Thursday, November 4, 2010

Leather Does Not Have To Be Black

Black leather is quite common, as it is easiest for leather crafters to dye and work with.  But it is possible, and much easier now to find, leather that is dyed in other colors.  Natural leather is light brown, so whatever finished products made from leather -- jacket, pants, shirt, etc. -- are dyed anyway.
It used to be that finding quality leather in an alternate color than black was hard to do, especially finding leather that is drum-dyed.  That is, the dye saturates the entire hide, so over time as blemishes or scars occur during wear, the color remains the same.
The image of the black-clad leathered biker or the Gay Leatherman is a relic of the past, but remains omnipresent today.  Yeah, I have a LOT of black leather.  But I also have blue, grey, brown, and dark blue leather garments, too.  I even have one pair of cheap leather breeches dyed in "Silvertan" with blue and gold braiding (stripes) -- like a CHP uniform.
I once tried on a red leather shirt, but it looked awful on me.  Some young, lithe, trim guys can pull that off.  Not me.

Anyway, leather does not "have" to be black.  It can be any color of the rainbow.  A good leathercrafter such as 665 Leather, Mr. S Leather, Northbound Leather have hides (or can get them) in various colors.  You can specify a garment you want, such as breeches, shirts, jackets, pants, or even ties, to custom-fit you and be in the color you want.  Mixing up the colors of a shirt, jacket, and pants makes things interesting, and gets more useful life from leatherwear.

Life is short:  avoid being so monochromatic!

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