What is a leather jacket?
What are you talking about Perci? Has your brain gone brittle? A leather jacket is a jacket made of leather.
You’re right—of course you are—but unlike some other clothes, a leather jacket is a statement. There’s a certain cultural association attached to a leather jacket. In the 50s you were a greaser, in the 60s you were a rocker, in the 70s you were a punk, in the 80s you were a leather daddy or potentially in a hair metal band, in the 90s you were a Top Gear presenter… You see what we’re getting at? Depending on what era you’re living in, a leather jacket can serve as a projection of a particular niche to which you belong.
That doesn’t have to be the case, though. A leather jacket can be for everyone, you just need to know how to style it properly so that it has the desired effect. Let’s delve into that, shall we?
What to wear a leather jacket with?
Just don’t wear one with a shirt and tie or you’ll give off big Max & Paddy vibes. You don’t want that. Or maybe you do. Remember Tommy Dickfingers? They found him in a wheelie bin, two snooker balls for eyes!
You can go casual or smart-casual with a leather jacket, and we’ll get into that below, but you’ll need to match the vibe of the jacket itself. A big biker jacket is unlikely to fly with smart trousers.
How should a leather jacket fit?
Ideally, a men’s leather jacket should be snug across the shoulders and chest, and cut to just above the beltline. You need room to move, so we’re not talking skin-tight here — snug but comfortably mobile is what you’re going for.
