as London that it's impossible for me. I can but hope that that notion old people feel the cold more is true, and I get some sort of early onset version. I guess it's a hangover from seven years of wearing a blazer at school, but I really feel naked without a jacket.

 

[navetsea]

How does that work? I've been in supermarkets in China where they wouldn't let me carry a bag in (had to leave it in a locker outside), but this is a new concept to me.

I used to wear a lot of what are now called cargo pants - we called them "combats", and only ever bought them from military surplus places back in the 80s and 90s. I remember being furious when they became fashionable (and taking advantage in sales when they went out again!). I was.... quite angry in my teens and early twenties. "I was so much older then..."

I dunno Edward, in my part of the world even with CCTV there are still sign in bookstore and supermarket to leave our bag & jacket at numbered shelf, some big supermarkets have something like a huge pillowcase with zipper where you put your bag and jacket inside, padlocked by the zipper pull, would be opened by the cashier at the exit, so far wearing leather jacket I can bypass all that BS security, the security personnel are human too so maybe just their case by case personal judgement, trim fit jacket in leather seems like part of the clothes and not a "jacket" as overwear in their eyes maybe, I think the same judgement applies to blazer and suit as well... but apparently most jackets from fabrics or nylon are banned from these places here.

in the 80-90, I wear baggy pants man ... hammer time, miami vice, I didn't aware there are other kinds of pants. there were camo combat pants, but at that time we were led under some dictatorship with strong army presence, my step brother wore camo pants, some random armyman on the street stopped him ordered him to strip down his pants and wear it inside out with the camoprint facing inside lol.

 

[Edward]

I dunno Edward, in my part of the world even with CCTV there are still sign in bookstore and supermarket to leave our bag & jacket at numbered shelf, some big supermarkets have something like a huge pillowcase with zipper where you put your bag and jacket inside, padlocked by the zipper pull, would be opened by the cashier at the exit, so far wearing leather jacket I can bypass all that BS security, the security personnel are human too so maybe just their case by case personal judgement, trim fit jacket in leather seems like part of the clothes and not a "jacket" as overwear in their eyes maybe, I think the same judgement applies to blazer and suit as well... but apparently most jackets from fabrics or nylon are banned from these places here.

in the 80-90, I wear baggy pants man ... hammer time, miami vice, I didn't aware there are other kinds of pants. there were camo combat pants, but at that time we were led under some dictatorship with strong army presence, my step brother wore camo pants, some random armyman on the street stopped him ordered him to strip down his pants and wear it inside out with the camoprint facing inside lol.

Interesting.... makes sense, if shoplifting is what they're worried about, that they'd be okay with a jacket that is too form fitting to hide anything under...

I am old enough to have had to regularly pass through a British Army checkpoint on my way to and from University when I first started there (this was about a year before the IRA ceasefire kicked in); I've been stopped and searched but fortunately they never made me do anything like that, ha....

 

[Baseball Guy]

Leather wears, gets marked but still looks good - modern materials just look tatty after they're worn. Only non-leather exception for which wear is regarded as cool, that I own anyway, is the Barbour wax jacket. A Beaufort, with proofed lined poachers pocket running across the back from side-to-side. Designed to tuck some game, fish or bird into; so definately one that would fall 'fowl' of the shop-lifting in-store ban!

 

[Monitor]

Now in my mid forties I struggle with the ungodly Summer heat so much living as far south as London that it's impossible for me. I can but hope that that notion old people feel the cold more is true, and I get some sort of early onset version.

Loool, that's exactly what I've been thinking about all summer! I'd see old people waking around in 30C plus, wearing trousers, shirts, coats and heavy cotton vests, all at once, and hope my metabolism or whatever goes on a fritz like that too, so I wouldn't have to deal with this hellish heat anymore.

Of course, the exact opposite is happening instead as I'm feeling like every summer is getting worse and worse. And I know it's not!

 

[CRAZYBUBBA]

200% aesthetic. Otherwise, there are a number of other materials to choose from


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bushman]

I... can't tell where I fall. I have such a mix in my closet that I can't place myself. Some of my jackets I own simply because I like the look of them. Some of them I own because they have tons of pockets which work great for some of the tasks I require that for (photography, for example). My Levi's sherpa lined jacket provides both comfort and pockets, for example, but I also like it because it looks good.

 

[galvestonokie]

bit of both for me. don't get a chance to wear a G-1 much here on the Gulf Coast, but keep one in my car, just in case.