Cafe Racer Jackets

What a cafe racer is, and what it is not

A cafe racer is defined by what it leaves out. No lapels, no belt, no epaulettes, no storm flap. A band collar closing with a single snap, a straight center zip, and pockets set flat into the body. That is the entire design, and it has not needed changing since riders in the 1960s started cutting the lapels off their jackets so they would stop catching the wind at speed.

People search for a racer jacket vintage in style and often mean one of three different shapes. These are the differences.

If you want one leather jacket you can wear weekly without anyone registering it as a leather jacket, buy the cafe racer. That plainness is the whole point of the shape, and it is why it layers under a topcoat where a biker will not.

Original, repro, or new in a vintage shape

This is the question nobody selling these pages actually answers, so here it is plainly. There are three things you can buy, and they are not substitutes.

• An original vintage collectible — a genuine 1960s jacket, bought secondhand. Rare in wearable condition, sized to smaller mid-century bodies, and priced as a collectible rather than as outerwear. Zips and linings are usually the first things to have failed.
• An authentic reproduction — a specialist brand recreating a specific historical model, down to the hardware and the pattern pieces. Accurate, expensive, and aimed at people who care which year the model is from.
• A new jacket in the vintage shape — the original silhouette, made now, in current sizing, with hardware that works. That is what these are.

Worth being clear: these are not vintage and not sold as reproductions of a particular model. They are the 1960s cafe racer shape cut today in sizes XS to 3XL. If you want a 50s silhouette instead — wide lapels, belted waist — that is the Brando shape, not this one.

The four colors

• Black — the plainest version of an already plain jacket. The most versatile thing in the range and the least interesting, which is exactly why it gets worn most.
• Tan — warmer, and the color that ages most visibly. Edges lighten and the color deepens where your hands go.
• Cream — the hardest to keep and the best looking when you manage it. Against black pants it is the sharpest combination here.
• Electric Blue — a saturated blue that looks more expensive than it is, because nobody expects a leather jacket in it. A second-jacket color.

The leather

Full-grain cowhide — the outer layer of the hide with the grain left intact. That matters because full-grain creases rather than cracking, and it darkens at the edges as it ages instead of flaking. A jacket that still looks new after three years was usually finished with something sitting on top of the leather rather than soaked into it.

Which to buy

Fit and sizing

Sizes run XS to 3XL, with chest and length given in inches on every product page. A cafe racer is cut close — that is what gives it the clean line. The shoulder seam sits on the edge of your shoulder, you should be able to cross your arms without the back pulling, and the hem lands at your belt. A jacket that feels comfortable the moment you put it on is usually a size too big; leather loosens over the first few weeks. Email info@cordwainleather.com with your chest measurement or your usual size in a brand you own and we will point you to the right one.

Looking after it

Wipe with a damp cloth, condition twice a year. Let it dry on its own if it gets wet, away from any heat source — a radiator will stiffen leather permanently. Hang it on a wide hanger rather than folding it, and keep it out of a sealed garment bag so the leather can breathe.

Shipping to the US, duties and returns

Free shipping on every order. Orders to the United States arrive in 4 to 9 business days. Import duties are settled before dispatch wherever the carrier supports Delivered Duty Paid to the destination, so on US deliveries there is nothing to hand the courier at the door. Returns stay open for 30 days. All prices are in US dollars.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a cafe racer and a biker jacket?

The closure and the collar. A cafe racer has a band collar and a straight center zip; a biker has notched lapels and an asymmetric zip. The cafe racer is the plainer of the two and the easier to wear under a coat.

Is a cafe racer jacket a 60s or a 50s style?

1960s. The shape came from riders removing the lapels and belts from 1950s jackets to cut wind resistance. The belted, wide-lapel 50s silhouette is the Brando shape, which is a different jacket.

Are these real vintage jackets?

No. They are new jackets cut on the vintage pattern, in modern sizing, with hardware that works. Original 1960s jackets are collectibles — rare in wearable condition and sized to smaller mid-century frames.

Can I wear a cafe racer under a coat?

Yes, and it is the shape best suited to it. The band collar sits flat where lapels or ribbed knit would bunch at the neck.

How should a cafe racer jacket fit?

Close. Shoulder seam on the edge of the shoulder, arms crossable without the back pulling, hem at the belt. Slightly firm when new is correct — it loosens within a few weeks.

Which color cafe racer should I buy first?

Black if you want it to go with everything, Tan if you want it to develop character. Cream and Electric Blue are better as a second jacket.

How long does delivery take to the United States?

4 to 9 business days, free, with duties settled before dispatch where the carrier supports Delivered Duty Paid to the US.