Lewis Leathers Lightning in Vintage Turquoise HH

[red devil]

So here it is, the lightning!
Couldn't get a clear fit pic, for some reason, my phone just kept taking blurry pictures.

The colour is darker than this.

So I had been thinking about a lightning for quite a long time but kept putting it off. Initially I was thinking of a black and red combination, then decided it had to be blue... just because it felt so fitting.
Then one day, I went back in the shop and saw vintage turquoise and it stayed in my mind until I ordered it that way. Interestingly enough, that colour is for some reason stiffer that the other ones, they immediately warned me of that. So as you will see in a couple of pics below, it stands.
There is something intrinsically cool about this jacket, it just feels right, it may not have the best leather or hardware. You can't order it without the brand patch either, but it still pack a serious punch!

So here are some pics:

 

[ton312]

I freek'n love that! Fit looks superb as does the quality of the jacket, I love the color and especially the contrast grey/beige zipper tape, that's a nice little detail....time for a name change!

 

[handymike]

Love it!!!

 

[red devil]

I freek'n love that! Fit looks superb as does the quality of the jacket, I love the color and especially the contrast grey/beige zipper tape, that's a nice little detail....time for a name change!

I saw that zipper tape in the shop and thought it would be a nice touch! Blue devil sounds like a good name as well

 

[Monitor]

So perfect in every way! Red lining works so well with the blue hide. Lightning is just such a great jacket... LL can compete with the best of them.
LL horsehide seems very nice and surprisingly heavy!

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

More fit pics please.
That’s some serious color combo.
Outstanding

 

[red devil]

So perfect in every way! Red lining works so well with the blue hide. Lightning is just such a great jacket... LL can compete with the best of them.
LL horsehide seems very nice and surprisingly heavy!

Oups, thought I was missing something, it weighs about 2.2kg. Always found blue and red to work well together

 

[red devil]

More fit pics please.
That’s some serious color combo.
Outstanding

Need to figure out how to get my phone to focus properly when propped up with the timer on. Will post more when get better pics

 

[Carlos840]

That looks awesome!
The tan zip really works well.

 

[Edward]

Very nice indeed. I have never been able to pin down when Lewis introduced this blue; 1978 as the year they launched a lot of crazy colours including canary yellow and blaze orange, but I have a feeling this blue was around before that. It's a gret colour, and a nice alternative to have to the usual black / brown.

Always struck me as funny in a way that coloured leather jackets (outside of varsity spots teams) took until the 70s to really catch on, when you think how colourful menswear was in the 30s. It's not as if it wasn't possible, looking at the range of colours in leathers seats in cars of the period....

 

[Justhandguns]

Very nice jacket! Is it a slim fit model or standard? Now that so many makers have up-ed their prices, Lewis seems to be a bargain with their quality and tailer services.

 

[red devil]

Very nice jacket! Is it a slim fit model or standard? Now that so many makers have up-ed their prices, Lewis seems to be a bargain with their quality and tailer services.

It's the standard model with a few adjustments

 

[Edward]

Very nice jacket! Is it a slim fit model or standard? Now that so many makers have up-ed their prices, Lewis seems to be a bargain with their quality and tailer services.

I don't know about 'bargain', but the rest of the industry is certainly fast catching up with their pricing. Lewis have been pretty sharp to catch on to the booming retro market in motorcycling, working on armour fitting and so on. One day I'd love a 1958 spec Lightning (I don't mind the logo, but I'm less keen on the forearm pocket that was added in 1966).

 

[red devil]

I don't know about 'bargain', but the rest of the industry is certainly fast catching up with their pricing. Lewis have been pretty sharp to catch on to the booming retro market in motorcycling, working on armour fitting and so on. One day I'd love a 1958 spec Lightning (I don't mind the logo, but I'm less keen on the forearm pocket that was added in 1966).

The prices have been indeed going up on most sides...
BTW, any idea what the forearm zip was added for?

 

[ton312]

The prices have been indeed going up on most sides...
BTW, any idea what the forearm zip was added for?

I've always heard that forearm "pocket" was placed there for quick access to change or toll $.

 

[red devil]

I've always heard that forearm "pocket" was placed there for quick access to change or toll $.

That would make sense, as it's a very small pocket... wouldn't be able to put in a ski pass for example (these forearm pockets are pretty standard on ski jacket for ski lifts)

 

[Justhandguns]

I've always heard that forearm "pocket" was placed there for quick access to change or toll $.

I agree, that makes sense. Of course, in practical terms, it is still pretty difficult to use, imagine you are wearing gloves and want to reach for coins in such a tight pocket. As a owner of the Lightning, I can say that the rest of the pockets on the jacket are not very practical either, except the chest ones, which are larger. The waist pockets are small and cannot even accommodate your smartphone (at least on my size 40 jacket). And of course you do not want to place some bulky items into the pockets to break the tight silhouette anyway.

 

[Edward]

The prices have been indeed going up on most sides...
BTW, any idea what the forearm zip was added for?

In the UK context, it's unlikely to have been tolls and such (we don't commonly have them in the UK). I believe the original idea was for cash to be handy to pay a petrol bill in the days when you could be served and pay an attendant at the pump - saved opening up your jacket and such in order to get out a wallet from an inside pocket. The first jacket it appeared on was the Twin Track Bronx in 1966 (marking the tenth anniversary of the original Bronx jacket), and then it was rolled out over the range after that. TBH, as much as anything I have always suspected it was a branding exercise: it's one of those elements that immediately marks out a Lewis from the competition, and while it has been copied since, it is distinctively 'their' thing.

What I wonder abou,t living in London now, is whether it would be a cool place to stow an Oyster card, or would the leather and lining be too thick for the signal to come through without taking it out...

 

[Monitor]

Vanson lines sleeve pockets in leather. Helluva lot more convenient if you plan on actually using them.

 

[red devil]

In the UK context, it's unlikely to have been tolls and such (we don't commonly have them in the UK). I believe the original idea was for cash to be handy to pay a petrol bill in the days when you could be served and pay an attendant at the pump - saved opening up your jacket and such in order to get out a wallet from an inside pocket. The first jacket it appeared on was the Twin Track Bronx in 1966 (marking the tenth anniversary of the original Bronx jacket), and then it was rolled out over the range after that. TBH, as much as anything I have always suspected it was a branding exercise: it's one of those elements that immediately marks out a Lewis from the competition, and while it has been copied since, it is distinctively 'their' thing.

What I wonder abou,t living in London now, is whether it would be a cool place to stow an Oyster card, or would the leather and lining be too thick for the signal to come through without taking it out...

I don't think that the oyster card would fit, will check it out just to be sure