HOW TO BUY A LEATHER JACKET

A leather jacket is a long-term investment, so study up

A Softer, Kinder Jacket

Remember Brando as Johnny Strabler in The Wild One? Or Joey Ramone onstage at CBGB? They were cloaked in leather jackets so hard and stiff, you wonder how they lifted their arms past their waists. But just as we now buy prewashed T-shirts that look and feel as if they’ve been ours for years, leather has kept pace. Trading horsehide for the softer treated leather of lamb- and goatskin, manufacturers have created a look that you don’t need a Harley to pull off.

But it’s not just the skins that have changed; it’s the entire treatment process. Designer Rick Owens, whose supple leather jackets are obsessed over by fashion types, says the secret is in the timing. “It all depends on how long the jacket is washed, how long it’s dried, whether we hang or machine-dry. It’s not an exact science—it’s not NASA—but there’s a lot of elements that go into it.”

The Way You Wear Yours

Dress It Up
Sure, you can wear a tie with a leather jacket—as long as you keep both items on the slim side. This isn’t business attire; it’s night-out gear.

The Way You Wear Yours

Dress It Down
If you’re going to buy a leather jacket with attitude, the rest of your outfit needs attitude, too. A trim-cut biker jacket doesn’t jibe with comfortable casual-Friday khakis and a polo shirt.

The Perfect Fit

• A leather jacket should hug your shoulders, not slouch off them.

• Well-made leather jackets come with high-cut armholes, eliminating excess fabric—like a quality steak trimmed of unnecessary fat.

• Notice how slim and snug—and cool—this jacket is? Don’t be afraid to try on a jacket a size smaller than you think you need. It will often give you the fit you’re hoping for.

• Slim sleeves—that aren’t too long—are the final ingredient. And you want that ingredient list complete. Unlike with a suit jacket, you’re not going to get your leather jacket tailored.

• Your jacket should not reach halfway down your thighs. Like a good jean jacket, it should hit at your waist.

How Not to Buy a Leather Jacket

• You are not Indiana Jones; leave the distressed brown leather bomber jacket to Harrison Ford.

• And on that note, those World War II tobacco-brown replica bombardier jackets? Absolutely not.

• No patches.

• Leather jacket, good; leather blazer, not so good.

• Unless you just climbed off a Ducati, please refrain from padded, striped racing jackets.

• Zippers, yes; buttons, no.

• And remember, you’re not buying a leather coat, you’re buying a leather jacket. It should fit like one.

Leather jacket, $448, by French Connection. Jeans, $225, by Acne.

The Three Styles That Matter

1. Fatigue

2. Motocross

3. Bomber