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8 Tips for Cleaning Your Leather Jacket

Leather jackets are naturally resistant to dirt and debris. While other materials have a tendency to catch and hold dirt and debris, leather has the opposite effect: it repels them. You can wear your leather jacket outdoors without worrying about it becoming dirty. However, it’s still a good idea to clean your leather jacket on a regular basis. Although it repels most dirt and debris, leather — like any material or fabric — still requires an occasional cleaning to preserve its appearance and attractive characteristics. There are a few things you should know about cleaning a leather jacket, though. For some helpful tips on how to clean a leather jacket, keep reading. Check the Care Label The golden rule of cleaning any garment is to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and cleaning a leather jacket is no exception. Different manufacturers use different techniques and material to make their jackets. For specific instructions on how to clean and care for your leather jacket, check the care label. Typically found inside the collar, this label reveals the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning and caring for the jacket. Don’t Place in the Washing Machine or Dryer I know this probably sounds like common sense to most people, but it’s still worth mentioning that you should never place a genuine leather jacket in the washing machine or clothes dryer. These appliances are simply too rough for leather. While washing or drying your leather jacket once or twice shouldn’t cause any permanent damage, doing it on a regular basis can certainly degrade the material and increase the risk of damage. So, keep your leather jacket out...

How to Keep Your Leather Jacket Shiny

A high-quality leather jacket is a smart investment that will offer you countless years of use and enjoyment. It’s soft, comfortable, supple and looks great with a variety of outfits. Best of all, you can wear a leather jacket for formal and casual occasions – something that can’t be said for most other jackets and forms of outerwear. If you’re thinking about buying a leather jacket, though, you may want to follow some basic precautions to preserve its shiny texture. Why Leather Jackets Have a Shiny Texture While there are always exceptions, you’ll probably discover that most leather jackets have a shiny texture. Whether it’s black, brown or red, leather is typically made with a shiny surface that reflects light. There are a few reasons for this characteristic, one of which is protection from the elements. You see, manufacturers often add a polish or finish to their leather to protect it from moisture. After producing the leather, they’ll add a layer of polish or finish to “lock in” the moisture and protect the surface from damage. This layer serves as a barrier of protection, preventing the moisture in the leather from evaporating, while also preventing damage from exterior elements. Additionally, a shiny texture creates a more stylish appearance that many people prefer. You can always identify a new leather jacket by its texture. It usually has shiny surface that reflects light similar to the way in which a gloss surface reflects light. It’s a stunning appearance that enhances the aesthetics of the jacket. For these reasons and others, many men and women prefer wearing leather jackets with a shiny...

7 Fashion Rules to Follow When Wearing a Leather Skirt

With spring fast approaching, there’s no better time than the present to reevaluate your wardrobe. While you can always full-length pants like jeans and trousers, leather skirts offer a fun and flirty alternative for fashion-forward women. Made from the same high-quality leather used to make jackets, they offer the perfect combination of style, comfort, durability and versatility. Whether you are going out to dinner, attending a wedding or engaging in just about any other activity, you can’t go wrong with a leather skirt. However, there are a few fashion rules you must follow to ensure that you look your very best when wearing a leather skirt. Genuine Leather Just because a skirt is labeled “leather” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s made with real leather. Unfortunately, some companies use synthetic materials to make skirts. Known as faux or fake leather, it has a rubbery feel to it and chemical-like odor. While faux leather skirts typically cost less than the real thing, this is a case in which the saying “You get what you pay for” holds true. Faux leather lacks the attractive qualities and characteristics that makes leather such a prized textile. For these reasons and others, it’s recommended that you choose a genuine leather skirt.  Form-Fitting When choosing a leather skirt, consider the way in which it hugs your body. If you want to show off your figure, it’s recommended that you wear a form-fitting leather skirt. As the name suggests, form-fitting skirts sit closer to the skin, thus enhancing and defining your figure. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to choose a skin-tight leather skirt. Rather, choose...

What Color Leather Jacket Should I Choose?

If you’re looking to invest in a new leather jacket, you might be wondering which color to choose. Like most forms of outerwear, leather jackets are available in a wide range of colors. In fact, some styles even feature two or more colors. With so many different colors from which to choose, you may struggle to find the perfect one. With a little bit of planning, though, you’ll have an easier time choosing the right color for your needs. So, consider the following tips on choosing a leather jacket color. Check Your Shoes What do shoes matter when choosing a leather jacket color? Well, a good rule of thumb is to match the color of your jacket with that of your shoes (or any other footwear). If you’re wearing a black leather jacket with brown shoes, the two colors will clash while creating an unattractive appearance. A better solution is to wear black shoes with a black leather jacket. You don’t have to necessarily wear shoes in the same color as your leather jacket, but the colors should compliment each other. Therefore, you should consider your shoes when choosing a leather jacket color. Classic Style As you may already know, the two most traditional, classic colors in which leather jackets are made is brown and black. Some of the world’s first leather “bomber” jackets were designed exclusively in brown. This is because brown is the natural color of most cow hide, thus it’s easier for companies to produce brown leather than other colors. In the years to follow, however, black became a popular alternative, with many men and women...

9 Reasons to Invest in a Leather Jacket This Spring Season

A leather jacket is one of the most versatile styles of outerwear on the planet. With origins dating back more than a century, it offers the perfect combination of strength, comfort, style and warmth. Because of its high insulation value, though, some people assume that leather jackets can only be worn during winter. While you can certainly wear them during this time of year, you can also wear them during other seasons, including spring. In this post, we’re going to explore nine reasons to invest in a leather jacket this spring season. Great For Layering Many men and women enjoy sporting a layered look during spring. As the name suggests, this involves wearing multiple layers of clothing, thus creating a dynamic appearance. Layered outfits provide a more complex and stylish appearance as opposed to a wearing a single shirt or top. You can compliment your layered outfit, however, by wearing a leather jacket. Thanks to their classic style and simple design, leather jackets look great with layered outfits, making them the perfect choice of outerwear for the spring season. Perfect For Mild Weather Leather jackets are also perfect for the spring season’s mild weather. They provide just enough warmth to keep you comfortable without feeling too hot. As we transition from winter to spring, you may no longer need thick, heavy coats. On the contrary, wearing them may leave you feeling uncomfortably hot. A high-quality leather jacket, however, will keep your comfortable throughout the spring season and beyond. When the spring season arrives and you want to stay comfortable, try wearing a leather jacket. This is just one more...

Did you know? Overview of How Leather is Made

From jackets and pants to shoes, handbags, belts, furniture upholstery and more, leather is used to make countless everyday items. There’s a good reason for its popularity: leather offers the perfect balance of style, comfort, strength and versatility. While other materials may have some of these features, they typically don’t have all of them. But turning animal hide into a ready-to-use piece of leather isn’t easy. Leather workers have perfected the process of creating leather over the course of hundreds of years. To learn more about leather and how it’s made, keep reading. In this post, we’re going to explore the steps to creating leather. Sourcing the Animal Skin The first step in creating leather is sourcing the animal skin. By definition, leather is a type of material that’s made from processed animal skin. As you may already know, the most common type of animal from which leather is sourced is cows. Cow skin leather is strong and durable, making it ideal for use in the production of leather. With that said, leather may come from other animals as well, including deer, sheep, lamb, ostriches and even kangaroos. Napa leather, for instance, is  often made from sheepskin. Emanuel Manasse coined the term “Napa leather” while working for the Sawyer Tanning Company during the mid-to-late 1800s. According to Manasse, Napa leather offers a softer texture than other types of leather through the use of tanning agents like alum salts. Today, Napa leather is prized for its superior quality and attention to detail. Preparation Once the animal skin has been sourced, workers prepare it for the tanning process. Being that different...

10 Reasons Everyone Should Own a Leather Jacket

Looking to update your wardrobe with a new jacket? Rather than buying just another generic coat, you should consider investing in a leather jacket. It’s the perfect form of outerwear for all men and women, regardless of age. If you’re still skeptical of buying a leather jacket, check out the following benefits it offers. You might be surprised to learn just how useful a leather jacket really is. Classic Style First and foremost, leather jackets offer a timeless, classic style. They were actually invented more than a century ago, during which World War II pilots wore leather “bomber jackets” to protect against the sub-freezing temperatures of high-altitude flights. Back then, leather jackets were needed for their exceptional warmth, as airplanes lacked the climate-control systems of modern-day aircraft. Even after all these years, however, the leather bomber jacket remains a popular choice of outerwear. Featured in Movies If you’re a movie fan, you’ll probably seen actors and acctresses wearing leather jackets in some of your favorite flicks. Laurence Fishburne, for instance, wore a leather long coat in the 1990s movie “The Matrix,” while Schott Perfecto wore a traditional leather jacket in the action movie “The Terminator.” There are literally hundreds of movies in which actors and actresses wear leather jackets. You can create a similar image by investing in a leather jacket. Physical Protection Another reason everyone should own a leather jacket is because it offers protection from injury. Motorcycle riders, for example, usually wear them for safety purposes. Because it’s made of tanned and processed animal hide, a leather jacket offers a higher level of protection from physical injury...

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Leather Jacket

A leather jacket is a smart investment that will offer countless years of use and enjoyment. Made from high-quality, tanned animal hide, it’s the perfect choice of outerwear for fashion-conscious men and women. However, it’s important to choose the right type of leather jacket. There are dozens of different types of leather jackets, each of which has its own unique characteristics. If you’re planning to buy a new leather jacket, you should avoid the following mistakes. Choosing the Wrong Color What color jacket do you plan on buying? Black and brown are the most popular colors in which leather jackets are made, but they are available in countless other colors as well. When shopping for a new leather jacket, you should consider when and how you’ll wear it. If you normally wear brown shoes, for instance, it’s probably a good idea to stick with a similar brown-colored leather jacket. If you buy a black leather jacket, you won’t be able to wear it with brown shoes (not without looking awkward, at least). Choosing a Button Front When You Want Warmth If you want a leather jacket that’s going to offer the highest level of warmth possible, you should avoid models with a button front. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with buttons on the front of a leather jacket. In fact, many men and women prefer this style. However, it lacks the warmth and insulation properties of leather jackets with a zipper front. If a leather jacket has a zipper on the front, you can close it for maximum warmth and protection from the elements. Overlooking the...

How to Choose a Leather Motorcycle Jacket

Do you own a motorcycle? Well, you aren’t alone. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), more than 8.4 million motorcycles were registered in 2011. Of course, there are certain advantages of riding a motorcycle over driving a car or truck. For starters, motorcycles are more fuel efficient, consuming just a fraction of the fuel used by fuel-sized automobiles. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, motorcycles allow riders to experience an up-and-close and personal method of transportation. Whether you’re riding across town or across country, you’ll experience new sights and sounds when riding a motorcycle that’s simply not found when driving a car or truck. As most seasoned motorcycle riders know, however, it’s important to choose the right riding apparel. Wearing a windbreaker isn’t going to cut it. For maximum protection and comfort, you should consider wearing a leather motorcycle jacket instead. It’s a smart investment that’s guaranteed to pay off in the long run. So, for some helpful tips on how to choose the right leather motorcycle jacket for your needs, keep reading. Stick With Real Leather One of the reasons why leather jackets are such a popular choice of apparel among motorcycle riders is because of their strength and durability. While jackets made of other fabrics and materials easily tear, those made of leather do not. This makes an them an invaluable choice of apparel for motorcycle riders. With that said, only genuine leather jackets offer this unmatched level of strength and durability. Those made of faux leather lack these characteristics, exposing the rider to potential injury. You can expect to pay more for a genuine leather...