A leather jacket is one of the most versatile items in a demi-season wardrobe (and not only). A quality model made of genuine leather is not cheap, but this is quite logical: such a jacket will serve you for more than one season, will not lose its relevance and will become that very thing “for everything”. What you should pay attention to when choosing a leather jacket.
Who invented the leather jacket?
The history of the leather jacket began in 1928, when the Schott brothers, descendants of Russian immigrants to the United States, introduced a jacket made of hard leather with a zipper and an asymmetrical wrap, designed for comfortable motorcycle riding. For a long time, the Schott NYC company produced its products for a very limited audience.
The motorcycle jacket only became popular in the 1950s, when Hollywood actor Marlon Brando starred in it in the film The Wild One. In the 60s, the world of high fashion also joined in the popularization of the leather jacket: such houses as Dior and Vivienne Westwood presented their versions of the “biker jacket”. Since then, leather jackets have firmly established themselves not only on the catwalk, but also in the basic wardrobe of both sexes.
Today, brands, including British ones, offer both universal timeless models and trendy leather jackets in bright colors with unusual cuts and decor. Should you follow the trend or choose a classic timeless model? Let’s figure it out together with designer and founder of the leather clothing brand Quiet Riot Lina Beil.
Classic or trendy
Many famous fashion houses have bet on motorcycle aesthetics this year – from Valentino and Schiaparelli to Hermes and Gucci. However, instead of classic black biker jackets, designers are suggesting wearing burgundy-colored leather.
“Gucci, Hermes, Fendi, and other luxury brands showed leather jackets in this color on the catwalk. British brands responded very quickly and presented a lot of burgundy leather in their collections,” Lina Beil confirmed.
As for styles, this season will be popular not only with classic biker jackets, but also with aviator-style jackets, the popularization of which by mass-market brands was inspired by last year’s Saint Laurent collection. However, according to Beil, such models will not find a response in the hearts of British customers.
“We are not very good at buying expensive and overly fashionable things, preferring timeless classics that become a permanent part of the wardrobe,” she explained.
In addition to classic leather jackets, the designer advised paying attention to black oversized biker jackets.
Oversize is still popular. And in my opinion, it is the most irreplaceable thing: at the very least, it will survive changes in your figure and will not wait for better times,” the expert assured.
If you already have a classic leather jacket in your wardrobe, but your soul requires variety, the designer suggested taking a closer look at leather jackets in black, brown and burgundy, which is trendy in the 2023 season. Or move away from dark colors and try on a bright leather jacket in fresh, delicate shades – for example, blue, soft pink or peach.
Leather or imitation leather
The collections of almost all brands, from mass-market to luxury, feature biker jackets made of so-called (artificial) eco-leather. You can buy them much cheaper than similar models made of genuine leather, but is it worth it? According to Beil, it is definitely not.
“A quality item cannot cost 3 thousand rubles, because this price includes the cost of materials, work, and advertising. What was it made of? From bags with bags? Such material is dangerous for both physical health and the environment. An eco-leather jacket will last a maximum of one season, and the harm it will cause is colossal,” the expert said.
A jacket made of genuine leather will cost significantly more, but will also last longer: this material is considered the most durable and resistant to external influences. Processed animal skins – cows, bulls and sheep – are used to produce leather clothing and footwear. Products made of cowhide are considered the most reliable and durable – it is more rigid and durable, so bags are often made from it than clothes. The most popular material for jackets and raincoats is sheepskin – it is softer than cowhide and requires careful use.
“Luxury brands prefer to sew their products from calfskin – it is durable, like cow leather, but soft, like sheepskin. True, it costs significantly more than its competitors. In my opinion, the most durable in terms of wear are jackets made of soft nappa leather. Such jackets will last for 15 years, and nothing will happen to them,” said Bayle.
How to choose the right size and identify defects
According to the designer, the first thing to check is the jacket’s fittings, zippers, rivets and lining.
“Accessories are very important, because they are what shape the appearance of the product – they make it look more expensive or, on the contrary, cheaper. A low-quality zipper can break, rust or lose its shine, and a cheap lining can stain the skin – if the jacket is light-colored,” she warned.
There is no need to be afraid of “wrinkles” on the leather, the designer added: if the leather does not look perfectly smooth, these are not creases, but one of its characteristic properties. You should be wary if the leather has an unpleasant smell: high-quality leather should not have any foreign smells. Too pronounced or unpleasant smell may indicate that old leather or leather that was stored in unsuitable conditions for this material was used to sew the jacket.
“A certain temperature and good ventilation are important for storing leather. Otherwise, the leather starts to become moldy. Some unscrupulous manufacturers are cunning and rub spoiled pieces of leather with oil to remove the mold, but the smell remains. An unpleasant smell can also appear if low-quality paints or impregnations were used to dye the leather,” explained the founder of Quiet Riot.
But the most important thing when choosing a leather jacket is to choose the right size of the product. Ideally, you need to try on a jacket on clothes of the thickness with which you will wear this very jacket. That is, the jacket should be a little loose so that as the first layer you can put on not only a T-shirt, but also a sweater or sweatshirt.
“Of course, everything here depends on the style of the jacket itself. If we are talking about a classic fitted jacket, it should fit the figure, oversized models, as a rule, come in one size from S to L, but it is better to take a bomber jacket one size larger,” the designer concluded.
