Hi everyone!
Back in February, when I was in London and Paris, I spent weeks searching for a classic moto leather jacket.
I tried on leather jackets in All Saints, The Kooples, Acne Studios and a few other high-end brands while I was shopping in Paris. I also tried on jackets at Zara and Topshop.
I almost bought one from All Saints. And I also wanted to get one from The Kooples, because they were having a 25% off sale. They looked SO GOOD when they were hanging on the rack!
But in the end, they just looked too bulky on me. The jackets were lined with a quilted padding and they felt big and puffy. I was very warm – almost too warm – and I just don’t think they were suitable for Australian winters, and how I dress in winter.
Also the styles were very boxy on me and the sleeves were slightly too long for me.
I wanted a leather jacket that I could pop over a light sweater, or a long-sleeve t-shirt, or a floral dress.
I wanted a slightly, slim-fit leather jacket, with 3/4 sleeves (which would be normal fit for me), not too cropped, not too long, with a thin lining, no padding, minimal hardware, smallish lapels, smooth and soft leather, and no quilting or patterns in the leather. Picky much? Haha!
In the end I came back to Australia empty handed.
Months later, lo and behold, I decided to take a bit of a risk and bought one online (after reading heaps of great reviews!) from Shopbop.
Oh my goodness, it was such an amazing buy!!!
This is the LA Rider Jacket by OAK, a New York label.
It was AU$640 and best of all I got it on sale!
Shopbop is currently having a 3 day sale. Just use the code EVENT15 to receive 20% off when you spend under US$500 or 25% off when you spend over US$500.
As you can see, it’s EXACTLY what I wanted – a slim fit leather jacket that fits my arm length!
Leather Quality: The leather is beeeeautiful! It’s smooth, soft and buttery.
It looks so, so good. Definitely looks better than the Zara and Topshop leather jackets that I tried on. And it looks JUST AS amazing as all the high-end leather jackets I tried on. Although it is a lot lighter than the high end ones, because this one doesn’t have so much hardware and padding.
Even with my arms out, the jacket looks slimming and flattering.
The lining is 100% cotton, the sleeve lining is 100% polyester and there is no extra padding anywhere on the jacket (eg. on the shoulders).
Oh and it also had snap buttons on the lapels, so they SIT FLAT – I hate it when my lapels curl outwards and catches on my arms and bags.
Sizing: I bought the size XS. I’m 160cm and 45kg, and I’m a pretty standard Size AU6.
A few reviews mentioned that the sizing was small, and that it felt tight across the back and arms.
But I found it to be perfect. I can wear a long sleeve top underneath, and I can hug myself and it stretches nicely and comfortably across my back.
If I wear a t-shirt and a knit sweater, it feels a little tight at the arm holes, and the fit is snug but not uncomfortable.
The crop is just right. It’s not awkwardly short (or long) on me. It sits just above my regular fit jeans, so it looks nice and proportionate on me.
If you’ve been looking for a leather jacket for a while now, this is a fantastic time to buy.
But if you’ve just started to think about it, it’s probably best not to hurry into it. Read reviews, google to look at other photos or other blog reviews. Maybe wait for the next sale.
Remember, if you’re buying from Australia, you have to pay a tax for anything coming in over AUD $1000.
Here are some awesome jackets that qualify for the 25% off discount!
From left to right:
IRO Ashville Leather Jacket – This is one jacket I tried while in Paris! But they didn’t have my size in the store.
Acne Studios Mock Leather Moto Jacket – Oh my mistake! This jacket is excluded from the sale, sorry about that. Looks so good thought, right?
Ganni Biker Jacket – This is the other jacket I was considering to buy from Shopbop. But it didn’t have very much info on the web, and it didn’t have any reviews, so it was difficult to decide on the fit. Those sleeves looked like they would fit me!
From left to right:
VEDA Jayne Classic Jacket – This one looked a bit long in the body and sleeves for me, but a nice one!
Scotch & Soda / Maison Scotch Leather Biker Jacket – This one looks amazing and slouchy. The price made it very appealing.
VEDA Dallas Leather Jacket – I liked the minimal design of this one.
Hope you find something you like. Happy shopping!
xxx
