The Leather Jacket Thread

[crownzip]

Finally chilly enough to break out my old Eastman Leather Clothing Rough Wear A-2.

[mpukas]

It is with great regret that I have to admit that the FCL Eric size 44 is to small for me. I was advised by Tommy f/ Butterscotch that the leather will give and stretch a bit, but I don't think will stretch enough. I really need a 46, and there are none left. I can't return it because I've worn it about 3-4 times for 20-30 minutes at a time and the sleeves have started to crease. With just a tee-shirt, I can barely bend my arms enough to touch my face (say, to scratch my nose). I can't put my hands in the pockets. With a long sleeve shirt on I can't bend my arms to 90° at the elbows. It's pretty tight across the shoulders and chest, but especially tight in the forearms. It's like having blood pressure cuffs on my arms, lol! I was hoping this would be my be-all end-all jacket that I would wear with everything from a plain tee to a heavy flannel. With just a plain tee it could maybe possibly be wearable, but extremely uncomfortable and perversely constricting. 

If anyone has any insights to how to get this leather to stretch out, I'm all ears. Tommy suggested conditioning it heavily. I thought of maybe spraying it with water. 

If anyone here is interested in purchasing it, I'll offer it a slight discount to move it. DM me. 

If you want to see pics, check out Butterscotch and SE websites. They're better pics than I can take given my current living situation w/ poor lighting and staging. 

[dudewuttheheck]

That's a real shame. It's a great looking jacket. If you can't scratch your nose, however, it's definitely too small.

[Duke Mantee]

The leather might stretch - the lining won’t 

[mpukas]

^yes, that's my thought too, and why I think it's almost pointless to try conditioner or water to get the leather to soften/stretch. 

[Duke Mantee]

20 minutes ago, mpukas said:

^yes, that's my thought too, and why I think it's almost pointless to try conditioner or water to get the leather to soften/stretch. 

And that’s why it’s a nonsense you were advised such 

[mpukas]

Well, to be fair to Tommy, part of the issue for some people is that the leather is so stiff when new that it feels very tight and restricting. Personally, it's exactly the leather I was hoping for, and find that it does take some time to break in and conform. The conditioner recommendation was more to get the leather to soften and be more pliable than stretch. 

[dudewuttheheck]

2 hours ago, mpukas said:

Well, to be fair to Tommy, part of the issue for some people is that the leather is so stiff when new that it feels very tight and restricting. Personally, it's exactly the leather I was hoping for, and find that it does take some time to break in and conform. The conditioner recommendation was more to get the leather to soften and be more pliable than stretch. 

Yes a lot of people do think that jackets fit too tight when in reality the leather needs to just break in. Obviously from your description, that is not the case, but I can understand Tommy saying that. I just got a new jacket and it definitely feels stiff and isn't the easiest to move around in yet, but I can still tell that it actually fits me. From your picture, it looks like a solid fit from what I can see, but based on your description it won't work out.

[mpukas]

Yeah, it does look good in pics (as long as i don't move, lol), and I could prolly prolly suffer it with just  tee shirt, but like I said I wanted this be a jacket I could wear with a wider variety of layers. 

[dudewuttheheck]

8 minutes ago, mpukas said:

Yeah, it does look good in pics (as long as i don't move, lol), and I could prolly prolly suffer it with just  tee shirt, but like I said I wanted this be a jacket I could wear with a wider variety of layers. 

With such a high end jacket you don't want to have to compromise.

[mondo]

3 hours ago, mpukas said:

Yeah, it does look good in pics (as long as i don't move, lol), and I could prolly prolly suffer it with just  tee shirt, but like I said I wanted this be a jacket I could wear with a wider variety of layers. 

I've not had much experience with new leather jackets – when it's cold enough (i.e., hardly ever, here) I wear an A2 made sometime between the 60s-80s by (I'm guessing) Golden Bear, which I should really photograph for this thread; it's quite tight, but it's a size or two down (tag is long gone) from my usual 44 and has a shearling lining that adds bulk. Not much help, I know, but that jacket of yours really does look exactly right in the fit pic... could you be sure there would be much difference if you went up to 46? I feel it's just a slim cut, possibly made explicitly to be worn only with t-shirts in some sort of Platonic ideal universe.

If you have the funds, maybe look for another jacket to handle layering duties..? Ha – how sufu is that, can't believe I'm going there.. it reminds me of a UES Type III I have, in which every effort has been made to keep the profile as slim as possible (e.g., the chest pockets are backed with a thinner, softer denim because it was felt that having too many layers of 14oz denim compromised the integrity of the intent to celebrate all that is Type III as opposed to the boxier I and II)... and it is an ideal Type III, I have to admit. But it is rather tight on the old dad bod if fully buttoned, and forget about wearing anything other than a t-shirt or possibly a light chambray. So I made sure I've got some other denim jackets for those times I need to fit more layers... but that's easy for me to say, as I've been lucky finding second-hand Valencia St I & IIs for about $30 each.. and a Big John III for $10.. heh. But top-shelf leather is serious money, so I can well understand the desire to own one perfect piece and be "That guy with the jacket who looks great no matter what and I can't quite work out why"

[JDelage]

How good quality is Mushman? This is lovely...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFlgqq1D8mp/

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by JDelage

[indigoeagle]

On 3/28/2020 at 11:51 AM, Duke Mantee said:

Outdoor shot of the Brakeman from a while back - probably truest rendition of colour

Very good fit.

Is this the Canyon Brown?

[Duke Mantee]

@indigoeagle Yes - this colour changes, more than any other, every time a new batch of jackets are made

[mondo]

^ ...one day... if I were to be associated in people's minds with one garment—and one only—I would want it to be the Brakeman

[mpukas]

On 10/16/2020 at 9:18 PM, mondo said:

I've not had much experience with new leather jackets – when it's cold enough (i.e., hardly ever, here) I wear an A2 made sometime between the 60s-80s by (I'm guessing) Golden Bear, which I should really photograph for this thread; it's quite tight, but it's a size or two down (tag is long gone) from my usual 44 and has a shearling lining that adds bulk. Not much help, I know, but that jacket of yours really does look exactly right in the fit pic... could you be sure there would be much difference if you went up to 46? I feel it's just a slim cut, possibly made explicitly to be worn only with t-shirts in some sort of Platonic ideal universe.

If you have the funds, maybe look for another jacket to handle layering duties..? Ha – how sufu is that, can't believe I'm going there.. it reminds me of a UES Type III I have, in which every effort has been made to keep the profile as slim as possible (e.g., the chest pockets are backed with a thinner, softer denim because it was felt that having too many layers of 14oz denim compromised the integrity of the intent to celebrate all that is Type III as opposed to the boxier I and II)... and it is an ideal Type III, I have to admit. But it is rather tight on the old dad bod if fully buttoned, and forget about wearing anything other than a t-shirt or possibly a light chambray. So I made sure I've got some other denim jackets for those times I need to fit more layers... but that's easy for me to say, as I've been lucky finding second-hand Valencia St I & IIs for about $30 each.. and a Big John III for $10.. heh. But top-shelf leather is serious money, so I can well understand the desire to own one perfect piece and be "That guy with the jacket who looks great no matter what and I can't quite work out why"

Thx for the feedback. It is the platonic ideal fit to be worn with only a tee shirt. I like my clothes fitted and not baggy. but this borders on absurd. If you look at Tommy's fit pics on Butterscotch's website, you can see that the shoulders, chest and upper arms on his jacket are just a bit looser. That's the fit I was hoping for. I'm broader in the upper torso, and that's where I need a little extra room. 

[knucks]

Shameless plug but I have a Mister Freedom Stallion jacket I've worn maybe 2 times and I want to sell it in lieu of other jackets I have (my real McCoys, my Eastman..)

size 42, $900 shipped DM me

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I got my Mushman's "Adventurer" jacket last week. It was supposed to arrive in late November at the earliest, being more likely to show up in December, but somehow it showed up in the middle of October which was fantastic. If anyone is interested in dealing with Mushmans, the ordering process was super easy. I just DM'd on Instagram and everything was really smooth and communication which was great. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was an excellent experience. I'm sure you could email too if you're not on Instagram. They even threw in a nice branded hangar which is a cool touch.

This is a "repro" of the Indiana Jones jacket, but it's really more of an homage as it's not accurate to the screen models, of which there are multiple. My old RMC A2 is something still in the back of my mind, but I didn't want another A2 just yet so I liked how this model had elements of an A2 combined with a sports jacket. It fits long, but I am surprisingly happy with this. I think it suits the jacket personally. Plus, I now have plenty of short fitting jackets. The only issue is that the arms are a bit long right now. I think they may shorten enough when the arms start to crease. If I need to shorten the sleeves, it should be pretty easy given that these don't have cuffs. The materials are all quite nice with the cotton drill lining being impressively soft compared to the cotton drill I've experienced in the past. 

The real star of this jacket in my opinion and the main reason that I bought it was the leather. It is Badalassi Carlo steerhide in a color they call "prugna" which I think means plum in Italian though it looks like prune to me. It is a burgundy-purple color that changes color drastically based on the lighting. Badalassi is my favorite tannery after Shinki Hikaku and this jacket is only reinforcing that opinion. The grain is beautiful and varies nicely depending on the panel, the color is deep and rich and there is a beautiful sheen to the leather. The smell is also amazing, even by veg tanned leather standards. Construction is good, but not stellar. It's better than a lot of jackets I have had, but well below the standards of my Freewheelers. It's about what I expected and it's satisfactory to me. Sorry for the rambling, here are some photos.

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by dudewuttheheck

[Duke Mantee]

Not quite the Purple Haze Little Wing magnificence of colour but I really like that tone. It’s good to see leathers in something other than browns and blacks.

[JDelage]

I agree this is a good color, and a nice jacket overall. On a zipped jacket, especially a longer coat, I really think I'd want a double-ended zipper...

[lee porter]

Like the colour it’s a bit different to the usual can we have another picture with it zipped up please 

[persco_]

How does the quality of Y2 compare to Freewheelers or other top tier makers?

Anyone here ever buy from OG Bros?

I'm seriously thinking about jumping on the Original Garment Bros OG-2 https://ogbros.jp/leatherjkt2020_02/ or the OG-12 https://ogbros.shop/?pid=154167634

But cannot decide which I would prefer in the long run. I'm pretty sure, given the measurements, the fit would suit me in a 40... I'm thinking that the OG-2 would get more wear given my style preferences, but I do like a little longer jacket at times and own a couple of nice French-style work jackets -- from Vetra, Oni and 1st Pat-RN. So the longer style also appeals.

Anyway, I have not owned a leather jacket since the aviator (with the sheep fleece collar) I had in high school in the '80s. So I know nothing about buying one.

[dudewuttheheck]

18 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

Not quite the Purple Haze Little Wing magnificence of colour but I really like that tone. It’s good to see leathers in something other than browns and blacks.

Haha yeah I didn't want it to be that extreme. I'm glad to have something more unique in color though.

12 hours ago, JDelage said:

I agree this is a good color, and a nice jacket overall. On a zipped jacket, especially a longer coat, I really think I'd want a double-ended zipper...

Thanks! Yeah, this won't be zipped very often. It's not cold enough anyway.

12 hours ago, lee porter said:

Like the colour it’s a bit different to the usual can we have another picture with it zipped up please 

Sure, I can give a couple photos for comparison:

It fits well zipped up, but I think it looks much better unzipped.

[indigoeagle]

X-post from the Boncoura thread.
Rainbow Country A-2

 

[Duke Mantee]

That’s a really good fit

[mlwdp]

Do Buzz leather a2 jackets have high arm holes that cut into the armpit during wear like their cloth deck jackets ?  Not saying I’m pursing one but I’ve been curious since wearing mine.

[dudewuttheheck]

That is one beautiful A2 jacket. 

[indigoeagle]

Thank you, Duke and Dude.
I'm very happy with that jacket. It's on the snug side, so a good motivation to stay my size or better even get a bit leaner.

[JDelage]

Is Goodwear still a going concern? Does anyone know?

[crownzip]

Yes, still very much a going concern. However, the wait list for a jacket is quite long.