Leather blazer

[Ambulance Chaser]

I think everyone is in agreement that leather pants should be reserved for slim female models, but I was wondering what everyone thought of the leather blazer.  Is it a good look or over the top?  And is it versatile enough to justify the expenditure?

 

[LA Guy]

While marginally better than the 3/4 length leather carcoat, leather blazers were over-exposed in the late nineties, and are now a bit cliched, like goatees and silk shirts.

Manton's going to like this next part. I think that just as there is an optimal tie width and jacket length, there are optimal and sub-optimal choices in terms of materials for different clothing articles. Worsted wool, which combines a natural drape with the ability of hold structure, is perfect for suits - cotton and linen, which tend to lose shape and rumple, not so much, despite the efforts of designers every S/S season. Both are, on the other hand, ideal for shirts, because they can conform to the structure of the body. But I digress.

Leather naturally creases after minimal wear, which makes for a great casual look, but makes a more formal garment like a blazer look sloppy. Leather shirts are an aberration not worth discussing. Leather is best confined to belts, shoes, watch straps, and casual jackets.

 

[Mike C.]

I can verify what LA Guy was saying by what I've seen people wearing in NY. While some people are still wearing leather blazers, they are definatly going out of style. If you do feel strongly about buying one however, don't skimp because the cheap ones look really bad.

 

[Abe2]

I think the zippered leather jacket is a must-have. Buttoned blazer-style leather jackets, however, are just eh.

LA Guy, I agree with you about leather shirts EXCEPT for the really lightweight suede kinds. I think those are absolutely beautiful. Calvin Klein had a particularly good one in a very dark olive.

 

[LA Guy]

The shirt is a workhorse. You should be able to roll up the sleeves to do heavy lifting. You should be able to use the tail to wipe the grime off your hands and the sleeve to wipe the sweat off your brow. At the end of the day, you should be able to roll it up and throw it into the laundry. Leather shirts, which need special cleaning, which require that you not move too much to avoid creasing it, which easily stretch and warp beyond repair, are the antithesis of what shirts are meant to do. I have never seen a man completely at ease in a leather shirt.

 

[Abe2]

I think if you want to do heavy lifting etc, you shouldn't wear ANY nice shirt. Nice cotton shirts generally do best with professional laundering anyway. Also, if you have a dark suede shirt, you won't really need to clean it too much. We're talking about style, not practicality. For practicality, nothing beats cotton, really.

 

[LA Guy]

I was trying to make a point about style. I think that the functionality of casual clothes is part of their aesthetic, since much of what we use as casual clothing derived originally from workwear of some sort.

Also, I think that it is difficult for anyone to feel truly at ease in a leather shirt, which must be treated with kid gloves (no pun intended).