Disclaimer - Article in 3 parts: part 1 of the article - part 2 of the article
The types of leather , the indices to judge the quality and finally the most common cuts! Trench, varsity jacket, perfecto… They’re all there! The examples used come from all ranges, from the most luxurious to the mid-range (avoiding the massacre of bad taste).
The idea is that you can draw inspiration from them: this article aims to familiarize you with these cuts and what they represent in terms of uses, and not to make you buy the models presented in the visuals.
That said, if certain pieces or certain cuts catch your eye, don't hesitate to leave a comment.
Finally, I remind you that it is better to try on leather before buying it. That said, some good opportunities on the internet are worth taking a risk, even if it means taking advantage of the very often free returns!
The teddy/varsity jacket
Yes yes you saw correctly, it is the one that we saw in the stupid and debilitating series of our “youth”. Originally, it was worn and created for members of school sports teams (High school, University) across the Atlantic.
Except that it has become more popular to the point of being taken up even by very Italian luxury brands like Gucci, here with sweatshirt sleeves and bust in chocolate suede (around €500 on sale):
Gucci varsity jacket
or Bottega Venetta (€3,600 ouch) all leather here:
Bottega Venetta varsity jacket
(we like it or we don't like it)
Most often, it is two-material (and two-tone) with leather sleeves and the rest of the jacket in felt or sweatshirt, but you may see some made entirely of leather.
It offers a casual look, but which can have a small effect if worn in an offbeat style with a fitted shirt, raw jeans and dress shoes ( desert boots or brogues ). Finally a last model revisited by Ron (longer), which is really very original (€175)!
RON varsity jacket, at an affordable price.
The cut : straight, although we are seeing more and more fitted cuts on this model with a round ribbed “teddy” collar, generally without a hood. Suitable for most body shapes.
The plus : casual look, easy to wear but still quite trendy.
The minuses : difficult to find one that is not too cliché, the two-tone side which can limit the choice of clothes to create a homogeneous silhouette.
The trench coat
An essential piece of the men's wardrobe, the trench coat, however, becomes a much more luxurious (often very expensive) piece of character when it is made of leather. The most suitable material is then suede/nubuck or shearling: while remaining sober, these materials offer an incomparable look to the fitted cut of the trench coat.
Very logically, it is its inventor Burberry which offers the most beautiful models, including an absolutely stunning alligator worked in velvet touch, "discreet" and immensely classy (just to dream, unless you have €85,000 of budget) :
Burbery Prorsum trench coat in alligator.
No, the equivalent doesn't exist at Zara, there's no point asking!
Increasingly, we will also see trench coats made of lamb or calf leather, like the one presented at Valentino.
Valentino trench coat
However, these perfect and uniform leathers do not seem the most relevant to blend into the very spirit of the trench coat, because they are too “rigid”, too clean on them. Preference for suede leather, therefore:
Burberry trench coat.
It looks better with suede leather, right?
The cut: very fitted, up to the knees or just below the buttocks for the short version, double-breasted with turned-down neckline, often 2 slit pockets and flaps on the shoulders.
The advantages : extremely chic look, originality and rarity of the material for a trench coat, easy to match (for beige, chocolate, black tones).
Cons : still high price, fragility of the material (for suede/nubuck), difficult to find.
The perfecto
Despite the popular discourse, the perfecto does not take its name from its “perfectly fitted” cut, but from a brand of Cuban cigars that the inventor of these jackets chose to give them. Today, it has a very biker and bad boy connotation, with a close-fitting cut.
It is instantly recognizable thanks to its asymmetrical closure, offering a pretty turn-down collar. Often in lambskin, most of these jackets can be purchased already well wrinkled to accentuate the adventurer side. However, some luxury brands have fun making it a more refined and structured piece by using leathers of perfect quality, which can therefore be perfectly smooth.
We see in particular Balmain which offers a copy in shearling and absolutely stunning coating, which makes it a warmer and more chic piece than the creased leather perfecto (but still €4,000).
Perfecto Balmain. Pretty but overpriced.
You can find them from €300 (models with the belt), for a virile adventurer look, to wear with raw jeans or stitched at the knees with a pretty pair of boots.
The cut : fitted, asymmetrical closure with turn-down collar, generally with 3 pockets (2 on the sides, and one zipped on the chest), some models have a belt. Difficult to wear for strong figures, unless a particularly well-cut model.
The advantages : highlights the build and shoulders, biker look, does not necessarily require enormous maintenance when the leather is aged for a “destroyed” effect.
Cons : very common model because it is rarely “revisited”, can be fragile because it is often made from very thin lambs: pay attention to the thickness of the skin.
The double-breasted pea coat
It is common in the streets when it is made of wool, but the pea coat is now widely available in leather, under the influence of the big houses. Most often, you will see it in shearling (that's how it looks most beautiful). The turned-down neckline often reveals the fur for a contrasting effect with the exterior velvet appearance. And if you are lucky you will have this same skin turned over at the collar, whose very warm and very pleasant fur will also thicken the shoulders.
This is the case for our 2 Canali models (around €3,000) and another Serge Pariente (€490).
Canali. Its massive appearance makes it difficult to wear.
Serge Pariente.
The last, more “racy”, is made from patinated and grained sheepskin, and is simply worth a look. The peacoat can be worn with everything: jeans or dress pants, sneakers or pretty shoes, a nice polo shirt or a fitted shirt. Dressed up or casual, it seems to me to be a good “first” purchase because even if it is only worn in winter or opened mid-season, it is very pleasant and easy to wear.
The cut : slightly fitted, with double-breasted and fold-over neckline, rather short (at the waist).
The advantages : easy to wear, elegant or casual, still not very common, quite solid when the skin retains its fur.
Cons : the price (and more)
The bomber/aviator jacket
First, a culture note: during the First World War, not all bomber planes were equipped with cockpits/windshields (Foresti didn't invent anything in the end). So pilots needed clothing that would keep them warm. Leslie Irvin was the first to make the flying jacket in the United Kingdom from sheepskin. Otherwise today little has changed, except that the use of this garment has become widespread. You can find it really easily, but it will be more difficult to make a chic or dressy piece in your wardrobe: basically it's still military work clothing!
The best formula for a bomber? A pretty straight-cut jacket with a “puffy” effect if it is tightened at the waist. Sheep, lamb or even goat, the ideal is in any case to have a magnificent sherling fur collar (Australian sheep) which is very pleasant and comfortable! Forzieri makes (mostly in Italy) some very pretty ones, as you can see. And the site is on sale at the moment (around €300, which is very reasonable).
Bomber APC
I say that, I say nothing, but it might be worth taking the risk. Finally, APC offers a light version in sheepskin velvet, for €950.
The cut : straight/loose, often tightened at the waist, turned-down shirt collar. The cut can be a problem when you are too thin, or with a little stomach, especially since this model is worn closed much more often than others.
The advantages : very comfortable, very trendy, warm for winter depending on the leather used or the lining.
The minuses : the relaxed side which is difficult to temper.
The blazer
No, a leather blazer is a really bad idea.
I think the pictures speak for themselves. Has been? Bad taste ? We don't really know... He was very popular in the wardrobes of Pascal Obispo or Florent Pagny but frankly who would imitate a guy who pulls back his atrophied brilliantine hair when he has the insolent start of baldness, or another who has a lampropeltis tattooed (in a few seconds, this pompous scientific name will have escaped me and become “red and white snake” again) on his ENTIRE arm and who wears fatigues that are too big?
No it's not serious.
A bad source of inspiration.
Eventually, and this is where the notion of eventuality takes on its full meaning, we can envisage in a very conceptual way a suede blazer, more discreet, less fixed, more refined (but still a blazer).
Yeah... And what's more, it's going to cost you a fortune.
The cut : fitted suit cut, 2 or 3 buttons, 2 or 3 pockets, basically like a blazer.
The pluses : in summer there is sun.
The minuses : the concept, the cut, the people who wear it, the price (plus!), the has-been side.
The leather down jacket
It has been propelled as a second-line star at Givenchy for several winters, but it is becoming more and more easily found (sometimes under the name “quilted leather”). The choice of leathers used seems to me to be limited to 3 main ones: lamb, goat or calf.
You must in fact necessarily have supple leather for the quilted effect to be pretty: with thick leathers, you will look like a concrete bibendum, the folds will mark a lot, and it will simply not be beautiful. Even if we avoid leather when it rains anyway, it is better to have skin that has received a minimum of protection, especially if it is going to be your only coat in the extreme cold.
Finally, last advice: be vigilant about the sheathing (i.e. the quantity and quality of the lining), which must be homogeneous and dense. More often in polyester than down for technical reasons, make sure that the sleeves (especially) seem well filled: pinch them, and if all goes well the garment should immediately be re-sheathed.
The examples from Schott (€450) and Chevignon (seamless, €795) have good value for money. Worn well with classic black pants and a pretty shirt, it will bring a quirky and trendy side to a look:
Chevignon leather down jacket. A very good surprise.
Schott down jacket, avoid wearing it without a t-shirt and with ripped Diesel jeans.
The cut : straight but necessarily full-length, up to the waist, often with a simple collar and without a hood.
The advantages : warm, luxurious appearance due to the use of a noble material for a technical/practical, ultra comfortable garment.
Cons : too sporty appearance (depending on the designs), price, quality of random sheathing.
The “biker” jacket.
It is THE star of leather jackets, a cut used across all ranges, all prices and all materials. The difference with the perfecto is that it is often sharper, more demure, and above all with a mandarin collar. Some designers go so far as to recreate the reinforcements on the shoulders by cleverly using topstitching, reinforcing the “biker” spirit of the piece.
Here 3 models presented, the 1st to dream from Versace, whose laser work and stitching is absolutely brilliant, and 2 other simpler models from Gazzarrini and La Canadienne in prices less than 400€.
Versace biker jacket that will dent your biker budget.
Gazzarini biker jacket
Eriko biker jacket, with a very good quality/price ratio.
It is very easy to wear, although reserved for sunny days: they are often fine leathers such as lamb, calfskin, either aniline or corrected grain, or nubuck suede. With a fitted shirt and a bow tie, or a simple V-neck sweater: it will easily adapt to your mood of the day.
The cut : fitted and close to the body, length just above the waist, mandarin collar, pockets often zipped.
The advantages : easy to find and wear, highlights the build, diversity of leathers used and prices charged.
Cons : can be uncompromising with strong or too thin body types, very common (it's up to you to find your little originality).
The very simple
She is neither a biker, nor a down jacket, nor a perfecto. It's a very simple jacket, with a simple collar and very simple pockets, even if there isn't a typical model. Obviously we find them everywhere, and in all materials. On Yoox.com for example, you will find a Balenciaga one in buffalo suede in anthracite tones: quality leather, simple and efficient cut, comfortable fit, for less than €500!
Yes yes, a Balenciaga jacket for less than €500
Ditto for the D&G (without any logo, don't worry), well cut and in a lambskin that seems to be of good quality. We are really in a spirit that goes everywhere through style, which will not prevent this type of jacket, well cut and made with quality leather, will always have a small effect.
Very simple D&G jacket.
The cut : generally straight, generally long to the waist, with classic collars.
The plus : comfortable, very easy to find, goes everywhere and very easy to wear if the leather is a neutral color.
The least : perhaps too wise sometimes.
Exotic leathers
You have to have fun, not necessarily to wear but at least to look at, even to admire. Exotic leathers often suffer from a very bad reputation for their flashy and bling side. It is true that the alligator or the python are not always discreet.
That said, these pieces are remarkable because they often involve immense know-how. Who here hasn't heard of the DROMe karung jacket which brings Geoffrey dangerously close to fainting as soon as he sees it? A fine example of an exotic and rare leather whose use remains more than acceptable for all tastes:
No, Geoffrey didn't get it for Christmas.
Isaac Sellam goes much further, by working the alligator into a fitted jacket, with an anthracite lining, all in a futuristic and destroy spirit that is quite conceptual:
Isaac Sellam is one of the most cutting-edge designers of exotic leathers.
Roberto Cavalli is a fan of using lizards (monitor lizard) and other exotic leathers such as python, presented here in beige tones. Always extremely well cut, if these pieces are not necessarily easy to wear, they certainly command admiration for this unrivaled know-how:
You won't see one getting a makeover anytime soon.
So, you know more about leather and its different variations! As a reminder, don't forget that all these recommendations should not take precedence over your favorites: the many readers who have followed BG for a long time will know how to recognize a cut that suits them, for the rest let yourself go. I will say it again: if necessary, comment or email, if I am able to direct you, it will be with pleasure.
Without forgetting our own jackets...
A big piece, it must last over time.
So we use thick sheets from wool manufacturer Jules Tournier, a 150-year-old Living Heritage Company located in Tarn, but also the latest textile innovations from technical weavers Schoeller, SympaTex and Polartec.
And that's not all: Kuroki selvedge denim jacket, Italian lamb jackets... we admit, we had fun!
