Which of your jackets gets the most attention?

[handymike]

@HoosierDaddy, your Enfield doesn't have a 2 way zipper?!?
I'd go nuts without that lovely feature on mine.

 

[Sockeye]

My black FQHH Aero Highwayman solicited the comment of an old cashier

One of the best looking, best fitting jackets I have seen anywhere! I think black CR style jackets are perhaps less noticed than brown, maybe the reason your brown HWM might get more recognition/comments than your black Enfield. For whatever reason my russet Vicanza Sheene seems to get more "nice jacket" comments than my black Vicanza Sheene, although I prefer my black over my russet. Go figure ...

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Just shows you’re not a narcissist !

 

[HoosierDaddy]

No. Enfields don't come with a two way. I'm glad handymike. I don't care for them.
HD

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Good fits Fanch.

 

[Fanch]

Good fits Fanch.

Thanks HD; my jackets that do fit were preceded by more that didn't fit properly. At times one might easily say my learning curve is almost horizontal.

 

[technovox]

These two:
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Mainly because the color on the Aero is just atypical and the lost hills beach cloth has an equally uncommon appearance. All of my black leather biker jackets have been seen as the same thing, regardless of what they were or who made them.
When I owned them these three received a fair amount of attention as well:
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Love that Bates!!

 

[jeo]

My LVC for sure. Mostly comments like: “That’s a nice (or badass or insert other adjective) jacket”. Never received a negative comment.

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[HoosierDaddy]

Thanks HD; my jackets that do fit were preceded by more that didn't fit properly. At times one might easily say my learning curve is almost horizontal.

Well you picked up quickly on new advice and then....nailed it..!!

 

[Edward]

Interesting question. Of all my jackets, the shearlings are probably the ones that draw most comments - typically good-natured; although everyone always seems to think they're the first to ask where the Spitfire is parked, generally they mean well and it's just a point of reference for them, really. Of what I regard as my true leathers, the Cordovan Bootlegger stands out and has been admired by a lot of folks. The Johnson D pocket gets a lot of attention - had a guy at a Damned gig tried to offer me six hundred quid for it, on the spot (mind, he was rather on the drunk side.....). That's the jacket I tend to be wearing when I get most attention at gigs (staring at the rude boy??), though mostly it's because I get mistaken a lot for Dave Ruffy (the drummer in The Ruts) among old punks. My Highwayman gets a lot of attention on the jive circuit from folks who want what they see as a more authentic or at least 'less obvious' look than the Perfecto.

Interesting topic, needless to say

This is Vanson's take off of the Lewis Twin Track Bronx (it's especially clear from their marketing for this one that the resemblance is no accident, though by 1966 when the TT was introduced alongside the standard Bron to mark the latter's tenth anniversary, the Rocker / Ton-Up Boy movement was in decline; the venerable Ace Cafe itself closed its doors in 1969, not to reopen until 1997). I like what they've done with it - they have all the key details there (including the sleeve pocket, first introduced by LL on the TTB in 1966, later to spread across the range), but they've made it distinctly their own too. This is the fully roided up version! If Vanson would put the armour pocket in this, it would be damn hard to beat as a bike jacket.

Hmmm...
The jacket in my avatar....
Not a comment or verbal reaction because people are polite in the establishment but it left me an empty seat next to me on otherwise crowded church. And no i dont look scary nor abusing substance nor having bad BO.... must be the jacket.

Ha. I like that effect of a leather.... I do find it funny how people can react to certain modes of dress; I've noticed in the past the type that might hassle me in a twee suit and fedora back right off when I'm in a leather jacket and denim - I'm a big guy with a shaved head, so I guess that might be part of the impact.... who knows. Funniest experience I had like that was on my way out to an event in black tie, long coat, homberg. Big Hard Lad on the tube is about to make a smartass comment, but just ashe catches my eye, I've also turned my head around, and he sees what (thanks to the power of Collodium) he thinks to be a real Blofeld-type scar, running from my eyebrow to cheekbone. He breaks off eye contact immediately, and very studious looks anywhere but at me until the next stop, when they get off the tube. That was a classic.

I wore my brown jacket to cinema and while watching The Nun, maybe the aircond was colder that day, i squirmed a bit on my seat and my jacket make a fart noise loudly from brushing against the pleather seat.... i immediately scored attentions two hijab wearing women immediately cover what remained uncovered portion of their faces with their hands. The movie was not scary at all, generic hollywood jump scare, so again I blame the jacket.

Niqab if it's a face veil - hijab is the head covering.

I guess that’s what we get for cosplaying as pilots and bikers (I don’t ride a motorcycle) [emoji6]

Funny thing, I've never once had anyone comment about bikes re my mc jackets, and of the flying jackets, it's only the shearlings that draw much comment at all!

Has anyone found there to be explicit negative reactions to wearing a leather jacket? I happen to wear an A-2 on occasion, which I've received both positive and negative reactions from. That said, most reactions have been positive and to be completely honest, I couldn't give a rats rear end about the negativity.

Can't imagine why anyone would be odd about an A2, unless they didn't care for the military look.

Back when things were.... less stable in Northern Ireland, in my early years working in London, I did discover very quickly that, as a frequent flyer on the London-Belfast route who clearly fit 'the profile' - young, travelling alone regularly, and so on - if I wore a suit, I would inevitably be waved on through all the extra security points at both ends, whereas if I wore a leather jacket, I was pulled over for every single 'random' check going. Odd.... but then stlll in my parents generation there are people who believe mad stuff, like "the IRA wear black leather jackets" and so on. It's lunacy.

It’s pretty funny. Some time ago, I started on a meat restrictive diet (I’m a vegetarian on weekdays and only allow myself to eat meat on weekends). My jackets (and shoes, wallet, belt, bag/briefcase etc) elicit quite a lot of disgusted stares in the vegan and vegetarian lunch restaurants I frequent during the weeks.

I'm always reminded of that line from Hedwig and the Angry Inch - "'What poor, innocent creature had to die so you could wear that?'... 'My Aunt Trudy,' I replied..."

It's interesting, though - all my veggie and vegan friends, while they don't tend to wear leather jackets, they do typically wear leather shoes. Some because it's hard to find office-dress-code friendly non-leather alternatives, others because they specifically see it as a by-product of the meat industry that they are preventing from being totally wasted.

No. Enfields don't come with a two way. I'm glad handymike. I don't care for them.
HD

Yeah, they can be handy on a thigh-length jacket, but one a jacket-length jacket, not so much.

 

[Fanch]

Well you picked up quickly on new advice and then....nailed it..!!

Thanks HD. Years ago when I was looking for a Highwayman and being sized waaay too big by Mark Moye and even later, you were the first one to tell me that a size 42 was the largest size I should wear in a Highwayman and probably should go with a size 40 over a 42. At the time I was still hung up on labeled sizes and failed to follow your advice. Hence the flat learning curve. I think though I am not the only one to smash himself to smithereens on the Highwayman rock as that particular model has a couple of quirky aspects regarding fit and is sized big for its labeled size.

Another thing that took a long time to realize is certain models work better for one's particular anatomy than others. In my case it is the Aero 1930's half belt models, not so much the Highwayman.

 

[Monitor]

My LVC for sure. Mostly comments like: “That’s a nice (or badass or insert other adjective) jacket”. Never received a negative comment.

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Jeo, that's 'cause this jacket is really freaking cool! Love everything about it! Wavy zipper is cool, too. Just badass, yeah. When was this made?

 

[jeo]

Jeo, that's 'cause this jacket is really freaking cool! Love everything about it! Wavy zipper is cool, too. Just badass, yeah. When was this made?

Thanks man! I love everything about it too. This was my first must have or “grail” jacket.

I really have no idea when it was made. I’ve owned this jacket longer than any I’ve had, about 7 years or so and I’ve beat it to hell. If I had to guess this was one of the first leather jackets made by LVC, which was formed in 1999. I really can’t find any info on it whatsoever. I do know it’s made in Italy and I’m pretty sure it’s horsehide.


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[Edward]

Thanks HD. Years ago when I was looking for a Highwayman and being sized waaay too big by Mark Moye and even later, you were the first one to tell me that a size 42 was the largest size I should wear in a Highwayman and probably should go with a size 40 over a 42. At the time I was still hung up on labeled sizes and failed to follow your advice. Hence the flat learning curve. I think though I am not the only one to smash himself to smithereens on the Highwayman rock as that particular model has a couple of quirky aspects regarding fit and is sized big for its labeled size.

Another thing that took a long time to realize is certain models work better for one's particular anatomy than others. In my case it is the Aero 1930's half belt models, not so much the Highwayman.

I was scared off of the HWM for a long time owing to the boxy fit - it was actually pictures of Van's that tipped me over into chancing it on an apprentice-made model, which has since become one of my most-worn jackets. I think it is a design that is not quite right for the sort of guys who can pull off the 'Japanese fit' models, though you do also have to accept that it is by design a boxier jacket. Way back in the days before Aero started offering shirt collars on the cafe racers or the Original 59er version, there used to be guys would come on here looking to figure out a size where they could make this boxy jacket fit svelte. Of course, the sensible answer was always to look instead at a jacket that was slimfit by design, rather than ending up in a jacket that is a too-small boxy jacket....

I have owned both 30s HBs and a HWM; while I need to lose a little weight at present, I find both working different ways and dress differently. The HWM I wear a size down from the prewar designs, and tend to find that the increased shoulder room allows for a sweater, whereas I prefer my HBs to fit over just a shirt and waistcoat, not a sweater. Figuring out how you're going to wear a jacket can be as important sometimes as what suits imo.

 

[Fanch]

I was scared off of the HWM for a long time owing to the boxy fit - it was actually pictures of Van's that tipped me over into chancing it on an apprentice-made model, which has since become one of my most-worn jackets. I think it is a design that is not quite right for the sort of guys who can pull off the 'Japanese fit' models, though you do also have to accept that it is by design a boxier jacket. Way back in the days before Aero started offering shirt collars on the cafe racers or the Original 59er version, there used to be guys would come on here looking to figure out a size where they could make this boxy jacket fit svelte. Of course, the sensible answer was always to look instead at a jacket that was slimfit by design, rather than ending up in a jacket that is a too-small boxy jacket....

I have owned both 30s HBs and a HWM; while I need to lose a little weight at present, I find both working different ways and dress differently. The HWM I wear a size down from the prewar designs, and tend to find that the increased shoulder room allows for a sweater, whereas I prefer my HBs to fit over just a shirt and waistcoat, not a sweater. Figuring out how you're going to wear a jacket can be as important sometimes as what suits imo.

Well said Edward. When I owned a size 42 Highwayman, I was able to layer underneath, although I found my size 42 Teamster with longer body length worked better for that purpose than my Highwayman, now gone. When I attempt to layer underneath my Mulligan and Maxwell, both based on the 1930's half belt pattern, I look like the Michelin Man.

Maybe a size 40 Highwayman would work for me but have concern it might bind in the chest and shoulders. In any case, I now have more jackets than I can use and am in no danger of buying another Highwayman in any size. Or any other jacket for that matter ...

 

[Monitor]

Thanks man! I love everything about it too. This was my first must have or “grail” jacket.

I really have no idea when it was made. I’ve owned this jacket longer than any I’ve had, about 7 years or so and I’ve beat it to hell. If I had to guess this was one of the first leather jackets made by LVC, which was formed in 1999. I really can’t find any info on it whatsoever. I do know it’s made in Italy and I’m pretty sure it’s horsehide.


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I don't see how you could not love it. That's a grail jacket alright. Just looks so cool in every way. If you find time, take a few more photos of it.

 

[jeo]

@Monitor will do


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[Edward]

In any case, I now have more jackets than I can use and am in no danger of buying another Highwayman in any size. Or any other jacket for that matter ...

Famous last words in these parts!

 

[torfjord]

Famous last words in these parts!

But this time I really mean it!


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[ton312]

But this time I really mean it!


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That's the phrase that all but guarantees a new jacket is incoming, also "this is the best jacket I've had"...kiss of death.

 

[JMax]

All of them get attention, I live in a tropical environment. Most of the attention is of the "WTF is this guy doing?!?" variety. Even from other bikers and riders.

That said, following are some recent compliments:

My Chopper by a vacationing gaggle of friendly and loud, plus-sized women. LOL, they were cool.

My CL by a motorcycle cop at a stop light.

My SB (thanks again to the CEO of JonesyWear) by a motorcycle cop pulling duty at the airport last week.