40s – 50s leather horsehide(?) jacket

[yeahsee]

Hello, I am new to this forum and forums in general so please excuse any possible mistakes until I learn the process.

I am looking for a 40s – 50s leather jacket. The style is very similar to the 1970s Cooper “The Fonz” jacket with slash front pockets, knit cuffs and waist, no wind flap over the zipper, and dark brown in color. I have been doing some research on these and see they were popular in the 40s and 50s by companies like Hercules, Grais, Boyd, Lou Foster and others. Any advice you can offer on sizing would help me to pick the right jacket. I understand vintage jackets tend to run “slim”. I believe I would wear size 38.

I would like to have a vintage jacket but would also be interested in the 1970s Cooper “The Fonz” version if one turns up.

Any help find one is greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[Edward]

If you're a modern 38, go looking for a vintage 40... IME, vintage sizing allowed for 2" room to move, while modern equivalents allow for 4". I need the extra space, myself. The secret is to find out the actual jacket measurements you need and compare that with jackets you look at, as opposed to labelled sizing. You should find quite a few things along these lines on eBay on a regular basis.

In terms of later repro... the jackets the Fonz actually wore were a very Seventies take on this style. If the Coopers are an accurate repro of the Fonz jackets and you especially want something with a more 40s/50s vibe, I'd look elsewhere. The Aero Happy Days is inspired by the Fonz jackets,. but to my eye reproduces what the Fonz would actually have worn back in the 50s as opposed to a wardrobe piece in a low budget 70s sitcom...

I would like one myself, eventually,. though I want mine in black. Nice alternative to an A2.

 

[ButteMT61]

Don't pay attention to size tags aside as a general guideline. They're basically useless. ALWAYS ask for and use the numbers of jacket.

Example:
Pit To Pit - 25"
Shoulders - 19 1/2"
Sleeves 26 1/2"
Front Length - 24"
Back Length - 26"

 

[yeahsee]

Great advice on sizing. I will keep that in mind as my search continues.

The Aero Happy Days jacket you mentioned is the style I am looking for. If I cant find vintage 40s-50s, I may have to got the Aero route. I like dark brown, but have to admit that Aero Happy Days would look really nice in black. Does anyone here have one by any chance? Do they like theirs and would they recommend the Aero Happy Days? Any negatives?

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Check out Johnson Leathers' M-120 jacket. I'm about to receive one in brown horsehide without the epaulets or patch pockets and with slit pockets instead (more like Fonzie's jacket but that wasn't my aim). You can replace the shoulder beam on the back of the jacket (not pictured) with nothing or even shoulder pleats (half-circles around the arm hole), but it occurred to me too late to make the change on my jacket. Alan (Johnson) is trying to procure more of the horsehide from Horween. My jacket is made from the last swatch he had. Check with him and he'll keep you posted. He does excellent work, and his prices are very competitive.

http://johnsonleather.com/m-120.htm

Here's a Fonzie repro on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Happy-Days-...rwear&var=&hash=item896013a50e#ht_5111wt_1398

 

[Peacoat]

Butte gave you some good advice. The first thing you need to do is to get an accurate measurement of your chest, wearing just a T-shirt. Put the tape measure all the way around your chest at the widest part. Keep the tape level. Helps to use a mirror for this. Neither inhale nor exhale, but get a relaxed measurement. Take the measurement three times and use the middle measurement. If your chest measures 38", then a pit to pit on the jacket of about 20.5" should give a nice fit in the chest. A pit to pit of 20.5" equates to a true size of a 38 jacket with a "standard" lining. Over the years the tag "sizes" have become larger, much larger, than they were in the 1940s.

In measuring the p2p the seller should lay the jacket out on a flat surface, face up. Then pull the material tight, let it relax and take the measurement across the chest from just under one armpit to just under the other armpit. The resulting number will probably be a whole number and a fraction. You will want the seller to give you the exact measurement without rounding up or down.

Good luck, and welcome to the Lounge.

PC

 

[53Effie]

Here's a couple of pictures of my Aero Happy Days in black heavy steerhide.
Modified, it has Montgomery pockets.
Very comfortable jacket, but about as tough to break in as horsehide.

Hope this helps!

 

[yeahsee]

Thank you again gentlemen. This is all good advice. I am learning more and more as the days go by.

Thats a nice Jacket Mike. Black really does look sharp!

 

[Shiloh John]

YeahSee...welcome. First off, great name, the Frog see!
Try www.flightjacket.com. Great guy, Shaul. He can make it for you. Although it is not on his site, I inquired about him making me a FONZ jacket in the past, and he said he could.

I bought a HorseHide custom ANJ-2 from him, excellent quality all round. I plan on buying a classic A-2 now from him as well.
I actually DO have a COOPER Fonz jacket. They are not real leather as far as I can tell. It is some type of hybrid material. Looks great though.
Hope this helps!
JG

 

[Edward]

Here's a couple of pictures of my Aero Happy Days in black heavy steerhide.
Modified, it has Montgomery pockets.
Very comfortable jacket, but about as tough to break in as horsehide.

Hope this helps!

Looks great - how do you find the fit compared to an A2?

 

[pipvh]

I like this new creation from Lewis Leathers: http://www.lewisleathers.com/productinfo.html?code=CounJakNo385, though I've not seen it in person. I found an original one - way too small for me, unfortunately - and it had exactly that late '40s look, which the partly elasticated waist enhances in just the right way. But original versions of the kind you're after are all over the well-known auction site.

 

[pipvh]

...though having said that, I just had a look and couldn't find a single one.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

LL did a nice job with this recreation, sparing no expense to make an exact copy of their old jacket (except for the black snaps on the brown version which were originally brown). I especially like the lining. Anyway, it's chrome-tanned sheepskin which may or may not matter to you. I also like it and would like to pick up the one that doesn't look like an A-2.

 

[Edward]

The LL jackets are very nice. Being sheep leather, they will be light. I like my leather like armour where possible, but that's to personal taste. Nothing wrong with sheep if you prefer something much lighter.

 

[yeahsee]

Real leather?

Gents,

As far as the Fonz jackets of the 1970s goes...I will still consider one, but I believe you are correct with the advice of pursuing a 40s-50s vintage jacket. I believe that will be a better "fit" for me.

Shiloh mentioned that the Fonz jackets may not have been real leather. I have never seen one in person but photos on the Internet show 2 label types. One says something like "Genuine Leather". The other mentions nothing about leather. Maybe there were two types? One for the "big spender" and another for the more frugal among us? Does anyone remember this?

 

[Edward]

TRy a search on here - there are several members who own Fonz branded jackets, and have posted them in the past.