A good leather jacket is the ultimate wardrobe staple for men and women. Buying a high-quality leather jacket is often considered a one-time, long-term investment due to the toll it can take on anybody’s pocket. It is meant to be timeless, long-lasting, and be greatly versatile to serve multiple functions.
With so many options out there, buying a good men’s leather jacket or a stylish leather jacket for women can become extremely complicated and confusing. This post will guide you through all the stages of buying a perfect leather jacket. It will focus on all the factors to look for when buying a leather jacket so that you don’t end up regretting your decision after spending a considerable amount.
So, before you opt for any leather jacket, to make your decision worth it, we are here with a leather jacket buying guide. This guide is surely going to help you get your hands on the leather jacket that is made for you.
Evaluating a Leather Jacket
1- Leather Type & Quality
When you think about how to buy leather jacket the most crucial and important part is to pick the type of leather and to know what leather is used in the leather jacket. It can be very difficult for a normal person, who has not much knowledge on this subject to identify what is what. You could do worse than learning about leather in detail before buying your dream leather jacket.
Skin
The first thing to consider is what animal skin you want your leather jacket to be made from. It’s purely a subjective matter and will be determined by the functionality and available budget.
While there are many animals from which skin is obtained; cow, sheep, lamb, goat and calfskins are the big ones. Exotic leather include Kangaroo, Deer, Pig and Crocodile to name a few.
Cowhide is known for strength, toughness and is extremely durable. Men’s Biker Jackets are mostly made using cowhide. On the other hand, lambskin is extremely soft and supple but very expensive, often used for premium products.
As it has both properties: softness and durability – The calfskin, of a young cow, is more expensive than lamb.
Grading or Leather Type
The second thing to decide is the grading or type of leather: Full-grain leather, top-grain leather, genuine or corrected leather.
The entire hide is used in full-grain leather in its natural state with marks, scars, and patterns are retained and not altered. It ages well with use and is higher in price as only the best quality hides are suitable.
Top-grain leather is split from bottom layers, it is thinner and flexible than full-grain and remains the same throughout its life. Putting functionality aside, top-grain leather is used to make most fashion jackets (where the look is the main thing).
The corrected-grain is the lowest quality grade, processed to make it look like higher grades.
Leather Finishing
The final point to look for is the leather finishing; Aniline, semi-aniline will be the terms you will often come across in this regard.
Aniline leather is kept in its natural form with all the marks and blemishes and is more expensive but is susceptible to damage from water and sunlight.
Semi-aniline leather is lightly pigmented to get rid of marks and blemishes, it is more rugged and durable than aniline leather.
Additionally, when talking about leather type and quality, it is important to mention double-face/shearling leather.
The skin of a recently shorn sheep or lamb that has been tanned and treated with the wool intact is what we call shearling leather. Shearling jackets, therefore, are the most expensive ones in the market.
2- Joints and Panels
The next tip in our leather jacket guide is to know about the joints and panels of the leather jacket. As a rule of thumb, jackets made with fewer panels making fewer joints would be more expensive than a jacket made with many panels and forming many joints.
There are exceptions though; where a jacket, having many panels and forming many joints may also be expensive due to detailing, embroidery, or embellishment that is used alongside the panels and joints.
These factors have an impact on the cost of production which is also reflected in the price of the jacket.
To cut prices, manufacturers make jackets using different leftovers, excess or remaining leather and wastage from other skins.
Although custom leather jackets made with single panels are expensive because of good selection, it may not necessarily have any bearing on the quality of the final product.
3- Inner Lining
The inner lining is an extra layer of fabric that adds more weight to the jacket and thus tells about the leather jacket quality. It helps to firmly tug down the jacket on your shoulders and makes for a smooth fall from top to bottom. The inner lining also absorbs sweat in some cases, is soft, warm, and makes for comfortable wearing.
Many people don’t realize that they have the option to choose fabric for the inner lining, make it plain or quilted or remove the inner lining altogether, especially when buying custom-made jackets from high-end places.
The type of fabric used in the inner lining of the jacket and the qualities it offers will also have a bearing on the price of a jacket. Bemberg lining is considered to be the best option for the inner lining. It is breathable, light, and has a silky touch.
Jackets without inner lining are light, breathable but expensive due to more interior finishing required and added complications in producing them.
FAQs – Leather Jacket Buying Guide
Should I buy a leather jacket?
You surely should buy a leather jacket but make sure that you keep your hand on quality leather jackets. It is true that you can find a range of synthetic leather jackets in the market but they don’t last long. Original leather jackets are a purchase of a lifetime and they are timeless.