With the leather jacket there are two important measures which have to be considered.
The shoulder width (point 1) is measured by applying a tape measure from shoulder bone to shoulder bone. If the shoulder bone is not palpable, the arm moves slightly up and down and feels the “dimple” that is created. Because in a leather jacket the seam of the chest part of the leather jacket usually falls on the shoulder bones. If this seam does not fit there, then the jacket does not fit perfectly!
Another important measure is the arm length (point 4), which is measured by bending the arm slightly and applying the measuring tape from the shoulder bone, over the elbow, to the beginning of the ball of the hand. This measure is important that the jacket is not too short or too long, but fits perfectly. By the way, you also pay attention to this value when choosing the right shirt.
The third important measure is the length of the leather jacket (point 3), in my and Ben’s opinion there is only one right choice here: hip-length. Because all other leather jackets which go over the buttocks or up to the thighs don’t look very stylish and fall very bulky. I also always associate them with vampire hunters ala Blade, because you only see them running around with a jacket like this. In contrast, hip-length leather jackets look more body-focused and generally more casual.
A high-quality leather jacket can be recognized relatively quickly at two simple points. By the quality of the leather and by the quality of the zippers used. Let’s start with the leather, an important indication whether high-quality leather has been used can already be seen in the structure of the leather. Thus artificial leather is more even, the structure more homogeneous, small irregularities, dots, pores – whatever the leather structure is – are more uniform with artificial leather than with genuine leather.
Furthermore, the seams of the jacket also indicate whether high-quality or rather inferior leather has been used. You can recognize a badly processed jacket by the many seams. Because many seams mean that many pieces of leather were used in the production. Especially with high-quality leather, however, the manufacturers try to use as much leather as possible in one piece, because every waste means waste and therefore costs money.
As already written a further indication for a high-quality leather jacket is the used zippers (point 2). Because to change a defective zipper with a leather jacket can become very very complex and also expensive, therefore one should pay attention from the outset to the fact that these are also somewhat suitable. So it doesn’t help to have a great jacket with great leather, but very cheap zippers, because they cause more problems in the long run than you actually want.
Finding the right color
Before you buy a leather jacket is usually the consideration in the room which color this should have. So there are the classic colors in black and brown, but also more unusual colors such as blue, red or gray. My recommendation is to take a look in your wardrobe before you buy a leather jacket. Then you can ask yourself the question: What basics will I often wear my leather jacket to? On the basis of the answer to this question, you should decide on a colour.
Personally, I only had brown Leather Kilts up to now and drove quite well with them. In my opinion, brown and black are colours that can always be seen. Colours like blue, red or grey are more fashion colours, but can also look good. For my current jacket, the El Paso MA1 from PME Legend, for example, I dared to use a colour other than brown. Below you will find some information about the jacket, detail shots and a short video showing you the jacket in everyday life.
PME Legend was so kind and provided me with the El Paso MA1 for the photos for this article. The El Paso MA1 is a vintage inspired leather jacket made of 100% sheepskin leather. The cut is normal and can be described as hip-length. The leather of the jacket has been treated with a special wax to create a rough look.
