The Leather Jacket Thread

[persco_]

Thanks for the link @Broark. I LIKE these guys! The write up for the OG-12 is amazing:

"Based on the flagship model "OG-2", a car coat like a sharpened Japanese sword has been completed. A leather Ichihara that creates an "adult defect" that doesn't suit young people."

[Smallrod]

You order from them before Broark?  Take it they ship to the US?

[Broark]

@Smallrod nope, haven’t ordered from them before. I thought about reaching out but I think the measurements won’t quite work. Not sure if I’ll ever find the perfect leather jacket or not. 

[Elmer.Richard]

This one looks nice. 

[dudewuttheheck]

4 hours ago, Elmer.Richard said:

This one looks nice. 

I love the design of this jacket, but I hate the leather they chose for it. I may have bought it if they just used some regular Shinki

[Elmer.Richard]

What is with the leather that you don't like?

[kiya]

9 hours ago, dudewuttheheck said:

I love the design of this jacket, but I hate the leather they chose for it. I may have bought it if they just used some regular Shinki

I agree with this, you can't really beat the regular shinki Flat Head uses.

[dudewuttheheck]

23 hours ago, kiya said:

I agree with this, you can't really beat the regular shinki Flat Head uses.

Yeah their Shinki is absolutely amazing. I remember Kobayashi-San said that theirs was special or he got first pick from Shinki. He said they were actually the ones who introduced Shinki to RMC. Obviously you would know this better than me. Either way it's absolutely stunning leather and it makes me wish their jackets had fit me better.

Edited September 27, 2020 by dudewuttheheck

[knucks]

I cant get my mind off the Fine Creak Leather Lynchburg..

I just dont know if I am too short/wide for it.

5'7, 170lbs right now, with a 42" chest (tape tight under armpits)

 

https://clutch-cafe.com/collections/fine-creek-leather/products/fine-creek-leather-fcjk004-lynchburg-jacket?variant=31844236066931

EDIT

YIKES nevermind though, with duties and fees its $2500, NOPE

Edited September 27, 2020 by knucks

[kiya]

2 hours ago, knucks said:

I cant get my mind off the Fine Creak Leather Lynchburg..

I just dont know if I am too short/wide for it.

5'7, 170lbs right now, with a 42" chest (tape tight under armpits)

 

https://clutch-cafe.com/collections/fine-creek-leather/products/fine-creek-leather-fcjk004-lynchburg-jacket?variant=31844236066931

EDIT

YIKES nevermind though, with duties and fees its $2500, NOPE

FYI, it's $550 USD less if bought through a US retailer.

[knucks]

On 9/27/2020 at 11:36 AM, kiya said:

FYI, it's $550 USD less if bought through a US retailer.

Thanks, just haven't seen one anywhere in the states

[bartlebyyphonics]

'tis a fine looking jacket tho...

the sturdy leather car coat and this himel suede offering are the other ones I do look at ... [not sure of the himel lining tho...]

Edited September 30, 2020 by bartlebyyphonics

[MJF9]

^ sturdy looking sturdy... with sturdy price tag tho...

I don’t look at leather jackets much but my sense is prices have rocketed in the past 5 or so years, with the higher end brands particularly

Anyone have a view if that is a correct or false perception? 

Edited September 30, 2020 by MJF9

[dudewuttheheck]

11 minutes ago, MJF9 said:

^ sturdy looking sturdy... with sturdy price tag tho...

I don’t look at leather jackets much but my sense is prices have rocketed in the past 5 or so years, with the higher end brands particularly

Anyone have a view if that is a correct or false perception? 

Freewheelers in particular has gone up a lot in the past couple of years. I was able to get most of my jackets from them used or as older stock models and the difference can be quite a lot.

I don't know the exact pricing differences, but jackets that are now $2,700 were around $500-$700 cheaper five years ago roughly. I got my older model FW Caboose for $2100 or $2200 shipped and my 2014 model Sunset was just at $2k give or take.

 

RMC has gone up as well. I got a Red Silk A2 for around $1,700 five years ago and now that jacket is $2,500 or so. Rainbow Country jackets are also a lot more than they used to be, though still more affordable than their Freewheelers brothers.

Himel has slightly upped his prices recently, but his have mostly been the same or similar for quite some time. Aero has also gone up, but not by a lot. Schott has drastically raised prices over the past few years though.

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by dudewuttheheck

[unders]

I just found an old Lewis Leathers price list from 2011. Back then a twin track Bronx would have set you back £675, now online for £850. Very reasonable for near-enough a decade, but noticeably an exception to the rule.

That Sturdy jacket is beautiful. Someone buy it before it doubles in price in the New Year! 

[Duke Mantee]

44 minutes ago, dudewuttheheck said:

Freewheelers in particular has gone up a lot in the past couple of years. I was able to get most of my jackets from them used or as older stock models and the difference can be quite a lot.

I don't know the exact pricing differences, but jackets that are now $2,700 were around $500-$700 cheaper five years ago roughly. I got my older model FW Caboose for $2100 or $2200 shipped and my 2014 model Sunset was just at $2k give or take.

 

RMC has gone up as well. I got a Red Silk A2 for around $1,700 five years ago and now that jacket is $2,500 or so. Rainbow Country jackets are also a lot more than they used to be, though still more affordable than their Freewheelers brothers.

Himel has slightly upped his prices recently, but his have mostly been the same or similar for quite some time. Aero has also gone up, but not by a lot. Schott has drastically raised prices over the past few years though.

 

It’s wrong to quote prices in your local currency - exchange rates will often make the comparison meaningless.

However, it’s entirely accurate to note (as a particular example) the Mulholland in 2010 was ¥168,000 excluding tax - today it is ¥240,000. That’s ¥62,000 over Japanese inflation for that decade under review. Quoting those prices in USD then the jacket would be $2,117 in 2010 at the exchange rate then and $2,276 today with the current exchange rate ... not such a big difference, and if following U.S. inflation then you should actually expect the jacket to be over $2,500

Edited September 30, 2020 by Duke Mantee

[Duke Mantee]

I think that Sturdy car coat is a poor relation to the FW Journeyman ... not a biased view, just a flat comparison - sorry 
 

More info about the Sturdy here - quite a variety of colours 

Edited September 30, 2020 by Duke Mantee

[dudewuttheheck]

13 minutes ago, Duke Mantee said:

It’s wrong to quote prices in your local currency - exchange rates will often make the comparison meaningless.

However, it’s entirely accurate to note (as a particular example) the Mulholland in 2010 was ¥168,000 excluding tax - today it is ¥240,000. That’s ¥62,000 over Japanese inflation for that decade under review. Quoting those prices in USD then the jacket would be $2,117 in 2010 at the exchange rate then and $2,276 today with the current exchange rate ... not such a big difference, and if following U.S. inflation then you should actually expect the jacket to be over $2,500

Yeah good point. I knew you would have a more concrete comparison than I would. 

[Broark]

The pricing on the Mulholland is getting up there. That's why I'm pausing a bit on buying one.
For $2.5k I'd really like to be able to try something on before buying. Or at least be able to have the option of returning if it doesn't fit properly
I'm also a guy who will probably only ever buy one leather jacket and that's it (despite my jeans collection ).

[Duke Mantee]

14 minutes ago, Broark said:

The pricing on the Mulholland is getting up there. That's why I'm pausing a bit on buying one.
For $2.5k I'd really like to be able to try something on before buying. Or at least be able to have the option of returning if it doesn't fit properly
I'm also a guy who will probably only ever buy one leather jacket and that's it (despite my jeans collection ).

25 hundred is a lot of risk any way you cut it - your approach is entirely justified 

[Broark]

Exactly, and if I knew more about leather jackets / had more experience with them it'd be a little easier to stomach.
Maybe a 2021 Japan trip will happen if we ever get back to "normal".

[MJF9]

A McCoys A2 is £2,185 now. Sure these were around the £800 mark when I tried one on maybe possibly approximately 5 years ago. 

In 5 years the Yen has gained x0.35 on the £. Far less than the hike above. That’s a significant amount extra on other factors. Irksome. I think that’s why I don’t look at them much.

Good to hear that not all pricing has gone the same way though, as per Unders’ Lewis example. So I hypothesise it’s not the raw materials doing this.

Edited September 30, 2020 by MJF9

[Maynard Friedman]

I’ve been eyeing up an A1 from Aero for about 10 years and the only reason I haven’t bought one is I can’t really see myself wearing it enough to justify having another reasonably (although not eye-wateringly) expensive jacket. I was finally about to take the plunge this year until Covid kicked in and meant I was even less likely to wear one.

They’re currently £650 and were about £450 a decade ago I think. I really don’t know a huge amount about the quality of leather and how they stack up against more expensive Japanese manufacturers, etc but part of the appeal to me is the fact they’re made in the UK and I’d be helping to keep people here in work.

Perhaps next year...

 

[Broark]

Aero has caught my eye, the price is much more palatable than some of the Japanese manufacturers and the quality does seem good.
But then again I probably don't know enough about leather jackets to distinguish the difference in quality. 

[Duke Mantee]

Aero are well made jackets. There’s really no value in debating Aero v McCoys v Himel v FW v Schott v whoever; they are all different for different reasons. The trick is to find the style and fit that suits you best.

[Duke Mantee]

18 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

It’s wrong to quote prices in your local currency - exchange rates will often make the comparison meaningless.

However, it’s entirely accurate to note (as a particular example) the Mulholland in 2010 was ¥168,000 excluding tax - today it is ¥240,000. That’s ¥62,000 over Japanese inflation for that decade under review. Quoting those prices in USD then the jacket would be $2,117 in 2010 at the exchange rate then and $2,276 today with the current exchange rate ... not such a big difference, and if following U.S. inflation then you should actually expect the jacket to be over $2,500

Tawdry stuff quoting yourself but I’m hoping no-one missed the point that FW (and in fact nearly all similar Japanese brands) have jumped their prices quite considerably.

I don’t know the reasoning behind it but I’m guessing it has a bit to do with how the overseas market views the product.

[MJF9]

@Maynard Friedman maybe now is the perfect time for that A1. You can be the coolest kid wearing it on your Zoom / Skype call work calls (assuming shirt and tie are out nowadays!). Save on your heating bills this winter by wearing it indoors, with the bonus of breaking it in at the same time. And contribute to keeping jobs at Aero and their supply chain!

[mpukas]

Incoming 

Deets to follow upon arrival... 

[sensy]

I got my first "real" leather jacket a couple of weeks ago. It's a Simmons Bilt - I saw it on their outlet and the measurements looked close enough and the price was low. I had to have the sleeves shortened a bit cause I forgot to even look at how long they where, and I think I could probably go for a jacket with a smaller chest and waist the next time I buy something from someone. Despite this, I really like wearing it and I guess that's the most important part.

 

[mpukas]

So, umm, yeah... this happened... 

FCL Eric, size 44, f/ Butterscotch. Massive shout-out to Tommy Kerns for hooking me up! He was great to communicate and do business with. The jacket is simply amazing. It's everything I want in a jacket of this style. 

I'm very concerned about the fit. It's really slim. Like so slim it makes my TFH westerns look baggy. This is w/ a TFH THC and F-DS001 western denim shirt. I can't zip it up all the way. The arms are so tight I can't bend them enough to pull the zipper any higher, or put my hands in the pockets. It looks deceptively perfect in fit pics, but it's really, really tight.