Will buying a +$1,000 leather jacket make people respect me?

So, did you buy this actual one? by Buco?

No, is it the "real" Buco? I assumed that Buco was a historical manufacturer that closed down before I was born.

just shop around at thrift stores dude. i found a jacket that looks very similar to that (without the tacky brown collar) for $30, good condition leather too

Well, Schott Restoration Hardware did some versions based on the Buco (J-100) patterns a few years back, and they're quite good.

As for a 'real' Buco, you'd have to look on vintage forums. You can still get them, but they are at a premium especially if in good condition.

There's nothing wrong with getting an expensive leather jacket. If it's Horsehide, that's premium as opposed to cowhide or goat, so that'll probably be the most expensive.

Just remember that with leather jackets it's ALL about fit. If it doesn't fit you well, it'll look like shit no matter who made it. You can't fudge the numbers like you can with synthetics...leather is unforgiving. If you get it right, it looks like a million bucks. If you get it wrong, it looks like Brenden Fraser.

I'm very anti-leather insomuch as I don't encourage people that know nothing about looking good to go directly to what I consider hard-mode fits.
I don't own any myself and don't intend to get any.

Why are you anti-leather? Is it a moral/ethical objection, or more to do with style and aesthetic? Furthermore, if it's ethical/moral, then do you prefer vege-leather or faux-leather as a substitute?

As you've probably guessed, I very much enjoy leather, and wear it as much as is possible in my daily life. Thus, I'm curious as to your thoughts, as you might have ideas that I've never thought about regarding the material.

I told you why, m8. I'm not telling a fedora who has never put together a good fit in his life to go drop a hefty sum on a leather jacket.
>i'm not a fedora!
I don't care if you are or not, we both know the guys that post all these leather jackets on Veeky Forums now are mostly that.
If they had good fashion skills they wouldn't be asking Veeky Forums for advice about it.

leather is great but suede is better much more versatile and gives a far far better drape than leather check out stoffa. expensive but a fantastic I investment

That's fair. But sometimes, perhaps the rare chance, it can be someone who is new to the world of leather and is actually looking for honest advice. Hence my attitude regarding fit. No one ever told me when I bought my first leather jacket that fit was everything, which is why the jacket wears like a garbage bag. It's super comfy, and I'll never get rid of it, of course, but it looks atrocious...it's more a gentle reminder of what not to do in the future.

For what it's worth, I wish I had someone tell me what we've been discussing in this thread. 1) Fit is key, 2) Buco is a good brand if you can find an original, though Schott has made reissues once in a while, 3) thrift stores can provide jackets in good condition for a good price if you look hard, etc. etc.

I think you're being a little too hard on user though:
>If they had good fashion skills they wouldn't be asking Veeky Forums for advice about it.
Isn't it fair to say that people ask advice on Veeky Forums precisely to learn better fashion skills than they already have? Sure there will always be the ones that simply troll...the daily thread about the Drive jacket is a little suspicious to me...but leather jackets...I'm not so sure. It's an extremely common fashion element, and is hardwired into culture, especially manly culture. It isn't impossible to believe that a young person testing the waters is concerned about dropping 700-1000 dollars on one single piece of clothing, and they want to know if it's really worth it or not.

I'm not giving user advice on leather jackets specifically because I don't want him going out and actually buying one and looking like an idiot.

I usually tell him something like... Go lift a lot of weights, come back when you can lift 1/2/3/4. The reason I do that is I want him to look masculine and have a good V taper, so that future fitted leather jacket actually has a physique to fit around.
Another thing I sometimes do is tell him to go buy half a dozen varied, non-leather jackets and construct good fits around those.
This way if he is still set on the leather jacket he actually has performed some trial and error in regards to what he wants and what looks good on him.
I don't want to tell him anything that looks like "This is a good manufacturer, this is a good model" because then he goes out and buys that and probably looks shit.

And it's all excellent advice, so why didn't you say that before? By giving this advice, the user can at least decide whether or not to take it before making a hefty purchase that he might regret, and everything you say is spot on.

We can't stop people from wearing clothing they like though...and if it makes them look awful, then they alone suffer the ridicule of that situation. Furthermore, as is definitely present right now, fit is very different depending on culture and geography, so once again we may be giving advice that is not applicable to his particular situation.

Perhaps he needs to make a mistake with a leather jacket like many of us have made in the past. Or perhaps he will take the advice he reads on this topic and make sure to get fit, experiment with non-leather jackets that are far more affordable to make a mistake on, and then eventually buy something that works for him. But I don't honestly see how he can do that if we just say, 'fuck off, don't buy a leather jacket'...you know what I mean?

Just trying to be helpful...

>stoffa

how do you even buy it

I don't think anyone takes the advice so I'm probably just going to bully them. Being called a fag on Veeky Forums is way, way better than recollecting white on embarrassment from irl.

white hot*
People used to bully each other into not making bad decisions, on Veeky Forums.
(simultaneously they encouraged each other to make other bad decisions, however)

Well, that's fair too, I guess. Still, they won't understand why their question is being shot down, so they won't reassess the reasoning behind it and perhaps make a better, more informed choice.

I can understand this, if the question is something obviously ironic or in jest. If someone asks whether or not it's okay to for a man to wear a mankini to a Mosque, he deserves as many interesting and ironic answers as possible.

I guess with leather jackets, especially ones like the one OP posted, it seems as normal a question as 'should I go for this style of shoes'. The only issue is in how OP asked the question; will buying an expensive jacket make people respect me. Perhaps he's trying to make an ironic point about expensive clothing and what we usually see on Veeky Forums. Maybe he has seriously low self esteem and is saying it out of self pity...maybe he has money to burn but no friends to spend it with...there are lots of potential reasons.

To each his own.

m2m only

however I also feel that this is not the best place to start if you are new to dressing well

like was mentioned get In the shape you want develop your personal style and then make your investments leave the $1000+ jackets till later

Different user here. Also looking to pull together some outfits, chasing a more aggressive look. I've been looking at a jacket like this and I was wondering what you'd think about a breast and a half leather jacket more designed for police work. Could this go with a more aggressive looking outfit? Or do you think these sorts of coats are going to make it look like a biker gang member no matter what?

Show us your arms and v-taper. Meaning your torso.

It will make some but not everyone in general.

I'm 6'4" with a 44" chest measurement for reference. I'm not a gym rat, but I'm in OK shape. Although admittedly, I would like t bulk up a little more.

The general problem with the double rider jackets (asymetrical zips, belt, traditional collar with buttons or fur or both) is that they make your shoulders look narrow. If you're a stick figure like most rock musicians (due to drug use) it makes your shoulders look slightly wider than normal...but if you're in any way overweight or muscular, it tends to make your shoulders look narrower than they should and your biceps end up sticking out of the sides, outside of the traditional contour line that is usually delineated by the shoulder seam.

If is you, then you can probably go with that jacket, but bear in mind that what you postulated is most likely; that this style will affiliate you in the minds of strangers with either a biker gang, no matter what.

But this takes us into territory that is highly circumstantial. The perception of strangers to your clothing is entirely dependent on your geography. If you live in an area where ONLY biker gangs wear this, then you have to live with that association if you decide to pull the trigger. But for instance, this style is very popular in Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe as well, and they don't associate it with bikers as much as they do with simple 'counter-culture'.

In North America, it's a wide range. If you wear it in San Francisco, you're immediately part of the gay community. If you wear it in New York, you're a hipster wannabe, and if you're in Toronto, you're underdressed. The point is, what do the people around you perceive this jacket to be a sign of?

Great post

Question for you though; you've already got the height and you're not fat. Your bearing will be aggressive just due to your size (unless you live in the Netherlands), so what purpose does a more aggressive style achieve? I'm not asking to be a dick, I'm genuinely curious...are you frequenting places where you want people to give you a wide berth?

The reason I ask is because any jacket in this design, if worn appropriately, usually causes people to simply step out of the way of you, especially if you don't have a soft or forgiving face. Even if you're below 6 feet in height, if you're not smiling and you're wearing this jacket, people will take you seriously. But if you're 6.4...that's getting into Terminator territory....

Thanks user...I take my leather seriously. It's one of the last organic materials we have available to us for use as clothing...and pretty soon they'll find a way to take that away from us as well. If you take care of leather, it'll last a lifetime...and if you choose your fit and design well, then it'll look like it's an extension of your personality. The old saying is that 'you wear the jacket, the jacket doesn't wear you'. Yet another reason to have them custom sized and not buy off-the-rack if you can avoid it. Or, of course, take it to a trusted tailor...they do exist, though leather requires special needles in the machines to deal with the extra load. More random information you didn't really ask for, but I'm drunk, so fuckit.

U don't look like uve ever lifted a weight in your life. 6'4 of pure soy

Possessions have nothing to do with respect.

Yeah pretty much.

If that's the case, then it's the style for you. HOWEVER!!! (here are some thoughts given your priorities)

1) There are a few companies that do this style, and they always give you several options in terms of what hide they use. Don't use a thin hide (like lambskin), use a thick one (like cow or Steer, bison, or ideally horsehide). The price will be steep, but if you fit it right, then it's worth it.
2) The fit is the most important thing; the belt of this style of jacket should sit at your normal belt height on your waist (for me it's about an inch or so just under the very top of my pelvic bones, but for everyone it's different depending on their stature). If it goes lower, the jacket looks too long and cuts your frame...if it's too high, it looks like a matador's jacket. You're looking to fit one layer underneath, not two, so when you're trying them on, only wear a t-shirt underneath, no sweaters or anything. The sleeves ride differently depending on the manufacturer, what company were you thinking of? Also, chest size is different depending on manufacturer; Schotts tend to do better if you size them 1 down, but I've found (as an example) Vansen's tend to wear true for my body type. Also, many companies do custom sizing, so take that into account.
3) last and not least; you're going to want to wear it a lot before you take it to a bar or club. Leather jackets look a little odd when new; they're usually quite stiff, boxy, and shiny, and the last thing you need is for your intimidating exterior to be ruined by looking like you are a newbie. I'm not saying artificially distress the jacket...that's a whole other process that requires a lot of experience to make sure things don't go wrong....but wear it around the house a lot, especially after getting it wet (in the rain or shower), so that it starts to conform to your body shape.

I'm trying to think of other things...is any of this helpful?

I should probably clarify some of this, before I drift off into the abyss of sleep.

1) Thin hides like Lamb are used primarily for fashion leather and fine leather goods; it's inappropriate on a double rider, because you're looking for something that is protective (function, then aesthetic). Steer and Horsehide are the more common and traditional leathers for this, that's why I say go with it and NOT a fashion leather. There's nothing wrong with lamb, incidentally, but it's more suitable for leather coats that go over suits, purses, and other luxury items. This style of jacket is not a luxury, it's a practical coat of armor (before the invention of synthetics).

2) Custom sizing is ideal, actually, unless you're blessed with normal proportions (given that you're 6.4, I doubt this very much). It's a little more expensive, but usually not too expensive. But it's worth it, because if you're going to spend above 700 for a leather jacket, you might as well get it made to your specs. It's a waste of money otherwise, because an ill-fitting jacket is one that will spend more time in the closet than out on the town. Also, given the hardware on jackets (zippers, buttons, etc.) it's usually easier to get it custom made by a company than to have it altered after you get it, so bear that in mind.
3) Wearing in a new jacket is a process that is fun but a little annoying if you're not used to it. The quickest way is to get it wet, and then wear it fully zipped up (not wet on the inside, just on the outside). Some even go so far as to wear it in the shower for a moment. The point is that the leather will bend and crease according to your personal body shape (elbows, shoulders, etc.) and after it dries it'll 'set' to some degree. Now, this is not reparable in any sense of the word, so only do this if you're sure you're keeping the jacket. If you try to resell it after it has significant creases, the value drops for obvious reasons.
Hope that helps.

Not, since most people see a $200 and a +$1000 as the same thing. Only if the person looking at your jacket can identify the certain details (the stitches, lapels, the buttons, the zipper...) about an expensive jacket, then they can go like "oh wow that must've cost a ton". I get compliments on my bikers constantly, and they're just shitty 200-300€ range jackets from Leatherheaven.com

based James