How to buy your First Leather Jacket

A Leather Jacket is an essential piece of clothing in your wardrobe that is timeless and you can wear it on any occasions. I always get this question on how to buy a leather jacket especially if you’re buying for the first time - you go to the nearest mall in town and find tons of leather jackets starting from $300 to $2000 or even higher. It’s great that you have such a big range of price within you can shop around but at the same time this could be very overwhelming for a newbie.

Here I am going to summarize what to look for when buying your first leather jacket. 

A well designed leather jacket will snug on your body and hug your armpits yet feels very comfortable. Remember to zip it all the way up or button before you go for it. Another thing to remember is wear the same inner layers when you go out to buy. For example if you would be wearing this jacket on a T-Shirt only then try wearing only the T-Shirt not with another layer of hoodie. 

A real leather jacket will mold on to your body with time so do not try to keep extra room to your body when trying out. That may feel a little tight and uncomfortable when you wear it first time but trust me, it will only get better with time. To understand this characteristics of leather, I always give example of a leather wallet you have. The first time I tried to insert my credit cards into those thin slots on my leather wallet, it was just not easy at all - even it was hard to fold and carry along inside my pocket, but with time, it just became comfortable. It is that flexibility of genuine leather that only made it possible. The leather stretched with time and retained the shape that perfectly aligned with my body contour in about just a month.

So without making it complicated any further, here is a valuable tip on how to check if a leather jacket you have picked is going to look stunning and feel comfortable on you as well. With the leather jacket on the top of your desired layer (T-shirt or hoodie) extend your arms as you would be driving keeping them slightly bent at 10:10 hrs clock position. If it feels too tight on your arms and chest that it is almost difficult to hold on to that driving posture, this jacket is just not the right fit for you. This will only hurdle you from day to day maneuvering to a point that you wouldn't want to wear that jacket any longer. Remember a leather jacket is an investment that is not made to live in the closet - rather it is made to use outdoor. Below is a good example of how a leather jacket should fit. 

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Before we dig deep into this subject, there are few things you must remember. If you go out to buy a gold necklace for your spouse, it is important that you have the appropriate budget to buy that gift. This is because you believe that a 24K gold necklace isn't going to be cheap knowingly that Gold is a precious metal. similarly full grain or good quality leather is an expensive material which has its own natural characteristics. So if you are in the market to buy a good quality real leather jacket, you should at least budget for $400. Now the more features you add, the more you should be paying, e.g jackets with removable hood option, jackets with natural fur, extra insulation, down-filled leather jacket etc -  ultimately you get what you pay for.

This was not true five years ago when only big retailers were selling leather jackets in their majestic outlets - thanks to ecommerce revolution which made it possible to sell these luxury clothing now right from garage/basement direct to customer by cutting the middle man and eating up their commission. 

Everyone of us is different in personality and that is what identify ourselves. I personally like Cafe Racer Style Jackets but my wife like to wear fashion motorcycle jacket. Since Cafe Racer takes less amount of time and material to develop, it costs a little less than a motorcycle jacket. so depending on what style you are, you should budget accordingly.  

A top quality leather jacket that is designed to age with you must have the top quality zipper and hardwares too to last forever. An expensive leather jacket with a broken zipper is similar to a vehicle with a flat tire. High-end leather jackets are seen using YKK pullers but I have found other emerging brands that offer similar or better operation. I like the durability and finish of SAB pullers and have used them in most of our jackets now. They have a good reputation and we have no complaints so far.

SAB Zippers on Gasoline - Chrome Edition

Lining is what mostly defines how it is going to feel the jacket on your bare skin. a luxury designer leather jacket will have silk or cupro which feels like silk but made with cotton. In High-End leather jackets you would find different lining materials for body and sleeves which makes it durable and luxurious to slip-on. This is why we have two different materials for lining and body for added durability and feel.

This is something that many of us will overlook but it is an important and critical factor in figuring out the price of jacket if it is worth it. A leather jacket made with several pieces of leather patches will have more joints and therefore should cost less as compared to the one which has used only two or three large pieces of leather. A large plane leather gives the jacket more luxurious look and falls greatly on your body. In contrast, jacket with higher number of joints can be made with less material wastage.

With all this information provided, if you still have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@thefinestleathers.com.