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Leather sports coat — yay or nay?

6.9K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  Faust  
#1 ·
I have a number of sports coats, and especially like tweeds. I recently saw a black leather sports coat. I had never really considered this before, but it got my attention.
What do you think of something like this?
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#4 ·
Absolutely not. Only flashy mobsters from the likes of Goodfellas and Sopranos wear those kinds of leather jacket. Real men wear leather flight jackets like Indiana Jones (I have one made by Wested Leather whose founder, the late Peter Botwright, made the actual jackets for the films) and 3/4 length car coats like say James Bond in the Living Daylights or Michael Douglas in Black Rain. Basically, stay away from leather blazers.
 
#17 ·
You make a good point about the greater, more universal appeal of leather flight jackets and Indiana Jone's Temple leathers. Ironically, I have one of each and alas, at a point in my past I also sported a lambskin blazer for several years. The blazer saw respectable wear time, but I feel compelled to admit I felt just a bit too exposed/vulnerable each time I wore that blazer, similar to the mild sense of unease I occassionally experienced wearing a pair of outrageously expensive gator hide western boots that I just felt I had to have. Neither that blazer or those boots remain in my closet at this later date in my life!, but I still have my flight jacket and Indy Jacket. LOL. ;)
 
#12 ·
I like suede. Smooth leather not so well.

Suede is a casual, country choice, but traditional enough that it can be dressed up with a BD and knit tie. Looks great with a turtleneck!

View attachment 74741
I actually have one somewhat similar to this from Orvis. Mine is a slightly lighter color of tan.
 
#20 ·
I have a couple of leather flight jackets, and other lightweight leather jackets that are structured somewhat differently. The more wear and tear on these the better! Both flight jackets have warm linings and can be worn on a winter day, provided the temperature does not get into the sub-zero range. They look great with a sweater and scarf. I even have a pale cream silk scarf which I wore with the flight jacket one lovely Fall day, when a friend took me aloft with him on a small plane he was flying!
 
#21 · (Edited)
Funny you mention that, as I'm planning to possibly venture out tomorrow and have been considering what to wear for plunging temperatures. Back in the day, LL Bean still had some quality traditional items, and I've got a 27 year old goat skin A2 with a mouton collar and thick sheep fleece lining that's very warm. Aside from weighing a ton, should be ideal for tomorrow with a cashmere scarf and tweed cap.
 
#25 ·
Others have offered various names triggered by black sport coats, but I might throw Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park into the mix. If that is a look you like, go for it, but it definitely brings to mind a bit of a counter culture vibe. As for things like flight jackets and motorcycle jackets, I view them as a very different category than sport jackets. They seem to have much broader acceptability. I like the lamb suede jackets like Orvis offers (available only in a 48). I would not use it in a regular sport jacket and tie rotation but think it would be great with faded jeans and western boots.
 
#30 ·
I knew a guy many years ago who wore a very nice black leather blazer. It worked for him, as it coordinated with his whole look (sunglasses, boots, jeans, restored 1970s muscle car). He was a nightclub promoter. I'm pretty sure he was "connected". His name was even "Lenny", or at least that's what he went by.

I think when you have a piece of apparel as iconic as "the black leather blazer" (and it is iconic, immediately conjuring an image), it needs to work with an overall sartorial ecology... that's why it worked for Lenny.

If you can easily just plug the jacket in and GO, then sure, go for it. I cannot. Lenny can (or could... I lost track of him after a mutual friend died.) This forum happens to have a culture which doesn't really accommodate "the black leather blazer" (it's really an example of "street style"), but if you have the right trousers or jeans, the right boots, the right hair, etc. don't let that stop you.

My two cents!

DH