Received a lovely e-mail from Ms. Deborah Drennen today. She just purchased a jacket from the great and wonderful Emmylou Harris. I’d like to share our exchange which made me feel so honored. Seeing the many lives that a well-made leather jacket can give, is truly delightful to the maker!
Hello Ms. Robbins,
I recently bought one of your jackets at a charity auction for Emmylou Harris’s benefit for her animal shelter. I fell in love with the jacket the minute I laid eyes on it. Emmylou had signed it and it was listed as a one of a kind jacket made for her. After the auction I was able to get my picture made with Emmylou and she told me she bought the jacket in a shop in LA. She told me she loved it and wore it a lot and she hoped I enjoyed wearing it as much as she did. When I got home I looked you up on the Internet and found your archives. I was hoping to find my jacket there but I did not see anything like. I was wondering if you remember this jacket and can tell me when it was made. Thanks for any information you can give me.
Hi Deborah,
Wow, how great to see that jacket again, thank you for sharing it with me!
I have always been in Malibu, so I’m trying to remember when I met Emmylou…it is possible she might have purchased it from one of my trading partners in the city…
I know from the Indonesian fabric mixed with leather that it was probably made in the late 70’s or early 80’s. I had a dear friend who traveled quite a lot there who used to bring me the most amazing fabrics, and I became enchanted during that period mixing them with leather and creating the best of my designs with them. Remember the Beatles first visiting India…, pieces of mirror woven into the fabrics and all the bright and happy colors?….that was part of the charm for me too. The label also indicates my first period in leather work, having started “Leather Waves” in 1975 and then creating an updated version of that label around 1983 or so. I love that the jacket has found a new home and will continue to be worn, simply delightful for me.
Really Fun-
All the Best-
Jackie Robbins
