Heirloom Leather Jacket?

[jchance]

We have a thread on what jacket you’d keep for the rest of your life. But that’s just one lifetime and a subjective test. How about adding an objective test to it, making it time-proof over multiple lives?

What would you say would be a heirloom leather jacket that your kids and grandkids would fight over and want to wear (and not sell)? Have your children ever expressed any desires of getting any of your jackets? Or do you have any jacket that you inherited from your grandfather?

On the military side on VLJ, there are stories of A-2 and B3 jackets. On the civilian side here, there was a Kit Karson story once that would qualify.

For my response, I’d say a black crosszip would pass the objective test (that my kids and grandkids would think it look good and want to wear) and subjectively I’d like to add a D-pocket. For example, a wool-lined early Hercules (2nd generation) would do. It still fetches a high price after all this time for good reasons.

 

[Edward]

I chose not to have kids, and my brother's kids have never indicated any interest in leather, so it's not something I've actually considered. Hypothetically speaking, though, particularly with wartime-worn, uniform jackets, I would think it's more about the jacket's story and those who wore it originally than the design as such.

 

[Cheech]

I'd love to think that my kids would have any interest in my jackets, but I'm afraid I'd be deluding myself. My dad has an old leather jacket (not sure the brand, but it looks like it's from the 70s) that is kind of cool, but him being 5'8"/5'9" and me being 6'1.5", I'd have no use for it other than as wall art.

For that matter, I also have a small collection of pretty nice guitars, but none of my kids play. The older I get--and I'm not 50 yet--the more I think about divesting myself of these earthly pleasures one by one. Otherwise, they are more than likely going to be a burden rather than a treasured heirloom.

 

[Bfd70]

I’m gonna guess that you don’t have kids. Getting them to like YOU when they are adults is hard enough. Wanting your old ratty jacket, not likely. Particularly for TFL’ers who rarely have that one “thats dads jacket” but rather have a rotation if jackets that come and go never becoming a signature piece.

 

[steve u]

My Son doesn't have the "love" for jackets, boots(when I could wear them) or knives. He is His own man walking a much better path than I could have ever imagined.
I could barely get out of high school . My kids both got full ride scholarships with the Boy getting 370K to go out northeast to college. I can barely type this..I'm Glad they have different likes.
Here's what i'll leave them

though.

 

[TLW '90]

If there is anybody to inherit my stuff when that time eventually comes they will probably think of this Taylor's CMPD as " dads leather jacket "...etc

It's personalized and customized, has room for a few extra lb's, and is never going anywhere if I can help it.
I don't know if it'll fit anybody or if they'll be interested in wearing it, but hopefully one of those people wants to keep it.



There will probably be a wool jacket a denim jacket and one of the m65's from my dad that they more generally associate with me though.

 

[baldipino]

I chose not to have kids, and my brother's kids have never indicated any interest in leather, so it's not something I've actually considered. Hypothetically speaking, though, particularly with wartime-worn, uniform jackets, I would think it's more about the jacket's story and those who wore it originally than the design as such.

Agreed! "Your great-grandfather wore this over the skies of Germany while avoiding Germany's WWII-era leadership fighters" is a helluva lot better story than "Look what I scored on Ebay!" Regardless of condition, a personal connection to a familial article of clothing with provenance should always beat an online "grail" find. My $.02

 

[Zoro]

The problem I see with heirloom pieces is not only that your heir has to want it, but also that it has to fit them. When my father passed, we donated pretty much all of his clothes because I was (and still am) taller and broader than he was.

I currently do not have children, so my closest heirs would be my nephew who I don't think will be as broad as me and my niece who I don't think will be either as tall nor broad as me when they grow up. At that stage, it would matter very little if they wanted any of my leather jackets or not.

 

[jchance]

The problem I see with heirloom pieces is not only that your heir has to want it, but also that it has to fit them. When my father passed, we donated pretty much all of his clothes because I was (and still am) taller and broader than he was.

I currently do not have children, so my closest heirs would be my nephew who I don't think will be as broad as me and my niece who I don't think will be either as tall nor broad as me when they grow up. At that stage, it would matter very little if they wanted any of my leather jackets or not.

The sizing issue is fair. Let me flip the question to a related one, has any of your kids/relatives asked you to help him/them acquire leather jacket(s) to wear, given your expertise in this hobby? If yes, which jacket appealed to them as a non-hobbyist?

 

[Zoro]

The sizing issue is fair. Let me flip the question to a related one, has any of your kids/relatives asked you to help him/them acquire leather jacket(s) to wear, given your expertise in this hobby? If yes, which jacket appealed to them as a non-hobbyist?

My brother in law liked my Chinese half belt and considered getting a similar one for himself. Didn't pull the trigger.

From my friends, they are all too stingy and/or caught up into brands to consider anything I would. It would be easier to get them to drop 300 euros in a leather jacket at, for example, the Michael Kors outlet than in a Schott on ebay.

 

[steve u]

"The sizing issue is fair. Let me flip the question to a related one, has any of your kids/relatives asked you to help him/them acquire leather jacket(s) to wear, given your expertise in this hobby? If yes, which jacket appealed to them as a non-hobbyist?"
No, I tried to buy leather jackets, purses, book backpacks ...all things leather for my Wife and Adult children from everywhere I could think of. Not interested. Even some Very nice leather makers (shops) in Japan.

 

[jchance]

"The sizing issue is fair. Let me flip the question to a related one, has any of your kids/relatives asked you to help him/them acquire leather jacket(s) to wear, given your expertise in this hobby? If yes, which jacket appealed to them as a non-hobbyist?"
No, I tried to buy leather jackets, purses, book backpacks ...all things leather for my Wife and Adult children from everywhere I could think of. Not interested. Even some Very nice leather makers (shops) in Japan.

Even full-grain leather purses? I’m surprised to hear that. I see Coach, LV, and Hermes Birkins put out some low-quality thin leather purses and I would have thought they’d appreciate quality a bit more. I guess it’s not an I-know-it-when-i-see-it situation when it comes to quality, but branding, despite lower quality, still carries the day.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

It must be regional differences, but where I am, my jackets get compliments all the time from Zoomers. I don't have any children but young people at restaurants, at the cinema, at the grocerie store, etc. tell me often how much they like my leather.

I must admit that last year at my nephew's university in Ohio, one of his college buddies did tell me, speaking of my vintage fedora and LW Trojan, "You have the best hat in this place and the second best jacket."

I thanked him but was like, "the second best? No way!"

He was my nephew's friend and I didn't want to be awkward, so I didn't ask him what the first best was - but there wasn't any other leather in the place.

Second best??? That's still a bit tender...

PS: I would definitely leave this one to my nephew or niece.

 

[jchance]

I must admit that last year at my nephew's university in Ohio, one of his college buddies did tell me, speaking of my vintage fedora and LW Trojan, "You have the best hat in this place and the second best jacket."

I thanked him but was like, "the second best? No way!"

He was my nephew's friend and I didn't want to be awkward, so I didn't ask him what the first best was - but there wasn't any other leather in the place.

Second best??? That's still a bit tender...
View attachment 741761

Funny story. He was probably humble bragging about the grail jacket in his closet. Very low chance, but it could have been an original Trojans or Peter’s.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Funny story. He was probably humble bragging about the grail jacket in his closet. Very low chance, but it could have been an original Trojans or Peter’s.

Sorry we were at a small music venue when he said it. He meant of all the jackets in that venue, mine was second best.

Btw, I did recently gift a leather jacket to my nephew and he loves it. Just a Five Star piece that didn't work for me, but he does say he gets compliments. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing a photo - it looks great on him.

So I don't know... young adults do seem to be interested at least in my world.

 

[Edward]

I'd love to think that my kids would have any interest in my jackets, but I'm afraid I'd be deluding myself. My dad has an old leather jacket (not sure the brand, but it looks like it's from the 70s) that is kind of cool, but him being 5'8"/5'9" and me being 6'1.5", I'd have no use for it other than as wall art.

For that matter, I also have a small collection of pretty nice guitars, but none of my kids play. The older I get--and I'm not 50 yet--the more I think about divesting myself of these earthly pleasures one by one. Otherwise, they are more than likely going to be a burden rather than a treasured heirloom.

I have the same thing with guitars; despite showing an aptitude for music when he was younger, my nephew, nineteen next month, is not remotely interested in music, only cars. He's never been much into clothes either; like his dad, if it's clean and it has pockets... Recently saw a photo of him and his young lady at her school leaving ball / prom a few months ago where he's wearing a nicely cut lounge suit, so maybe he'll change as he goes on! My niece, coming sixteen next April, was always into clothes and has gotten herself involved in a few choirs and a stage musical society, so she'll maybe be the one will come looking for advice one day. My brother has never so much as owned a leather jacket, never shown any interest in them at all. Maybe partly the influence of my sister in law (they've been together since they were seventeen), as she was a vegetarian for years, though I think she always wore leather shoes.

My guitars will be of no use to either of them if they ever do get into playing, all of mine being left handed. I plan to leave them to a lefty friend who plays if I predecease her, or otherwise to a mix of what's worth the wife selling and what should just be donated to a music charity or something like Jail Guitar Doors.

 

[Harris HTM]

I tried to buy leather jackets, purses, book backpacks ...all things leather for my Wife

Lucky you. Yesterday I caught my wife wearing my Simmons Bilt deerskin coat. I can bid my farewells to it.

 

[jchance]

My brother in law liked my Chinese half belt and considered getting a similar one for himself. Didn't pull the trigger.

From my friends, they are all too stingy and/or caught up into brands to consider anything I would. It would be easier to get them to drop 300 euros in a leather jacket at, for example, the Michael Kors outlet than in a Schott on ebay.

For the experience, I believe one should pay the lowest for the same value received. If your brother in law, for instance, can’t distinguish between a Chinese half belt vs a vintage / Japanese half belt, he should get the former and not overpay for the experience of owning the latter without being able to appreciate the nuances of all the extra bells and whistles.

I have three black crosszips now and I could hardly distinguish between the three tbh. I don’t mind downsizing to one black crosszip. What’s the point of buying more and trying different brands when they all feel kind of the same? If I must educate myself about the differences then unintentionally forget about them soon after, it’s pretty much an exercise in futility.

For a nonhobbyist, dropping over $100 for a jacket is kind of too much. For a wool or cashmere jacket, maybe a bit more, but if they are not into leather, I get it.

 

[Zoro]

For the experience, I believe one should pay the lowest for the same value received. If your brother in law, for instance, can’t distinguish between a Chinese half belt vs a vintage / Japanese half belt, he should get the former and not overpay for the experience of owning the latter without being able to appreciate the nuances of all the extra bells and whistles.

Absolutely, I would never recommend him an Aero, let alone a Rainbow Country, even if he could afford them. He's got jackets and coats (not leather) more expensive than any of the Chinese jackets, yet in the end he didn't want to go for it. It may be I'm not really around as I live abroad, so it's not like we often see each other and thus my jackets.

For a nonhobbyist, dropping over $100 for a jacket is kind of too much. For a wool or cashmere jacket, maybe a bit more, but if they are not into leather, I get it.

I don't particularly agree on the money being too much or not enough. I'm not considering my friends who live paycheck to paycheck but friends who would happily spend 400 euros on a Massimo Dutti jacket and say "oh wow, it's nappa leather, buttery soft" or 200 on Dr Martens boots that "will last many years" despite precisely buying them again 2-3 years after having bought their first pair.

It's not about money or being into leather or not. It's about a perceived value in these kind of brands that Thedi or Aero cannot compete with, imagine how far behind Jia Shi, Veleawriojweriohjkyly or Cidu Leathers are in this race.