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The Real McCoys '30s Cooper Jacket in "Black" Horsehide

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,260
This is a new model for this year from RMC and as soon as I saw it on Standard and Strange, I fell in love with it. However, I did not buy it immediately for a couple of reasons. At the time, I still had my Freewheelers San Mateo and did not need another black leather jacket and I didn't like the printed horsehide they used for this jacket. The jacket sold out and I thought I had gotten it out of my system even though I loved the design.

A little while later, I ended up selling the San Mateo because it was starting to feel too long on me and I didn't like how it looked unzipped. What I realized is that my favorite jacket style was the 1930s-40s style cross zip sports jackets. I'm not super into motorcycle jackets and as of now. I love cross zips though with my Sunset being my all time favorite jacket. After selling the San Mateo, I talked to Neil, the owner of Standard and Strange about this jacket and he told me that it was more of a dark brown than a black. Sure, he owns the store and I guess by definition he needs to sell product, but he's always been honest with me so I trusted him and requested a special order for this jacket in size 38.

Better yet, the measurements are perfect for me with a fairly wide chest and a short body and short sleeves. At 5'7" with a 41.5" chest and now a 31.5" waist, I like a slim fitting jacket that is wide in the chest, but short. This isn't exactly easy for me to find. My Freewheelers Sunset is beautiful, but it's a little bit long and not quite as slim as I would prefer for a perfect look (though it's deerskin, so a slouchy, comfortable look works for it.) The Caboose fits me well and is nice and slim, but is kind of long even though I like it a lot. The new Mulholland is fantastic, but sleeves and body are slightly longer than I would want. Technically, this jacket is undersized, but I do think this is probably the new best fitting jacket that I have ever owned. Losing weight helps so I think it's just that this jacket fits me the best AFTER losing weight.

Construction is excellent, but definitely not at the level of Freewheelers. They really do distinguish themselves from the rest. The printed horsehide is interesting. Probably not something you should go for as a first leather. Obviously, it is corrected grain because of the printing, but it looks nicer up close than I thought it would. Would I prefer a "normal" Shinki leather? Absolutely. With that said, this is a period detail of the 1930s which made me more accepting of it. At this point, I have owned a total of 10 Shinki jackets before this one so doing something different is fine.

What is most interesting is that Neil was right and this jacket is definitely not black... not at all. The liner is black and the buttons are black and so you can see in contrast that this jacket is clearly a dark chocolate brown. Even the thread is dark brown and not black. The core of the leather is sort of a standard brown which is nice. I have a lot of true tea core leathers with light brown cores and it's nice to have something that will just stay dark brown, though the core is lighter than the outer surface. Why RMC labelled this jacket as black is beyond me. It works out though as I prefer to have a dark brown jacket so I'm thrilled about it - perplexed, but thrilled nonetheless.

If you read all of that rambling, then thank you. Time for the photos.

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Some photos to show that the jacket is brown and not black based on the boots it goes with:

These are some darker brown boots. Still lighter than the jacket, but they go well together.
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Here are some black boots. This does not work. At the very least, you can clearly tell the jacket is not black by comparison.
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I think the jacket even looks better with some natural CXL boots than it does with the black:
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Mich486

One Too Many
Messages
1,668
Wow looks stunning! The design is just beautiful I remember posting a picture of the original jacket this is based on but now I cannot remember the brand.

It fits you perfectly, looks like a custom to me. This is a keeper!
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,798
Congrats! Imo this is one of your best fitting jackets. Look at the front shoulder area, it's perfect. It's a bit shorter than what I normally see on you and I like it. I also like the trim sleeve ends.
I know a lot of loungers didn't like the jacket when it was first discussed here, mainly because of the printed leather. I though the jacket looked great but wasn't sure about the printed leather either. It feels somewhat wrong to process a beautiful hide like that. But when I see these photo's the only thing I see is a perfect fit for a trim jacket which you couldn't have pulled off a year ago.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,260
Wow looks stunning! The design is just beautiful I remember posting a picture of the original jacket this is based on but now I cannot remember the brand.

It fits you perfectly, looks like a custom to me. This is a keeper!

I would love to see it! This is a jacket I cannot find in the Lightning vintage leather jackets magazine that I have.

Congrats! Imo this is one of your best fitting jackets. Look at the front shoulder area, it's perfect. It's a bit shorter than what I normally see on you and I like it. I also like the trim sleeve ends.
I know a lot of loungers didn't like the jacket when it was first discussed here, mainly because of the printed leather. I though the jacket looked great but wasn't sure about the printed leather either. It feels somewhat wrong to process a beautiful hide like that. But when I see these photo's the only thing I see is a perfect fit for a trim jacket which you couldn't have pulled off a year ago.

Yeah it's shorter on me because I usually have to buy size 42 in other jackets which makes them longer. This one is wide enough in the chest that I was able to go down to 38. Although I will admit, even with that, this jacket is on the short side. It would definitely not work for a lot of people. I have a longer torso for my height so that does help me get away with other jackets, but this one would definitely be too short for a lot of people. Even the sleeves are short enough for me which is absolutely wild.

I agree about the leather. I still would have preferred a standard Shinki. However, as you say, the only thing I can see is how well it fits me and it is definitely not something I could have worn last year.

Congrats @dudewuttheheck . I like the jacket. I LOVE the fit. Definitely your best fit!

Thanks Craig! I agree that in terms of leather jackets, this is my best fit ever and I am thrilled about that.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,260
That leather sure is strange, but the proportions of that jacket really work well on you.
A sad thought for the SanMateo, hope she went to a good home.
She did indeed. As I lost weight further, the jacket sat differently on me and just did not look as good as when I first got it. The guy who got it is thrilled and been wearing it a lot since getting it. He even sent me photos so it is being well loved.

Agreed on the leather. I won't even defend it because it's my least favorite part of the jacket. That said, the fit is so good that I can hardly be bothered to care. As you say, the proportions work well for me. None of my custom jackets ever fit this well... though that's partly because I usually spec'd them wrong :p
 

Robbie79

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,122
Again congrats, Dude! Really nice you black ehhhh brown jacket ;) (they should change it to black because it confuses buyers who expect a black jacket instead of a brown one). Sorry, I didn't see your "new jacket" thread when I replied in "What jacket are you wearing today" thread.
 

torfjord

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,503
Location
Sweden
Can’t do much more than agree with everyone else, the fit is absolutely brilliant. Best fitting jacket I’ve seen on you, and I think all your jackets (except the aero and mushman) are great fits.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,260
Again congrats, Dude! Really nice you black ehhhh brown jacket ;) (they should change it to black because it confuses buyers who expect a black jacket instead of a brown one). Sorry, I didn't see your "new jacket" thread when I replied in "What jacket are you wearing today" thread.

Thanks! Yeah it's weird that they call it black when it definitely is brown, but hey it works out for me in the end. No worries man! I should have referenced the cross post.

Can’t do much more than agree with everyone else, the fit is absolutely brilliant. Best fitting jacket I’ve seen on you, and I think all your jackets (except the aero and mushman) are great fits.

Yes I would agree with you. That's why the Mushmans is for sale. Great jacket, but I'm not tall enough for it.
Thanks for the kind words!
 

red devil

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,814
Location
London
Is it me or it seems to have some greyish shades in the brown? Really interesting colour.

Well done on your weight loss! That's the reason you can pull such a fit on this jacket :)
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,260
Is it me or it seems to have some greyish shades in the brown? Really interesting colour.

Well done on your weight loss! That's the reason you can pull such a fit on this jacket :)
It depends on the lighting. In some lighting, it does look a bit grey in some light, especially on the back panels. Maybe that's why they call it black? Still, it doesn't actually make sense to me.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
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4,920
Location
London
I wonder what will happen when you wear it and the natural grain tries to come through.
Will it take over and will the printed grain fade a bit as the natural grain takes over or will the printed grain stay that prominant. Also, i wonder how rain will affect the printing, humidity in the leather might change things a bit.

As weird as it is, i think that once broken in and serously worn this leather has the potential to look very interresting.
Please post some evo pics.
 

red devil

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,814
Location
London
It depends on the lighting. In some lighting, it does look a bit grey in some light, especially on the back panels. Maybe that's why they call it black? Still, it doesn't actually make sense to me.

Definitely not black, I would call it taupe if I wanted to highlight the greyish shade. And as you showed us, it doesn't work with black boots either
 
Messages
16,403
Fits you perfectly, literally might be the best fitting jacket you have & it's a very nice style. Classic, fancy all around.

I really love those shoulder gusset pleats they've done on the back! Such a cool & discreet way to add mobility to the jacket, without doing a full on gusset. Pointed half-belt is excellent as well. Just a really nice jacket.

However, as I've already commented in Super's Now You've Seen It All thread a few months ago when I first posted this jacket, printed leather to me isn't acceptable. This is exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to get away from, once I started my research into clothes because it's all I'd see in the malls when I was looking to buy a nice leather jacket. What I said before, why have they decided to go with this print I simply cannot understand.

Overall, if you don't mind the print, you've got yourself a really cool jacket but it breaks my heart they haven't done this in a non baked hide.

Is the leather particularly softer than the usual HH they use?
 
Messages
17,106
Location
Chicago
The fit is really great dude! No doubt about it. For the life of me though, I cannot understand the embossed grain! It is not historically accurate to anything I’ve ever seen in years of collecting vintage jackets. I just don’t get it. That process is designed to cover up flaws in inferior hides, which clearly this jacket is not made from. Just can’t wrap my brain around why that was done.

Anyway, jacket is absolutely spot on fit wise, shame they didn’t replicate this in a hide more befitting the original, which is not embossed.
 

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