Everyone knows that men look great in leather jackets, but not many men have the sense and courage to wear them. Of course, there are always various reasons for this:
Men in their 20’s may not be fashion conscious, or they may not be able to afford a leather jacket; men in their 30’s may think leather jackets are too fashionable, or they don’t know how to wear them even if they do buy them, or they don’t think they are warm enough; men in their 40’s or above may think that they are too old to wear a leather jacket, or they may, uh, have a belly, so don’t say anything else…
Let’s start by saying that the idea that leather jackets aren’t warm is a complete misconception. When a leather jacket is zipped up, the leather forms an airtight, thick compartment that retains heat so you don’t get wrapped up in one piece after another, and when it’s hot, the zipper is open to accommodate almost any temperature. So people who will wear leather jackets can often wear them all the way from spring to fall.
Of course not all men are suitable for wearing leather jackets, not all men can handle this temperament, for example, you have never driven a motorcycle at speeds of more than sixty per hour, every day in the city to squeeze the bus to run the subway, you dare not wear black in the end, heavy as armor biker jackets?
But more examples are that many people have never even tried. Perhaps, it is the best companion to make you feel the best when you walk on the cold and windy streets of Beijing? The following guide is for men who are willing to try leather jackets, take it away. There aren’t really many restrictions:
1. Don’t have a beer belly, at least not too big.
2. Age doesn’t matter, even if you’re 50 or 60 you can still be a biker.
3. genuinely interested in, never buy imitation leather jacket, or cheap flavor will only be counterproductive. Leather jackets are expensive, there is a certain economic base is best, but even if it is your investment level of the highest piece of clothing, as long as you buy the right, cost-effective is also super high.
In a long time, there is no need to buy other winter coats (do you really want your closet to be filled with all kinds of cheap coats?) And, maybe one day your grandchildren will wear it out to show off.
4. Lastly, it’s all about attitude, and what attitude is that? You’ll get it when you wear a leather jacket.
The core of the above is to buy the right leather jacket, once you buy the wrong one, not only will you have spent your money for nothing, but it may also make you a laughing stock as you walk down the street. So read on for the guide:
▶ Style
First of all, look for your own style. A leather jacket must be an extension of your own style, and before you swipe it, make sure you think about whether the garment fits your personality. There are really only a few dominant styles of leather jackets.
The most famous is the DoubleRider, a rider’s jacket with a zipper cut on the diagonal. When you unzip the zipper, the inner layer of the jacket can be turned into a two-section collar. This classic style was made famous by Marlon Brando and James Dean. To choose this type of large-opening leather jacket, you need to be able to show off some rock-star-like rebellious spirit.
If you usually wear more inclined to sporty, you can choose the racing jacket (also known as motocross or cafe racer), which does not have too many cumbersome and unnecessary zippers, epaulettes and other designs, the cut is smooth and simple, so it is absolutely do not wear a lot of inside, at best, T-shirt type of thin clothing can be.
Military flight jackets such as the A-2 bomber or B-2 Shearling, like its original design, are made of thick cowhide or sheepskin to withstand the cold.
Fencing jackets are more individualistic, often with asymmetrical zippers and high collars, and require a bit of a philosopher or poet to match. Also, unless you really like the Matrix movie, it’s really best to avoid knee-length leather jackets.
▶ Tailoring
A good leather jacket wears like a second skin. When you try it on, it’s best if you can fit a sweater underneath so you have more options for pairing it with. Good leather jackets often have a quality cut at the sleeve cuffs that allows your arms to stretch freely without feeling too tight or too loose.
When stretching, the cuffs are usually no higher than the wrist, while the bottom of the leather jacket sits basically at the waist. You can of course choose a blazer style or an over the hip long leather jacket, but if it’s your first time buying a leather jacket, it’s best to go for a classic short leather jacket for peace of mind. Leather jackets are very tailored and you should always try them on to see if they fit, so don’t buy them online unless you’re sure you can return them.
▶ Leather
The choice of leather determines how comfortable, warm and long lasting the leather jacket will be. You first need to choose which animal. For example, of the cowhide, rawhide is more often used for leather jackets such as biker jackets, which require a higher degree of practicality in terms of wind-blocking and warmth, and are kept for a longer period of time, while calfskin is softer and more flexible, but is also kept for a shorter period of time in relation to each other.
Goatskin is also good, that is, soft and durable, and super waterproof. Sheepskin is lighter than goatskin and cowhide and is often used for flight jackets. Lambskin, on the other hand, is the softest and lightest of these leathers, so it’s used in many luxury brands.
Pigskin may not sound like much, but in fact it can be a great leather if handled correctly. Pigskin is light, soft and smooth. Of course, if it’s not handled well, pigskin can look super cheap.
As a general rule, the lighter the leather, the shorter the shelf life and the easier it tears. We modern people are less likely to wear leather jackets to places with very treacherous environments and value the fashionability of the clothes more, but if you belong to the high-speed biker crowd, it’s better to go for a heavy leather jacket.
▶ Skin and Tanning
There is also a great deal to consider about how the hides are treated. Different hides have different thicknesses and will be cut differently. Unsurfaced, full-layer leather will use a whole hide, retaining the grain, marks, and even scars and pores of the hide.
Only the best quality hides can be made into a full pelt, which is super expensive and heavy, but can last forever and even develop a thin layer of luster on the surface, which becomes more flavorful with age.
Next is the first layer of leather, where the bottom layer of the animal’s skin is stripped away, leaving only the outer layer, which makes the leather thinner and lighter, and often colored or waterproofed so that the treated leather doesn’t change chemically afterwards.
Most fashionable leather jackets on the market today are mostly made of first layer leather. In addition is the grinding surface leather, it is more next level, the grain in the leather seems natural in fact is made artificially, this kind of leather is relatively rare, see don’t buy.
The tanning process is divided into two main categories: chrome tanned and vegetable tanned, basically, the former implies artificial chemical tanning and the latter implies natural tanning. Vegetable tanning is a natural tanning process with hundreds of years of experience, and although it is time-consuming and labor-intensive and makes leather garments more expensive, it is environmentally friendly and gives the garments a natural texture.
▶ Details
Leather jackets are an investment, so even such details as zippers and buttons you need to pay attention to, otherwise the cost of replacement is not low, or to check its quality, you can also check its use of thread.
If the stitching of the garment is of a very thin and thin kind, the leather jacket is most likely to be of the cheap and low-grade leather layer kind as well, and if the thread breaks, it may be very difficult to repair. Checking the stitching on the inside and outside of the garment to see how dense it is will also tell you how much labor was put into it.
Some leather jackets are fashionable, some are wearable, some are dashing, some are introverted, no matter what, before choosing a leather jacket, do your research and preparation, buy leather jackets, try more and more experience, only do enough homework, in order to buy a truly suitable for your “second skin”, so that it will become one of the best investments you can make for yourself.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)