Not mine, etc...
$8.50
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-American-Eagle-Leather-Bomber-Jacket-late-80s-early-90s-/281035489124?pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&ssPageName=RSS%3AB%3ASHOP%3AUS%3A101&hash=item416f053f64&nma=true&si=%252Fey9JypQB5d3%252FFvvIyZuYKuDMos%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Holy crap, I used to have the exact same jacket!
This is what I've worn at work for the last 12 years. It's very warm and they do stand up by themselves when new.
They are very expensive though, I did have a brown leather jacket at my previous job and it was custom made as I wear a 44 Tall.
Personally I like the old school motorcycle type jackets that have been in style lately. I was in Buenos Aires a few years ago and there's a shop down there that'll make a custom jacket for $200 but it might be a bit far to travel.
You could try ebay. I scored a nice 70s Schott motorcycle jacket for $10 a few years ago. It takes a lot of searching through all the new crap but you can find some good deals.
Another endorsement of the LL Bean flight jacket here. When my USN issue jacket simultaneously got too small and fell apart, I looked for the best compromise of quality, authenticity and price. Considering it will last the rest of my life, the cost was easily justifiable.
I also have a '60s vintage Brooks cafe-style biker jacket that I love dearly but can't fit into anymore. I'd buy a new one but I won't live long enough to break it in anywhere close to my old one. Besides, nothing says 'poser' more than a squeaky-clean, shiny new bike jacket on a middle-aged fat guy.
I have a really nice pre war style Winlit leather jacket I got as a Christmas gift about 25 years ago that I rarely wear because it's bulky (I can't sit up straight in a car seat with it on, have to lean the seat back) stiff (hard to shift gears etc) and heavy as hell. It's OK for the first hour or so, then I can really feel how heavy it is. I'm thinking a thinner shell type jacket might be in order.
Lesley wrote: Holy crap, I used to have the exact same jacket!
I still do!
My good one I got back in Fall '01 was $100 from Kmart. It would still be going strong, Had I been able to get it cleaned after the cats peed on it.
Found a place up near Cleveland that specializes in military style leather jackets. Now, I just need to find another reason to take a four hour one way road trip. Just buying a coat won't cut it.
Ahem
I'm going to consider myself a bit of a bomber-jacket expert here, as I put a lot of time into finding the right one, as they're a bit of a status symbol in my line of work so a good one was muy importante.
The best in the world are made by Pop's Leather right outside Incirlik AFB, Turkey. Lucky you, they ship worldwide for free. Historically, the A-2 was made with horse leather, the modern Air Force issued A-2 is made with goat. The best from Pop's are made with calf. The calfskin A-2 with the Thinsulate liner will run you about $400, and again, it's the best.
Cockpit USA makes the current issue jacket, these are nice too, though I've seen a few guys running around wearing ones that have more of a grey tinge to them: very vinyl looking. There's another brand running around here, unfortunately I am unable to recall it. You can pick them out of a crowd because they're much too dark (black instead of a dark brown), and they're very, very thin. Avoid these, they wear poorly.
A big thing to make sure is that the back is one solid piece of leather.
In summation: buy the goddamn jacket from Pop's! The goatskin A-2 is only $300, and it's custom made!
In reply to Osterkraut:
Sounds nice. Except I like slightly longer jackets that go below my waist. And I only go for black, black is just wrong on an A2.
But looking at the pops web site, they have a lot of nice stuff.
neon4891 wrote: But looking at the pops web site, they have a lot of nice stuff.
They've got a bunch of styles, yeah. You can even get the G-1 the squids get.
Zombie Thread, Canoe Deleted
I bought a A-2 from Sears in '87. I think I paid $90 for it.
I wore it a lot until around 2000 o so. Some time along the way the cuffs got stretched out.
There was a leather shop that used to be a factory. They did repairs,put on new cuffs. The proprietor said that is possible that his factory could have made the jacket.
Every time I think about wearing it again, it is so damn heavy.
So, ancient thread resurrected by a canoe, so I might as well mention, later in 2013 I picked up a jacket at the place I found (US Wings). Been holding up just fine for the last 6 years.
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