Waxed Cotton A-1 jacket

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

SOLD
This jacket was made by Ralph Lauren under the Polo equestrian label. It is a reproduction of a jacket style popular from c. 1919 through into the 1930s, which would be adapted by the military into the A-1 flight jacket. The original civilian model of this jacket was defined by its knit collar, cuffs and waistband, and patch pockets. The style was originally a hunting/outdoorsman’s style, and was generally, though not always, made of leather. This reproduction is made of water resistant waxed cotton / oiled cotton, a material appropriate for the style, as it also shares the hunting / outdoorsman’s garment lineage. This jacket has two large patch cargo pockets, and a small functional ticket pocket. The jacket is lined with tartan flannel. Unlike many Ralph Lauren products, this jacket, made under the leather Polo Equestrian label was made in the USA,

Chest (pit to pit): 27″ (doubled = 54″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 21-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to end of cuff): 26-1/2″
Length (bottom of collar to bottom of waistband): 26″

New Jersey Frozen Foods custom leather jacket

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271277523946
This vintage leather jacket was made in the 1950s. It has a classic casual cut, sportcoat length. The jacket has a scaloped yoke on the back, which, along with the horseshoe belt buckle give the jacket an under-the-radar western vibe. The jacket has a button-on belt. Many jackets of this length from the 1930s-1950s had button on belts like this, but lost them over the years, it’s uncommon to find one still paired with the belt. There are two breast pockets which fasten with Conmar chain zippers. The main zipper is also a Conmar. The jacket’s label reads “Custom Made Deerskin Sportswear, New Jersey Frozen Foods, Inc., Morristown, NJ”. Somewhat of an unusual firm to be making leather jackets, but similarity to other leather jacket maker’s patterns make me think that it was produced by a third party factory, probably one of the Wisconsin deerskin jacket factories and sold by NJFF. The jacket is fully lined, with a material change about half-way down.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff):25-12″
Length: 32″

Early 1940s half-belt leather jacket

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271264162910
This vintage leather jacket was made in the early 1940s. Unfortunately, the maker’s tag is long gone, but it can be fairly accurately dated using other details. In one of the pockets is a union tag from the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. The last digit of the tag is mis-printed, but I believe it’s a 1939 tag, not a 1936. This puts the dating between 1939, when that tag first came into usage, and 1949, when it was replaced by a different design. The zipper is a spring loaded crown zipper, of the type used in the early 1940s, notably on several contracts of Army Air Force A-2 flight jackets. That narrows the dating from about 1939 to 1945.

The leather, still nicely soft and supple, has developed a nice fade and patina from its original russet brown color through decades of wear. The wear is heaviest on the neck of the collar, the hem and the cuffs. The jacket’s design is a classic: half belt back with side belt adjusters. The back has pleats to bring it in at the waist. On the front, there are two small flapped pockets, with double stitching to give them the look of patch pockets. Above them are buttoned, vertical chest pockets. The pockets are lined in a soft cotton flannel, and are presumably designed as hand-warmers. The body of the jacket is lined with plaid cotton in cream, blue and brown, and the sleeves in plain cotton.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length (base of collar to hem): 28″

Sears Topline leather jacket

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281154512089
This vintage leather jacket was made for Sears under the short lived “Topline Men’s Wear” line. I have only been able to find ads for that particular line from the wartime years, early-mid 1940s. The jacket is a classic half-belt style. It has dual vertical chest pockets. The back has a half-belt. The buttons on either side of the belt indicate that when it was new, it probably had a button-on full belt. As with this one, most jackets that were so equipped had the belts discarded decades ago. The jacket is made of supple capeskin, which has been worn to a soft patina. The jacket has a quilted lining. The jacket fastens with a transitional Talon zipper. The pull is of the small-holed variety seen in the late 1930s and early 1940s, while the stop-box is a design seen more often in the mid through late 1940s.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length: 27″

Campus Sportswear horsehide leather jacket

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281154565976
This jacket was made in the late ’40s-mid 1950s timeframe by Campus Sportswear. It is made of horsehide in a classic half-belt utility jacket design that was popular from the 1930s-1950s. This one brings a bit of a ’50s twist to the design in the form of the swooping stitching/welt running up the front of the jacket. The jacket has slash handwarmer pockets, a zipped breast pocket, and adjuster belts on the sides. It has a brass Talon zipper of the design introduced in the late 1940s. The jacket has a quilted lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 22-1/2″
Shoulder to shoulder: 17-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length: 25″

1920s A-1 leather jacket (repro)

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281154609109

This jacket is a very close copy of the suede leather “windbreaker” jackets of the 1920s which evolved into the A-1 flight jacket. Many of these early jackets were made of lightweight leathers, suede or capeskin, and were unlined. Separable bottom zippers were not invented until 1927, and didn’t come to jackets until c.1930, so jackets of the 1920s had button fronts. In this period, knit collars, cuffs and waistbands were popular. These jackets were marketed toward the sporting market: golfers, hunters, outdoorsmen. This short style would come to be adopted by civilian aviators, as it was far less clumsy than the full length coats of the WWI period.

There are no tags or identifying marks. Though this jacket is vintage, probably from the ’60s or so from the look of the buttons, it is a good reproduction of that 1920s style. It has caramel colored buttons and is made from rough-out capeskin. It is entirely unlined.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″
Shoulder to shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length: 23″

Late 1930s belted leather jacket

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281154502621
This vintage leather jacket was made in the late 1930s or early 1940s. Whereas many jackets of this era either had a button on belt, or a half-belt back, this one has a full attached belt. It has an action back It has two buttoned vertical pockets on the chest, and flapped buttoned pockets. The front is done up with a deco sunburst Talon zipper, which helps pin the date down. The jacket is fully lined. Though the tag is missing, the leather on this jacket feels like other horsehide jackets of this era I’ve had. The leather has developed a great patina over time, and the grain has really started to pop on the back panels.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″
Shoulder to shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-1/2″
Length: 25-1/2″

1930s Suede Leather jacket

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281142062357
This vintage leather jacket was made in the 1930s. From the rare variant of Talon zipper, it can be dated to about 1936 or 1937. It is made of brown suede leather, in a classic utility jacket style. From the sizing, I’d say this was made for the teenage market. Handwarmer pockets, yoked back, zip breast pocket, zip front, side adjuster belts. Both zippers are in excellent condition and work well.

Chest (pit to pit): 19″
Shoulder to shoulder: 15-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 22″
Length: 17-1/2″

AT Hendrick 1940s buckskin half-belt leather jacket

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271244469421
This vintage leather jacket was made in the 1940s by A.T. Hendrick. It is made of soft, high quality buckskin leather, in a button front waist-length half-belt style. The buttons are leather “football” knot style. It has fancy bellows patch pockets, and an action back. The chest pocket has a Talon chain zipper of the type used in the 1940s.

A bit about the maker: Allie T. Hendricks was born on January 27, 1896. He worked as a clothes cleaner through the 1920s and into the 1930s. In 1936, he opened his own tailor shop in the one bedroom house at 1796 Trenton St., Denver, CO which he shared with his wife, Marie. Early directory listings indicate he produced leather jackets exclusively. Later ones use the broader term “leather goods”. Like many small western leather shops, it seems he specialized in buckskin.
There is a bit of confusion over the name – his own labels read “AT Hendrick” (no S), but his directory listings and social security records spell it “Hendricks”. He died in early 1981, aged 84.

Chest: 21″ (doubled = 42″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-1/2″
Length: 27″

1939

The home where Hendricks produced his leather jackets

Double Breasted German leather motorcycle jacket

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271244474811
This vintage leather jacket was made in Germany in the 1960s. It was made by Erlmeier Ledermodelle. It started out life as a hip length jacket and was at some point cut down into a waist length motorcycle style. The conversion was well executed. It is double breasted with a button front, and buttons for shoulder boards. There are double-snap breast pockets. The back has a scalloped yoke.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length: 23″

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Tag Archives: leather

Waxed Cotton A-1 jacket

New Jersey Frozen Foods custom leather jacket

Early 1940s half-belt leather jacket

Sears Topline leather jacket

Campus Sportswear horsehide leather jacket

1920s A-1 leather jacket (repro)

Late 1930s belted leather jacket

1930s Suede Leather jacket

AT Hendrick 1940s buckskin half-belt leather jacket

Double Breasted German leather motorcycle jacket