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Affordable Men's Style

Replace The Style: This Leather Jacket

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From the Mailbag:  Replacing a stolen leather jacket.

My leather jacket was stolen when someone smashed in my car’s window.  It wasn’t any old jacket, it was my best friend, tailored for me in Istanbul.  Matte black lambskin.  Really subtle.  It didn’t scream “I’m wearing a vintagey leather jacket.” 

The closest thing I can find to replace it is this from J. Crew.  Which is fine if my renter’s insurance covers it completely, but I might be looking more in the $350-$500 range if it doesn’t.  I’ve also looked at the Schott Cafe Racer jacket, which is pretty similar, but might be a bit out of my price range if my insurance doesn’t cover replacement value.

I originally bought the jacket at Pren’s of Istanbul for $350 and the leather quality is excellent.  Part of the reason the prices are so low is that it’s’ common to sacrifice a sheep for Eid al-Adha, the Islamic holiday celebrating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Ishmael.  In Turkey that means something like 4 million sheep are sacrificed on Eid.  That leads to high-quality, relatively cheap leather jackets.  I’d buy from there again, but I won’t be in Turkey any time soon.  Got any suggestions?

– Ben

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Well hell.  At least the criminals who busted into Ben’s car have good taste.  And kudos to him for having renters insurance.  It’s one of those things that plenty overlook or ignore until it’s too late.  This ain’t going to be easy.  But we do know a few things about Ben’s jacket:

  1. It’s Black Lambskin
  2. The collar is a taller than average stand up moto style with a band
  3. Chest pockets on both sides run horizontal
  4. There’s some reinforcing on the shoulders
  5. Price range is $350 – $500
  6. There appears to be no elastic banding on the cuffs or waist (full shot here)

Got all that?  Interesting stuff about Eid and how it can contribute to the lambskin jacket market.  Here’s a few picks that Ben might potentially take interest in.  But let’s harness the power of the Dappered collective (that’d be you guys).  Make sure to add any suggestions you might have in the comments section down below.
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Andrew Marc Hilltop Lambskin Leather Jacket – $206.99
Pretty close.

The Good: Right color, right material, reinforced shoulders, terrific price via overstock, reviews are glowing.
The Bad: Collar could be taller.  Just one vertical chest pocket on the ol’ Y axis.  We need two on the X.
Not really what you’d call an exact match by any stretch, but the price is awfully kind.

 

Andrew Marc Lambskin Moto Club – $347.50 ($695)
Even closer.

The Good: Right color, right material, collar is higher, shoulder seaming/elbow patches give it a reinforced look.
The Bad: Price is creeping up although it’s on sale for half off.
Probably closer than the Hilltop model and has serious potential.

 

Mackage Lambskin Nelson – $390.00 ($780)
Was pushing $800.

The Good: Right color/material, incredible looking, higher collar.
The Bad: Somewhat showy zippers, sizes are limited, it’s a FINAL sale item.
The hell is Mackage?  They’re Canadian, and they’re known for, among other things, trim fitting outerwear.  Could be a winner although not a perfect match.  Final sale is probably too risky.

 

Pelle Studio Lamb Cycle Jacket – $274.99 ($550)
The pockets are right.

The Good: Right color/material, pockets look right, collar looks decent.  Price is better than most.
The Bad: Shoulders aren’t capped like Ben’s, but there is a little extra going on there.
Pretty basic and the two chest pockets are right on.  The collar doesn’t look razor thin, but is it tall enough?

 

Murano San Carlos Faux Leather Jacket – $99.99 ($170)
Not quite. Actually, not at all.

The Good: Murano is a brand that fits trimmer overall, nice looking collar, pockets are right.
The Bad: Wrong color, and, uh… it ain’t leather.
Besides the color being wrong and it being made from polyurethane, well it might be perfect (kidding.)

Five jackets, some close, but none of them a dead ringer.  All right fellas.  To the comments section.  Let our powers combine, put your suggestions down there, and together we might be able to help Ben out…

Comments

  1. Ok, so I ride and have a lot of friends who ride. Are there any moto jackets with some kind of protection, like back,shoulders,elbow pads, that are still styleish.   I’ve seen a lot of really nice Dainese moto jackets that look like nice normal leather jackets. Some even use kangaroo skin.  Or is this topic one of those, cant have them both?

  2. Well this isn’t your jacket from Istanbul, but then again, unless you go back there and acquire a jacket again, you are not going to get the same jacket.

    I have been eyeing up this cafe racer from Shott for some time.  I think it’s the tits.

    http://www.schottnyc.com/products/fabric/leather/mens-retro-cafe-racer.htm

    Cheaper than their other “racer” style jackets.  I like the bronze looking zippers over silver colored zippers anyway.  Sort of keeps it from being a traditional black moto with bikeresque standard silver zippers.

    My logic is this, I would probably wear it more often than any one specific pair of expensive shoes that I own.  It costs about $100-$150 more than my most expensive shoes.  I will own it for the rest of my life, unless some dirt rider breaks into my car and jacks it.  Break bread and spend a few bucks.  Maybe that was just to convince myself to buy a jacket that I haven’t yet been willing to purchase?

    Schott is American!

  3. I’ve been looking for a jacket like this at thrift stores. Never have found one. There are always 50 women’s leather jackets but hardly ever anything in men’s. 

  5. I tried to post this once but it went away, so…preemptive apology if I double post.

    Check out Magnoli Clothier’s made-to-measure stuff.  His closest offering is this (http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/atwood-jacket-by-magnoli-clothiers-custom-made-leather-jackets-p-233.html) and he also offers custom products.  So, you could send him those pictures of your jacket and he would get you closer than any off-the-rack product.  And it’s made to your measurements.  The leather they use is beautiful. 

  6. Josh, thats by far the closest looking (and best looking IMO).  I’ve been looking for a nice leather jacket for a while now and this one might make the cut.  Outside of Ben’s price range.  Might be worth it though.

  7. Unfortunately this jacket isn’t black but for anyone looking for a jacket like this that you can actually use on a motorcycle, I highly recommend British Motorcycle Gear’s Montana jacket…
    http://www.britishmotorcyclegear.com/montana-jacket.asp.  I’ve gotten many complements on it.  Fit is great for the large shoulder/small waist crowd.  Comes with shoulder, elbow, and back armor.  This can all be taken out if you don’t need it.  Arms are longer for when you are learning over on the bike.  Pretty reasonably priced at $400.

  8. Prens Does have a website and a active Facebook page. Have they been contacted for a potential replacement.

  9. I seem to remember Vanson having a line with decent supplemental (not just the leather in other words) protection. 

  13. Love the shoulders on that one.  Seen it plenty of times while going through the Schott site, but totally missed it here.  Great call…

  14. Hey Joe, 

    These jackets might be great for fashion, but I can write you up an article on motorcycle jackets that are both stylish and protective.

  15. Yeah it is a bit pricey, but I figured that it was only a fiver more than the Schott jacket that Ben linked to if he did get the insurance money.

  16. Hey JRok–subject of the story here. I’ve looked at that, and I love it, the problem is I’m concerned I need a large for the sleeve size, but then it’d be a muumuu on me. The advantage of the standard cafe racer is they can make it in a 40L (my suit size) so it has a better chance of fitting me. 

  17. Off topic, but not a fan of any of these jackets. 

    Unless you actually are riding a motorcycle these always seem odd and out of place to me. Kind of like wearing a bomber jacket with the shearling collar and all. Fine if you just got out of the cockpit of an airplane. 

    At least he’s not looking for a leather trench coat…

  18. Some thrift stores churn them out as soon as they get them because they sell them for a couple bucks.  Others charge more, which I personally love because it increases the selection.  I thrifted a pretty decent leather jacket (aside from not being quite as slim fitting as I would like) for around $25 a few months ago.  The store I got it at had about 15 more for men and 30 for women.  I’d rather be picky and pay $30 than pay $5 for scraps.

  20. Thank you so much for this.

    Got any more recommendations? I, too, ride and I’ve yet to find anything I can feel comfortable in on and off the bike.
    Fox Creek leather is awesome but both pricey and not as stylish  in terms of the cut.

  21. I think it’s more in the realm of can’t have all 3. Stylish, Safe, and Affordable. Pick two.

    Somebody chime in if you’ve found all 3. Please.

  23. The best deals I’ve found on motorcycle jackets are from Xelement, available at leatherup.com. I think that is a house brand that they have made themselves, that’s why they are so cheap. I picked up this jacket, http://www.leatherup.com/p/Mens-Motorcycle-Jackets/Retro-Brown-Bandit-Buffalo-Leather-Cruiser-Motorcycle-Jacket-with-Level-3-Armor/97999.html, and I have to say I’m quite pleased considering the price. Haven’t worn it riding yet but looking forward to it. Other than something on super clearance, I haven’t found anything that can come close to those prices.

  24. I bought an Xelement jacket from leatherup and had to return it twice. One had a broken zipper and the replacement had a very large tear where the armor was placed, allowing the elbow pad to fall out on its own. It was a buffalo leather jacket but in a different style than the one you posted. I really wanted to like it but couldn’t get over the QC.

    How’s the fit on the one you bought? Are you happy with the leather and build quality?

  26. Have you considered dropping Prens an email and asking if they still stock it & could ship it to you? http://www.prensleather.com/en/about.aspx

  27. The sleeves are a little long on me but other than that, no complaints. Although all I’ve really done is try it on and hang it in the closet. I sized up like lots of the comments said and got a medium when I usually wear smalls. I also got the matching gauntlet gloves and picked up a pair of boots. I guess only time will tell regarding the quality but if there a minor issues I would think that even paying for repairs would be cheaper than buying a Schott or Belstaff. And while their jackets look great, many of them don’t even include armor. I figure that if I’m going to wear a helmet and jacket, they should protect first and look good second.

  28. I believe you can have the sleeves shortened at the factory, but I can’t recall how to go about it.  I think a rep sent me an email mentioning that.  But for the price of the jacket I would for sure email a rep and get sizes first.  I am spot on at a 32″ sleeve, so I would most likely have them shortened.