How do I know if this leather jacket is worth the money?

Submitted by Fit-Designer-2384 t3_y9gxya in BuyItForLife

I've been wanting to buy a peplum leather jacket and I found one here but I'm not sure if the website is legit. I did talk to their customer service on what size to get and they seemed helpful and recommended a size for me.

How do I tell if the leather they use is real leather, and good quality at that? It says it's "100% Real Lambskin Leather".

If it's not legit, does anyone know where else I can find an affordable peplum leather jacket? The only other 'good' ones I can find are Alexander McQueen's and I can't exactly shell out $8000.

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Bigdaddygucci t1_it5lfmu wrote

There’s so many leather goods companies that make leather jackets and pants that aren’t designer. Buy from a trusted source and you can trust their label…

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Fit-Designer-2384 OP t1_it5nr0x wrote

I've never bought anything leather before, I'm not sure what sources are trustworthy yet.

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Bigdaddygucci t1_it5nxjz wrote

I’m in la and get jealous of ny having bunch of leather stores. But you can always find online too. Someone gave me a list of recommendations before let me find it and post it for u

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mikeTastic23 t1_it5rijw wrote

I’d do a lot of research on quality leather brands. The vast majority are, for lack of a better word, trash. Unlike a lot of garments, when it comes to leather jackets, or most leather goods, the price usually reflects quality (diminishing returns after about $2k usd) You can’t really get a bifl quality until you reach about $5-700USD. I’m sure there are some that can be found a bit lower, especially if you go second hand.

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TopEmergency1499 t1_it5v5w2 wrote

As you stated. That's pretty accurate. I think you can get lucky with a couple models from aero leathers being sub 600. Definitely diminishing returns after 2000.

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FongDaiPei t1_it8xjxj wrote

Can you share some of your favorite brands master

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TopEmergency1499 t1_it5vg54 wrote

One more thing. You may wanna ask yourself if you'll still like this style in a couple years. With leather and gokd leather at that I personally tend to gravitate towards more timeless styles, something that I'll always like and have a taste for. For the jacket you're looking at I've seen a couple leather peacoats from schott, aero, and cockpit usa.

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TopEmergency1499 t1_it5t948 wrote

So I'm a huge fan of leather, denim, and canvas goods. Primarily for the fact that you pay in advance (jeans might be 250 or jacket may be 800 but both will last for years) I myself enjoy watching something I live in and wear grow with me.

That being said, for leather quality you're going to look for things that are FULL GRAIN leather. It's the highest quality leather that I know. More like the highest grade. Different leather goods come in different leather qualities or grades as I like to call then. You have genuine leather which is basically saying there is just enough leather or leather particulate present for it to be considered "leather" this is cheaper more lower quality and not built to last. You have split hide or split leather which is where the layers of the hide are split so it'll feel more like leather but it's cheaper, lighter, and overall not as durable (however certain types of leather can only exist as split like from different animals). Then you have your latter end which is top grain, corrected grain, and as above full grain. Top grain is decent and affordable, i believe it just contains the top most layers of leather where the underside is split off (if I recall the by product would be suede), corrected grain meaning it could either be top grain or full but certain blemishes or unevenness have been lightly sanded to create a cohesive overall appearance. And then full grain which contains all layers of the hide in which one side will be the "rough out" and the other side will be smooth.

I will live and die recommending full grain leather. More often than not grandads leather jacket was probably full grain, pop's slick wingtip shoes? Probably full grain.

Also a tip I try to stand by when making a purchase of any kind is wording of the product description. If I'm selling you trash then I'm going to convince you that it's great. I'll use appealing words like "high quality" or "luxury leather". The way I see it, if I'm selling a good product and a high quality product and you're looking at buying... chances are you've learned or read about my product and don't need fancy words on my part to convince you of the quality of my product. Most jackets, jeans, and boots I've bought have rarely ever used embellishing words to hype up the product. They usually tend to just state what the article possesses and how it performs. Basically in my opinion expressing confidence in their own product.

Now for a leather jacket, I own a schott and a cockpitusa jacket and both of which are of magnificent quality and durability built to last me for years of adventures.

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Fit-Designer-2384 OP t1_it6cbvq wrote

Thank you! Agreed about your wording tip as well, I think that's one of the reasons why alarm bells were ringing.

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Muncie4 t1_it72ij2 wrote

Despite what is said above, you as a consumer have zero ability to determine what is or is not good leather. Full stop. The only determining factor is a products' history and as stated, Schott and Cockpit USA have a great history of quality. But, sadly, that reputation could turn on a dime.

What to know the real skinny on leather from people that know better than random asshats online? https://nstarleather.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/the-grades-of-leather-hierarchy-youve-probably-read-about-is-a-myth/

The jacket you linked to will probably do just fine. I've looked at leather stuff my whole life and not once ever heard lambskin referred to by any other terms than "lambskin" and never heard qualifiers like top grain, full grain, etc. applied to it. If you like and can afford it, get it. Is it BIFL? Not really as lambskin is naturally a sucky leather in terms of durability but this jacket is obviously a fashion jacket in a suitable leather type and I doubt you'll be wearing this on top of a utility pole.

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couldbeyouornot t1_it7chfs wrote

Lamb skin is very soft and very delicate as far as leather goes. I wouldn’t expect this to be bifl

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Lizten182 t1_itrraix wrote

I would be worried about the inside being polyester tbh. If it’s got cheap liners it’s probably not good leather even if technically real. I bought a jacket with similar description that is real but it’s fairly thin too. It’s going strong 4 years later tho so it’s got that for it

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