What was your very first leather jacket

[AeroFan_07]

My first jacket I owned less than a week, as a Junior in High School. How? I was "encouraged" to give it back by my family. I bought it for $20 and I was asked to give it back and not accept a return of my money.

Here it is, an '80's Wilsons Leather with "V" shaped details in all it's glory (not mine, just found on Google)

On edit: I noted this ebay jacket sold for over $80.00!

 

[ABCD]

My first jacket I owned less than a week, as a Junior in High School. How? I was "encouraged" to give it back by my family. I bought it for $20 and I was asked to give it back and not accept a return of my money.

Here it is, an '80's Wilsons Leather with "V" shaped details in all it's glory (not mine, just found on Google)
View attachment 243134 View attachment 243135

On edit: I noted this ebay jacket sold for over $80.00!

LOL That's a great story. Do you de the resemblance to the San Mateo? (back panel)

 

[AeroFan_07]

Yes, that was part of what drew me to it. It had a little bit of the Knight Rider vibe to it. I believe most of these '80's Bermans/Wilson leathers were "painted" leather. They were typically that shiny black, a fairly shiny burgundy, or a somewhat dull gray color. Hey it was the 80's!

 

[itsallgood]

Around 1985 or so, I had accompanied my girlfriend to the Union Square Nordstrom's store in San Francisco while she was shopping for something. I knew nothing of leather jackets, they weren't even on my radar. I remember being struck by a forest green leather jacket for about $400 and it was a complete, and uncharacteristic, impulse buy. I wore that thing to death. Fifteen years later, my spouse, as a gift, had it redyed, and I wore it to death a second time. Sadly, it's now gone to Goodwill heaven.

Only many years later, with the advent of the internet, did I understand what I had. It was a Harrington G9 in lambskin with a quilted liner, perfect for cold, windy, San Francisco weather! And that color, that deep forest green, was absolutely perfect. I miss it, actually.

 

[Fifty150]

1985. Emporium Capwell at Powell and Market. $400 was a fortune in 1985 dollars.

A leather jacket was, and still is, a luxury item purchase. In San Francisco, we had Johnson's, North Beach Leather, and Golden Bear, plus all of those leather shops South of Market. Just Leather in San Jose. I had a few jackets from Nordstrom's, Macy's, Wilson. And whatever impulse buy items.

Can't say I know better today. But back then, I was less knowledgeable about leather jackets. All that I knew was that leather was expensive. Wilson may have been better back then. Leather was sold at Macy's, Sears, Montgomery Ward, JC Penney, and a lot of boutique fashion mall stores.

Most buyers don't know about type and grade of leather, craftsmanship, single piece solid back, etc. And it doesn't matter to them. Whatever they buy at the mall or department store is still a luxury purchase. I don't judge. Most of America is buying poor quality from Pakistan and China.

 

[itsallgood]

I had my jacket for a bunch of years and just happened for whatever reason to stop in Just Leather in San Jose. The guy behind the counter sneered at my jacket and made some snide remark. I didn't understand why for a long time. Lambskin. Oh well, what did I know? I loved that jacket!

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ And that's the most important point. You loved it! And it gave you great service, that's what really matters.

 

[El Marro]

My first leather jacket was from . . . don't laugh . . . Wilsons Leather.

Man, that’s nothing to laugh about. I remember when every mall had a Wilsons leather and it was my favorite store out of all of them. The smell of leather when you walked in was enticing. I would always drag my mom in there with me and plead with her to buy me something, at least a fringed vest for crying out loud! I never had any luck at Wilson’s but I think it planted the seed and the need for lots of leather jackets down the road...

 

[Blackadder]

First and second leather jacket. Bought them when I was around 14. The biker jacket is woman size. Both Japanese brands.

 

[Fifty150]

Just Leather in San Jose. The guy behind the counter sneered at my jacket and made some snide remark.

The only people who buy from them, are bikers, or so it seems. I don't know anyone else who has a Just Leather jacket.

 

[Fifty150]

when every mall had a Wilsons leather

What Wilson's did was bring leather jackets to everybody. Good or bad, it put the leather within reach of the average person. For the average person who was not some sort of collector. Wilson's sold the common man's jacket. It kept him warm. It was more durable than a fabric jacket. For the average person, spending less than a week's wages, Wilson's was good enough.


Wilson's once had over 700 stores. Now, it's just a website. What has taken it's place at the malls? Where are walk-in customers buying their jackets? At what price? At what quality?​

 

[jchance]

Wilson's once had over 700 stores. Now, it's just a website. What has taken it's place at the malls? Where are walk-in customers buying their jackets? At what price? At what quality?

I used to want a wilson’s white cafe racer leather jacket when I was growing up. I have never owned a wilson’s or a cafe racer, but it’s been many leather jackets later. I blame wilson’s for putting ideas into my teenage head.

From my own observations, through the 2000s, normal people bought Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic, work people bought Express, and hip people bought Hollister/Abercrombie. Late 2000s-early 2010s, North Face and Patagonia were the rage. Through the 2010s (right after the recovery of the 2008 crash) they dialed back spending and bought Ross/TJ Maxx and Macy’s. COVID happened in 2020 and people started buying online, idk what they are buying now.

To OP’s question, my first leather jacket was a thrifted lambskin A-2, prestressed. It was a bit oversized but I enjoyed wearing it. When I traveled, that was the only jacket I brought with me.