Leather jackets are among the most common and popular types of outerwear on the market. Characterized by a leather construction, they exhibit a stylish appearance with a superior level of softness and comfort.
If you’ve ever shopped for a leather jacket before, though, you’re probably familiar with their basic designs. Most leather jackets have a basic design consisting of a traditional bomber-style jacket. While there’s nothing wrong with a basic design such as this, there are out-of-the-box designs available as well. To learn more about these alternative designs, keep reading.
Leather Cape Jacket
Also known simply as a leather cape, a leather cape jacket is an alternative design that’s defined by its cape-like appearance. Leather cape jackets are made of genuine leather — just like nearly all other leather jackets. Rather than featuring a form-fitting construction, though, they have a baggy construction that drapes or hangs from your body when worn.
Leather cape jackets receive their namesake from their cape-like appearance. You can toss it over your head to instantly transform your outfit with a brilliant touch of leather. With its baggy construction, a leather cape jacket won’t weigh you down, nor will cause you to overheat during the spring or summer months.
Hooded Leather Jacket
Some leather jackets now feature a hood. Known as hooded leather jackets, they’ve become increasingly popular in recent years. Hooded leather jackets look like most other leather jackets, but they are designed with a hood attached to the back of the neckline, which you can use to cover the top of your head.
With a hooded leather jacket, you can protect your head from the rain, snow, sleet and other elements. If the weather is messy outside, just pull the hood over your head. You don’t have to wear the hood on your head the entire day. Rather, you can pull it off once the bad weather subsides. Regardless, hooded leather jackets offer a fun and fashionable alternative to traditional leather jackets.
Sleeveless Leather Jacket
You might be surprised to learn that sleeveless leather jackets are available. The Leather Jacket #292 sold here at LeatherCult, for instance, has a sleeveless design. It’s still made of genuine leather, but there are no sleeves on it.
With a sleeveless leather jacket, you don’t have to worry about the warm summer weather causing you discomfort. It will leave your arms exposed to the air, thereby keeping you cool. At the same time, sleeveless leather jackets have a unique appearance that distinguishes them from traditional leather jackets. If you’re tired of wearing the same generic-looking leather jacket day after day, you may want to invest in a sleeveless leather jacket.
Cropped Leather Jacket
There’s been a rise in the number of women wearing cropped leather jackets in recent years. Cropped leather jackets, of course, feature a cropped design. In other words, they don’t extend all the way to the waistline when worn. Like other cropped shirts, tops and jackets, they have a partial length. While the length of a cropped leather jacket can vary, most of them only extend to about the navel — sometimes slightly higher — when worn.
Cropped leather jackets are popular during the summer months because they offer a cool and comfortable fit. Since they don’t extend all the way to your waistline, they’ll keep you cooler and more comfortable than other types of leather jackets.
Stretch Leather Jacket
We can’t talk about the alternative and nontraditional styles in which leather jackets are made without mentioning stretch. What is a stretch leather jacket exactly? Stretch leather jackets are jackets featuring a hybrid material consisting of genuine leather and an elastic material.
Stretch leather jackets are still made mostly of genuine leather. Many of them, in fact, are made of over 97% genuine leather. With that said, manufacturers also add a small amount of a separate, more-elastic material to their construction. A stretch leather jacket may contain polyester, for example, or it may contain lycra. Regardless, the elastic material changes the properties of the jacket by making it more elastic.
With a stretch leather jacket, you can expect some of the following benefits:
- Softer texture
- Increased elasticity
- Better fit
- Looks like 100% genuine leather
Two-Tone Leather Jacket
It’s a common assumption that all leather jackets are made in a single color. You can certainly find leather jackets available in a single color; many of them are available in all-black, whereas others are available in all-brown. However, there are other leather jackets that feature two different colors.
Known as a two-tone leather jacket, it’s a stylish alternative to traditional single-colored leather jackets. Two-tone leather jackets typically feature a primary color as well as a secondary color. The primary color is the main color that comprises most of the leather jacket, whereas the secondary color is a more subtle color that enhances the primary color with which it’s used.
Double-Breasted Leather Jacket
Another alternative design for leather jackets is double breasted. Like other jackets, leather jackets can have either a single-breasted or a double-breasted front. While single-breasted leather jackets have traditionally been the most popular, double-breasted are gaining momentum on their counterparts.
Double-breasted leather jackets are defined by the use of two columns on the front. Whether it’s a single-breasted or double-breasted leather jacket, you’ll see buttons on the front. Single-breasted leather jackets, however, only have a single column of buttons. In comparison, double-breasted leather jackets have two parallel-running columns of buttons.
Double-breasted leather jackets have a unique appearance that many people prefer over single-breasted jackets. With twice as many buttons on the front, they tend to stand out while offering a more formal appearance in the process. You can choose either a single-breasted or double-breasted leather jacket; just remember to pick a style that you are comfortable wearing.
As you can see, leather jackets aren’t restricted to a single design. They are available in many different designs, some of which include cape, hooded, sleeveless, cropped, two-tone, stretch and double breasted.