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How many is too many?

Swoosed

One of the Regulars
Messages
280
Location
Stony Brook, NY
How many leather jackets is too many? this is a philosophical question of course, since we all know too much is never enough. My wife thinks I need a shrink, but I need to know I have any fellow nuts out there with the same "problem". I just can't seem to get "too many" leather jackets. I only have 7 at present, of differing types mostly military types, but all american made of course.
 

silhouette53

One of the Regulars
Messages
212
Location
Birmingham, England
Only a dream but ...............

My personal opinion is that if I had one of every jacket that Aero make then I would be a happy man !! ( of course I would need to have all the variations in hide type and colour too !! ) :D
 
Messages
15,563
Location
East Central Indiana
Too Many??..!!
Lets see...Got 3 repro A2s + a B6(all Aero). An original FlyingTiger Aero A2 and '68 MartianLane G1. 6 Aero utility jackets(Hwymn,HBs,Lngshrmn,'30s style Levi). 5 or 6 MC jackets(Schott,HD,vintage). Now,that's too many. I do wear them all,tho. The neat thing is...over the years..I have managed to narrow them down to exactly the styles and fit I truley desired.
Would I like to own others?...Yep...a Aero zip sleeve Bootlegger..and perhaps an Aero Bronco. However..I've been in a holding pattern for the past several years. There may be a possibility that I am at the point of not getting too excited with what I don't have..and finally quite satisfied with what I've accumulated....but,please,pray for me....
HD
Maybe when you run outa closet space?...but,surely..you could hang a couple in her's..right;)
 

Swoosed

One of the Regulars
Messages
280
Location
Stony Brook, NY
I've had them my whole life, but have just recently, maybe the last two years got back into them. I had an old Shott bomber that I found in my closet one day but didn't fit any more, went out and bought a new one. Then I lost some weight, had to get a new one since my others didn't fit any more. Then I got into A-2's and G-1's and B-3s and the list goes on. Got my first Horshide A-2 about a month ago and now I want another one. I've been trolling Ebay for an Aero or RMNZ.
 

SGB

One of the Regulars
Messages
270
Location
AZ
40-50

I've posted this on another thread here recently. I got rid of a lot, had over 100 and moved so I'm down to about 40-50 currently.
As long as you have the space and can afford them........

SGB
 

greyhound68

A-List Customer
Messages
362
Location
Manteca, CA
Wow great question. Currently, I have 5 original A2s, 7 repro A2s, two G-1s, one 422a, and one repro B-6. So that makes 16. Do I want more? No not right now but you never know.
 

Spitfire

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,078
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark.
..."as long as you have more shoes than I have leatherjackets, honey!":D

My stock at the moment:
1 IRVIN
1 A2 "Historical" Russetbrown Horsehide (4th FG Badge)
1 A2 Sealbrown goat
1 A2 Sealbrown goat with Noseart.

nothin to talk about.[huh]
 

Matthew Dalton

A-List Customer
Messages
324
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Anything more than 14 and I'd be wondering if I'm a Pathological Hoarder.

While I guess it'd be fun to have closet-loads of jackets; I think after a certain point I'd have to sell them off and use that money for something else. Other items for the wardrobe, as capital or who knows what else?
 

aswatland

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,338
Location
Kent, England
Matthew Dalton said:
Anything more than 14 and I'd be wondering if I'm a Pathological Hoarder.

While I guess it'd be fun to have closet-loads of jackets; I think after a certain point I'd have to sell them off and use that money for something else. Other items for the wardrobe, as capital or who knows what else?

I currently have 23 different jackets, most flying jackets-A2s, B3s, Irvins and US naval jackets. I am running out of storage space, so every so often I sell one, but invariably buy another!
 

Swoosed

One of the Regulars
Messages
280
Location
Stony Brook, NY
I have to show this thread to my wife, I realy like the one about the shoes, that was her deal a while ago. Now my 2 year old daughter is the shoe freak. Must be genetic.
 

nightandthecity

Practically Family
Messages
904
Location
1938
I was tempted to say that more than you can afford is too many, but no.....you can never have too many.

I used to own well over 100 vintage jackets, mostly leather. Nowadays it's usually around 40-50 (it varies as some go and others come)

And no, Mrs Night doesn't object at all
 

Garrett

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,781
Can never have too many......I know, great contribution right? Well I'm trying to get PM privs, you know how it is ;)
 

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
Seal Cooper G-2, russet Schott A-2 (currently out on loan to my dad), and a black Brooks Bros. car coat. That fills my needs pretty nicely.

Why do I suspect some of you cats have more leathers than suits?
 

Atticus Finch

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,718
Location
Coastal North Carolina, USA
Hi Folks,

I love to find and buy leather jackets. But I have found that there is a downside to owning too many. Leather jackets don't really look good until they are well broken in. Until then, most leather jackets look like they are wearing their owners rather than the reverse. And, unfortunately, there is still no better break-in process than plain old wearing the jacket for many, many hours in all kinds of weather. With all due respect to the "cold water process" or "the cool spin in the dryer process" or whatever, that great patina that we all love in vintage jackets comes only from long, loving wear.

And herein lies the rub: It is darned difficult to wear fifteen or twenty leather jackets long enough or often enough to get them to look the way they should. In fact, I would say that one could not properly break in twenty high-quality horsehide jackets in a human adulthood. Sure, one could purchase vintage, prebroken-in jackets, but unless the previous owners are of your same shape, and move the same way you do, even those jackets will not look exactly right on you.

So, although I have a closet full of leather jackets, I am now of the opinion that one would be better off to have only a very few favorites and wear them so often that they become almost a second skin. Only then will they have that "look" that we want in a leather jacket.

Atticus
 

NextStepGuy

Familiar Face
Messages
59
Location
PNW, WA
Shape...

That thread makes me think and rethink about something I tried keeping in the back of my mind. I already posted a thread about Aero Half Belt vs. Highwayman. The suggestions which I got are that both jackets have a different cut. However, there is a jacket that I like wearing. It's not an expensive one too. But it fits me really well. And everytime I am going to order a new jacket, I am going to go back to the sizing of that jacket for comparison. And of course, I end up owning jackets that are very similar in size to that very same jacket. And if you look at the Aero line, you can see that their jackets have all a common trait (Collar and sleeves are cut in a very similar pattern). On top of that if you have them cut the same size, you end up getting very similar looking jackets. And that too many becomes really too many...
 

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