Monthly Archives: November 2012

Seraphin Buffalo Leather Biker Jacket – This Paris-based company makes some of the best leather jackets in the world.  Their products are all made by traditional leather artisans in France and they use some of the best leathers in the world.  The owners of Seraphin believe that natural traits of each leather should be showcased and celebrated  and they steer away from artificial finishes.  They are so particular on the natural finishes they would travel to exotic locations such as Sudan, Svalbard and Eritrea just to find fabric sources. This biker jacket is made out of buffalo leather and you can notice the unique grain pattern it has.  Seraphin has been around since 1975 and they manufacture all the leather jackets for Hermès.  This fashion house has to be one of the more underrated ones and I hope people will begin to take notice to their superior quality.

Balmain Full-Grain Leather Jacket – Balmain is always great as their pieces fit very well on smaller set people. Their jackets always fit me very well with the exception of sleeve length. The sleeve length on leather jackets does not bother me too much and would love to add this jacket to my collection. I really like Balmain’s take on the traditional asymmetrical leather jacket as it is cleaner and not as busy as a many.  Whenever I think about biker jackets, I think about the Schott Perfecto and I never really liked the hardware, belt and the number of pockets it has. Balmain substituted those features with two zipper pockets on the sleeve and they also removed the snap buttons on the collar and this creates a much cleaner look.

Rick Owens New Rover Stripped Leather Jacket – This Rick Owens jacket is similar to one which I had a few years ago. The pockets on these jackets are very unique as they extend all the way to the bottom of the jacket. You are to carry a ton of stuff in them without it showing due to the unique drape these jackets have.  The jacket would usually extend to the sides and would hang out giving you a void between the jacket and your body.

Visvim Elmendorf Italia A-2 Cordovan Jacket- I saw this jacket the other day and immediately wanted one. This jacket is modeled off of an A-2 bomber jacket and where originally worn by American Air Force pilots in World War Two.  Instead of the traditional calf leather, Visvim manufactured this jacket out of cordovan.  Cordovan has to be one of the most durable leathers around as it does not take a crease and is waterproof.  I wish that they would have choosen a different cordovan tannery instead of the industry standard, Horween.  This is a Visvim jacket and they usually source their materials from extremely rare sources.  Nonetheless, this jacket is remarkable and the breast pocket feature makes up for the Horween cordovan.

Belstaff Preston Leather Jacket – This English company has been outdated for a long time and none of their products really appealed to me. However, they recently introduced a higher end line which is excellent.  The newer line offers great pieces that resemble the older more classic pieces but have different fabrics and fits. This jacket resembles their classic roadster jacket but is being offered in a dark green leather. The roadster was Belstaff’s iconic jacket for motorcyclists and was usually offered in waxed cotton.  WIth this new line, they have honered their traditions and have created motorcyclist clothing.  Some pieces from the fall/winter collection include leather motorcycle pants, biking boots and roadster jackets in various materials.  Belstaff is a company to keep an eye on.

Leather jackets are usually one of the more expensive pieces in one’s wardrobe. You can easily spend two thousand dollars on one and I feel like it really needs to payoff eventually. One way you can track whether or not an item pays off is by a “costs per wear” assessment. Take the price of the item and divide it by how many times you wear it or plan to wear it. You can track your wear by using TapTrak, a smartphone app which can track the number of wears on a piece of clothing. I recommend getting it if you are going to spend a lot on a piece of clothing. It really puts in perspective the value of your “investment”.