The Leather Jacket Thread

[Maynard Friedman]

Bought this jacket about 1992 when the Duffer had a shop in D’Arblay Street in Soho. Just pulled it out of the loft, I don’t think I’ve worn it this millennium. Check out the care label!

[MJF9]

@Maynard Friedman great jacket from the Friedman archives... looks like you've been having quite a rummage... keep them coming if you are harbouring more vintage gems...

[the shivman]

Slab, it was that one. It was a good deal, but the seller did not mention the smell of the thing though. A lot of things that I've gotten used from Japan have a mold smell to them, and that jacket was the worst I've ever experienced. I also have very sensitive allergies, and that smell always triggers them. I had to keep it in the basement before trying numerous methods of getting rid of the smell. This included soaking it multiple times in detergent, vinegar, spraying it with anti allergen and anti smell cleaners. I was ready to just give up a couple of times and then I just said screw it and threw it in the washing machine 4-5 times on a gentle cycle. It still had a faint smell so I ended up washing it on warm with a baking soda detergent which finally did the trick. 00, all of this caused the leather to bring out some of the grain, teacore & crinklyness which was kind of a welcome consequence to me. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by the shivman

[fre-co]

My Eastman Roughwear 1401-P A2 and D-1 jackets

 

[Duke Mantee]

Freewheelers Brakeman 

[somatoform]

5 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

Freewheelers Brakeman 

Fantastic looking jacket. Fit is so good it looks mtm.

[Duke Mantee]

@somatoform thank you

[mpukas]

Agree, the fit on that Brakeman is as perfect as could be. It really shows how beautiful it is. 

[dudewuttheheck]

None of my jackets fit me as perfectly as @Duke Mantee's Brakeman, but here are my jackets.

I thought that it would be fun to post my current collection of leather jackets as it stands today. As of today, I have  5 leather jackets and all of them are Freewheelers and all are size 42 and all are made with Shinki leather and all are teacore except the deerskin. One is deerskin and the rest are horsehide. Each jacket will be posted in the order that I got them and most have been purchased due to/with the funds of other jackets sold (and one with the proceeds from a watch sale). Two of them have had their sleeves shortened, but the other three are good as is in my opinion. I suppose I am doing this partly because now they all fit me well now and the most recent one was one that I definitely could not have even dreamed of wearing a few months ago. It is not necessarily on purpose that all of my leather jackets are now from the same brand. I suppose this ended up happening for a combination of reasons including Shinki leather, the fit/pattern of the jackets, the designs, and the quality. This is a lot of leather jackets for someone in Southern California, but we have a lot of micro climates here and I can wear these all day for at least 6 months of the year and in the mornings and evenings for a couple of months beyond that. I am able to wear them to work and wear each jacket on average at least once a week. 

For fit reference, I am 5'8" and currently 165lb with a 41" chest and a 32.5" waist. My torso is proportionally longer than my legs which helps these size 42 jackets not look insanely long on me. All of these photos are quite recent and all of the front shots were taken close to or at my current weight.

Freewheelers Caboose in Dead Leaf Brown horsehide: This one had it's sleeves shortened back in November and it really needed that work done. Now, this is probably one of the two best fitting jackets on me. It was certainly a bit small when I was bigger, but now it's perfect, especially with the shortened sleeves. It's a real shame that they haven't made this model in a while. It's a gorgeous jacket in my opinion and in terms of appearance, it is my favorite Freewheelers leather. The redness of the brown is gorgeous, but isn't overly red either. I had admired and desired to own a Freewheelers jacket before buying this one, but this one clearly was only the beginning and truly sent me down the rabbit hole. At it it's core, it is a basic half belt. However, everything is dialed up to 11. The leather is stunning, the collar is perfectly proportioned, the liners are all varied and beautiful, the back is a real stunner, and there is ornate and unnecessary stitching around the pockets that I just adore. This was my first straight zip half belt and technically it still is. I guess I got it right the first time.

Measurements:

Chest: 21.5"

Sleeve (measured straight): 23"

Shoulder: 19"

Waist: 19"

Opening: 20"

Back Length: 24.25"

Freewheelers Sunset in Yellow Ochre deerskin: This is my first and only deerskin jacket I have ever owned and it is by far and away my favorite leather jacket. I love all the other jackets that I have and go genuinely cannot rank them in any order aside from this one. Apparently I am a fan of lighter brown/tan leathers because I really adore this color. It is aging quite slowly, but it definitely has gotten darker since I got it. The deerskin is fairly substantial and has a sort of nubuck feel too it and despite its weight, is incredibly soft. The comfort is helped by the brushed flannel liner which is the same throughout the entire jacket, including the arms. That combination of deerskin and soft flannel lining make this a joy to wear. Additionally, it is my favorite leather jacket design. It is a cross zip, but is more of a casual sport jacket than a biker jacket which fits well with the leather chosen. Most people don't like this one as much as I do, but thankfully it is my girl's favorite jacket on me as well  Like the Caboose, this one also had its sleeves shortened in November and now fits beautifully. 

Measurements:

Chest: 22.25"

Sleeve (measured straight): 23"

Shoulder: 18"

Waist: 20"

Opening: 20.5"

Back Length: 24"

Freewheelers Mulholland in Vintage Black horsehide: Freewheelers has several different versions of black. Vintage Black, Rude Black, and Black Jack off the top of my head. Vintage Black is their traditional black teacore with a light brown/tan color underneath while Black Jack has a more mid/dark brown color underneath and Rude Black has grey underneath (not the same as a solid black). A common misconception is that all tea core is tan/natural, but this is not the case. It may have been true originally, but it is not so now. Back in the day, I thought the Mulholland was a little too much, but the design grew on me a lot partly because I really loved the Italian collar. This fit marvelously when I first got it and it was the first black leather jacket that I owned that I kept for more than a few days. It fit so well when I got it that I was shocked. It fits a little loose in the waist now, but I still think it fits quite well. I really love the pattern of this jacket so much that I bought a second one in brown. This was the jacket that made me realize I could wear and enjoy black leather jackets.

Measurements:

Chest: 22.25"

Sleeve (measured straight): 24.5"

Shoulder: 18.75"

Waist: 20.25"

Opening: 20"

Back Length: 25"

Freewheelers Mulholland in Vintage Brown Horsehide: This was a limited release given that Freewheelers has only been offering this jacket in black recently. They used to offer it in brown, but this was the only brown release in the past few years from what I can recall. I managed to find the very last one in my size in the world that I could see and I looked pretty hard because the place I bought it from would not ship to the US so I had to proxy it to my friend Mike from Wild Frontier Goods who was kind enough to ship it over to me. It fits basically the same as the black one. I was hesitant at first to buy the same jacket in a different leather given that I had never even considered doing that before, but I loved the black one so much I pulled the trigger and I am glad that I did. This is my least favorite leather of all the jackets I have, but it is a nice and versatile darker brown color and will definitely look better over time given that it is teacore. A lot of dark brown leather jackets look almost black, but I am glad this one is quite clearly brown. My only real complaint with this jacket is the fact that they put a black liner in the body. Navy or any other color would have been better than black on a brown jacket. I love it anyway though.

Measurements:

Chest: 22.25"

Sleeve (measured straight): 24.5"

Shoulder: 18.5"

Waist: 20"

Opening: 20"

Back Length: 25"

Freewheelers San Mateo in Rude Black: Finally, we get to my most recent acquisition. This one was purchased used (interestingly, both black jackets were purchased used while the brown ones were all purchased new) and I was quite lucky to get it given how long it was on sale for. When I first saw this jacket model I thought it was wildly over the top. It grew on me over time like the Mulholland, but even more. This is the most extreme jacket I own and while I have owned it for only a few weeks at this point, it has gotten more stares than any other jacket I have owned. Technically, this avoids the biker connotation because it is based off of an old aviator jacket and not a motorcycle jacket, but everyone thinks its a biker jacket anyway. All my other jackets can be worn to work easily, but I get gawked at in this one. I don't care though because I really love it and I suppose it was a reward to myself for finally being able to at least slightly pull it off.  As of right now, it actually fits the best of all my jackets when zipped up, but I think the Caboose fits/looks best unzipped. I think most leather jackets look best unzipped, but this one looks best zipped thanks to those insane lapels. As of right now, it is my second favorite jacket, but that is probably recency bias clouding my judgement. 

Measurements:

Chest: 21.5"

Sleeve (measured straight): 24.75"

Shoulder: 18.75"

Waist: 19" (can be adjusted smaller or larger with the laces)

Opening: 19" (can be adjusted smaller or larger with the laces)

Back Length: 24.5"

 

I realized halfway through this post that I was wearing the same sunglasses in every shot I have several other pairs, but I guess this works for the sake of continuity. Also yes, I am still trash at posing. I swear I'm a real boy! I am not going to be naive and say that this is where my collection ends. I am happy with it, but I could definitely see myself adding more. There are a couple more Freewheelers models that I would like to try on next time I am at Desolation Row and there are definitely other makers that I am interested in. Anyway, that is enough rambling from me. I just thought I would share this. 

[Duke Mantee]

@dudewuttheheck The Caboose is spot on - I never thought you’d get the sleeves shortened (so much discussion about this), but it makes it all worthwhile IMO.

[Cold Summer]

Those all look great but the Caboose is definitely my favorite - I like the collar shape and structure the most.

Design-wise, I kinda wish Freewheelers used the diamond zipper pulls instead of the ball and chain. Something about the diamond pulls looks cooler to me, but it's not a deal breaker.

[Geeman]

Beautifully made bits of kit but most are far to ornate for my liking, particularly the last one. Very costumey,  but each to their own mate. The Mullholland (s) look fantastic though.  

What made you part with the RMC jacket? 

[Double 0 Soul]

Sleeve length looks ∞ times better! in hindsight it might have been cheaper to future proof yourself by getting your arms lengthened...

[dudewuttheheck]

5 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

@dudewuttheheck The Caboose is spot on - I never thought you’d get the sleeves shortened (so much discussion about this), but it makes it all worthwhile IMO.

There came a point around the time of that discussion that I knew I would need to, but I just didn't want to let go of the jackets for any amount of time and I could not find a reliable person to do it. Once I did find a good one, I pulled the trigger and I am glad that I did.

3 hours ago, Geeman said:

Beautifully made bits of kit but most are far to ornate for my liking, particularly the last one. Very costumey,  but each to their own mate. The Mullholland (s) look fantastic though.  

What made you part with the RMC jacket? 

I definitely understand. That is how I used to feel. They may never be to your liking, but I love them. That had to go due to sizing. I weightlifted myself out of that one.

1 hour ago, Double 0 Soul said:

Sleeve length looks ∞ times better! in hindsight it might have been cheaper to future proof yourself by getting your arms lengthened...

I looked into stretching myself, but it was actually more time consuming and inconvenient. Not painful, just time consuming.

5 hours ago, Cold Summer said:

Those all look great but the Caboose is definitely my favorite - I like the collar shape and structure the most.

Design-wise, I kinda wish Freewheelers used the diamond zipper pulls instead of the ball and chain. Something about the diamond pulls looks cooler to me, but it's not a deal breaker.

It seems that one is the most popular with the most people. I actually like the ball and chain, but I'm not bothered much either way with that.

[bartlebyyphonics]

fit, fit, fit

that is what defines things

+1 on the fixed sleeves...

[Duke Mantee]

17 minutes ago, bartlebyyphonics said:

fit, fit, fit

that is what defines things

+1 on the fixed sleeves...

Exact

[dudewuttheheck]

50 minutes ago, bartlebyyphonics said:

fit, fit, fit

that is what defines things

+1 on the fixed sleeves...

Yeah I'm definitely glad I fixed them... also glad I lost enough weight to really fit into all of these.

[mondo]

You're wearing them well, sir

[propellerbeanie]

Nice stuff @dudewuttheheck! I agree with everyone saying that the shortened sleeves look much better than before. I remember seeing some of your older fit pics on Instagram and thinking that it was a little odd having the sleeves folded up. Who did the sleeve alterations for you?

[dudewuttheheck]

42 minutes ago, propellerbeanie said:

Nice stuff @dudewuttheheck! I agree with everyone saying that the shortened sleeves look much better than before. I remember seeing some of your older fit pics on Instagram and thinking that it was a little odd having the sleeves folded up. Who did the sleeve alterations for you?

Thanks! His name is Dave Sheeley and he also makes his own leather jackets. He goes by the name maverickson on the fedora lounge and his email is [email protected]

[JDelage]

I love the Sunset, and the Caboose is nice too.

I saw the San Mateo in green a while back and if it had been a different cut I would have been really interested in it. Those lapels though....

[Duke Mantee]

FW Journeyman 

[dudewuttheheck]

Stunning jacket, @Duke Mantee. How do you like the deerskin?

[Duke Mantee]

@dudewuttheheck thanks - the deerskin is more comfortable that the horsehide and goatskin jackets I have. Seems to feel lighter in wearing it, although it’s not in actuality, most likely because it’s more pliable. It does show stains, especially grease-marks, much more readily but then it’s a much more porous material than the other leathers.

I think it’s not the best match to other (black) leathers, and probably truer black fabrics, because of both texture and how the deerskin ‘takes’ dye - first pic is not the best but you might see what I mean. 

Texture is nice (second pic) but you’ll never see the type of creasing that you get on other hides ... if that’s your thing

[dudewuttheheck]

Sounds like a very similar experience to me with my Sunset. I can echo everything you've said. It isn't actually lighter, but it feels like it. Mine definitely picks up grease easily and I'm surprised it's so noticeable on the black color as well. As much as I love horsehide, I have to say that I like wearing my deerskin jacket the most.

[JDelage]

So @dudewuttheheck - You don't have any Himmel anymore? You were a strong proponent in the past IIRC.

[dudewuttheheck]

3 hours ago, JDelage said:

So @dudewuttheheck - You don't have any Himmel anymore? You were a strong proponent in the past IIRC.

No, I don't anymore. I still love Himel's jackets. Both of the ones I had were sold because the fit was no longer good. The grizzly fit perfectly when new, but my body changed so it no longer fit unfortunately.

[Duke Mantee]

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

Edited March 28, 2020 by Duke Mantee

[dudewuttheheck]

Happy to see more of that jacket @Duke Mantee. Could not fit you better and I love the leather color.

[DoitsuJin]

@dudewuttheheck your deerskin jacket is my pick out of your lineup as well!