from left to right in the large image:
Anasta leather jacket by The Row | $2,790 at Barney’s (this jacket kills me. The whole outfit kills me; it’s my favorite “dressed-up” but still comfortable & easy look)
Helmut Lang pitch leather cropped puffer jacket | $1425 at Helmut Lang (a warm leather jacket perhaps??)
Rag & Bone Firebird white leather jacket | $1795 at Rag & Bone (20% off at Les Nouvelles with code MERRY20)
Madewell Perfect Leather Jacket | $495 at Madewell
Quilted Leather Moto Jacket | $388 at Anthropologie (Love the quilting)
Zara leather blazer | on sale for $199 at Zara (if styled right, I don’t think this would look TOO 90’s…although the 90’s is back…)
Can we talk about leather jackets? I think I might have mentioned before that they elude me. Not that I don’t love them; I never fail to covet a few every season, but never enough to actually BUY one. Yes, I do have a Veda max classic leather jacket I got for basically nothing with a Refinery29 Deal a couple years ago, but I honestly got it because I thought I needed a leather jacket. I’ve had others over the years, my first was a BCBG leather blazer from the outlet (do I need to reveal the decade in which I bought it??) that I did wear a lot, and then a white leather KORS Michael Kors jacket I got via Rue La La and then promptly sold because it really wasn’t me (although I’m REALLY into that white Rag & Bone leather jacket I posted above. REALLY Into it).
You’ve probably noticed already that I don’t wear a lot of jackets or coats, tending to prefer cardigans and sweaters. First, I don’t find most coats very warm, and second, I just like the slouchy, drapey look of a sweater better. The only time I wear my leather jacket is “out” – I wore it to my birthday dinner, out to dinner with friends the other night and will wear it tonight for my husband’s company’s Christmas dinner. I like to wear it with a ruched James Perse dress or pencil skirt because it really accentuates my waist, but other than that, I’ve never really worn it with pants. Perhaps I’ll try that tonight.
Obviously, I’m at a loss when it comes to styling my leather jacket and I don’t know why – you can wear a leather jacket with anything. And every time I wear it I get compliments, and I love it (except the sleeves are WAAAAY too long), so I know I should wear it more often. That is another challenge I shall embark upon this year: wearing my leather jacket more.
What about you? Do you have a leather jacket? do you wear it all the time? What’s your favorite?
more leather jackets
What a clothing coincidence; I was wearing my brown bomber leather jacket today. Which is probably my fave now. It’s vintage, and I bought it in Portland, OR at a funky thrift store. The sleeves were also too long, so I had them shortened. Fortunately, it didn’t affect the appearance. I like leather but not if it’s black. I don’t “do” biker babe style.
I forgot to add, that I agree about preferring a soft, slouchy sweater. I recently had another super score, and bought a beautiful Vince cardigan. (eBay Brag: I saved over $300!) It’s a combo of yak and cashmere, with lambskin leather trim. Although it’s very cold in Maine, I wear it with lots of layers.
i have been thinking about getting the sleeves shortened on my jacket, just concerned about the expense…right now i just fold them under, which works. sort of 😉
I was concerned about the cost, but found a very reasonable seamstress. She charged approximately $20 to shorten them. I also tried folding them under and even cuffing them, but it drove me crazy! I wasn’t happy until the jacket was fixed.
Leather jackets are very impractical in Ottawa, because it’s too cold in the winter and too hot and humid the rest of the year to wear them. There’s only a tiny window of opportunity to wear them comfortably. But that doesn’t stop me from collecting them because they are so cheap in thrift stores. I have vintage ones and modern ones, including a blazer-style jacket from Rudsak (based in Montreal). If I could afford one, I’d buy a leather jacket from M0851 (another Montreal company–the jackets are made there. They just opened a store in Ottawa so I need to check them out).
Grechen, I think you said that Dallas is chillier than Austin, so maybe you’ll find this winter that you will wear leather more often? If not, don’t give in to some silly expectation that every woman needs a good leather jacket. If they’re not for you, don’t sweat it!
I think the trick to styling leather jackets is to get a version in leather of the kind of jacket you would normally wear. So if you’re into blazers, then get a leather blazer-style jacket. If you’re into cardigans, get a leather jacket that’s unstructured and drapey. If you’re into military jackets, ditto. But… if you’re not into the moto jacket craze (like me–I don’t want to look like a biker chick), then don’t get a leather moto.
I have Balenciaga biker jackets and I live in them from early spring to early winter. They go with everything in my wardrobe and elevate even the simplest outfit (I am a jeans+ tee kind of girl).
good points laurel!! i think my problem with jackets – any jackets or coats – is that i consider them part of my outfit. i don’t want to take them off because i’ve planned a “look” and they’re generally part of it. so whenever i do wear my leather jacket, it stays on. i don’t tend to overheat inside, so it’s not generally a problem, but that’s a big reason why i don’t wear jackets very often.
I’ve definitely found myself wanting to reach for a jacket more since we moved and it got COLD, although i still want to wear my big inhabit cashmere cardigan with everything – it’s much warmer and cozier…like i’m wrapped in a blanket 😉
Wow, that’s hard core. I would say that a Balenciaga ANYTHING would elevate any outfit!