While leather jackets are available in dozens if not hundreds of different styles, nearly all of them feature either a zipper or buttons on the front. Some leather jackets have a vertical zipper on the front, whereas others have a column of buttons. The purpose of these fasteners is to allow you to open and close the leather jacket. When shopping for a leather jacket, though, you should choose the right type of fastener. So, is it better to choose a leather jacket with a zipper on the front, or should you stick with a traditional buttoned front?
The Benefits of Zipper Front
Many men and women prefer leather jackets with a zipper front because they offer greater warmth than their buttoned front counterparts. With a zipper, you can fully close the front of your leather jacket. The sealed front will then trap your body heat to keep you warm, even when it’s cold outside. All leather jackets are warm, which is one of the reasons why they are so popular during the fall and winter months. By choosing a leather jacket with a zipper front, however, you’ll be fully protected against the cold weather.
Zippers, of course, are easy to use. If you choose a leather jacket with a button front, you’ll have to fasten — or unfasten, depending on whether you are putting on or taking off the jacket — each individual button. It’s not particularly difficult, but fastening each individual button can be somewhat time-consuming. If you choose a leather jacket with a zipper front, however, you won’t have to worry about fiddling with buttons. You can simply zip up or zip down the front.
Assuming you choose a high-quality leather jacket, the zipper can last for many years. Zippers typically don’t degrade, nor do they stop working. Rather, they’ll remain functional for many years.
You can find leather jackets with more than just a single zipper on the front. The Leather Jacket #233 sold exclusively here at LeatherCult, for example, is a premium leather jacket with a unique design of multiple zippers. There’s a standard zipper on the front, but it also features a few extra zippers for various pockets on the sides. If you’re looking for a leather jacket with a unique style, you can’t go wrong with the #233.
If you’re planning to wear your leather jacket while riding a motorcycle, you should probably stick with a zipper front. Zippers create a stronger and more complete seal than buttons. When you’re riding down the road on your motorcycle, air won’t be able to get into your leather jacket thanks to the zipper. These are just a few of the top benefits of choosing a leather jacket with a zipper front.
The Benefits of a Buttoned Front
There are still reasons to consider a leather jacket with a buttoned front. Like zippers, buttons allow you to close the front of your leather jacket. If it’s cold outside, you can fasten the column of buttons to stay warm.
Garments with buttons are typically more formal than their counterparts with a zipper. This same principle rings true for leather jackets. When choosing a leather jacket to wear to a formal event, such as a wedding or black-tie dinner, you may want to stick with a buttoned front for this very reason. With a buttoned front, your leather jacket will exhibit a higher level of formality that’s synonymous with formalwear.
It’s worth mentioning that leather jackets with a buttoned front are easy to wear. All leather jackets feature a classic, timeless style. They’ve been around for over a century, and during that time, little has changed regarding their basic design. Buttons add another level of classic style to leather jackets. With a buttoned front, your leather jacket will look similar to those produced and sold many years ago.
Choosing Between a Zipper and Buttoned Front
As you can see, there are benefits to choosing a leather jacket with either of these front styles. Leather jackets with a zipper front are warm, easy to use, available in unique designs and offer greater comfort when riding a motorcycle. In comparison, leather jackets with a buttoned front are stylish, formal and easy to wear.
Don’t Forget the Quality of the Leather
Ultimately, it really doesn’t matter whether a leather jacket has a zipper or buttons on the front. The most important thing is that it’s made of high-quality leather.
Don’t assume a jacket is made of high-quality leather just because it’s labeled as “genuine leather.” There are varying qualities of genuine leather, some of which are better than others. Split leather, for instance, is a low-quality type of leather that features a split grain. It’s generally used in shoes, though some jackets feature it as well.
Napa leather, on the other hand, is a premium, high-quality type of leather. It’s prized for its super-soft texture, which is attributed to its fine grain. The grain of napa leather is finer than that of nearly all other types of leather. As a result, jackets made of napa leather are exceptionally soft and, therefore, comfortable to wear.
In Conclusion
Leather jackets typically have either a zipper or a single column of buttons on the front. Because they each have their own benefits, there’s really no “best” choice. Some men and women prefer leather jackets with a zipper front, whereas others prefer leather jackets with a buttoned front.
The most important thing is that you choose a high-quality leather jacket in the right size for your body. If you choose a low-quality leather jacket, or if you get the wrong size, you won’t be able to take full advantage of this otherwise classic and versatile garment. So, consider a custom-sized napa leather jacket, such as those sold here at LeatherCult. We offer custom-sized napa leather jackets available in both zipper and buttoned styles.