Leather Jackets
When I sold my first book in 2000, I received a nice advance from the publisher and, suddenly flush with cash for the first time in years, I indulged myself: I had always wanted one of those cool horsehide WW II flight jackets and, as a young lad, my father forbade it - too much of a hooligan look, he felt. Well my father had died 12 years before, I was as adult as I'd ever be and so I went searching for the real thing. I found it at Lost Worlds, Inc., the link for which is above. I couldn't convert their pictures into postable jpegs (I'm sure it's possible but not with my limited skills) so you'll have to use the link to see the product. Or put up with my description. [ figured it out - God bless Google] Real horsehide, meticulously manufactured in NYC to the original Army Air Corp specifications and, all in all, a terrific jacket. Mine's 8 years old now and it's just about broken in. The only thing that's ever gone wrong with it was the little pull tab for the zipper that fell off last spring. An email to the owner, Stuart, got a replacement in the mail, free, that very same day.

So great service, too. They also make some good looking motorcycle jackets (my father would spin in his grave), 1950s western shirts, and all sorts of old fashioned quality garb that I've seen only in old movies.

I have the bonus of being reminded, every time I slip on my jacket, of my first publishing success. You don't need that rush to enjoy this clothing, just a boyhood memory of 12 O'clock High or Gary Cooper facing down bad guys on Main Street. So go to their website and check them out. Great company, great stuff. And if you know how to convert a "web archive" into a jpeg, please write.