Perfecto is a secondary brand of "lancer fronted"

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

motorcycle jackets designed by Irving Schott and manufactured by American clothing company

Schott NYC Schott NYC (Schott Bros) is an American clothing manufacturing company located in New York City. The company was founded in 1913 by brothers Irving and Jack Schott. Schott NYC was the first company to put a zipper on a jacket and they created the ...

. The first jacket was introduced in 1928,Fashion in Popular Culture: Literature, Media and Contempora by Joseph Hancock, Toni Johnson-Woods, Vicki Karaminas, Intellect Books, 2013 , making it the first such styled leather motorcycle jacket. They were worn by such icons as Marlon Brando in the 1953 seminal movie

The Wild One ''The Wild One'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando, whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1 ...

,International Directory of Company Histories, Volume 67 by Jay P. Pederson University of California, 2005 p.338 by punk rock pioneers

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...

in the 1970s and styled by fashion designers such as

Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

in the 1980s. Established as a manufacturer of motorcycle clothing since 1913, Schott, a Russian immigrant, named the brand after his favorite cigar as he did not think his Jewish family name would sell the garments. It is said to be the first such jacket designed to feature a

zipper A zipper, zip, fly, or zip fastener, formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and other bags, camping ...

and came to define the look of motorcycle jackets since. Schott Bros later manufactured a very similar jacket for the Beck label, of which he was previously a representative, called the Beck 333 Northeaster and in the late 1940s, Schott Bros introduced a new jacket based on the original Perfecto design called the 613. It was soon nicknamed the "One Star" because it had a star on each shoulder

epaulette Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scales' ...

. These jackets have a snug, almost tailored fit, which is suited for motorcycle riding but are short by today's standards.

Perfecto timeline

The 613 and 618 Perfecto have been produced for more than 50 years, so finding out when a vintage jacket was made can be difficult. There have, however, been slight variations in the design over time. Some of the details in the timeline below overlap.

Late 1940s

The 613 One Star is introduced, Jackets are made out of horsehide. Neck label is rectangular, black with ''Perfecto Genuine Horsehide Front Quarter - Style Quality'' printed in gold letters. TALON main and cuff zippers and 'Miter' belt buckle (rectangular with mitered corners). Side pockets are at an approx. 60° angle and breast pocket at a 50° angle, zippers close up. Jackets have snaps for attaching fur collar, no snaps on collar, plain snaps, sleeves are double stitched, epaulettes are also double stitched and have a rounded end. Stitching on collar is placed further in than it is on lapels. Lining is black with grid stitching. Straight lower back panel and underside of sleeves are one piece. Inner lower facing and sleeve

placket A placket (also spelled placquet) is an opening in the upper part of trousers or skirts, or at the neck or sleeve of a garment. Plackets are almost always used to allow clothing to be put on or removed easily but are sometimes used purely as a d ...

s are made out of faux leather/vinyl.

Early 1950s

The 618 is introduced. It is identical to the 613 except for the lack of stars. In

, the stars on the epaulettes and the snaps on the collar of Marlon Brando's jacket were not original, but added to the jacket. Its popularity and connection to The Wild One movie led to it being banned from sale in many districts of England and the USA and becoming a symbol of rebellious youth.The Fashion Reader: Second Edition, Linda Welters, Abby Lillethun, Linda Welters, Berg, 2011 ,

Early 1960s

Jackets are made out of steer hide. The Neck label is black with Style Quality Perfecto Genuine Steerhide All Hand-Cut in creme and red letters on coat of arms/crest. Small long white size tag with black letters directly below the neck label. Schott Bros. Inc. printed on leather neck hanger. Stitching on the collar and lapels is placed at the same distance from the edge. Passants have one seam and a pointy end. ESKO cuff zippers. Side pockets are at an approx. 55° angle and breast pocket at a 65° angle.

Late 1960s

Neck label is black with bull and cactus, ''Perfecto genuine steerhide - handcut Schott Bros.'' Small white size tag with red letters directly below neck label.

Early 1970s

Neck label is square, black with ''Schott'' in white curly letters above orange and yellow coat of arms (Griffin and unicorn on the sides of it and an S in the middle). Size tag still on lower edge, white with red numbers.

Mid - late 1970s

Jackets are made out of steerhide (613/618) and naked cowhide (118, introduced in 1977). Neck label is rectangular, creme white with bull in upper left corner, ''Perfecto'' in yellow diagonal stripe and ''by Schott Bros.'' in lower right corner. Small white size tag with red letters directly to the right of neck label. TALON cuff zippers. Side pockets are at an approx. 55° angle and breast pocket at a 60° angle.

Early 1980s

''Schott NYC'' appears on neck label, small white size tag with black letters directly to the right of neck label, tag with an American flag and Made in the U.S.A directly to the right of neck label (under small white size tag). Nothing printed on leather neck hanger. Schott (YKK) main zipper, EMAR cuff zippers, and rectangular belt buckle with oval sides. Pocket zippers now close down. The lining goes all the way down inside of jackets leather sleeve plackets. There is a slight dip in the bottom part of the lower back panel, otherwise straight.

Mid 1980s

Schott stops producing the 613 One Star. Underarm footballs, two piece underside sleeves, oval lower back panel, inside pocket and snaps on collar are introduced. Snaps for attaching fur collar are removed (no fur collar produced). Snaps have Schott stamped on them. Motorcycle rider instead of bull appears on neck label, size is printed on the American flag tag. Leather inner lower facing. Side pockets are at an approx. 60° angle and breast pocket at a 50° angle (reverse from what they were in the 1960s-70's and more like they were in the 1950s), side pockets are moved further away from the center of the jackets and down a bit. Square thin buckle is introduced.

Late 1980s / 1990s

Schott reintroduces the 613 One Star (in steerhide with mid 70's neck label) but without snaps for the fur collar and with inner pocket. Snaps on 613 are plain. Snaps for fur collar back on 618/118. Style 118 is updated to a fuller fit, 613/618 retain original slim fit. Schott NYC chrome main zipper, IDEAL sleeve zippers and bigger square belt buckle (by Century Canada) are introduced. Side pockets are at an approx. 60° angle and breast pocket at a 45° angle.

Today

Style 118 is fitted with new chrome pocket zippers with different pulls (Schott recently switched back to the original chain zipper pulls) and a snap under the belt buckle to prevent it from damaging the gas tank. The side pockets on the 118 have supposedly been moved closer to the center of the jacket for easier access. Inside map pocket moved to the lower right and a leather trimmed inside breast pocket added on the left. The 613/618 have not been updated since the early 1990s.

References

One for the History Books
Schott NYC {{Clothing Jackets 1950s fashion Punk fashion