1930's D Lewis Racing Leathers

[GJC1956]

These racing leathers, jacket and breeches, belong to an elderly friend who bought them secondhand in 1957. Lewis leathers in London tell me that the label dates them to the period 1935 - 1939. The sleeve seams had split and there were one or two other small items to attend to. I had the repairs made locally as a 90th birthday gift for my pal. Given how old they are and the use to which they were put, I think they are in pretty remarkable condition. I didn't weigh them but they are very heavy. They look to be size 38 in the jacket and 32 in the waist and were probably made for someone no taller than 5 foot 7 inches.

Gerry

 

[GJC1956]

These racing leathers, jacket and breeches, belong to an elderly friend who bought them secondhand in 1957. Lewis leathers in London tell me that the label dates them to the period 1935 - 1939. The sleeve seams had split and there were one or two other small items to attend to. I had the repairs made locally as a 90th birthday gift for my pal. Given how old they are and the use to which they were put, I think they are in pretty remarkable condition. I didn't weigh them but they are very heavy. They look to be size 38 in the jacket and 32 in the waist and were probably made for someone no taller than 5 foot 7 inches.

Gerry

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Forgot to attach an image of the label. I should also have pointed out that in addition to the belt, you also had the option of attaching suspenders to the breeches.

 

[Edward]

Thanks for posting, really interesting to see this. Some of the features on this - particularly the cross-hatched and reinforced hip / knee / shoulder / elbow areas are of a style normally associated with 70s and later civilian road riding, obviously influenced by these earlier designs for the racetrack (and another, less obvious, way in which 70s clothing more broadly took distinct nods from the thirties, albeit here for utilitarian reasons as much as style choices).

Wouldn't it be something to know their history before your pal bought them?

 

[GJC1956]

We don't know the first owner unfortunately. There were a lot of road races here in Ireland before the war and a lot of road racing enthusiasts. There still is road racing I'm happy to say, with the Skerries 100 back again here in Dublin and of course the North-West still running on the Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine circuit - 206 mph speeds reached on rural public roads - pretty incredible! Two piece brown leathers would have been regarded as very old-fashioned after the war. Top riders like Geoff Duke began appearing in one piece black leathers from the late '40s. These were much more streamlined and never looked to me liked providing the same protection as the earlier two piece suits. I still have my own one piece leathers, bought in the mid-seventies but likely made around 1950-1955 and carrying a label from the James Grose emporium.

Gerry

 

[Cavalier]

Terrific suits!

This reminds me that I have a great pair of vintage black Scandinavian military leather breeches that I need to post for sale. They have great patination, look terrific when worn with appropriate tall boots (yes, I've also got those if you need a pair ... or more!) and are about a size 36 waist. Please reach out if interested.

 

[Edward]

We don't know the first owner unfortunately. There were a lot of road races here in Ireland before the war and a lot of road racing enthusiasts. There still is road racing I'm happy to say, with the Skerries 100 back again here in Dublin and of course the North-West still running on the Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine circuit - 206 mph speeds reached on rural public roads - pretty incredible! Two piece brown leathers would have been regarded as very old-fashioned after the war. Top riders like Geoff Duke began appearing in one piece black leathers from the late '40s. These were much more streamlined and never looked to me liked providing the same protection as the earlier two piece suits. I still have my own one piece leathers, bought in the mid-seventies but likely made around 1950-1955 and carrying a label from the James Grose emporium.

Gerry

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Nice piece! Yeah, the NW200 is something. Was born and grew up in County Antrim, Dad took me to my first NW in May 78. Not been in a long time, but some year... I gather it's a week long thing now, not the two dayer I remember. I remember the Dunlop boys racing there.