Do Denim Type I, II and III Jackets Look Like Cowboy / Cattle Rustler / Ranch Hand Cosplay?

Ha, true. But it's okay to not want to look a certain way without necessarily throwing shade on or insulting the look. I want to wear denim jackets without looking like I work on a ranch.

I do, and I don't

ton312 said:

I wouldn’t have said so even 4 months ago, but at this point I can’t imagine life without my Iron Heart 526pj. I wear it more than anything that isn’t underwear or shoes.

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Yep. I go one day per week without it, which is when I grab something leather for a change (and am regretting my decision by the end of the day). I've even stopped alternating between the IH and any of the Levi's jackets that I have, it's either 526PJ or 533, provided the weather allows it.

Edward said:

Around 1988, I had a pair of bleached Wranglers that were a uniform blue so pale they were almost white.... though I'd have laughed in your face at the idea of wearing white jeans...

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I remember a short-lived laundry product during the early- to mid-70s that was designed and marketed specifically for people to use at home to give their denim clothing that "faded" look. You would put it in the washing machine like laundry detergent and wash your denim items once. The trouble was that it essentially removed almost all of the dark indigo dye and the results were anything but natural-looking, so you would end up having denim that was a uniform pale (almost white) blue without the lighter and darker hues achieved through natural fading. Disappointing to say the least.

Edward said:

...Funny old world. I remember hen it was fashionable to have randomly bleached spots on jeans, that was hideous. What I could never understand, though - and to my eternal credit, never wore - was purposely ripped / holed jeans. That look seems to be in among ver kids in London at present, especially the girls. I'm talking huge holes, too - like virtually no cloth at all on the front of their thighs sort of thing. Each to their wn and all that, but some looks really are objectively stupid...

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I've never understood this myself. I've seen people wearing jeans that were so obviously artificially ripped/torn that they had to wear some form of tights/leggings beneath them or risk being cited for indecent exposure, and I'm sure they paid extra for what were basically ruined items of clothing. You want ripped/torn/worn jeans? Just wear them and have some patience; I assure you they'll get that way on their own.

ton312 said:

I agree. If anything, for me, I associate them with kids who smoke in the school bathroom, have long permed hair and attach a large megadeath or Iron Maiden patch to the back. Late 70’s Camaro or Trans Am not required, but preffered.

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This pretty much matches my observations in the 1980s, so it must have been a near-universal thing. I suspect pricing came into it too, almost no one I knew could afford a leather jacket, but denim no prob.

Doctor Damage said:

This pretty much matches my observations in the 1980s, so it must have been a near-universal thing. I suspect pricing came into it too, almost no one I knew could afford a leather jacket, but denim no prob.

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Oh yeah. The kids in black leather biker jackets were a little bit deeper level of burner. Not to be trifled with.

Zombie_61 said:

I remember a short-lived laundry product during the early- to mid-70s that was designed and marketed specifically for people to use at home to give their denim clothing that "faded" look. You would put it in the washing machine like laundry detergent and wash your denim items once. The trouble was that it essentially removed almost all of the dark indigo dye and the results were anything but natural-looking, so you would end up having denim that was a uniform pale (almost white) blue without the lighter and darker hues achieved through natural fading. Disappointing to say the least.

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Can't help but wonder why noone ever developed a product designedc to do the opposite whenever darker denim has been in.... I remember years ago tye-dying an old denim shirt, but the colour didn't fix very well. Not sure whether I just forgot the salt or whether that was simpyl the nature of denim... Used my parents' favourite stew pot, which wasa nightmare to clean because the next day I had to be rushed to A&E with acute appendicitus, and ended up not getting back to the pot for a fortnight!

I've never understood this myself. I've seen people wearing jeans that were so obviously artificially ripped/torn that they had to wear some form of tights/leggings beneath them or risk being cited for indecent exposure, and I'm sure they paid extra for what were basically ruined items of clothing. You want ripped/torn/worn jeans? Just wear them and have some patience; I assure you they'll get that way on their own.

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What I never understood was why they didn't just buy (or lift out of the bin) other people's cast-offs.... Srsly, I've seen denim this last eighteen months selling new in a state far beyond wat I'd have put in the bin....

Doctor Damage said:

This pretty much matches my observations in the 1980s, so it must have been a near-universal thing. I suspect pricing came into it too, almost no one I knew could afford a leather jacket, but denim no prob.

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I remember a lot of us at school having denim at around twelve or thiriteen, then gravitating to our first leathers at fifteen or so. If memory serves I was not long turned sixteen when I got my first leather, which would have been Christmas 1990. I adored that jacket and wore it everyhere I could - it's the reason I'm still fond of the Perfecto style. Wish I knew what brand it was: all I know is it was a black quilt lining with a single, in-lining pocket (stud fastening), and the label at the back of the neck was white paint on black leather, New York City was cited, and Naked Cowhide (only years later I understood what that meant). Dad paid all of GBP72 for it - apparently only about GBP120 now, but it was at least on a par with any Schott I've ever handled. I'd never have parted with it if I hadn't grown out of it. I was one of the lucky few who got their leather new; most of the boys picked them up used from fakily, friends, or charity shops. Most were metalheads or started that way; that leather saw me through the transition into punk. Also wore it out as a pillion when my dad first got back into bikes in his fifties, taking the design back to its roots... There were half a dozen of us or so that had leathers in those days; I was the first to have one in a social circle outside school, which made me pretty cool back then. No idea how many of those boys still wear 'em; one less as of last year, alas, as I heard down the grapevine one of them died in sad circumstances.

I dont know how universal it is, in the 80s i was too young to care about things I wore, sure we saw leather jacket on TV or movie but i never see them attractive thing to own and to wear, the same with denim jacket, i never see them attractive because as a teenager in the 90s most of these jackets were worn oversized mostly pale blue and paired with colorful polo or tees that was clearly never my style, we also wore uniform to school 6 days a week so it didnt help either. Only in the late 90s in university where I need to wear my own stuff 5 days a week I needed to find clothes to wear to school, but somehow never owned a denim jacket and nobody I know wore one, my clothes at that time were mostly grey blue and black polos and mall black or dark grey or dark blue jeans, I had my first leather jacket in university that I wore outside on the bike, never really consider it as part of my look, we had class jacket both in high school and uni, in highschool it was 2 sided parka style with embroidery on the back of which my drawing was chosen to be used on one side (it was a smiling shark with sunglasses) so of course I wore it everyday with that side up , in uni our class decided to have something simple zip front with collar no pockets in brownish grey color with word "architecture" embroidered on the left chest I was very tempted to unstitch that, it looked just like company jacket, and after wearing uniform everyday my whole life, seems life everybody wanted to wear something that made them feel like a part of something so everybody wore that stupid jacket everyday, lucky nobody encouraged us to wear almamater jacket because it was in stupid shade of blue with a black and gold badge on the left chest and very poor quality.

so yeah only this year I finally got to know a denim jacket

navetsea said:

only this year I finally got to know a denim jacket

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And you were never the same. I understand. I really do.

I have been wearing jean jackets since the 70s first time I ever associated jean jackets with cowboying until reading this thread. I thought jean jackets picked up on the cheap at thrift shops made good work jackets, I always wore a jean jacket over jeans. The fact is now that I am retired, I wear jean jackets with Stetson OR hats and I don't think of my self as a cowboy, I live on the San Francisco peninsula

Can someone show what a type I, II, III are?

Type 1

Type 2

Type 3

I appreciate your post handymike I generally find type II

Type 1 and 2 should be 1 button shorter then, but many makers lengthen them to be comparable to type 3 many are just adjusting button to button spacing to be wider. I like the proportion of the longer sleeve and shorter body of type2.

In the 80s, nearly everyone in my class had a jean jacket. 90% Levi, and maybe 10% Guess acid wash. As much a standard piece of clothing as any other. When I left the nest, I noticed even the metalheads and punks had stylized them for their uniforms. So many vests for metal, and many vests layered on leather motorcycle jackets for the punks. I don't think I've ever thought of them as greaser gear or farm gear.

navetsea said:

Type 1 and 2 should be 1 button shorter then, but many makers lengthen them to be comparable to type 3 many are just adjusting button to button spacing to be wider. I like the proportion of the longer sleeve and shorter body of type2.

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I think Type 3s sould be fairly short too; most I see now look almost comically overlong, like they've just lengthened the jacket in order to meet ever-lowering waistbands, but it never occurred to anyone that both of these just distort the original proportions of the overall outfit and makes it all look bad.

Here's mine I've used on the Harley since 2003. Fit is good enough for me.
Sorry I look so poorly, these photos were taken a year and a half ago during some serious chemo treatments. Since then I've gotten some hair back and a better complexion. I've been off the chemo for probably over three months now.

hmm, my type 2 I ordered through MTO by local denim brand would be delivered shortly, and I also bought ready to wear type3 in indigo x black (similar to my current type3) for my brother as his birthday gift, since I'm amazed how easy this blue black color with tonal stitching to be combined with anything, it could work even for his casual office dresscode I think.

Currently battling an urge to buy a bluer type3 with copper buttons, i saw a local company make one in martial art cloth fabrics also tonal blue, looks thick and differently cool but my current type3 is not even 2 months old, and with incoming type 2 there shouldn't be any reason me wanting another type 3...

HoosierDaddy said:

Here's mine I've used on the Harley since 2003. Fit is good enough for me.
Sorry I look so poorly, these photos were taken a year and a half ago during some serious chemo treatments. Since then I've gotten some hair back and a better complexion. I've been off the chemo for probably over three months now.

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Hope the treatment continues to do well - good to hear you're doing better. The shade of your Type III looks much like my old denim jacket did after several years of washing and hard wear. Length-wise, I'd say it's not the shortest I've seen, but within the ballpark of what looks fine to me. You can see your trouser pockets beneath it, which works for the proportions to my eye. I've recently seen some Type IIIs, mostly worn by young ladies, where the bottom hem sits at the same place a peacoat would, which is just bizarre. I assume it comes from the same aesthetic as those jackets that wre in fashion a couple of years ago, looked like an MA1, but the bottom went to near the knees.

HoosierDaddy said:

Here's mine I've used on the Harley since 2003. Fit is good enough for me.
Sorry I look so poorly, these photos were taken a year and a half ago during some serious chemo treatments. Since then I've gotten some hair back and a better complexion. I've been off the chemo for probably over three months now.

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Happy to hear you survived the chemo treatments. As for the jacket, the fit looks just right to me--roomy enough to be comfortable, but not oversized.