I made a leather jacket and it wasn’t crap

Shockingly I was able to wear this nearly every day except a handful of days in the Winter that got below zero and one or two days in the 70s. Was honestly surprised by how versatile it’s been and have still been wearing it after the dome just because it fills a really important use in my wardrobe. It’s mainly just been worn while commuting or just around and about outside. One or two concerts, a short hike, but mostly walking to and from bus stops and stuff.

When I picked up this hide at Tannery Row I knew it was the perfect match for what I had been wanting to do. I’d had the idea for a Minerva leather shirt for a long time, but then my mom gave me an old Pendleton skirt of hers to reuse and it felt like the shirt should really turn into a lined jacket, then I found the glass buttons and it just really needed to be something more substantial. As a jacket I felt like I wanted something a little more supple without being like .5oz and the DHF was a perfect option. It has an extremely soft hand feel from the get go and the color really has a lot of layers from the gradient created by the center coloring on the hides. I did use some slightly thicker and less supple pieces for the arms unfortunately, but the stiffness was mostly gone by the second month, and at this point even though you can definitely feel they’re a little bit firmer panels, they don’t wear that way though the areas in the arm that need movement. In terms of color it really does have a depth to the sort of dusty brown that warms into rich chocolatey tones before sinking into almost black earthtones. The color shifts are interesting because as the top coat wears and brings up some slight nap, it really picks up the dusty tan brown colors, but the leather overall is inching darker and deeper in color. When it gets some conditioning or some wet weather and a little burnishing with a bit of brushing the color and texture definitely really amp up, but that fades pretty quickly and goes back to a more natural look.

It’s meant to be a loose baggy jacket for laying under, but the fit is pretty great and suits a lot of the outfits that I’ve been building in over the last year or two. I think there are some improvements to be make in a couple areas like the cuffs of the sleeves, and potentially adding some ability to cinch around the waist a little to add some shape, but overall it’s exactly what I needed.

This was one that the details were important for me. My family has a history with Pendleton, so using the fabric that my mom had given me was important, and even though there was only enough of the plaid to line the back and slip skirt satin to line the sleeves, I wanted to make sure the two front of angels were still a Pendleton wool that fit the feeling of the jacket well and got really lucky on a twill flannel that went perfectly and opened up some opportunities for some other garments that go hand in hand with the look of it. If I’m being honest, the jacket was designed around the buttons. Once I found this batch of vintage Czech glass buttons I knew the direction I wanted to go with the overall look and the feeling of clean broad panels of earthy leather with just a couple of simple rounded design elements lets them take center stage without them absolutely jumping out at you and overwhelming the design. There are a couple of things I’d like improved if I do this again, so basic changes in construction of the sleeve cuffs, maybe a different design of the pockets, but overall construction has been much better than I expect of myself, and the design was maybe 99% there.

I fucking love this jacket. It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the closest I’ve gotten with a brand new project. It’s unbelievably comfortable and versatile, the leather has retained all the tings that I loved about it when new, while building character over time. It really is just getting better and better. Which is good! Because this is going to be a sentimental piece for me for a long time. I’m happy that I’m happy to keep wearing it.