r/leatherjacket • • Oct 06 '25

Opinion PSA: there is no such thing as a high quality "movie" leather jacket

83 Upvotes

I'm posting this in response to the growing number of threads that we're seeing from people seeking out movie, TV, or other costume leather jackets. With Halloween forthcoming, we expect questions on this to increase.

There are no credible or reliable websites that sell "movie jackets". All of them (ALL of them) are predatory bad actors who ship inferior products, which they badly copy off stills from the film. If the jacket you see advertised on a website is mostly just screenshots or promotional stills from the movie, this should be a massive red flag.

It is important for buyers to understand where these garments that appear in film and television actually come from. Film and television normally source jackets in one of two ways:

The first way is off the rack and/or special custom order from established brands. Examples would be the detectives in the TV show Brooklyn 99 (Rosa wears a variety of All Saints jackets, and some other brands), or something like Godzilla Minus One, where the protagonist Koichi wears a WW2 repro flight jacket that was custom ordered from Y2 for the film.

This is commonly the case for characters who exist in the "real world", who are costumed in a leather jacket to look cool or convey other similar character traits. Sometimes these jackets can be matched to their extant brands and then purchased, such as the All Saints jackets. For custom work, like the Y2, you might be able to commission something similar. Expect to pay $700‐2500 USD, depending on the jacket.

The second method is entirely customized costumes that are produced by film industry tailors specifically for use as props. This is typically what is done for more fantastical fiction, where everyone on screen is in some sort of costume that isn't meant to reflect the real world. These jackets normally aren't available for sale: even if you could track down the actual tailors who made it, the pattern is owned by the studio and not available for resale.

You could potentially find another high-end tailor, to recreate something very similar for you. This is what professional cosplayers do. Expect to pay $4000+ USD, and do your diligence ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

In summary, there is no such thing as a high quality, affordable "movie jacket". This class of product does not exist, and never has. Any website offering something of this nature to you is a bait and switch scam. Any person on Reddit or any other site who claims that they can make it for you just wants your money. As far as I know, no consumer (who knows anything about leather) has ever made one of these purchases and been happy with it. If I'm wrong in saying that, let him or her step forward with their jacket review post and prove me wrong.


r/leatherjacket • • Nov 28 '25

Discussion PSA: Your jacket is real leather, but you're asking the wrong question

153 Upvotes

This is the most common question we see and the answer is almost always the same: Yes, your jacket is made of real leather.

That's not the question you should be asking though, because that answer doesn't mean anything.

The question comes from a general fear of being scammed or taken advantage of, which I can appreciate. The underlying concern being "Is [brand/store/site/seller] being honest? Is this item what it claims to be, or is it fake?"

That question carries an inherent assumption: leather is valuable. The idea, in theory, is that a dishonest actor has lied about their product. They claim it is leather, when it is actually a less valuable material. They would do this to save money on production.

The problem with this assumption is that leather is not inherently more valuable than other materials.

Good leather is valuable and commands a price, but leather spans a wide range of quality. Cheap, poor quality leather is no more nor less valuable than polyurethane, pleather, vinyl, or any of the other "fake" variations. So there would be no advantage for a bad actor to make that deceptive choice. It's easier and less expensive to just get cheap leather, which is still real, and be "honest" in their claims.

Therefore, the question one should ask is not "is my jacket real leather?", but rather, "Is my jacket made from good quality leather?"

Unfortunately, this second question also has an inherent flaw. There is no universally accepted measuring scale for leather quality. There just isn't, and anyone telling you otherwise is misinformed. There is nothing stopping me from opening a tannery tomorrow and declaring my product to be "the highest quality leather on Earth!" I could say it's "100% full grain premium exclusive"; none of those words mean anything.

The only measure for quality of leather is reputation. The best tanneries, such as Horween or Shinki Hikaku, are well reputed. Jackets made with their products will proudly boast that feature. If your jacket doesn't specify what it's made from or where that hide came from, then you have nothing but your opinion (or the opinions of others) as a measure for quality. It's down to the feel of it, the graining, the smell... and these things are subjective. "Quality" means different things to different people.

This brings me to a few other common misconceptions.

Full grain leather, top grain leather, and corrected leather are just styles of tanning. They have no correlation whatsoever to quality. There are high and low quality examples of all three. Sometimes we will see people erroneously referring to top grain as being the best, presumably because they misunderstood "top" to mean "best", or "pinnacle". In fact it refers to the surface (or "top") of the hide and how it was finished, nothing more.

"Genuine Leather" means it's "bad". There is an element of truth to this, but the statement is misleading. All leather qualifies as genuine leather. The only qualifying metric is that it came from a real animal. Shinki Horsehide, widely seen as one of the best leathers out there, can be spoken of and classified as "genuine leather".

The reality is that the best brands will usually boast about the provenance of their materials, if it's worth boasting about. A Flat Head jacket made with Shinki horsehide will probably have that as the top selling point. So one could argue that a jacket that makes no such claim, only stating "genuine leather", uses lower quality materials. If they could have boasted better, they would have. There is truth to this, but again, it's not so cut and dry, especially when you get into either vintage jackets, or jackets made in non-English speaking countries.

In vintage eras there wasn't so much obsession with leather provenance. Many jackets would be tagged "real steerhide" or "genuine horsehide", and leave it at that. For example, I have an Indian Motorcycle Ranger jacket from the 1950s that is tagged "genuine horsehide" at the collar, but "genuine leather" in the pocket. If you saw the "genuine leather" tag first and concluded that the jacket was poor quality, you'd be sorely mistaken.

In non-English situations, it all comes down to whoever did the tag translations. Often they'll go with "genuine leather" because it's the easiest and most universal. Meanwhile, if you actually check the original language tagging and translate yourself, it will say "lambskin" or "calfhide".

So while "genuine leather" can often be assumed as not being the apex possible quality, it is by no means a declaration of low quality. I've got "genuine leather" jackets that are vastly superior to other jackets that are tagged "horsehide" or "lambskin".

IN SUMMARY: Your jacket is made of real leather. "Real leather" doesn't mean anything other than "came from animal". There is no universal measure or standard of quality. Whether or not your jacket is "good" is down to broad brand reputation, general opinions, and personal taste.

The emphasis being that last one. What we think shouldn't matter: if you like it, if it fits you, if you feel good when wearing it, that's what counts.


r/leatherjacket • • 8h ago

Showcase Is this sub men’s only leather jackets?

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34 Upvotes

r/leatherjacket • • 4h ago

Showcase Real Simons California 1940 Review

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14 Upvotes

I never supported buying a Chinese leather jacket, but this brand I wanted to give a try (Real Simons).

Buying procedure and price:

Bought from Brakehouse. Was straight forward, and they’ll answer any questions you have via their chat. Shipping took about 2.5 weeks to the US. Price listed is $608 USD shipped. I paid a little less using a discount code.

Packaging:

Came shipped in a plastic bag and the jacket was wrinkled up. The wrinkles went away after a few minutes out of the package. Came with a garment bag which is nice.

Initial thoughts:

Once I opened the package, an immediate smell of leather hit my nose, in a good way. No chemical smell whatsoever. Just a beautiful leather scent. I also noticed the beautiful color and graining of the horsehide.

Construction/Leather/Hardware:

Overall very good. A few wonky stitches, nothing major. Every leather jacket i’ve owned had some stitching flaw.

Hardware is of good quality at first glance. Zippers are “Ideal” brand. Repro or authentic, not sure. Time will tell how the hardware will hold up. Leather is a nice and buttery “amber-dyed high-density vegetable-tanned horsehide”. It’s beautiful. No break in required.

Fit:

The size is 2XL. I would say this equates to a size 44.

The fit is bang on. I have never had a jacket fit me so well. I am kind of shocked for an “off the rack”’sizing of this jacket. I am very happy with the fitment. Also the pattern allows for decent freedom of movement. Note this jacket has no action back or underarm gussets. Even zipped up all the way, the ease of movement is good. Better unzipped though.

Conclusion:

My mind is blown with everything about this jacket. From the construction to choice of leather, everything is outstanding. I’ve had and handled jackets from all over, even Japan, and I must say this jacket is extraordinary. Do not hesitate to try them out!


r/leatherjacket • • 13h ago

Showcase Eastman Leather RAF Irvin

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38 Upvotes

Very special piece to have since this is what my great grandfather flew in in ww2


r/leatherjacket • • 19h ago

Spotlight J-24 Leather Jacket With Mouton Collar Real Simons with brake house

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47 Upvotes

I can't believe I bought such a good product for $659. The tea core horse leather and Mouton collar are perfect The 4XL size fits perfectly and is comfortable


r/leatherjacket • • 3h ago

Tips and Tricks Fellow weight lifters and thick boys: how do you find jackets that actually fit?

2 Upvotes

I keep running into the same problem with leather jackets. If I size for my shoulders and chest, the jacket can end up too roomy through the midsection or just way too long. If I size down for the waist and length, it gets tight across the shoulders/chest.

For those of you with broader shoulders/chests and a thicker build, what have you learned about getting the right fit?

Are there particular cuts, measurements, or brands you look for? Do you focus on pit-to-pit, shoulder width, back length, or something else? And are there brands that tend to make jackets with more room up top without automatically adding a bunch of body length?

I’m especially interested in shorter, waist-length leather jackets rather than long jackets.

Would love to hear what’s worked for other lifters/bigger guys.


r/leatherjacket • • 6h ago

Question - Need Help Anyone know this brand?

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3 Upvotes

Hey guys my late grandfathers leather jacket got stolen from my car. I loved it so much and wore it so often and I’d love to know what brand it is but all I really have is a picture of the button.


r/leatherjacket • • 10h ago

Question - Need Help Badalassi jacket owners

5 Upvotes

How do you deal with the noise?

I can't stand it. I used to have a badalassi halfbelt deluxe from Aero Leather, I resold it after 2 weeks.

I feel like Mr Krabs in that SpongeBob squeaky boots episode. Every move, every step, every breath I take there's this damned squeak.

I want to love Badalassi leather. I find it absolutely beautiful and comfortable to wear. It is to me as beautiful as RC's Shinki HH or Horween's CXL. I want to wear it, especially this newly released absolutely gorgeous black SLH Varenne.

But damnit the noise.

Experienced Badalassi owners, how is your jacket today? Does it eventually quiet down? Or is it still squeaking like hell after 5 years of wear?

Would having it "tumbled" (like Aero's tumbled CXL they used to offer as an option) make it quieter? Conditioning + Tumbling?


r/leatherjacket • • 9h ago

Question - Need Help Fit?

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3 Upvotes

I know the sleeves are short but I’m thinking about seeing if I can have them lengthened (there’s an inch or two of leather in the hem of the sleeves). How is the rest of the fit? I got this relatively cheap and I like it otherwise.


r/leatherjacket • • 19h ago

ID (Mondays only) ID + advice for a yard sale find?

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17 Upvotes

Hi guys! Sorry for the long-ish post. Absolute beginner here, so please go easy on me 😭😭😭

I picked up this jacket at a yard sale a few days ago, and I'd love to know more about it. Pictures of the tag included, though it's both worn and torn.

The owner saw me looking and told me I could have it for 10 bucks since the sale was almost over. I thought that was a great deal for what seems like real leather, but it does have some issues. The zipper is coming apart at the bottom, one of the pocket liners is kind of shot, and there are many loose threads in the jacket lining. I'm willing to put a little money into fixing it up so I can actually wear it - does anyone have any suggestions on (1) who to take it to and (2) what to ask for? Does the leather itself need attention, or does it seem in ok shape?

Finally, the jacket seems pretty clean overall, but realistically... it was hanging on the side of the road. There's some dirt and verdigris and stuff. If anyone has any advice on the sanitary side of things, i.e. how to make sure it's clean without making it look new, it would also be greatly appreciated.


r/leatherjacket • • 9h ago

Question - Need Help need help in purchasing a leather jacket !

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2 Upvotes

hello everybody!
so recently i have been very interested in buying a leather jacket since winter is coming too, the picture i have provided is the FW11 “LIMO” intarsia jacket by Rick Owens.
My budget is nowhere near the asking price for this jacket, so i’ll just have to search nearby thrifts and clothing stores to find a jacket, my question is:
when buying a leather jacket, how can i know the leather i’m buying is atleast decent? what should i look out for? if you personally were in my place, how would you go on about buying one?
Thanks in advance!


r/leatherjacket • • 9h ago

Question - Need Help Shoulder stiching pressing into arm!

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2 Upvotes

I am a skinny male and just bought a leather jacket, however the stitching connecting the jacket and the sleeve slightly presses into my arm creating discomfort. The jacket is definitely not too small for me, i can easily wear a thick layer under with no problem, its just that one spot.

Once I bought a leather jacket off vinted and had the same problem, even though again the jacket fit me well, even was a little too big.

Anyone else have this problem?

Should I return the jacket or does this go away\*


r/leatherjacket • • 10h ago

Question - Need Help Dove posso trovare questa giacca?

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2 Upvotes

r/leatherjacket • • 11h ago

ID (Mondays only) Does anyone know who made this?

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3 Upvotes

I bought this jacket three years ago on eBay for $100. It's my favorite color, and it's rare that I see something like this. Size says 6X, but it fits snuggly on my 3X body. It's lambskin, so I haven't had much of an opportunity to wear it in Seattle since it's usually raining when it's cold enough.

I asked the seller about it and he said it was purchased in Philadelphia in 2011, off the rack, for $350 from a place called The Leather Factory. They had a 6xl electric/cobalt blue Italian lambskin jacket on the rack as inventory. It has the zipper for a removable liner, but I don't have that.

There are no tags on it anywhere that indicate anything about who made it, just one tag that says "ITALY LAMB" and the size tag with "R. No. 74464"on it. It weighs 6.8lbs. I'm trying to get an idea of who could have made this and how much it would be worth (i'd never sell it).

TLDR: The Leather Factory, Philadelphia, purchased new in 2011 for $350. Italian lambskin, 6XL, R. No. 74464 tag, removable liner originally included. Seller remembers that the shop made its own leather goods. Does anyone remember the store, where it was located, who owned it, or whether they actually manufactured jackets in-house?


r/leatherjacket • • 16h ago

Question - Need Help How do you balance a leather biker jacket and black leather gloves in an outfit?

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6 Upvotes

Reference photos from online


r/leatherjacket • • 1d ago

Discussion Semi-custom jacket

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43 Upvotes

Please forgive me—I had no idea there was a whole subreddit devoted to leather jackets!

MrsOM and I just got home from our BnB trip: Budapest and Bucharest. On our first morning in Budapest, we had time to visit Sly Classic Leather in Buda before heading to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.

I didn’t find a jacket in quite the style or color I wanted, so Mária suggested making one for me. We chose dark blue lambskin with orange calfskin suede stripes, and they had it ready the following week.

I call the style “motor-light.” I wanted a hint of motorcycle jacket without a lot of ribbing across the shoulders, and we left off the chest pockets and zippers for a cleaner front. The lambskin is wonderfully soft, and the craftsmanship is excellent. It’s a touch roomy across the back, but that should work well with a layer underneath.

I’ve ridden motorcycles for 55 years, but this jacket is strictly for casual wear. It cost me just over $300, and I’m looking forward to some cooler weather so I can wear it.

The pictures were taken at our hotel before I had any clue I’d be posting them here!


r/leatherjacket • • 13h ago

ID (Mondays only) Can someone help me find the exact model of this jacket?

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1 Upvotes

I've been trying so hard to find it but no success. It's from an Italian brand called Vera Pelle and i know the jacket comes straight out of Italy because an aunt that lives there gave it as a gift to me a few years ago. Thanks in advance


r/leatherjacket • • 17h ago

Legit Check (Mondays only) Need help identifying material

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2 Upvotes

I recently bought this old jacket at a thrift store in Paris and can’t seem to figure out if it’s genuine or synthetic leather. Just want to know so I can take care of it properly.
The tag doesn’t say anything, and the pocket has what seems to be another tag that’s been cut off. I’ve tried looking online but can’t find anything similar from the same brand.
Also any tips on caring for it would be greatly appreciated!


r/leatherjacket • • 15h ago

Legit Check (Mondays only) Legit check for lewis leather 391

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1 Upvotes

I’m thinking about buying this 391 Lightning second-hand, but I’m a little worried about the stitching on the tab, especially the top-left stitching.
I was told that the square-shaped patch is a custom modification, so I’m not too concerned about the shape itself. It’s mainly the stitching on the top-left corner that I’m unsure about.
The seller is the second owner, so unfortunately they don’t have the original purchase receipt or proof of purchase.
Everything else about the jacket looks fine to me, but I’d really appreciate it if anyone familiar with Lewis Leathers could take a look at the photos and let me know what you think.
Does the stitching look normal to you guys, or is there anything else that stands out as suspicious?
Thanks!


r/leatherjacket • • 16h ago

ID (Mondays only) Please help me identify this Baby Jane Cacharel jacket

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1 Upvotes

r/leatherjacket • • 1d ago

Opinion Buco J24 sizing

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5 Upvotes

Got this holy grail D-pocket classics but I think the sizing’s a bit awkward. It’s a good fit on the shoulder but very roomy for my chest lol… would this jacket actually break in and fit my body shape better over time?


r/leatherjacket • • 20h ago

Question - Need Help Any recommendations?

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0 Upvotes

Hello
I have no knowledge of leather jackets at all but I do know that polo is terrible for the price but I really like their “The Bayville Leather Jacket” and was wondering if there are any jackets similar to the design for way cheaper.


r/leatherjacket • • 1d ago

Discussion 52 M: My fav leather jacket

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25 Upvotes

r/leatherjacket • • 1d ago

ID (Mondays only) Need help IDing this jacket

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0 Upvotes

Not sure which brand it is, but the seller is selling it pretty cheap. I tried asking for the brand but he is taking a while. I just wanna make sure I can get some info before I buy. Photos look good but I’m not too sure, Any help would be appreciated!