CHP AL's, Cal's, Langlitz, Vanson Photo repository thread

[unhatted]

until I can score a padded a size or two down

Thanks to a tip off from @Leather Walker this happened sooner rather than later! Just took delivery of this brilliant Leather Man badged Al’s. It’s in really great condition, likely very late 90s. Like the previous Al’s it’s padded, with epaulettes and no gussets, belt loops or ducktail:

It’s pretty similar to my other 80s padded Al’s in width, but the length is very different. This seems much more typical so I’m pretty confident the earlier Al’s is a custom long order. Just check out the difference in length! Also of interest is the difference in pocket angle. The earlier Al’s is closer to the Cal-style 50° angle whereas the later Al’s is more like 70°. Combined with the added length, this creates an unusual space between the pocket-seam and the lapel folds (which are normally in the same place). Some side by sides for comparison:

I used to find the short length of CHPs challenging but these days I think it just looks better:

It’s unfortunate as the long one has better leather, which is gloriously thick and heavy—a sort of naked comp-weight cowhide vibe. But in comparison I think it looks off so far below the beltline…

 

[Will Zach]

Thanks to a tip off from @Leather Walker this happened sooner rather than later! Just took delivery of this brilliant Leather Man badged Al’s. It’s in really great condition, likely very late 90s. Like the previous Al’s it’s padded, with epaulettes and no gussets, belt loops or ducktail:

View attachment 711482 View attachment 711483

It’s pretty similar to my other 80s padded Al’s in width, but the length is very different. This seems much more typical so I’m pretty confident the earlier Al’s is a custom long order. Just check out the difference in length! Also of interest is the difference in pocket angle. The earlier Al’s is closer to the Cal-style 50° angle whereas the later Al’s is more like 70°. Combined with the added length, this creates an unusual space between the pocket-seam and the lapel folds (which are normally in the same place). Some side by sides for comparison:

View attachment 711484 View attachment 711485 View attachment 711486

I used to find the short length of CHPs challenging but these days I think it just looks better:

View attachment 711487 View attachment 711488 View attachment 711489 View attachment 711490

It’s unfortunate as the long one has better leather, which is gloriously thick and heavy—a sort of naked comp-weight cowhide vibe. But in comparison I think it looks off so far below the beltline…

The fit of the short one is stellar. The longer one shows exactly why CHP style jackets should be short. The longer ones hit at the **** and bunch up.

 

[Leather Walker]

Thanks to a tip off from @Leather Walker this happened sooner rather than later! Just took delivery of this brilliant Leather Man badged Al’s. It’s in really great condition, likely very late 90s. Like the previous Al’s it’s padded, with epaulettes and no gussets, belt loops or ducktail:

View attachment 711482 View attachment 711483

It’s pretty similar to my other 80s padded Al’s in width, but the length is very different. This seems much more typical so I’m pretty confident the earlier Al’s is a custom long order. Just check out the difference in length! Also of interest is the difference in pocket angle. The earlier Al’s is closer to the Cal-style 50° angle whereas the later Al’s is more like 70°. Combined with the added length, this creates an unusual space between the pocket-seam and the lapel folds (which are normally in the same place). Some side by sides for comparison:

View attachment 711484 View attachment 711485 View attachment 711486

I used to find the short length of CHPs challenging but these days I think it just looks better:

View attachment 711487 View attachment 711488 View attachment 711489 View attachment 711490

It’s unfortunate as the long one has better leather, which is gloriously thick and heavy—a sort of naked comp-weight cowhide vibe. But in comparison I think it looks off so far below the beltline…

It’s been a pleasure! Cool jackets for cool people — sounds more than fair to me!
I really love that second padded Al’s, it looks brand new. I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy it a ton!

 

[jchance]

1950s Al Crowes CHP
Size 38
Unlined at 4.6 lbs

 

[Leather Walker]

^ I really like this — it totally reminds me of some old Taubers and Langlitz patterns. I got to try one on a while back, and I’ve been keeping an eye out for one ever since. Such a beautiful jacket!

 

[AeroFan_07]

Ok time for a mystery & puzzle to help solve. I walked into an antique shop locally yesterday with other family members and was simply shocked to see the jacket pictured below on a mannequin in the shop. In fact, my sister was actually quite impressed that I "seemed to be a connoisseur" of such jackets at this point (Just still learning as always).

This one is odd, it has a fur collar that does not seem to make 100% sense with the collar itself, which I'll go into more detail about shortly. Also the Talon #5 zipper (slider) is nickel yet all the rest of the zippers are copper @photo2u may have some good understanding about both of these areas. The button-down sleeves, with blue knit cuffs are yet another anomaly, and certainly not something I am familiar with (but I have a partial theory on).

The interior shows rust-colored leather that appears to nearly match the fur collar (beige-rust in collar as well). There is an inside "belt loop" which I suspect was provided to attach to a pair of pants. The snaps around the collar appear to say "Scoville" on them.

I purchased this without even trying it on or measuring anything. Waiting until I got home, I found the pit to pit is ~ 22" and the shoders are 19", sleeves are ~ 25". It was a pleasant surprise to find that I can get it on, however it wasn't easy give some repair that the jacket is in need of, and the main zipper, most likely, will need replaced. The leather above the western "V" yoke on the back appears to be a bit sun-dried, that may be able to be restored to some degree very slowly with Urad Tenderly. The rest of the leather appears solid, flexible (yet quite firm of hand, I do suspect this jacket it horsehide.) It does not appear to have much for odors. Also each of the pockets are lined with a unique "army green" lining and nearly appear un-used.

My Theory - with the lining and pockets, is that the jacket was re-lined at some point along with the pockets. Perhaps the zipper slider was replaced at that time as well.

Repairs this jacket needs - the likely replaced lining has failed at the RH sleeve connection to the body of the jacket, it's still all there and could likely be re-attached & reinforced. It appears to be a fairly modern polyester or satin lining material, and there's a couple holes near the collar too. Also both sleeves need their seams re-stitched, as shown in the photos below. Finally the main zipper still works but has detached from the zipper tape for about ~ 3-4 inches of initial travel. So this will need replaced to make it functional.

Anyway, enough talk, this is a cool jacket to look at, so here's some photos (and more details on the next post as well.) Enjoy and please do shout out suggestions as to brand, etc....thanks!

 

[jchance]

Ok time for a mystery & puzzle to help solve. I walked into an antique shop locally yesterday with other family members and was simply shocked to see the jacket pictured below on a mannequin in the shop. In fact, my sister was actually quite impressed that I "seemed to be a connoisseur" of such jackets at this point (Just still learning as always).

This one is odd, it has a fur collar that does not seem to make 100% sense with the collar itself, which I'll go into more detail about shortly. Also the Talon #5 zipper (slider) is nickel yet all the rest of the zippers are copper @photo2u may have some good understanding about both of these areas. The button-down sleeves, with blue knit cuffs are yet another anomaly, and certainly not something I am familiar with (but I have a partial theory on).

The interior shows rust-colored leather that appears to nearly match the fur collar (beige-rust in collar as well). There is an inside "belt loop" which I suspect was provided to attach to a pair of pants. The snaps around the collar appear to say "Scoville" on them.

I purchased this without even trying it on or measuring anything. Waiting until I got home, I found the pit to pit is ~ 22" and the shoders are 19", sleeves are ~ 25". It was a pleasant surprise to find that I can get it on, however it wasn't easy give some repair that the jacket is in need of, and the main zipper, most likely, will need replaced. The leather above the western "V" yoke on the back appears to be a bit sun-dried, that may be able to be restored to some degree very slowly with Urad Tenderly. The rest of the leather appears solid, flexible (yet quite firm of hand, I do suspect this jacket it horsehide.) It does not appear to have much for odors. Also each of the pockets are lined with a unique "army green" lining and nearly appear un-used.

My Theory - with the lining and pockets, is that the jacket was re-lined at some point along with the pockets. Perhaps the zipper slider was replaced at that time as well.

Repairs this jacket needs - the likely replaced lining has failed at the RH sleeve connection to the body of the jacket, it's still all there and could likely be re-attached & reinforced. It appears to be a fairly modern polyester or satin lining material, and there's a couple holes near the collar too. Also both sleeves need their seams re-stitched, as shown in the photos below. Finally the main zipper still works but has detached from the zipper tape for about ~ 3-4 inches of initial travel. So this will need replaced to make it functional.

Anyway, enough talk, this is a cool jacket to look at, so here's some photos (and more details on the next post as well.) Enjoy and please do shout out suggestions as to brand, etc....thanks!

View attachment 722421 View attachment 722423 View attachment 722422
View attachment 722424 View attachment 722425 View attachment 722426 View attachment 722427 View attachment 722428

That’s a Ralphs-Pugh.

 

[AeroFan_07]

More detail photos of the collar, pockets & details:



The more I get looking at this last photo, it appears a tag at one time may have been in place below:

 

[AeroFan_07]

That’s a Ralphs-Pugh.

Wow, that was quick. I know very little about them...any idea on vintage of this?

@Edward @Peacoat maybe we should move this to this thread: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/ralphs-pugh-company.92979/

 

[jchance]

Wow, that was quick. I know very little about them...any idea on vintage of this?

@Edward @Peacoat maybe we should move this to this thread: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/ralphs-pugh-company.92979/

Have you tried removing the mouton collar via undoing the snaps?

Here’s a Ralphs Pugh CHP to compare to. Note the knit cuffs, the button cuffs, the 4 belt loops front, the two belt loops back, the 4 parallel double-holes for the waist tightening leather strips, the brown-color leather inside the kidney panel, the hidden inside belt loop. Just the entire lower half of the jacket screams RP.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Have you tried removing the mouton collar via undoing the snaps?

Here’s a Ralphs Pugh CHP to compare to. Note the knit cuffs, the button cuffs, the 4 belt loops front, the two belt loops back, the 4 parallel double-holes for the waist tightening leather strips, the brown-color leather inside the kidney panel, the hidden inside belt loop. Just the entire lower half of the jacket screams RP.



View attachment 722444 View attachment 722445

Yes! that's nearly exactly this jacket.

Terry indicates over in the other thread they were 30's - 50's. These are indeed quite old jackets. Neat.

 

[jchance]

Yes! that's nearly exactly this jacket.

Terry indicates over in the other thread they were 30's - 50's. These are indeed quite old jackets. Neat.

RP police jacket was their standard model from early 50s. It could be horsehide or steerhide because they were really well known for their steerhide—they even had their own trademark! Either way, you got a good one there, worth restoring.

RP steerhide was one of the very best leather jackets ever produced. I’m still on the hunt for one.

 

[unhatted]

Here’s a curious straight zip. Pretty sure it’s a Cal, but the zips (likely replacements), sleeve gussets and sizing ‘tag’ are throwing me.

Main zipper is a YKK so almost certainly replaced. Pockets are C&Cs which I’ve never seen on a Cal or Als.

Sleeves have serval zips, Cal style double stitching and mouton lining but the gusset goes all the way across, which I’ve never seen. It’s also a thinner, more fragile leather—it’s cracked and torn in places while the rest of the jacket has more standard age related topcoat wear and chipping. That would seem to point towards a later modification but I can’t see signs of new stitching and the zips are likely the only originals.

The sizing seems standard for Cal. It’s marked 40L in the usual biro and fits like a 36-8R. But the sizing is written inside the left handwarmer pocket, not the inside pocket (which is standard Cal style).

This is my first straight zip so it’s possible all of this is standard but it seems unusual to me? Any of the resident experts able to shed any light on if it’s a Cal and on likely era and leather if so? It’s probably the heaviest leather I have on one of these. At 5.2lbs it’s almost the same as my heavy cross zip in the same size.

All in all it’s clearly a bit of a franken and not the best condition, but of course it fits like a dream so I may have to hang on to it. A couple quick fit pics:

 

[jchance]

Here’s a curious straight zip. Pretty sure it’s a Cal, but the zips (likely replacements), sleeve gussets and sizing ‘tag’ are throwing me.

View attachment 729418 View attachment 729419

Main zipper is a YKK so almost certainly replaced. Pockets are C&Cs which I’ve never seen on a Cal or Als.

View attachment 729422 View attachment 729423

Sleeves have serval zips, Cal style double stitching and mouton lining but the gusset goes all the way across, which I’ve never seen. It’s also a thinner, more fragile leather—it’s cracked and torn in places while the rest of the jacket has more standard age related topcoat wear and chipping. That would seem to point towards a later modification but I can’t see signs of new stitching and the zips are likely the only originals.

View attachment 729420 View attachment 729421 View attachment 729424

The sizing seems standard for Cal. It’s marked 40L in the usual biro and fits like a 36-8R. But the sizing is written inside the left handwarmer pocket, not the inside pocket (which is standard Cal style).

View attachment 729425

This is my first straight zip so it’s possible all of this is standard but it seems unusual to me? Any of the resident experts able to shed any light on if it’s a Cal and on likely era and leather if so? It’s probably the heaviest leather I have on one of these. At 5.2lbs it’s almost the same as my heavy cross zip in the same size.

All in all it’s clearly a bit of a franken and not the best condition, but of course it fits like a dream so I may have to hang on to it. A couple quick fit pics:

View attachment 729577 View attachment 729578

Excellent fit! That’s def a Cal with a 50s Serval sleeve zipper. (1) The YKK and C&C zippers were likely replacements. (2) So was the gusset—if the tailor was good, s/he would have used the same punctured holes of the original stitching. OR Cal went cheap and used cheap leather for the inside of the gusset that no one sees except the owner, maybe they ran out of good leather that one time. (3) The writing inside the pocket was of the same font and color as a regular Cal. It could have been misplaced: three pockets were cut out, one with writing inside, but the machinist grabbed the wrong pocket with the writing for the side pocket.

 

[unhatted]

So was the gusset—if the tailor was good, s/he would have used the same punctured holes of the original stitching.

Ah, that’s what I was hoping! Yes the work is good, but the leather is not and is in a bad state. Have been itching to cut it out (maybe leaving the standard-size flap down one side) but would have been reluctant if it were original.

Fun that’s it’s a 50s(?) jacket—definitely my oldest Cal. In a perfect world I would replace the later zips with appropriate brass ones but the jacket is too beaten up to justify the expense, I think.

Thanks for the info!

 

[jchance]

Ah, that’s what I was hoping! Yes the work is good, but the leather is not and is in a bad state. Have been itching to cut it out (maybe leaving the standard-size flap down one side) but would have been reluctant if it were original.

Fun that’s it’s a 50s(?) jacket—definitely my oldest Cal. In a perfect world I would replace the later zips with appropriate brass ones but the jacket is too beaten up to justify the expense, I think.

Thanks for the info!

Period-correct zipper is like counting stitching per inch—only the owner would know. In the grand scheme of things, it’s much ado about nothing if you ask me.

If you look at it from another perspective, at least your jacket is interesting. It’s def not a boring, default Cal from 1950s. The three things that deviate it from a standard Cal are what give it its character.

 

[jacketjunkie]

View attachment 668619
View attachment 668620
View attachment 668621

Cal Straight Zip CHP - Unlabeled, made of an indestructible cow or horse, I figure a Cal. Maybe 70s? Brass Talon zips, no action back. Double stitch cuffs, 6.8 lbs

Love it. if you ever decide to move it on, lmk first, we look about the same size..