Leather for the Weather
Dear Reader,
How many leather jackets have you worn in your lifetime? Bare minimum, one — right? Whether you’re a Boomer, Millennial, or Gen Z (do I have those folks here?), a leather jacket has long been relevant.
Actually, I think the leather jacket may be the single garment that transforms the most in style and trend, yet still remains admissible no matter what form it takes.
FROM LEFT: Saks Potts Ada Jacket ($1,890) | Khaite Stellar Shearling ($4,400) | Toteme Reglan Long Leather Coat ($2,700) | Toteme Shearling Lined Jacket ($2,500) | Vince Leather Jacket ($1,341) | Citizens of Humanity Orla Leather Blazer ($1,175) | CO Belted Leather Jacket ($1,895) | Find more in my edit
I’ve tried the motto, the bomber, the sherpa-lined. I’ve tried faux, suede, and smooth. I’ve tried oversized, tailored, and cropped. I’ve dabbled a fair amount in the leather jacket arena over my 33 years of life on this planet.
WEARING: Khaite Herman Leather Jacket (XS) | Citizens of Humanity denim (24) | Jenni Kayne Cropped Cabin cotton knit (XS) | Polo Hat | Old Celine Sunglasses
Truth be told: I took a long hiatus from the ever-relevant garment. At times the trends felt too badass for my bones, but more often, I couldn’t get myself to splurge on the ones I drooled over.
For example, months ago, I saw The Row’s Roanna suede bomber and thought: now that is the perfect leather jacket.Alas, I couldn’t get myself to pull the trigger due to the price-tag. To be fair, the jacket was the cost of a high mortgage, but to this day, I still think about my decision to forego on the now sold-out jacket.
Yes, I saved money (and a potentially interesting financial conversation with my husband), but really, I feel like I dismissed a beautiful thing I would have cherished for years to come. Surely, I’ve never regretted my investment in a luxury handbag that I adored to the degree of this jacket.
This all made me start to ponder: why would I not invest in a leather jacket?
After all, the leather jacket isn’t going anywhere, and unlike other garments, the leather jacket feels and looks even cooleras it patinas over the years. Quite literally, it is the perfect type of investment piece for years to hold.
So this year, I decided to return from my long hiatus.
I returned with my new partner, Herman (designed by Khaite).
Herman isn’t cheap, but will be a good partner for years to come — his luxe buttery leather, relaxed drop-shoulder, press-stud closures, integrated belt, and slight extra length give him so much versatility from elegant evenings to casual days. Seems like a jacket I could pass onto my daughter one day.
If you aren’t ready for a Herman-type (because I know I wasn’t for a long time), I found so many good options on the market today. Particularly loving the leather-jacket-meets-blazer moment I’m seeing (a faux option by The Frankie Shop), and I have found about 100 reiterations of this sherpa-lined motto-esque (note: Dunst makes a gazillion affordable options.
You can find more on my ShopMy Leather Jacket edit here.
Leather for the weather!