Ladies Motorcycle Jacket Challenge

[Pegasus jackets]

Not contesting Riri's quality as I was considering using them in the beginnning. They are very easy to access here in France. It has more to do with the esthetics. I couldn't find any puller shapes that I liked.

Don't know if you are familiar with Ideal but the quality is top notch and they have beautiful vintage puller shapes including Conmars.

 

[cuthbert]

Looking forward to your comments, and Wade and Carrie's orders :

For the jacket or the model?

 

[Pegasus jackets]

For the jacket or the model?

Aie aie aie! :eusa_clap

 

[Deleted member 16736]

I like the general design and look of this jacket very much, and your work is beautiful. But I believe that a ladies' motorcycle jacket should have a more dainty collar. This collar looks as proportionately large as it does on your men's jacket. Here's an example of an old ladies' Buco with a more petite collar that I find very appealing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wom..._Clothing&hash=item5d2e5cb234#ht_12372wt_1398

 

[Deleted member 16736]

I don't mean to imply this Buco is a jacket for an old lady.

 

[ButteMT61]

Not all women like "dainty". Esp ones that ride bikes. And FWIW, looking at that pic, it doesn't appear that it's really dainty at all. I bet once it's raised up, it's about the same size.
I'd wager these guys know their client's needs.

 

[Mojo1975]

Kevin,

Yeah, the Riri zipper quality is outweighed by the fact that it looks like crap! ...LOL...

Carrie loves the jacket that your wife is modeling. She thinks it stays true to the Pegasus look, which is very 1930's chic. She loves the back of the jacket and thinks it's absolutely gorgeous. Carrie's preferred leather jacket style is the cafe' racer...it works well whether she's riding her GSX-R 1000 or just out on the town (or doing the dishes...LOL...oh, God, I'm dead!!!). However, your jacket is very similar in that sense; that is, it's very versatile, and that's why women will LOVE it!!!

 

[Tony B]

Hi Kevin

No I had never heard of them until you mentioned them,

I dont make jackets for a living I make model soldiers....I just fiddle around making leather bits and peices for a hobby and over the last few years have spent more and more time either working on various items of clothing adding my own little mods and tweaks or doing up old jackets and have just used YKK when re-doing zips as they are pretty much all you see in the shops so are the default setting...unless you want unbranded rubbish from china because they are a couple of pence cheaper. I couple of years ago I got riri two way zip which went onto an old barbour and have been getting riri stuff in preference from then on.

All this tinkering and wanting somthing different has ended up with me making a pattern from scratch for a wax cotton jacket I want and if I ever get it right I will then have a go at a leather one...I'm not too fussed about zip pull shape for that as it is from scratch so doesnt need anything in particular

None of the jackets I would be interested in having a go at are american styles so copies of old american zip shapes dont really hold any interest for me, now if they did copy some of the old ritsch and 30s riri styles I would be interested..about 1/4 of the ideal cataloge seems to be copies of riri pullers but they are all the modern ones I am not after. The best ones riri do these days are the kette and kuke pullers as they are like modern versions of the ones you see on the old civvie bike jackets that people describe as luftwaffe jackets...guess which ones are all but impossible to get in this country short of buying 400 francs worth from switzerland,just a touch of overkill as I just want enough for one jacket. So if you know of any retailers in france who would sell to england would you mind PMing me their address please as we have only one company who retails them in this country and they only have a limited range of pullers. The other type I thought of as an option if I couldn't get the riris was the ball on a chain zip on the breast pocket of the jacket you showed but havent been able to find them in this country either, was that from ideal.


Regards Tony

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Not all women like "dainty". Esp ones that ride bikes. And FWIW, looking at that pic, it doesn't appear that it's really dainty at all. I bet once it's raised up, it's about the same size.
I'd wager these guys know their client's needs.

Kevin asked our opinions. I gave it. You don't have to defend his jacket. It's a very nice jacket. I'm just giving my two cents.

 

[ButteMT61]

Kevin asked our opinions. I gave it. You don't have to defend his jacket. It's a very nice jacket. I'm just giving my two cents.

And I added mine making 4¢
Not defending, I simply didn't agree with you. I've had a few bike-riding girlfriends over the years.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

And I added mine making 4¢
Not defending, I simply didn't agree with you. I've had a few bike-riding girlfriends over the years.

And as they say on Wall Street, that's what makes a market.

 

[ButteMT61]

Cha-Ching!

 

[Pegasus jackets]

I like the general design and look of this jacket very much, and your work is beautiful. But I believe that a ladies' motorcycle jacket should have a more dainty collar. Here's an example of an old ladies' Buco with a more petite collar that I find very appealing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wome...t_12372wt_1398

Hi Joel,

Thanks for the input. You say collar but are you referring to the collar or the lapels? The collar on the jacket you've linked to is actually longer and more pointed than my design. You may not see it since its folded down. Also, IMHO the jacket does not look dainty at all with the snaps and studs on the epaulettes. Not to say that its not a nice jacket, but I find it more "rocker" than "dainty".

Kevin,

Yeah, the Riri zipper quality is outweighed by the fact that it looks like crap! ...LOL...

Carrie loves the jacket that your wife is modeling. She thinks it stays true to the Pegasus look, which is very 1930's chic. She loves the back of the jacket and thinks it's absolutely gorgeous. Carrie's preferred leather jacket style is the cafe' racer...it works well whether she's riding her GSX-R 1000 or just out on the town (or doing the dishes...LOL...oh, God, I'm dead!!!). However, your jacket is very similar in that sense; that is, it's very versatile, and that's why women will LOVE it!!!

Hi Wade,

My wife is spoiled as we have a dishwasher at home. So unfortunately we can't do that famous "dishwater resistance test" on the jacket LOL! Thanks for the kind words from Carrie on the jacket style. Please let her know I'm waiting for her measurements to make one up for her

That cafe racer she's wearing sure looks nice on her. I like the shoulder dart idea very much. Its good for accomodating the chest area on a woman's jacket which is very hard to get right. I was thinking about adding chest darts but it would have interfered with the D-pocket.
Is the leather cowhide? What's the thickness? It looks pretty drapy as well. I also like the chain zips. Nice touch and true to the originals. Are those also YKK's? Nice overall job on the jacket! Would also like to see a back shot to see how the action arms look (assuming the back design is also based on the original Briamco's). Nice one!

So if you know of any retailers in france who would sell to england would you mind PMing me their address please as we have only one company who retails them in this country and they only have a limited range of pullers. The other type I thought of as an option if I couldn't get the riris was the ball on a chain zip on the breast pocket of the jacket you showed but havent been able to find them in this country either, was that from ideal.

I don't know of any retailers, per se, who specialize in Riri but I've seen them here and there in Haberdasher's shops. What I've seen has been the run of the mill style pullers and shiny chrome types though so sorry that I can't help you there.
Yes, the ball and chain zip on the breast pocket is made by Ideal. It should be in their puller catalog. This style is typical of 1930's/40's pocket zips and I especially like the style because you can put your finger through and open the pocket even while wearing biker gloves. Vintage and practical!

Kevin

 

[Tony B]

Cheers Kevin no worries.

I have just got a load of RIRIs for pockets for any jackets I make or mod for a while for a rediculous price (64p each for 16.5cm size m6) so I couldn't let that one go...they have bar type pullers which are good for most things but like I said I wanted something different for a jacket I intend having a go at next year were the zips will be more visible.

looks like I am going to have to get my finger out andmake my own up.....at least they will have the amateur bodged look of some of the old ones....thinking about it that is going to be the least of my worries, I'm going to have to make the buckles myself and I haven't made one of them for 20 years.

Regards Tony

 

[Mojo1975]

Hi Joel,

Hi Wade,

My wife is spoiled as we have a dishwasher at home. So unfortunately we can't do that famous "dishwater resistance test" on the jacket LOL! Thanks for the kind words from Carrie on the jacket style. Please let her know I'm waiting for her measurements to make one up for her

That cafe racer she's wearing sure looks nice on her. I like the shoulder dart idea very much. Its good for accomodating the chest area on a woman's jacket which is very hard to get right. I was thinking about adding chest darts but it would have interfered with the D-pocket.
Is the leather cowhide? What's the thickness? It looks pretty drapy as well. I also like the chain zips. Nice touch and true to the originals. Are those also YKK's? Nice overall job on the jacket! Would also like to see a back shot to see how the action arms look (assuming the back design is also based on the original Briamco's). Nice one!



Kevin

Yep...we do the backs just like the Brimaco jackets of old, which is to say that we use shoulder gussets! They're quite nice; the gussets allow for extension while keeping the overall slender fit of the cafe' racer. We also use a huge strap of elastic across the back so that the gussets never "blow out" and look sloppy! The elastic is about 3" in width! Yes, our women's jackets are Brazilian cowhide, 1.4-1.5mm in thickness, which is the same leather used on our top-of-the-line road racing suits. I'll try to get a picture of the back of the jacket soon! You have to see how we've made the jacket such that it sucks into the small of a woman's back!

 

[Pegasus jackets]

Yep...we do the backs just like the Brimaco jackets of old, which is to say that we use shoulder gussets! They're quite nice; the gussets allow for extension while keeping the overall slender fit of the cafe' racer. We also use a huge strap of elastic across the back so that the gussets never "blow out" and look sloppy! The elastic is about 3" in width! Yes, our women's jackets are Brazilian cowhide, 1.4-1.5mm in thickness, which is the same leather used on our top-of-the-line road racing suits. I'll try to get a picture of the back of the jacket soon! You have to see how we've made the jacket such that it sucks into the small of a woman's back!

Looking forward to it. The elastic is a good idea. I don't think the original Brimaco's had them but maybe they should've. Blown out pleats are SOOOO annoying! I've got vintage Kehoe cafe racers with action backs (long pleats down each side) that are permanently stuck in blow out mode but don't have this problem on my Brimaco. With the right design/proportions and the right leather (not too soft/drapy) I don't think its a problem. Maybe the softness of the cowhide you are using is the reason for adding the elastic? On my cafe racer design for instance, I've flexed and reached and turned and never had it happen. They just spring right back into place. Its pure magic Maybe after 50 years of wear who knows. Here's a couple pics of the back. Its quite similar to the Brimaco design except that I've added side buckles to spice things up a bit:

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Yes, I meant the lapels. And no, the rest of the jacket is certainly not dainty. I just find a large lapel on a ladies' jacket somehow unladylike.

 

[Pegasus jackets]

And as if by magic, the "large" lapels have disappeared :eusa_clap It obviously depends on how high they are folded:

 

[Mojo1975]

The back of our Brimaco women's remakes...we also have men's Brimaco cafe' racer remakes...super slim!

 

[alicegingle]

Nicely done and looks great!