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Youtube video - why older men shouldn't wear leather jackets!

zoomer

Well-Known Member
Fashion and style are not the same. These folks are subtly pushing fashion as style. Some thoughts...

1. Midlife crisis - rock element - these are not flight or casual jackets they're thinking of. Are those just Too Out to even discuss? The ones they're thinking of seem to be racing and cycling jackets. Yeah, they do look try-hard on a guy over 45 unless he's as lean and tan as a piece of turkey jerky and actually just got off a cool bike.

2. Softer materials. Why stick to suede? Why not a comfy cape, goat or horse? Do those send the "attention" signal? Not something they want to get into (not in 2 minutes anyway...one good thing about the quick answer format is you get to make snap judgments stick).

3. I agree with Ashley, some of us at VLJ should send in pix we like. Maybe especially those of us who are not American...:rolleyes:
 
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Centaurus3200

Active Member
Agreed. The video is total click bait.

They have a few valid points, but to lump in ALL leather jackets?

But yeah, double rider motorcycle and cafe racer styles are hard enough to pull off when you're young and fit. Most dudes of all ages look like posers in either.

In fact, one guy who OWNS IT as far as moto jackets, is Terry Mitchell. Hardly a spring chicken, but that's a damn MAN right there!


As far as wearing a leather jacket, basically don't dress like an old fart or the jacket will look out of place. Like, no pleated pants, no jeans baggier than 501s, no "dad shoes", etc.

At the same time, don't look like you're wearing a costume (think Johnny Depp). Here's a few pics of at least what I think works. The custom leather one with the Indian and Buffalo Nickle snaps is about as saucy as I'll dress. I'm nearly 47, for reverence.
20190624_205148.jpg


20190502_204810.jpg
FB_IMG_1593912895453.jpg

Fashion and style are not the same. These folks are subtly pushing fashion as style. Some thoughts...

1. Midlife crisis - rock element - these are not flight or casual jackets they're thinking of. Are those just Too Out to even discuss? The ones they're thinking of seem to be racing and cycling jackets. Yeah, they do look try-hard on a guy over 45 unless he's as lean and tan as a piece of turkey jerky and actually just got off a cool bike.

2. Softer materials. Why stick to suede? Why not a comfy cape, goat or horse? Do those send the "attention" signal? Not something they want to get into (not in 2 minutes anyway...one good thing about the quick answer format is you get to make snap judgments stick).

3. I agree with Ashley, some of us at VLJ should send in pix we like. Maybe especially those of us who are not American...:rolleyes:
 

Nickb123

Well-Known Member
Before watching, my personal two cents: old dudes are cooler than young ones. Unless you're Elvis. Life experience and all.

I hang out with a group of "old timers" who gather in front of the Starbucks in the mornings. Many of their dads were in the war, flying or amidst Lemay or other notables. Groovy stuff. I'd rather be with them than at some music festival with my shirt off.
 
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D97x7

Well-Known Member
I think this pops up with every generation, I remember some years back a TV presenter getting slated in the press for daring to wear a leather jacket and jeans in his 40s, like the chap said, "so what am I supposed to wear at the weekends then?", it's just stupid, wear what you feel comfortable in, unless it's a onesie, they should be banned.
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
hahahahahahahha, you're a hoot bus mike. well put. frankly, mdear at my age, I don't give a shit about fashion [the first thing that goes out of fashion, is fashion], and I wear what I want to wear, when I want to wear it. sometimes comfy trumps style, sometimes style trumps comfy, and sometimes they come together........and then it rains.
 

mulceber

Moderator
As far as wearing a leather jacket, basically don't dress like an old fart or the jacket will look out of place. Like, no pleated pants, no jeans baggier than 501s, no "dad shoes", etc.

I agreed with nearly everything you said, Centaurus, but here I beg to differ:
70472D7A-8CE8-45BA-A9B1-AE0AF866E620.jpeg

I don’t think “just wear otherwise unremarkable clothing” is the magic bullet you think it is. Sometimes vintage-style clothing suits a vintage jacket better than modern clothing - see the recent thread about Hartmann jackets and high vs low waisted trousers. Wear things that go with the leather jacket, and wear them with conviction.
 
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B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Let’s think about this for a minute ...... old dudes, who can afford to buy leather jackets, which sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, WHY??....... because we worked hard most of our lives and can afford it ............ are being told by these two.....,. Who don’t see the point of hard work, so they post fashion advise on You Tube, which by the way is she old enough to give advise?.... and can’t find a job .... and probably cant afford a leather jacket unless mom and dad pay for it....... and are the Entitlement generation ....,who think that they deserve to be provided for and still live at home with their parents ........are telling the old dudes that they shouldn’t wear leather ...... What, wait , Huh? .......does anyone see something wrong with this?????
(Disckaimer....... My apologies to any young people on VLJ , who don’t conform to the description above , and own leather jackets and like old dudes in leather jackets ;))
 

Ed Rooney

Well-Known Member
Let’s think about this for a minute ...... old dudes, who can afford to buy leather jackets, which sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, WHY??....... because we worked hard most of our lives and can afford it ............ are being told by these two.....,. Who don’t see the point of hard work, so they post fashion advise on You Tube, which by the way is she old enough to give advise?.... and can’t find a job .... and probably cant afford a leather jacket unless mom and dad pay for it....... and are the Entitlement generation ....,who think that they deserve to be provided for and still live at home with their parents ........are telling the old dudes that they shouldn’t wear leather ...... What, wait , Huh? .......does anyone see something wrong with this?????
(Disckaimer....... My apologies to any young people on VLJ , who don’t conform to the description above , and own leather jackets and like old dudes in leather jackets ;))

Exactly - old dudes have the best stuff, because old dudes have some cash and little to no debt.
 

mulceber

Moderator
Yeah, that alone is probably the best argument for old people wearing leather jackets (says the ~30 year old) - nearly all of the leather jackets I see young people in my day-to-day life wearing are garbage. Granted, that holds true for most of the leather jackets I see old people wearing out and about, but the old people very much have the majority of the good jackets.
 

jeremiah

Well-Known Member
My thoughts.
When you are old you’ve lived long enough to earn the right to wear whatever the hell you want and to hell with what people think. People worry far to much what others think in my opinion. I’d probably have gone the rest of my life without ever knowing these two idiots in the video existed if it were not brought up here.
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
I hate to say it as I imagine most here are middle aged at best, slightly older than that otherwise but...

Most young girls and men will think we're inherently uncool mostly because of our age rather than what we wear, although I imagine it probably doesn't help.

Since time immemorial the youngsters for the most part think those at least twice their age are a bunch of uncool, old farts. That's just how life is. Do I give shit? Not in the slightest but I'm bemused by those rallying against this so much.

We're old, uncool (to the kids) jacket nerds, who cares ;-)
 
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