leather jackets | The Style Guide

Editor’s note: Expect these posts once a week on Fridays — consider this a jumpstart on reading for your weekend downtime. Expect a mix of style and non-style content. For more entries, click here.

Do you ever reach the end of a week and look back at what a whirlwind it was? That was the case for me, starting even as the week kicked off. Live music is a real passion of mine, and in place of my typical Sunday dinner, I bought a last-minute ticket to The Meadows Afterparty — shows following the first-ever iteration of The Meadows Festival, to see an all-time favorite band, The Temper Trap! Talk about an unexpected Sunday night opportunity and a tremendous show, at that. If you get the chance, the group’s new album, “Thick As Thieves,” adds a dash of blistering Southern rock influence to their impressive discography (hearing “Sweet Disposition” live was an absolute treat for a Sunday night!).

That led into another unexpected, last-second opportunity — you haven’t lived until you’ve scrambled to snag a ticket on StubHub for Bastille, the extraordinary pop-rock band who blew up the airwaves with “Pompeii” three years ago. It was a very rare treat to see them play at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, one of my favorite venues in New York City, as part of a special mini-tour preceding a truly global effort in support of their excellent second album, “Wild World.” It was made all the more special by the small crowd (see this video as an example!) and the fact that they played nearly all the way through the new album — soon-to-be hits like “Blame” and “Power” are truly live standouts! Catch them on tour if you get the chance (nudge, nudge). Of course, I took it all in stride dressed for a rock concert. It’s a privilege to be able to catch so many great shows multiple nights a week, especially here in the Big Apple! Please go see Bastille if you get the chance — you won’t regret it! And as to the rest of the week, well, we’ll just have to catch up on all things menswear below. It’s bound to be just as busy of a weekend, as I’m hosting my family up from Florida — look for a full personal style blog post coming on Monday!

So, get this — National Sneaker Day is coming up on October 9th (who knew?) and the folks at Brooks Heritage want to set you up right, namely with an array of colorful, classic silhouettes that they’ve perfected through the decades. Having checked out a pair of the brand’s Chariot Heritage sneakers, I can vouch for their comfort and quality! See how to style them (for warmer weather, admittedly) in this personal style blog post.
Speaking of National Sneaker Day — have you caught wind of the stellar made-in-America partnership between New Balance and Danner? The two brands have teamed up on the American Pioneer Project, one part domestic manufacturing effort and major parts stellar menswear collaboration. First up — the made-in-Maine Danner x New Balance 585, a heck of a premium sneaker made from Horween leather, featuring the kind of silhouette you can wear easily with a blazer and dark blue denim. And thereafter — the Danner Light x New Balance Boot, a hybrid hiking boot featuring New Balance’s signature color palette and a neat blend of materials (we’re talking Horween leather, Cordura mesh and grey suede, to start). Shop ’em now, wear ’em all season!

Although a stylish cardigan is a fall menswear must-have, it’s just as essential to have a closet stocked with other sharp sweaters — like these Jamieson’s of Shetland Crew Knits as covered by Well-Spent this week.
We all love a rugged Western shirt (like the one seen in this #OOTD), right? Well, GQ covered an especially expensive iteration this week — oh, boy.
In need of a new briefcase? Give THE WINGCASE a try — the brand just launched a Kickstarter funding effort for what they’re calling “the smartest briefcase in the world,” complete with a built-in charger and two-in-one functionality via removable compartments. It’s funding quickly, so get on it while it lasts!

Oh, and one last thing — if you need a durable, heritage-quality leather jacket, check out this week’s #OOTD covering a great option from U.S. Authentic, a brand that’s new to the scene but doing things the right way when it comes to stylish outerwear.

That’s all for this week — keep up with this weekend’s menswear looks via Instagram, and in the meantime — stay stylish,

-Beau

Editor’s note: For other What To Wear Today features, head here.

A sold-out style via Taylor Stitch that gets a lot of the details right when it comes to the perfect leather jacket.

While we talked fairly recently on The Style Guide about how to transition your style into fall, there’s one key move that can really help you up your fall style game. In addition to looking for items that incorporate more texture into an outfit — like a thicker watch strap or some roughout leather boots — there’s one piece that adds instant style cred to any ensemble. I touched on the importance of a great fall jacket pretty recently, and when you reach for leather outerwear, it’s a gamechanger. There’s a whole host of styles within that leather jacket family that you can reach for, from shearling coats to more classic racer styles, but one thing’s for sure — a leather jacket is no ordinary piece of outerwear. If you do fancy a substantially deeper dive, head on over to my buddy Barron’s Web site Effortless Gent for a fantastic primer on what sets certain leather jackets apart from the rest; know that for now, it’s a piece that’s dressier than a denim jacket, cooler than a blazer and just as ready for tailored gear as casual wear.

A modern update to a classic style via J. Crew. That’s exactly how your leather jacket should fit.

While some might associate leather jackets with poorly fitting versions of old, a great leather jacket nowadays is cut slim and trim, like your aforementioned favorite blazer. While the style shown at the top from Taylor Stitch has unfortunately been pre-funded and isn’t up for sale, it does a nice job of capturing what you want in your leather jacket. It doesn’t feature too many bells and whistles, unlike some styles. While black leather jackets favored by rock stars and the like can actually be pretty cool, it might not be the best pick to reach for if you want to wear a leather jacket in place of a blazer. No, the best leather jackets are slim, trim and clean-cut. The Wallace & Barnes MA-1 Jacket from J. Crew gets it right. It’s prohibitively expensive, to be sure, but it’s a classic silhouette that can be dressed up with some grey wool trousers or dressed down with dark denim and a henley. If you’re looking to closely replicate that style for far less, grab this number from H&M — but be warned, it’s probably not the highest quality. ASOS also stocks a plethora of leather jacket options, but some look pretty questionable as far as quality goes.

Shearling is also having a moment right now when it comes to leather jackets — it’s another classic tough-guy style that’s gotten a modern update thanks to a slimmer silhouette (and a higher price tag). J. Crew again nails this style with this sherpa-collar number from Wallace & Barnes, yet the price of that one piece alone is enough to make most of us turn and run. And therein lies the difficulty if you decide to go the shearling route — there simply aren’t many cheap shearling options out there. It seems that wool-blend jackets with shearling accents represent a more affordable option (particularly this Golden Bear piece for Club Monaco), but that’s not really why we’re here, is it?

While not technically a leather jacket, this wool bomber from Frank & Oak gets the details right.

So be prepared to pay more if you throw on additional, pricier accents like shearling. Suede presents another take on the classic leather jacket — but like the J. Crew bomber as featured in my latest Effortless Gent piece, there aren’t exactly all that many cheap suede bomber options out there, either (take, for example, this $1,800 Club Monaco jacket). And you know when James Bond steps out in a suede bomber, it’s a costly trend worth watching. Yet, the biggest key when searching for (and styling) a leather jacket still revolves around looking for a sustainable investment. For example, Frank & Oak, whose monthly Hunt Club crates are always a hit, produces what looks like to be a nice leather bomber for about half of what J. Crew charges, although sizes are going very quickly. Some of its wool-and-leather varsity bombers (pictured above) made in partnership with Golden Bear also look to be a very solid bet.

And while a varsity bomber might not be the ideal leather jacket style, it can still be dressed up or down in the same way as a pricier leather piece. Contrasting pieces that add in cold-weather texture, like a knit tie or waffle henley, are going to stand up to the style just fine. The same goes for suede bombers, too.

Stick in the same color family when wearing an edgier moto jacket and you’ll be just like Beckham. Well, maybe not just like him…

And if by some chance you do get your hands on a more classic leather jacket, any number of styling combinations are at your disposal. Try out a crisp moto jacket with solid tee, a la Mr. Beckham, and consider yourself set for a night out on the town. Conversely, you can pair a classic Harrington-style leather jacket with a white Oxford and navy knit tie — that Club Monaco option is pricey, without a doubt, but you get the idea. Rocking a slightly edgier jacket in place of say, a more traditional fall coat is a style move that can really represent a big forward step — picking up a versatile piece of outerwear and being able to pair it with everything from casual to sharp combos is the mark of a good investment. If you shop right, you might end up looking like Mr. Beckham up there.

Do you own a leather jacket? How do you feel about this fall style move?

The Style Guide

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Tag / leather jackets

The Friday Read: Bastille, U.S. Authentic Leather Jackets and National Sneaker Day

What to Wear Today: A Fall-Ready Leather Jacket