The suede jacket.
Every few years, fashion magazines will come out declaring how suede jackets are the hottest trend out there that season. But truth is, they simply never go out of style – they always have and always will be trendy, and yes, they make everyone look great.
Maybe it’s due to some primal instinct, a psychological fossil ingrained in us from our days of hunting for food and making clothes out of what we couldn’t eat? Who knows. What we do know — with unequivocal certainty — that it makes everyone simply more attractive and desirable to our senses.
Hollywood A-listers have known this open secret for a while (see Ryan Raynolds) and the list of movies in which the protagonist, usually a weathered bad-ass, wears a trusty suede jacket as their key wardrobe item is too long to list.
Even fashion design icons, such as Ralph Lauren, quite openly put these jackets as a key requirement for every man’s wardrobe.
As for the jackets themselves, here are few important things you should know:
- They are perfect for dressing up, dressing down or simply casual wear. You can achieve this by layering the jacket with various shirt, pants and shoes.
- If you take care of your suede jacket, it will last you a lifetime, maybe a few.
- Various leathers are used. The most common are cow & sheep, with sheep suede being usually more expensive (and soft!)
- There are many grades of suede. Which is why some jackets will cost thousands and others can be much more affordable.
- They come in various colours, which is achieved in the leather tanning process.
– common styles: the trucker jacket (sported by the likes of Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman), bombers, and outerwear. They all come with various accoutrements such as as zippers, buttons, clasps, and a large variety of collars.
Here’s a list of some of our favourite suedes:
Officine Generale
Size XS-2XL, $1,730
Orvis
Size XS-2XL, $295
Reiss
Size XS-2XL, $750
Sly & Co
Sizes Small-XL, $365
Todd Snyder
Size XS-2XL, $1,500
Decrum
Size XS-3XL, $179
Ralph Lauren
Size XS-2Xl, $698