HELP! Trojan Leather Sportswear?

kingken · Nov 1, 2014

I need some expert help or as close as I can get about a leather coat. I acquired this jacket, size 48, leather is a BOLD burnt orange color. Made by Trojan leather sportswear out of Toronto, Canada. It's a mans long jacket/overcoat? by the cut and the way it fits, but the buttons are on the opposite side... It looks pure late 60's or 70's vintage, can anyone tell me about it or at least the manufacturer? Kind of scratching my head trying to figure it out. Thanks in advance.

BigHairyFinn · Nov 1, 2014

The first rule of the Trojan Leather Sportswear Club is you never talk about the Trojan Leather Sportswear Club

Seb Lucas · Nov 1, 2014

That's a good one BHF.

Dinerman · Nov 1, 2014

With the right-over-left buttoning, that's a woman's coat, and is from the 1970s.

kingken · Nov 1, 2014

Ha! Thanks for the feedback. Doing research of my own, came across leather coats in Europe with the same opposite buttoning worn by men. I would have thought t he pic was just reversed but for the signage that th he model was standing by wasn't. If it is a woman's coat, she's going to look like a linebacker to wear this! Still scratching my head about it a little. Maybe I can find an Amazon out there who may like it...

BigHairyFinn · Nov 1, 2014

Some two- row coats have buttonholes for both sides. I think its a small feature that accommodates the left/right hand preference. If I think I am right-handed and want to get something from an inside pocket, I'd open the right side (my right) and reach in. Obviously if I was left-handed I'd prefer the other side... Or if there was something else in play. Most of these traditions and cuts do stem from history like wearing swords and mounting horses or pulling pistols..

Now as far as motoring goes, which is your "free hand" to reach the map pocket UK/US? Or in Aviation?

Dinerman · Nov 1, 2014

True of double breasted coats, but not of single breasted jackets or shirts. The tie-belt and princess seams front and back are also a giveaway.

kingken · Nov 1, 2014

US driver, right handed. So I can't give that creative of an excuse. I saw the jacket and thought "Cool! Shaft meets Fight Club!" now it's more Shaft meets Fight Club via Priscilla, Queen of the Desert... Advertised as a mans jacket, 48 REG. got it delivered and it fit well until I had one Hell of a time trying to button it. No wonder the price was so good for a men's vintage leather coat. (All sales were final) I'll chalk it up to over enthusiasm.

armscye · Nov 2, 2014

I would not give up on this just yet. Any jacket in 48l would have to have been built for Queen Latifah's much taller bodybuilder sister. I think this jacket may well be a men's, with a few seventies styling cues that can be corrected. It can become more Tyler Duden than first glance suggests.

Twere it mine and it fit, I would replace the buttons with some manly bone buttons in brown, add a masculine buckle to the belt to get rid of that wrap belt effect, and then tone down the orange as much as possible by doing a cold water wash and a wipe down with acetone (which I often use to matte down overglossed leather). Some of my favorite jackets started out being viewed by me as questionable, but by judicious rework turned into all stars.

kingken · Nov 2, 2014

armscye said:
I would not give up on this just yet. Any jacket in 48l would have to have been built for Queen Latifah's much taller bodybuilder sister. I think this jacket may well be a men's, with a few seventies styling cues that can be corrected. It can become more Tyler Duden than first glance suggests.

Twere it mine and it fit, I would replace the buttons with some manly bone buttons in brown, add a masculine buckle to the belt to get rid of that wrap belt effect, and then tone down the orange as much as possible by doing a cold water wash and a wipe down with acetone (which I often use to matte down overglossed leather). Some of my favorite jackets started out being viewed by me as questionable, but by judicious rework turned into all stars.

Thanks for the response. It's in the closet, it'll hang 'til I'm done scratching my head about it and a decision comes to me.

Smithy · Nov 2, 2014

If it was Tyler Durden, he'd wear it and wouldn't care less, in fact he'd like the way it buttons up female style as that would appeal to his culturally subversive streak

For me, that personally would annoy me and I'd move it on - not that that might be easy given the size and woman's style buttoning.

If you want a 70s "Fight Club" style jacket there are a ton and a half on ebay at any one time, some crap, others excellent quality. It's just a matter of watching and waiting. Just stay away from the cheap FC replica jackets as 99.99% of them are the serious brown stuff. Or if you want the "real" deal get in touch with Jonathan Logan.

No doubt unpopular round these parts but I have a bit of a thing for 70s leather jackets/coats so I understand where you're coming from and want to go with this one

But I think you can do a lot better if you're after a jacket from this era.

Cyber Lip · Nov 2, 2014

It looks like a leather bathrobe

BigHairyFinn · Nov 4, 2014

I got a "Fight Club" in ox/red... Original weird stiff leather 70's with square(!) buttons. Just love it, though people miss the joke when I wear a hawaii shirt with motocross dirtbikes with it

trapp · Nov 4, 2014

Don't overthink this -- sell it and keep looking.

Edward · Nov 4, 2014

Dinerman said:
True of double breasted coats, but not of single breasted jackets or shirts. The tie-belt and princess seams front and back are also a giveaway.

I agree that it's a woman's jacket. The buttoning was the dead giveaway, but the combination of other features (the tie-belt, even the colour, in context) confirms it.

What exactly is a "princes seam"? I think I get the idea (the seams suggest the coat is cut to accomodate a woman's shape), but I've not heard that trerm before.

Smithy said:
If it was Tyler Durden, he'd wear it and wouldn't care less, in fact he'd like the way it buttons up female style as that would appeal to his culturally subversive streak

Absolutely. Fight Club was a superb satire on cultural alpha-male nonsense. FWIW, I remember reading that in Italy red leather is considered extremely effeminate; the costumiers involved in Fight Club picked that hue for this very reason.

For me, that personally would annoy me and I'd move it on - not that that might be easy given the size and woman's style buttoning.

Sell it as "plus size"? There must be larger ladies out there looking for a coat in this style. [huh]

If you want a 70s "Fight Club" style jacket there are a ton and a half on ebay at any one time, some crap, others excellent quality. It's just a matter of watching and waiting. Just stay away from the cheap FC replica jackets as 99.99% of them are the serious brown stuff. Or if you want the "real" deal get in touch with Jonathan Logan.

No doubt unpopular round these parts but I have a bit of a thing for 70s leather jackets/coats so I understand where you're coming from and want to go with this one

But I think you can do a lot better if you're after a jacket from this era.

Yeah, the Seventies safari style worn by Pitt for much of that film is widely available, fairly cheaply, on the used market. Maybe more than the £20-a-pop my crowd used to buy them for back in the early 90s when we were seeking a more Kurt Cobain look (broadly the same stylistic mindset as in Fight Club, but, well, a bit less fighty), but still, they're not so widely desired now for price to have been forced up massively. The only jacket from Fight Club I think you'd have to go hunting for a repro of would be the red and white cafe racer Pitt wears in the headlight-smashing sequence. And do be wary of the widely available repro in that generic style... I sent one striaght ack years ago because it was the sort of soft lamb you could spit through. Wouldn't stop a butterknife.

BigHairyFinn said:
I got a "Fight Club" in ox/red... Original weird stiff leather 70's with square(!) buttons. Just love it, though people miss the joke when I wear a hawaii shirt with motocross dirtbikes with it

:lol: You need to add a black eye, maybe a split lip to the ensemble....

BigHairyFinn · Nov 4, 2014

For me, that personally would annoy me and I'd move it on - not that that might be easy given the size and woman's style buttoning.

Click to expand...

Sell it as "plus size"? There must be larger ladies out there looking for a coat in this style.

Here in Brighton theres quite a few "ladies" who are that build...

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