What's your grail jacket?

[Dortreo]

I realize there's a thread already for the jacket that got away, but this one's slightly different. What's your grail jacket? By that, I mean the one jacket that would suddenly satisfy your appetite for acquisition and be the leather jacket for the rest of your days? The one that tells you that your days of snooping through the TFL classifieds, eBay, VLJ, etc. are through and have come to a close? The one that emphatically whispers (or yells) that there can be no better jacket?

I'm not sure there is one for me, though a Rainbow Country Ponyboy (@Sagar85) comes pretty close. But for you?

 

[baldipino]

My Grail jacket would be one that made me feel like I did after working all summer as a 15yo busboy to buy my "Brando Jacket"--along with the ensuing pride and attention it gave me. Not just from girls, either. The next year, 3 more popped up around campus. One of the best feelings in the world. Whatever it may look like, a "grail" jacket would, for me, need to make me feel like that again.

 

[TLW '90]

There is no specific jacket for me but there is a type of jacket that I'd love to get a good example of, no particular maker or model...etc though
I don't know what the style of jacket is called, I just know what they look like and the color I'd want.

If I had this jacket I wouldn't be done though, I still want a G1, and there's more wool denim and vests that I'm after.

 

[jchance]

My grail jacket is the one I don’t have. That, of course, is always changing, depending on my knowledge of what’s out there, which is always updating.

If I were to be content with what I have instead of what I yearn for, it would be the one I wear the most.

If I were to compare it to raw denim when I stopped buying for 2+ years and wore just the one I owned, the pair of jeans had to be changing with time and wear. That means a pair of denim, like a leather jacket, would look a lot different a year or two later than when I first bought it. For leather jacket, that eliminates chrome-tanned and would be either Teacore or natural leather.

So the grail jacket would be a Teacore or natural leather jacket that I wear the most from my closet, if I were to not buy anymore.

Btw this thread has already existed under the same or slightly different name:

"GRAIL" Jackets

This is the jacket that began my journey back in 2011: I knew this would be the "one and only" jacket for me... I contacted John at Goodwear, and he agreed to make me the jacket. It arrived a couple years later, and I still love it today. Case closed- right?!? We all know the answer to...

www.thefedoralounge.com

One Leather Jacket to keep rest of your life?

What? If you were only allowed to keep just one (and only one) leather jacket rest of your life what that jacket would be and why? (Would be even better if you have photos of it) Background: It's due time for me to optimize my leather jacket collection a bit and I was thinking about which...

www.thefedoralounge.com

 

[barnabus]

the one jacket that would suddenly satisfy your appetite for acquisition and be the leather jacket for the rest of your days?

Ah, shame it has to be a leather jacket. My grail jacket wouldn't be.

 

[TartuWolf]

I am VERY satisfied with my current keeper lineup. I'd rather get rid of a few than get another one. I guess the only thing that I feel missing is a nice button up. Like an Aero Maxwell, Freewheelers Brakeman, Y2 Car coat, something like that.

 

[codex]

I have a grail leather currently. This dark brown Shinki with red undertones is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. If I had a nice half belt in that, I'd be good.

 

[Harris HTM]

My grail jacket is the one I don’t have.

+1.
My grail jacket is something someone else owns. Until I finally buy the same jacket. And then my new grail jacket is again something someone else owns.

 

[Dortreo]

My grail jacket is the one I don’t have. That, of course, is always changing, depending on my knowledge of what’s out there, which is always updating.

If I were to be content with what I have instead of what I yearn for, it would be the one I wear the most.

If I were to compare it to raw denim when I stopped buying for 2+ years and wore just the one I owned, the pair of jeans had to be changing with time and wear. That means a pair of denim, like a leather jacket, would look a lot different a year or two later than when I first bought it. For leather jacket, that eliminates chrome-tanned and would be either Teacore or natural leather.

So the grail jacket would be a Teacore or natural leather jacket that I wear the most from my closet, if I were to not buy anymore.

Btw this thread has already existed under the same or slightly different name:

http://[URL]https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/grail-jackets.100325/

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://www.thefedoralo...ther-jacket-to-keep-rest-of-your-life.113315/

[/URL]

Mea culpa. I didn’t down far enough in the search results for the word “grail.”

 

[Carlos840]

For me it was this jacket:

It does everything i want from a jacket and is the only jacket i want to wear.
I love the visual details and i think the combo of moose body and horse arms is the most comfortable thing i have worn.

Since receiving this Leathertogs i have not wanted to buy another jacket, actually that's a lie, i have thought about getting the LW version of the Death's head cascade, but i know this would be a collector move as i don't like to wear Cafe Racers, i just love the Death's head design.

 

[Harris HTM]

For me it was this jacket:

It does everything i want from a jacket and is the only jacket i want to wear.
I love the visual details and i think the combo of moose body and horse arms is the most comfortable thing i have worn.

Since receiving this Leathertogs i have not wanted to buy another jacket, actually that's a lie, i have thought about getting the LW version of the Death's head cascade, but i know this would be a collector move as i don't like to wear Cafe Racers, i just love the Death's head design.

Great details at the seams, lovely jacket. It's one of the jackets made from the moose you and Red supplied LW right?

 

[Carlos840]

Great details at the seams, lovely jacket. It's one of the jackets made from the moose you and Red supplied LW right?

Yes, it is, the leather came from there:

Kokkolan Nahka

A genuinely sustainable choice

www.kokkolan.com

And was shipped directly to LW, i think there was enough for 7 or 8 jackets, i got a LT B in full moose, a J24 and a Ryder.
Red got a Trench coat and another one i don't remember.

We then realised there was leather left, so we sold enough leather to make 1 more jacket to another member.
There was then just enough to make a half/half jacket and i decided to get the one i posted above made.

I think Stuart still has something left, but not much.

 

[ABCD]

i have thought about getting the LW version of the Death's head cascade, but i know this would be a collector move as i don't like to wear Cafe Racers, i just love the Death's head design.

I love the Death's Head design but in terms of quality, the Langlitz repro isn't worth the price tag. The construction and materials felt similar to Lewis Leathers jackets from the 70s, which is ok but not great.

As a collector of vintage leather jackets from the 30s to the 80s, high quality repro's and contemporary vintage inspired jackets I do not have one single grail jacket. For me there are many grails, one or more from each decade and style.

I consider my Block Bilt a 30s workwear grail.

This 30s Leathertogs is a motorcycle jacket grail, unfortunately practically unobtainable in my size and within my budget.

This East West Musical Instruments Smoke is my 70s grail jacket. It took years to find one in my size, within my budget.

For me for a jacket to be a grail, it needs to be in my size and in wearable condition.

 

[Carlos840]

I love the Death's Head design but in terms of quality, the Langlitz repro isn't worth the price tag. The construction and materials felt similar to Lewis Leathers jackets from the 70s, which is ok but not great.

View attachment 744734 View attachment 744733

As a collector of vintage leather jackets from the 30s to the 80s, high quality repro's and contemporary vintage inspired jackets I do not have one single grail jacket. For me there are many grails, one or more from each decade and style.

I consider my Block Bilt a 30s workwear grail.

View attachment 744731

This 30s Leathertogs is a motorcycle jacket grail, unfortunately practically unobtainable in my size and within my budget.

View attachment 744732

This East West Musical Instruments Smoke is my 70s grail jacket. It took years to find one in my size, within my budget.

View attachment 744730

For me for a jacket to be a grail, it needs to be in my size and in wearable condition.

I meant the LW version:

Rally Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket Vintage :Hyde Corp

I would not order the Langlitz version, there is too much room for fit error and i am not a fan of Langlitz's hides.

That Leathertogs you posted is beautiful!

 

[BarryMcCockiner_PhD]

Grail? Hmmm. It would have to be something extremely scrotal in appearance.

 

[zebedee]

Always wanted a Himel Canuck, but I have an Aero Work Coat, so happy enough.

 

[Biff42]

Any original Trojan Leather Sportswear or Peter's I could actually wear would be my grail jacket (s).

 

[TLW '90]

I consider my Block Bilt a 30s workwear grail.

That could definitely be my grail, it's not specifically what I had in mind with my previous post and I had never even seen one before but this jacket is going to be stuck in my head now.

I guess the type of leather jacket that calls to me most is a basic brown half belt , but if I could afford to buy something premium or expensive I'd maybe want a removable fur collar.

My grail would have to be something that has very nice extra details to set it apart without being too crazy that it really stands out, that's exactly what your block accomplishes.
You can set a jacket apart this way, or you could accomplish that goal with a 2 tone jacket, but I think a 2 tone jacket is cooler on paper than in practice because they stand out way too much and seem more limited in wearability.

 

[charlieknie]

Does it need to be a leather jacket? Currently I would argue a Freewheelers "Windmaster": https://dc4.de/brands/freewheelers/...tion-clothing-label-winter-flying-jacket.html cannot justify the price though...

 

[TacoBael]

I love the Death's Head design but in terms of quality, the Langlitz repro isn't worth the price tag. The construction and materials felt similar to Lewis Leathers jackets from the 70s, which is ok but not great.

View attachment 744734 View attachment 744733

As a collector of vintage leather jackets from the 30s to the 80s, high quality repro's and contemporary vintage inspired jackets I do not have one single grail jacket. For me there are many grails, one or more from each decade and style.

I consider my Block Bilt a 30s workwear grail.

View attachment 744731

This 30s Leathertogs is a motorcycle jacket grail, unfortunately practically unobtainable in my size and within my budget.

View attachment 744732

This East West Musical Instruments Smoke is my 70s grail jacket. It took years to find one in my size, within my budget.

View attachment 744730

For me for a jacket to be a grail, it needs to be in my size and in wearable condition

I saw you post the Langlitz death's head and got excited to reply that I saw one from the 1920s in person at the Langlitz shop in Nagoya, then saw your next picture with Tanaka-san, who owns the jacket I was talking about! Awesome! He said it was one of 3 that old still in existence!

Did you get to hang out with him at all? As such prolific collectors of leather jackets, I'm sure you guys had a great time chatting together.

I went out there to see Black Sign, and met him outside fiddling with his 1940s Harley with a group of kids around him taking pictures, and he invited me in to look at his jackets. After awhile I went up to Black Sign and bought a bunch of stuff (its one of my favorite brands and very hard to get ahold of in the US) and he came back up and told me he was the owner of black sign too, spent 2 hours showing me all his odd fellow and secret society memorabilia, oldest leather jackets, his banana yellow 1960s Porsche and his Harley, and gave me a signed copy of the vintage Harley book he wrote!

If my wife wasn't with me I would have stayed and chatted with him all day, he was the raddest and sweetest guy ever and a trove of awesome stuff and knowledge!

Also, your instagram and collection are awesome and I'm having Thedi make me a similar custom double rider based on the one with the brown fur collar you had made. So in the spirit of this thread, I would have to say that pattern you helped create is my grail jacket and I cant wait for it to come in! it's a beautiful pattern completely unique while looking totally classic at the same time, thanks for the inspiration!