Another A-2

Cooper A-2 Commercial

The Outer Edge

Horsehide A-2

Recently I got a horsehide A-2 jacket from The Cockpit. (Picture above is not me, but you get the idea). I really like it, a new favorite. Horsehide can be a little tough when you first wear it and it takes a while to "break in." But there's no other leather like it.

Popped Collars

Sometimes I see guys (especially younger guys) wearing flight jackets who like to turn up the collars. Sometimes it looks good. How about you, ever pop your collar?

An Extra Step / Friday January 7th

I've decided to add the extra step of having a word verification for when you guys leave comments. Sorry for the bother, but this blog's comment sections have been getting a ton of spam and phishing lately. Hopefully this will help ensure only live humans are commenting.

Schott G-1

As a Christmas gift to myself, I got a good deal on a Schott G-1 jacket. A lot of Schott bomber jackets are pretty far from military-specs; you'll see all sorts of variations on the fur collars, the epaulets, multiple-piece leather backs, and so on. They look nice, but have a distinct look of their own. It seems harder to come across a more authentic looking A-2 or G-1 from Schott, but I managed to snag one.

Saboteur revisited

I posted a while back on the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Saboteur. I came across a posting over the blog Clothes on Film discussing the clothes the main character (played by the insanely handsome Robert Cummings) wore through a large part of the movie. His leather a-2 jacket was a key part of his appearance. The man is falsely accused, and on the run from the law. Does his leather bomber jacket contribute to his being perceived as a "bad guy?"

Considering the movie was filmed during WWII, I'm not entirely sure. The jacket had then, as it does now, strong associations with military service. Now, if he'd worn a motorcycle jacket like Marlon Brando, it might be a different story. Anyway, it's a great movie, so check it out if you haven't already!

Varsity Jackets / Blouson Teddy

I touched on this once before in an older post. It's a bit off-topic, but, I like to bring these jackets up from time to time. I'm talking about letter (or varsity) style jackets. I read once on a style forum that (to paraphrase) there are certain jackets every man should own: A leather A-2, a navy peacoat, and a varsity jacket. I couldn't agree more!

For my international readers, they have an iconic look about them, a "jock" style that hits something sexual with a lot of guys. While their appeal tends to be American-centric, I have seen them pop up in Europe, for example France where the the style is referred to as "blouson Teddy." I imagine this is in reference to the "Teddy boy" subculture of the U.K., though I can't be sure. (For some good European sources, visit Cuir-city.com, and La Canadienne)

I've also seen hockey players and university students in Canada wearing them, where they're often called "awards jackets." The Canadian leather company Roots always seems to have a version or two out.

Anyway, I can't get enough of them; I own a few myself, though I think adult men should avoid patches, numbers etc. - leave those things for your high school memories. My favorite is a plain yet classic black jacket with both black wool and black leather sleeves (similar to the picture below, yet without the patches on the arms). I have been thinking of getting a new one. How about my readers?

Happy New Year

Hope everyone's having a great start to 2011! Winter's one of my favorite seasons as I've mentioned before on this blog. And one of the great benefits of it are all the leather jackets out this time of year.

This winter, for some reason, I've been seeing a lot of younger guys sporting leather bomber jackets. Not just the "fashion" styles that are inspired by the real thing, but actual A-2, G-1 and B-3 jackets, among other military styles.

Perhaps it's an isolated thing, or part of a larger trend. Either way, I think it's a great thing. Hope to see more...