http://www.ebay.com/itm/401074593383
Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled = 50″)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/401045335421
This vintage jacket was made in the late 1930s-early 1940s. It is made from brown capeskin leather in the aviator style so popular in that time period. It has an offset zipper, broad lapels and collar, handwarmer pockets, a zipped breast pocket and zipped map pocket. It has a half-belt back. The main zipper is an early Crown, with a square topped stopbox and teeth very similar to a Talon (pre-chevron teeth, pre-two way teeth). The back is painted with nose art close to a Disney/Roald Dahl gremlin, with horned flight helmet and parachute harness, but with a pointy mosquito or bird nose. The lining is missing.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272084670975
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271351711041
This vintage leather jacket was made in Canada. It’s hard to say whether this was made by Brimaco or by Shields/Score Sportswear, as their patterns were so similar, and this one is missing the labels. Both manufacturers jackets were made as copies of the 1940s “Cycle Champ” jacket sold by Harley Davidson. While Harley retired the model, going with more of a Perfecto style, these Canadian manufacturers continued production with very little changes. It has a large patch D-pocket, with a smaller patch cigarette pocket. The other side of the jacket has a flapped square patch pocket. The ends of the pocket openings are all reinforced with domed bar studwork for that early motorcycle jacket flash. The back design, with kidney panel is more typical for the Score/Shields jackets, while Brimaco/British Cycle Leathers/British Sportswear jackets generally had three panels in a V shape. But you do see both designs coming from both makers, so it’s doesn’t clear it up that much. This has the smooth nylon lining more commonly seen on the cafe racers made by these companies, while the more old-fashioned plaid linings were generally put into the D-Pocket models. The main zip is a Lightning, the pocket zip is a Canadian Talon of the same design (same company).
Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Waist: 29″ (doubled = 36″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length: 22″
The black leather jacket epitomized by the Schott Perfecto wasn’t always the motorcycle jacket default. Here is a small sample of diagonal zip leather jackets, ancestors of the style, which date from the 1930s-1960s. Top to bottom: Monarch, no label capeskin, Foster Sportswear, British Sportswear, no label Columbia. The silver British Sportswear jackets has exposed studs on the lapels, but none on the collar. The Columbia has concealed studs on both. The top three have none. They display a variety of pocket styles and placements, and of cuff styles.
Top of Collar to Hem: 28″
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