/fa/ - Fashion

>>14761935
cont.
If skins have flaws, the jacket industry solves this problem by using them in their 'pre-distressed' jackets. If you distress the whole damn thing, then the minor blemishes on individual panels don't show up. Then you can sell the flawed skin to the customer and they won't know. It's like what the diamond industry did for flawed diamonds; they artificially colour them black, and sell them to men as the 'masculine' diamond. Rubbish.

If you need to budget, save up 1000USD; anything more is unnecessary for a first leather jacket. Next, go to a store that sells leather jackets so you can try some on. Find out your size, and then keep narrowing down the design until you find something that fits like a second skin. Alternatively, go to an independent and have them construct a jacket to your measurements; it's guaranteed to fit better than anything off-the-rack.

There are lots of factors, but all you need to know is that leather looks good if it fits your body specifically. It never looks good if it's a size too big, or if the waist is too large for you. Finally, price is dependent upon the factors I listed above as well as simple aesthetic preferences that you may have.

Good luck.

>pic is my white long coat that my tailor whipped up for me. I sourced the leather, and he constructed it. Far cheaper than buying one in Hugo Boss.

>>14701990
Well leather manufacture has been changing radically over the past decade and a half, mostly due to environmental regulations that cover the dumping of chemicals into the water systems. In short, tanning leather is environmentally problematic, so in western 'developed' countries it has become very expensive to tan because you need to clean the water afterwards before dumping.

Pakistan does not have these laws, which is why nearly all leather found in jackets under 800$ comes from Pakistan. It's simply the cheapest way to get the material, so even companies like Hugo Boss will use this loophole.

Having a jacket 'Made in England' or 'Made in USA' or anything like that really doesn't make much of a difference anymore. Nationalist pride aside, you're paying for the materials, the construction, and the design. I've had jackets from England that were okay to not great, and I've had jackets from individual or small houses that used Pakistan labour and they were fine.

My white long coat was made by my tailor, an old Chinese guy. I sourced the leather directly, and he copied my black long coat directly (which is a Hugo Boss from the 90s). The point is, if it's tailored to you, if the leather quality is good, and the construction fine, then it doesn't matter who makes it.

Finally, unless you expect to keep the same style for the rest of your life (some people do, like me), then don't worry too much about where it was made or who makes it. You're going to get maybe 10 good years of wear before you change styles or body shape...so wear it, enjoy it, and try to avoid the temptation to see it as a lifelong purchase. Yes, leather jackets can outlast the owner, but rarely do owners wear the same jacket their entire life.

>>14644458
Modern leather is impregnated with oils which makes them water repellent. The idea is that the space between the fibres is filled with oil. This becomes a problem if you, for example, get the jacket soaking wet and then blow dry it. The heat evaporates the water quickly, which draws the oil out of the fibres. If you let it dry naturally (i.e. no artificially quickened means), then the oil tends to stay put.

The steamer would have heated the leather up a bit, possibly melting the vaseline and lanolin in the lederfett; if you got it hot enough, I would guess (as these are only educated guesses without seeing the jacket in hand) that those chems either evaporated out or were displaced enough to change how the leather feels. No matter what, I still don't really like the concept Anon.

Yes, I do ride, but in truth I rode far more in my youth than I do now. Now it's purely recreational, you know, old man Sunday ride. For work I use a car, because quite honestly it's more comfortable and now I have a shittonne of things to carry with me. Also, riding is awful if you need to dress well at work.

>>14644483
Aero has a fantastic reputation; I've never owned one, but I'd buy a 42-15142-P from them in a heartbeat if I needed one.

Beginner's mistake brands, in no particular order:

Danier
AllSaints
Anything sold at Costco
Anything sold at Department Stores
Modern Hugo Boss (fine pre-1999)
Modern Belstaff (fine in Malenotti Era)

Leather is always a beginner's mistake unless you have guidance for your particular fit and the money to buy something proper.

>or have your tailor whip up something for you instead, which is ideal...

>>14480518
The cultural association is strong indeed, but because it's leather and off-white, in person the association is lessened. Like much real-world fashion, photos are deceiving with regards to the actual experience.

Anyway, at this stage the debate about the effect this coat has when I wear it in the real-world is moot as I've worn it so much that it's no longer a novelty in my circles, except that it's a very well crafted and fitted long coat made of very supple lambskin. In other words, the plunge was taken months ago when he finished it, and after the first wearing-out, it was no longer a concern.

That being said, OP's idea is different to my coincidental long-coat. A lab coat is polyester, and hangs very differently. If you wear one without buttoning it up, it doesn't drape properly (because the material is very light), and as most lab-coats are generically fitted (small, medium, large) and supplied to medical and scientific buildings, it's not like it's a fashion statement of any kind. It's a baggy overcoat designed to protect against and show splashes of blood, chemicals, etc. My long coat is designed to protect/cover my suits against rain, snow, etc.

Maybe OP can think of it this way. Some styles include industrial items (goggles come to mind). Think of styles that have people wearing industrial goggles on the top of their heads, and what they mix those things with. Hell, even jeans could be considered work-specific wear (thinking 1930's factory or construction workers); what do we put those garments with stylistically today that may not fit the same uniform?

I don't know, but I think that's where to start. A lab coat and sandals would be awful....but a labcoat and long Docs? That could work...

>>14302631
>>14302815
cont.

My circle doesn't contain anyone who games seriously, including myself, so the reality for me is that it's a coat from a game that no one knows. People know it as MY coat, simply because it's unique and odd, but no one else wears it and it's 'mine'. Granted, it fits well, and I try to stay in shape (though I'm a little heavier in winter), so it looks like it's 'mine' and not something else.

There is something to be said for being online a little too much these days, perhaps for all of us. The reality that is a community online is completely different from people outside, for the most part, and just because people here recognize it for its origin shouldn't come as a surprise. But it's not indicative of what happens in real life.

If you have one that you like, and that fits you well, wear the hell out of it. Anyone over 35 isn't going to know what game it's from, and given the unpopularity of the game, unless you dress like Donte in full getup then at least 75-80% of the under-35s won't recognise it either.

The 'trick' is the same with any leather jacket; 1) make sure it fits, 2) wear it like it's normal and don't act strange about it, 3) profit?

>>14302817
Depends on your circle. The women I am around like men who look more formal than rugged, so lambskin and expensive leathers are what they like to feel. In other words, projecting wealth makes them wet. But a few years ago, it was the opposite...the more rugged and beat-up, the better. Why not focus on bettering yourself instead (increasing your status, your wealth, your power) and then letting the women come to you? That strategy has worked throughout history...and continues to work today...

Lastly, this is just a 'generic' going to work combination. The tie is generic, the shirt generic, etc; the focus is the coat, at least for this post. I'm very happy with it, and though at first I was scared as shit to wear it out because white picks up every scrap of dust and dirt, I came to the conclusion that I'm not getting younger, and that really, all of my leather jackets so far have survived exceedingly well, to the point where many of them have no signs of distress except those that I've put there on purpose using sandpaper.

Therefore, this jacket will get a lot of wear in addition to what it's already had. It's definitely one-of-a-kind, as the original maker of the black one never did it in white, and given that this is tailored to my specs, it's 'my' jacket.

If you have a trusted tailor who works with leather, consider asking him/her how much they'd charge you to construct a leather jacket for you. If you source the leather yourself, depending on the size you're looking at around 4-500$ for the leather alone, and then if your tailor is good, probably around 250-400$ for construction and tailoring.

Given that 900$ isn't anything to balk at for a normal leather jacket that is off-the-rack from a good maker (Aero, Schott, etc.), you'd have the advantages that you'd never get from them. Leather must be tailored to your specs and usage...otherwise it either looks like your father's jacket or one of those ones from the middle east that has too many stitch designs in the elbows or too many zippers in places you can't reach. Consider it. No matter what, a leather jacket is expensive...so, look for ways to make it fit you so that you'll wear it all the time and get your money's worth.