Monday, October 02, 2006

Wanted: Leather Jacket

I've been shopping around for a leather jacket lately. I've pretty much narrowed down what I'm looking for. I've decided to go with cowhide, rather than lambskin or shearling or sheepskin. The reason is because I want a rougher look and a more durable material and a near-nonexistant liner. Lambskin is too delicate, and sheepskin and shearling is too warm, and thick. Cowhide is also relatively cheap, though i'm not averse to paying twice the price for calf-skin.

In terms of colours, I'd prefer a darker brown. Cream is too light and gets dirty easily, and I want to stay away from black. The image I'm looking for is more rugged and natural. Black brings a level of refinement that I don't think fits into what I want out of this jacket. I've been leaning towards the 'worn' or 'vintage' look, but that's not really important. I could wear it down just from plain use.

Bomber cut, but not the traditional bomber cut. I'm looking for that slimmer, younger cut. Most leather jackets are cut for the pot-bellied male in mind. I don't have a pot-belly and I'd like to flaunt that fact. Besides, it's less bulk to deal with, especially if there's only a thin liner.

So far, what I've found out there is a black worn-looking cowhide bomber at Danier Leather. Retails for $300, but any given sale will likely knock $50 off of that. The only thing stopping me from buying is the black colour. There's another worn-looking bomber at one of the stores in Bayview Village. That one is calfskin, $700. The price is negotiable, but unfortunately there's a fairly thick liner. I've gone to some leather outlets, but in general, the quality does not even compare to the higher end retailers. Most of the cheaper leather jackets have that pot-bellied cut that I'd like to stay away from. I hit up Harry Rosen, but that place doesn't have sales. They do have a clearance outlet though, but I doubt there's anything in my size. I'm in that average range that sells out fast.

Next stop: Holt Renfrew. If I can get 50% off of a leather jacket at Holt, it'll be worth my time to take a look there, and maybe even pay a premium for shopping there. Failing Holt Renfrew, I'll look to getting the jacket custom-made by some poor-ass chinese leatherworker. At least then I can control the specifications and get it cut exactly the way I want it.

5 comments:

Simon said...

have you tried...vintage clothing stores?

Dust said...

i should. what's a vintage clothing store. the thing is, i'm not sure i actually want a vintage jacket... haha. still, i want to check out as much as possible - y'never know what you might find.

-d

Anonymous said...

For some reason, I am picturing you in a brown suede jacket. I'm sure a brown leather one will look good too, just make sure the leather's soft. It's nice when it's soft.

Dust said...

i'm aiming for not-soft. lambskin is soft. calfskin and cowhide is heavy and tough.

i went to that place in Bayview Village. they don't have my size.

-d

Anonymous said...

so you like my jacket that much eh?
hahah