After my divorce about two years ago, there were several things that I had always wanted, and first on my list was a leather jacket. For some reason, I had always found an excuse not to get one.
One morning I got up, on a particularly cold winter day, and decided to change that. A local store was having a sale, and I walked out with the first of a series of purchases.
I hated the "newness" of store bought jackets, and finally found a solution to that problem.
The Salvation Army outlet down the street from my apartment.
My first purchase there was this vintage brown leather motorcycle jacket, it's colour faded to a light brown. I decided to see what would happen if I put some work into it. For about 15 dollars, there was little to lose.
The main thing is to find a dry cleaner that knows a leather cleaning professional. I was lucky enough to find one nearby. After cleaning, the next step was to condition the leather.
To do that is actually quite simple. I purchased some mink oil, and walked out to the local park on a nice hot summer day. Mink oil is actually more like a grease, and it's been used for centuries to restore and protect leather.
One just has to apply it by hand, and work it into the leather's surface. The heat from your hand will begin the process of restoration. One has to be patient, and it will take a few days for the leather to assume it's new patina. One never should use anything synthetic on leather, and mink oil is the perfect solution. It is often used in cosmetics, and will soften your skin as equally well as it softens leather.
Those second hand vintage leather jackets have a character unlike any one can find in a store. They have a style and cut that is unmatchable. The leather itself has aged and softened, and they are like fine wood in the grain and texture they offer.
My faded jacket turned into a deep rich luxurious brown, and the brittle leather became as soft and supple as a glove's. It turned out to be a quite successful experiment. I am now a bit like one of those people that finds and restores old cars. My wardrobe now contains about seven different jackets, and they are the first thing I reach for when the weather turns cold and windy.
If you can learn a lot about a man by walking a mile in his shoes, just think what can happen when you walk a mile in his leather jacket.
10 comments:
Thanks for reminding me. When I was a teen I had a "leather" jacket, that wasn't even leather, but I loved it to bits anyway. I worn it until it literally fell apart on my back. Ah, the memories.
Since then the new one was always somewhere in the to do list, but I never got around to it. But now with cold autumn on the doorstep it's the ideal time to get something (someone? ;) ).
Hey, go check out the Salvation Army store, or any thrift shop of it's sort.
With the Sally Ann, you will be helping others with your money, and getting a bargain at the same time.
When my Mom died, she left most of her things to the Salvation Army, in thanks for the help they had given her when she needed it as a young married woman.
It would be great to do something like that. I'll look around, but I doubt we have such charity that would also sell things. They usually redistribute all they get to the needy (as is).
"I had always found an excuse not to get one."
Hehe, I guess this changed into: "From now on I'll always find an excuse to get another one." ;p
The sad part ?
The really sad part ?
You are sooooo right, and I am soooo busted. :-0
C1, you have to be the biggest pimp in the world.
Nah, not outside my dreams I am not. :-)
Hey C1, nice job on the jacket and its cool to know you have a blog now.
Greets,
Brute
Hopefully, after a crazed month of overtime galore, I trust I will have some time to sit and write this week.
My boss has this rather unique concept of the word "staffing".
Hope you at least get paid for that overtime (and with some bosses it isn't always obvious) ;).
BTW I did get that jacket, the idea coming straight from you Sir. There, you have an influential blog :).
The jacket is nothing fancy, but I'm beginning to love it. So far I did not feel any urge to rub any mink oil into it but... you never know... Maybe I'll start with just a little around the collar j/k :D.
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