The metal/crust vest, aka the battle jacket, is something that has survived the ages and is still going strong today. Some people hate on them, but I think that’s because they are kind of older and embittered, and have forgotten the enthusiasm of youth when it comes to sharing their musical tastes with strangers. No offense. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some 40- or 50-something heads out there who still rock their battle jackets, or who have kept them and still cherish them. But I think the battle jacket is still the territory of the young and passionate. You have to have a decent amount of time on your hands, or be really into making shit, to spend the hours it takes to hand stud and sew patches on a vest. That kind of patience and dedication to the cause I admire.
There are a lot of different styles of battle jacket — each is a reflection of the owner. Some people are very neat and tidy with their patch placements, and others create a kind of embroidered chaos on theirs. Some use discreet stitching, others go with the zombie dental floss stitch. Some are crowded with pins, patches, and studs, and others are more sparsely arranged around centerpieces. I like a bit of hardware myself, but I also like the idea of a vest completely dedicated to the patch artwork. I think the best thing about these vests is how they transcend borders and cultures – how a Chilean kid can admire the handiwork of an Indonesian kid, and how they become a part of the same world through that admiration. Below are my tops (for now, I could spend hours looking at these on UK Studs and I probably will)…
