Why so much brown?

[RumRunner]

So in looking at the older and even more recent leather flight jackets, it seems like brown is the predominant color. We've got the reddish brown (russet), medium brown, and dark brown called seal for some reason. Is there a particular reason that these jackets were made in brown, as opposed to any other colors? (Realizing that orange wouldn't be practical for a pilot down behind enemy lines.)

Asking because I got the idea that a black A2 would probably look pretty good, and I noticed there aren't really too many of them about.

 

[Chandler]

Leather equipment in the US military was all "russet" color at the time; shoes, belts, holsters, peaked cap bills. The A-2 was designated to be a brown color (whether "seal" or "russett" is a true designation or had a standard shade to match is questionable) to be a part of the uniform.

Black shoes and boots became standard long after the A-2 was discontinued.

 

[bseal]

@RumRunner

Buzz Rickson William Gibson Collection: all flight jackets are black.

 

[Garylafortuna]

Brown interacts harmoniously with the environment much better than any other color.

 

[RumRunner]

All good points!

 

[Southoftheborder]

Brown always was the most common colour for leather probably because that's the colour it became after traditional vegetable tanning. So even after vegetable tanning was almost entirely superseded in the early years of the last century they mostly kept the finished colour a shade of brown.

There were some black jackets before the war but the fashion was mainly brown, and black only started to be widely worn after the war and came I think from motorcycle jackets. The fashion for black motorcycling jackets came from the motorcycle gangs in the US who were mainly ex servicemen who had discovered motorbikes in England when stationed there in the war and bought bikes when they went home after discharge.

Some of them formed motorcycle gangs that went out of their way to shock by wearing Nazi insignia and German helmets. They were disaffected from society, and like many ex serviceman found civilian life unsatisfying after the heightened experiences of being in a war. So they wanted to offend staid American post war society, and particularly people who had never served in the war; and the German style tight fitting fighter pilot jacket worn as a motorcycle jacket was a part of that.

Most of those French cycling jackets worn by German pilots were in reality brown even if they look black in wartime photos. But black is the colour of the bad guys clothes in westerns, and black was the colour of SS uniforms, so black was what the MC gangs wore. And black rippled out from there to become the usual colour for motorcycle jackets and then to fashion jackets.

 

[FreddyF9]

Back in the 30s and 40s (and before), black wasn’t such a popular color as today. I was considered mostly a mournful color that people wore when they lost someone. Still, dark colors were very well accepted and liked, especially dark blue, gray or brown.

 

[mulceber]

Also, don't forget the practical reason for wearing black leather - it hides grease stains from your bike or plane.

 

[Pa12]

Not sure if it’s true but I remember reading somewhere that the original hells angels were formed by guys from the hells angels squadron of ww2. Too bad about the modern connotations as that is one awesome name for a squadron

 

[Chandler]

Not sure if it’s true but I remember reading somewhere that the original hells angels were formed by guys from the hells angels squadron of ww2. Too bad about the modern connotations as that is one awesome name for a squadron

Hells Angels from the AVG, actually -- but the club didn't become infamous for a few years.

 

[Pa12]

Then I would say the original motorcycle jacket would have been their service jackets

 

[Chandler]

Then I would say the original motorcycle jacket would have been their service jackets

Hells Angels - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Under the history section, Arvid Olsen of the AVG.

 

[Pa12]

I forgot about the Howard Hughes movie. Those poor bastards in ww1. Sucking in all that castor oil they had the shits all the time. As if they didn’t have enough to worry about.

 

[ausreenactor]

Our Sam Browne belts are brown yet the dress boots are black? So confused, annoyed and ready to 'bust regs'.

Was so much easier in Army Aviation... Black on black...

 

[Chandler]

Our Sam Browne belts are brown yet the dress boots are black? So confused, annoyed and ready to 'bust regs'.

Was so much easier in Army Aviation... Black on black...

But, but... shouldn't a Sam Browne belt actually be, well -- brown?

 

[CombatWombat]

Our Sam Browne belts are brown yet the dress boots are black? So confused, annoyed and ready to 'bust regs'.

Was so much easier in Army Aviation... Black on black...

What crops did you sidestep to mate?
Because that sounds mighty OCD inducing....thank God for "Sammy Black" (I was a black cap so never had the chore of keeping all that brass polished as well as colour matching the shoulder strap to the belt..... something that would give a RSM nightmares)

 

[CombatWombat]

But, but... shouldn't a Sam Browne belt actually be, well -- brown?

Lol well I don't know about other Commonwealth countries but our aviation guys historically were raised from our tank regiment so wear "Sammy Black" ....think Sam Browne belts but in black leather with silver metalwork....got quite the Short Stop or Hit Her look to it

 

[Micawber]

To respond to the original question, it might* be something to do with material costs of the dyes.

*Note the use of the word "might" as I have no evidence so it is pure idle conjecture on my part.

 

[CombatWombat]

To respond to the original question, it might* be something to do with material costs of the dyes.

*Note the use of the word "might" as I have no evidence so it is pure idle conjecture on my part.

Sorry for hijacking the thread.... and it's originally brown because of the dress standards of the time.....most European countries (which the Americans followed, especially the French) wore brown or natural tanned leather as their webbing, belt,boots and leggings up until the 50's....though Germany and Russia were the exception

 

[ausreenactor]

It seems 'natural' to push it further down the brown spectrum. Going another colour takes extra effort (cost).

Don't feel too bad. RSMs are scarier than anyone here...