Vêtement · Outerwear
The leather jacket
A leather jacket's quality depends on the hide, how it was tanned and the cut, with most styles coming from military flight and motorcycle jackets.
A leather jacket's quality is in the hide (which animal, which part, how it was tanned) and in the pattern. The main civilian patterns descend from military flight jackets and motorcycle clothing, and both were designed for protection rather than for looking a particular way.
The hide
Horsehide is dense, stiff at first and extremely durable; it creases sharply and develops hard character. Steerhide is heavy and robust, the standard for motorcycle jackets. Calfskin is finer and softer, better for a jacket worn over tailoring. Lambskin is soft and light and wears out.
Weight matters as much as species: leather is measured in ounces per square foot, and a 3-ounce lambskin and a 5-ounce horsehide are different categories of object.
The patterns
| Pattern | Origin |
|---|---|
| A-2 | US Army Air Force flight jacket; horsehide, snap flap pockets, knit cuffs and waistband |
| G-1 | US Navy flight jacket; mouton collar, bi-swing back |
| Café racer | Motorcycle; minimal, stand collar, centre zip |
| Double rider | Motorcycle; asymmetric zip, belt, wide lapels |
| Blouson / bomber | Short, elasticated waist and cuffs |
Fit and break-in
Leather does not give the way cloth does; it stretches slightly across the back and at the elbows and nowhere else. A leather jacket that is tight across the shoulders when new will always be tight across the shoulders.
Buy it close everywhere else. A heavy horsehide takes months of wear to soften and then holds its shape for decades; a soft lambskin is comfortable immediately and is worn out in a few years.
Images
Licences →
En un coup d'œil
Comment c'est fabriqué
Toutes les techniques →
Crédits photographiques 4
- A brown horsehide leather jacket: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- Brown Leather Double Breasted Flight Jacket Belonging to Charles Lindbergh: Photograph · Abercrombie and Fitch · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
- Jacket, Flight, Sally K. Ride - DPLA - 638db2bd0a7f2f4ba570e22386b06c6f (page 1): Photograph · Qual-Craft Mfgs, Sally K. Ride · Wikimedia Commons · CC0
- Hides drying in a tannery loft: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art