Finds and Deals - Leather Jacket Edition

Vanson + Left Field M:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Left-Field-NYC-Leather-Commando-Jacket-40-M-Custom/324493265880

 

I came back to this post this morning to drool again.
I think Dave Sheeley might end up being the “Dark Horse” in all of this. His jackets are consistently beautiful, the designs classic, and the wait time comparable. I would much rather have one of these over a Highwayman.

 

I've been reading this thread like watching a new series on Netflix. I binged all 417 pages in the last couple of days and created a FDL account. The amount of knowledge and information shared here and on the rest of the forum is tremendous and so helpful for someone who has worn leather jackets for years but never really took the time to understand any of it besides what I thought looked good on me and what I could afford. Thanks to the pandemic, I took the opportunity to shrink my jacket size a little bit so I started searching for a new one that will actually fit correctly. As I've gotten older/wiser, I've shifted my priorities to buying quality items that will last and my research brought me here. It's great to find a whole community of people who are so genuinely helpful. I love reading all of the history and learning the lesser known bits of information and tying it all together to make much more informed buying decisions. So thank you all for that from the very start. And thanks to many of you, I now have multiple saved searches on platforms all over the place and plenty of items that I'm watching to get a sense for price/value/scarcity. I see how it will be easy to end up with more than one jacket out of this process and possibly a never ending circulation of jackets coming in and others going back out in a quest for something perfect. Even if perfection is temporary.

I certainly don't have much to contribute yet but as I search, I'll try to post interesting finds and hopefully none are terribly embarrassing. For my own search, I'm focusing mostly on cafe racers and simple symmetrical jackets with standard collars. I'm focusing on clean lines and timeless designs with a less is more approach. Although I do at least want hand warmer pockets. All that said, I do like things that aren't quite the same as what most other people are wearing whether that be due to the materials or craftsmanship or something else that makes it unique.

 

Welcome to the lounge!. Less is more approach is a good start.

 

^^ Moontanning - Wecome to FL! Glad you are here and hope you find that perfect CR soon!

 

Wellington Leathers (made in Massachusetts), size 40; $84 US (w/ offer) + shipping. Kinda cool.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-WE...Small-Mens-EAST-WEST-Hippie-Coat/203280266054

 

Thats a nice looking jacket but interesting to hear the buyer first purchased the jacket then sent it back to Vanson for modification. I'd figure I'd just keep hunting for a jacket that more fits what I'm looking for in the piece.

 

Midwestern Sport Togs Deerskin 42, $100

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mid-Wester...-/254878181951?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

 

I definitely don’t NEED this and maybe can’t FIT into it properly but I sure WANT IT!

 

Gap Type III trucker, XL, $110. Beautiful natural-looking leather. I bought one like it from @robrinay and love it, this one deserves to be owned by a Lounger.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GAP-blue-jeans-leather-jacket-size-XL/184675416747

 

^^
I have one as well from a fellow Lounger - nice, solid leather, good jacket for the money.

 

At that price it’s an easy flip if it doesn’t work out.

 

I'm wondering if this one has @Carlos840 name on it...

 

I've droned on about my affection for these GAP truckers before, but basically, I think of them as "mall jackets with an asterisk." Like some older Banana Republic jackets, these truckers from around 1999–2000 are much nicer than their label and price point would suggest. I have four, all originally in the more common mid-brown color, but three of which I dyed black, cordovan, and green. Body's a little longer than I would prefer, but otherwise a nice fit, and true to size in my experience. I think my size Large ones are around 22.5 or 23" p2p. (I also found an XL for $20 and engaged in a more or less moderately successful wash-and-dry shrinking experiment, though I wouldn't do it again, so I won't be getting the XL Guppy posted.)

A couple years ago you could pick one up pretty easily for around $50 or less, but now somewhere around $100 is the usual minimum, going up to the absurd prices you see more and more often. I wouldn't normally recommend spending much over $100 for one, but while the lovely color of the one in Guppy's post is fairly common in the women's versions, I hardly ever see it in the men's. So, yeah, if it's your size, feel very-much-more-than-okay about picking this one up.

Showing off my black one:

 

there was the more chestnut brown one last week someone was selling. It was a large and probably would have fit perfect. I dilly dallied too long and someone grabbed it. I think the XL will be too big, although I've thought about doing the wash and dryer technique. It worked really well on my Levis Buffalo, but I think this is going to be a bridge too far.

What's your weight and height for reference? I'm still thinking about the XL. I really want a brown trucker, but man it's hard to find one. That Aero in the classifieds is GD perfect, but size too small.

 

Im diligently saving for a JL cafe racer in the Dark Brown Horween Vermont.

So this fella is gonna have to hang out on the waitlist. If it’s meant to be, it’ll have to be later.

 

Good luck with you JL order, can't wait to see how you spec yours.
I should have my JL Luftwaffe jacket in seal Horween Vermont in 2-3 weeks.