Club Obi Wan

Maybe this goes here, maybe it doesn't, but the web page "Art of Manliness" has a good article on breaking in your leather jacket PLUS a contest for a giveaway of a Schott NYC Jacket.

Link: http://artofmanliness.com/2009/12/08/ti ... -giveaway/

Some fine things on their web page, I've gotten lost amongst their stacks before...

No being dragged behind trucks, no sliding down a mountain into a river on a rubber raft, no fighting on the top of a tank?

What kind of article is this?

I favor the one step distressing method myself. The best way to distress the jacket is just to wear it! It becomes a marker of past experiences and adventures.

Interesting they recommend steel wool over sandpaper if you want to go that direction , hadn't heard that before....and only light rain shower or dampening, not soaking the leather......no mention of leather care products that I saw......their original book is quite good and entertaining, gave one to my son few years ago...see they've got another couple also.....thanks for pointing out this site ,hadn't seen it....always finding something new on COW, well done..

Crismans, not everyone has the opportunity to be that cool in their daily adventures. I mean, I was only able to check the block on the "fighting on top of a tank" requirement this week. I know, I know...I'm a total slacker this month.

Texan Scott, I'm right there with you. That's kind of why I posted this. It's a bit of a different take on the "beat the crud out of it right out of the box to get the look of adventure" approach. I see that as an OK approach if you're making more of a costume, but I like wearing these things in my rote, daily circumstances too.

These less-drastic steps might help speed up the break-in time if you end up with a piece of iron-like leather; much like a true motorcycle jacket. For that fact I think it is no accident they end up mentioning Schott NYC in the same article.

Hatch, glad you liked the piece.

I'm not sure if I got an already distressed LC jacket, that I could wear it with dress attire or casual dockers, etc., but it looks good with field gear, someone that might be out in the field for awhile, jmho. Each person has his own deal.

Even Indy didn't wear his jacket with dress attire, unless the tie in LC counts.

I never really meant dress (shirt and tie/go to church) attire, but with casual pants and jeans, sure; I'll wear my Indy jackets over all.

Bruce Willis got into the "broken-in look" in (a film I never saw) The Surrogates:

Link: http://www.reelmovienews.com/2008/12/fi ... urrogates/

Even Nordstrom's web page has a good example how Indy-like leather jackets "work" with everyday, modern stuff.

Link: http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/788906/0~23 ... bo=2377688

I'm just not going to spend hard-earned money on something and rarely (or conditionally) wear it. Natural, everyday wear breaks in all my stuff.

I just thought an alternate way of doing things, for those so inclined, may be appreciated.

I enjoyed the article. Wearing a leather jacket in the rain like that is one of the things TN recommends.

That website is AWESOME!!!! Thanks for the link.

Travis

I had to smile at the title of the thread, as it seemed more than a little ironic. All the efforts to achieve a particular look seem anything BUT manly.
Men aren't supposed to be overly concerned with their appearance, it's what they DO that counts. This is why we like Indy, he doesn't care much about shallow appearances. He just wears what is appropriate for the circumstances.

For a certainty the character of Indiana Jones did NOT purchase his jacket looking all weathered, nor did he sit around abrading it with steel wool trying to make it look older. It was shiny and unwrinkled when new, the way all leather garments were sold then.
His jacket acquired its look through use and even abuse, and nothing else. If he did ANYTHING to it, it would have been to apply some kind of oil or cream to preserve the leather and extend its life.

Wearing in the rain (and letting it dry on me) and simply wearing the jacket for all purposes are the only methods I've ever done since I began wearing leather in the early 70's.
Artificially weathering leather is, to me, like taking a pair of scissors and slashing a brand new pair of jeans, things I would never consider for a moment.

The practice of artificially aging garments did not even begin to appear until the late 60's as part of the counter-culture revolution, when people began bleaching and shredding jeans to make them look old and worn out, wearing crumpled army field coats, and cultivating an untidy appearance as a distinct contrast to the button-down look of earlier decades. The purpose was to say "hey, I'm not a member of 'The Establishment' ".

The first commercially offered "weathered leather" I ever saw was in the early 80's, when I was shopping for a flight jacket.
At the time, I had difficulty finding one which WASN'T distressed (perhaps because of the popularity of the recent Indiana Jones movies).
I finally found a nice flight jacket at Berman's in brown undistressed leather, and have worn it now for 26 years. It still looks good, but doesn't look "new".
Every scuff and wrinkle actually DOES tells a story.

If someone has access to old catalogs from Sears, Pennys, MW, Wilson's, Berman's or other leather suppliers, I'd be interested in knowing the earliest appearance of "distressed leather" on a jacket.

Ron, you caught my intended irony perfectly.

Let's just wear 'em and let the chips fall where they may, right?

Absolutely agree

_, the truth in your above statements can not be overlooked or stated any clearer...

(I think this is the first and only time I've ever/ever will use these things:)

Amen.

Oh wow, that Art of Manliness website is great! I actually stumbled upon it quite by happenstance while searching for a decent Bay Rum vendor online. Now I'm a member there and currently reading up on the fine art of shaving.

ron521 wrote: The first commercially offered "weathered leather" I ever saw was in the early 80's, when I was shopping for a flight jacket.
At the time, I had difficulty finding one which WASN'T distressed (perhaps because of the popularity of the recent Indiana Jones movies).

If someone has access to old catalogs from Sears, Pennys, MW, Wilson's, Berman's or other leather suppliers, I'd be interested in knowing the earliest appearance of "distressed leather" on a jacket.

Over here badly copied A2's came out in around 1983 to follow the Indy trend. I also saw what they called "pilot's jackets" in the late 1970's that were a quick aging, shrunken lamb. Awful stuff. But then, before the internet few people knew what an A2 was and the only photos were in a handfull of books in the local library. We live in a great time for the collector.

Maboot,

Glad you liked it. I find that place always has something good to learn about.
Or you can just to waste the day way reading interesting articles and following links off of the main page and via their blogroll pages.

Enjoy.

LOL..

In all honesty while I endorse the intention of posting the link, I can't read this with a straight face.. I mean "Manly" what an archaic description.

I had a look at the web site and while there are some terrific articles posted there, the mere notion that there has to be a forum to help the male be 'manly' is for me rather bewildering.. Anyway, now that I have picked myself up off the floor, I must say that the piece on ageing the jacket was very informative - many thanks, but I for one won't be bookmarking the site.

Kind regards

MARK

Kram,

I personally meant for the title of the post to be tongue in cheek, hence the quotation marks. I really feel that just wearing things over time is how you break them in. However, if one must have it looking old two days after purchasing it, then here's some good information.

As to the web page, without going too off topic, I think they mean it a bit tongue in cheek as well; I think they did it as more of a going against the grain to the metrosexual movement that was big in the states a few years back. Hence why their iconography is mostly from the early to middle 20th century.