Vintage 1950s German Black Horsehide Leather Belted Motoring Coat

In 1947 you couldn’t have bought this coat in Germany at any price. Leather was rationed, shops stood half empty, and money was close to worthless. Then, in June 1948, the Deutsche Mark arrived, and almost overnight there were goods in the windows again. Within a few years, a man who had done well could walk into a leather house and order a coat like this one: full-length, belted and cut from heavy black horsehide.

You feel the horsehide as soon as you lift the coat off the hanger. It’s heavy, much heavier than cowhide or goat. Horsehide has a tight, dense grain that resists wind and abrasion better than almost any other clothing leather, and that’s why makers turned to it for coats meant for the road. It starts out stiff and takes years to soften. As it does, it develops the deep creasing and glassy sheen you can see across this one, especially down the skirt and through the sleeves.

Many of the workshops making these coats were not new. During the war, German leather houses had cut privately purchased coats for officers, made to order and to a high standard. Firms such as Striwa of Lichtenfels carried that same craft into civilian work afterwards. The skills behind this coat show it: heavy horsehide cut cleanly, seams raised and triple-stitched, and every edge neatly finished. It comes from the same tradition of German leather tailoring, now made for the road rather than the parade ground.

It was a serious purchase. A full-length horsehide coat, heavy, lined and properly tailored, cost far more than an ordinary wool overcoat. It was the sort of coat bought by men who had done well out of the recovery: doctors, engineers, businessmen and officials, and the motorists who could afford a car of their own. For most people it was something to save up for, and once bought it was expected to last a lifetime. It was the most practical coat a man could own, too. Leather kept out the wind and rain better than wool, and the long skirt covered the legs behind the wheel or on a bike.

The cut follows the long, belted coats German motorists had worn since the early days of driving, with the details of a well-made 1950s civilian coat. The collar can be worn two ways: buttoned high at the throat with a woven leather button in bad weather, or turned down and open into wide notched lapels. Pointed yokes sweep across the chest and back, each edged in three rows of stitching. Two upright zipped pockets sit under the yoke points, closing on heavy nickel RIES zips with long pulls, and below the belt are two deep flapped pockets for the hands.

The back shows off the tailoring. Raised seams run in parallel lines down from the yoke, shaping the coat through the shoulders and drawing it in to the waist, where the belt passes through leather loops. The belt fastens with two leather-covered buckles. Below it, the skirt falls straight to a long vent, so it opens easily when you walk or climb into a car. The cuffs close with strap tabs and woven leather buttons in brown, with a crackled finish that looks wonderful against the black.

Inside there’s a second belt. A slim leather strap runs across the waist, fastening on a ring and a press stud and drawn tight through a steel buckle stamped “Made in Germany, Gutos Pforzheim”. It pulls the coat in close to the body before the outer belt is even done up. The lining is made in two parts. Across the shoulders and upper back it’s diamond-quilted for warmth, then it gathers at the waist into a plain black satin skirt that hangs loose down to the vent. The sleeves are lined in dark navy, the front is faced in leather, and there’s a leather-welted pocket inside the chest.

That inner buckle also dates the coat. Next to the maker’s name it carries D.B.P., Deutsches Bundespatent, the patent mark of the Federal Republic, founded in 1949. Together with “Made in Germany” in English, it places the coat in the 1950s, when West Germany was back on its feet and selling abroad again.

Condition & Restoration

Very good vintage condition. The horsehide has been specialist cleaned and conditioned in-house.

The leather is strong and structurally sound, with deep natural creasing through the sleeves and skirt and a rich sheen from age and wear. The collar, yokes and seams have kept their shape well.

The RIES zips work, the belt and leather-covered buckles are complete, and the inner strap and Gutos buckle are original. The quilted lining is complete, with some wrinkling consistent with age.

Key Identifying Features

• Original 1950s West German leather motoring coat
• Heavy black horsehide
• Convertible collar: buttoned at the throat or open with notched lapels
• Pointed front and rear yokes with triple-row stitching
• Raised panel seams down the back
• Two zipped chest pockets with heavy nickel RIES zips
• Two flapped hip pockets
• Leather belt with leather-covered buckles
• Internal waist strap with Gutos Pforzheim buckle, D.B.P. marked
• Strap cuffs with woven leather buttons
  
• Diamond-quilted upper lining, gathered into a satin skirt
• Navy sleeve linings, leather facings, inside chest pocket
• Long rear press stud vent

Garment Measurements, Laid Flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 22" / 56 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 19.5" / 49.5 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 24" / 61 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 16" / 40.5 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 45" / 114 cm

Best suited to: 40" chest, regular / Size S–M

Fit: A full-length coat that falls to around the knee, drawn in at the waist by the belt and the inner strap. The horsehide is heavy enough that it hangs straight and holds its shape. Please compare the measurements above with a coat you already own.