Leather Jackets: Post Pictures of the Best You've Seen/Owned?

[Crit_Obs]

Yes, in so far as they just happen to be striken by inspiration not at all dissimilar to that of Freewheelers’.

Edit: Seeing how Mulholland is not a repro of anything, inspiration is all there is to it.

 

[Patek]

Is the color almost oxblood/cordovan rather than brown?

That may be those pictures or maybe it does look more oxblood in the sun. I'll have to drag it outside and see.

 

[Benesyed]

So in winter 2021, FCL is gonna bring us their plagi... eh, I mean, "hommage" of Freewheelers Mulholland:

View attachment 1398454

That's really questionable in my books but since brands like Addict and Fine Creek have devout followers around these parts, I leave it at that.

Lol

I mean freewheelers designs are repros of 1930s-50s leather jackets. None of these brands is a design innovator....

 

[Benesyed]

And yeah it is a repro the only thing different than actually 1930s jackets is the zipper. Lol

 

[dieworkwear]

Yes, in so far as they just happen to be striken by inspiration not at all dissimilar to that of Freewheelers’.

Edit: Seeing how Mulholland is not a repro of anything, inspiration is all there is to it.

Not sure that's true. I think there were a few makers in the 1930s who made that design. Here's one from Levi's

 

[Crit_Obs]

And yeah it is a repro the only thing different than actually 1930s jackets is the zipper. Lol

Which jacket is it a repro of? You are the first one to claim this and since I'm not as well-versed on the myriad vintage models as many here, I'm genuinely interested. Thanks.

 

[Benesyed]

Which jacket is it a repro of? You are the first one to claim this and since I'm not as well-versed on the myriad vintage models as many here, I'm genuinely interested. Thanks.

See the above post by dww

 

[Crit_Obs]

Not sure that's true. I think there were a few makers in the 1930s who made that design. Here's one from Levi's

That’s a very nice Levi but looks to me more like a working-man’s jacket inspired by the police leathers of the era, rather than something you could honestly say Freewheelers is reproducing in the modern day.

 

[dieworkwear]

That’s a very nice Levi but looks to me more like a working-man’s jacket inspired by the police leathers of the era, rather than something you could honestly say Freewheelers is reproducing in the modern day.

I'm not sure what you mean, but the designs are pretty darn close. This is an original Levi's jacket from the 1930s. Whether it's also inspired by police leathers, I have no idea.

Levi's on the left; Freewheelers on the right.

I'm not saying that Freewheelers intended their model to be a repro. I'm just saying that a zip-up jacket with a slanted chest pocket and fold down collar isn't that unusual. It's a classic 1930s design.

I have a potato for a phone, but here's a cell phone shot of an Aero from the 1970s. Similar design without the band at the bottom.

 

[Crit_Obs]

It’s a design inspired by motorbike police jackets of 1930’s, much like that Levi looks to be (since Levi’s company never supplied the police force, for the best of my limited knowledge). Up until now, no one seems to have been inspired by those designs in a manner identical to Freewheelers’, right down to the cool but very impractical ballchain zipper-pulls.

 

[dieworkwear]

It’s a design inspired by motorbike police jackets of 1930’s, much like that Levi looks to be (since Levi’s company never supplied the police force, for the best of my limited knowledge). Up until now, no one seems to have been inspired by those designs in a manner identical to Freewheelers’, right down to the cool but very impractical ballchain zipper-pulls.

I don't get it. So you're saying that police jackets were the first to have that design? And that Freewheelers copied that design? And FCL's crime is that they copied the same design, but then took Freewheeler's idea on the zipper pulls?

 

[Benesyed]

I actually like that the fcl doesn't have the waist pulls.

I think your point is a little overstated and silly. Repro brands are fundamentally about copying ideas and making small adjustments to the design.

 

[Crit_Obs]

I don't get it. So you're saying that police jackets were the first to have that design? And that Freewheelers copied that design? And FCL's crime is that they copied the same design, but then took Freewheeler's idea on the zipper pulls?

I haven’t seen the original police jacket with those pulls but I’m very much interested to learn of it should someone happen to know more - if it did exist, I’m sure someone will quote the model. I have seen, and own, the inspired-by version by Freewheelers, and now I have seen what I consider a very dubious maneuver by a direct competitor.

No one spoke of crimes up until now, just very low-brow tactics in the marketplace.

 

[Benesyed]

I don't really think its a big deal. Also I don't think they are direct competitors. The FW is like $1000 more expensive and made of Shinki HH.

Also why ya hating on addict haha, they don't have anything that looks like that jacket!

 

[dieworkwear]

I haven’t seen the original police jacket with those pulls but I’m very much interested to learn of it should someone happen to know more - if it did exist, I’m sure someone will quote the model. I have seen, and own, the inspired-by version by Freewheelers, and now I have seen what I consider a very dubious maneuver by a direct competitor.

No one spoke of crimes up until now, just very low-brow tactics in the marketplace.

The FCL design doesn't have side tabs. Freewheeler's design does. Granted, that seems like a small point. But so are zipper pulls.

I don't really understand the idea of "copying" in classic clothing, to be honest. Copying is a marker of what makes something classic. Bass Weejuns are classic because they were copied to death. Schott's Perfecto, Henry Poole's tuxedo, Levi's five-pocket jeans, and so forth. The reason why these things are classic is because they were copied and imitated to death, so they became canon.

If you take umbrage with FCL "copying" Freewheeler's zipper pulls, why wouldn't Freewheeler's "copying" 1930s police jackets be just as bad?

Anyway, kind of depressing that menswear is often so restrictive, design innovation is about which of the three zipper pulls you choose from the trims market.