If you’ve ever thought about buying a leather jacket, you know it’s not a simple proposition.
There are a lot of options out there — and many of them are questionable.
Sorting the wheat from the chaff takes time and care, and generally those remaining good options won’t be cheap.
Is it worth the bother?
For a man who’s ready to make a serious investment, and who wants a strong style statement that’ll stay in his wardrobe for decades, the answer is a definite yes.[amazon asin=B008KCKB7C&template=*lrc ad (left)]
Leather Jackets: Why Own One?
A good leather jacket is an expensive buy — anywhere from $100-$300 if you score a great deal, all the way up into the thousands if you pay full retail for a well-known brand.
Given that they’re not as dressy as a basic dark wool overcoat, and harder to match, why would anyone make the investment?
1. Attitude
This is at the top of the list for a reason.
Leather coats are masculine; it’s just that simple.[amazon asin=B00194AW6S&template=*lrc ad (right)]
Tough guys have worn them since the beginnings of human history, back when the best source for a leather jacket was something you’d killed and skinned yourself.
These days you don’t have to be quite that intense to get your hands on a good coat, of course. But the image is still there, along with the cultural memory of countless tough guys doing tough things, on film and in person.
Even a very smooth and polished leather look has those same primitive associations with toughness, hunting, and swagger. It’s all the intensity of spikes and studs, without the flashiness or pretense.
2. Protection[amazon asin=B00BYQ1CZG&template=*lrc ad (left)]
More practically, leather’s reputation as a tough guy material is completely deserved. It really is tough stuff, and it’ll keep you well protected from both physical harm (in the way of scrapes and cuts) and the elements.
There’s a reason leather outerwear is the go-to for motorcyclists. It might not stop all the harm of a high-speed encounter with the pavement, but it’s a lot better than denim or any other kind of cloth. Leather is effectively a second skin — and it’s a thicker, tougher skin than yours.
For those of us who aren’t anticipating physical trauma, leather also affords good protection against the elements. It’s an excellent windbreak and highly water-resistant, and with treatment can become completely waterproof.
3. Durability and Longevity[amazon asin=B00JCZ3GPU&template=*lrc ad (right)]
In a fast-fashion world, leather sticks around for the long haul, both in terms of style and physical performance.
A good leather jacket (and it does have to be a good one) will last for decades. Properly treated, it will outlive you. Remember, we still have the leather clothes that Roman soldiers wore in museums today, intact thousands of years after they were first cut. (And yeah, sure, they’re showing their age a little, but come on now — thousands of years.)
Leather’s big advantage over cloth is that it’s not woven. It’s a solid mat of fibers all pressed together. There’s nothing to unravel, even if the surface suffers a pretty deep cut or scrape. The damage will stay there, but it won’t widen and destroy the whole garment like is the case with other materials.
So the upfront cost might be steep, but you’re going to have the jacket so long that, per wear, you’re probably paying less than you are for anything else in your wardrobe.
