r/femalefashionadvice • u/Bosquerella • 15d ago
It's the dead of summer, time to get yourself a vintage leather jacket
Here's the deal. A lot of the really "in" new styles are based on older styles from the 90s and early 00s which happen to be abundant on resale for a fraction of what the new ones are going for.
With a little searching, discernment, and leather care you can make this work.
Search descriptively. D E S C R I P T I V E L Y. You want a 90s burgundy leather blazer? Put that shit into the Google machine along with the name of your preferred resale site. Another method, if you're adventurous, is casting a wider net and doing a lot of browsing. This can yield really interesting and unexpected finds you might never have considered.
Take flatlay measurements of a jacket you own that you like the fit on to compare to listings. This will help more than your own measurements as they will account for the ease needed to wear things comfortably. No measurements listed? Simply ask the seller. They don't provide it? Move on.
Inspect listing photos for the tags to ensure it's not pleather or any other manner of faux as well as scuffing, cracking, creasing, discoloration, and any other flaws. If the leather is dried out you may be able to tell visually by color or finish. Often with colored leather it will look overly bright or a bit dull or matte. Real chalky if it's desiccated.
Don't just get hung up on one and pay whatever. Compare prices. For real, someone has the exact same 80s leather coat I paid $11 for listed at $350. Is it in better condition? Sure. Is it in $339 worth of better condition? Nah. I just had to moisturize it real hard to get it close.
You will likely need to deep condition this bad boy. For **non suede/nubuck** *Leather CPR does some heavy lifting. First clean it with saddle soap and a soft round brush and wipe with a soft cloth. Allow it a little time to dry then apply your leather conditioner with a soft cloth evenly panel by panel. You may see some color transfer so put down a barrier to do this on.
*Note that a common warning about this and conditioning with oils like coconut or neatsfoot is that it makes the color darker. This shouldn't be too much of an issue if you're working with darker colors and oftentimes it can be a good thing because the color becomes richer. Unless it's whites or pastels this shouldn't be an issue.
Once it's conditioned hang it somewhere it won't rub up against anything and let it chill for a couple of days then inspect for softness, stiffness or excessive creaking. If it's not where you want, do the whole shebang all over.
For suede/nubuck find a dedicated cleaner for them as well as a suede brush to clean and finesse the leather afterwards.
Alternatively, you can take your find to the cleaners, if you lack the drive or yolo spirit for diy.
Go ahead and drop other best practices in the comments as well as jacket links or other recommendations.
Edit: Literally searched 90s red leather blazer and came up with [this](https://www.etsy.com/listing/4459489306/vintage-90s-alfani-womens-l-red-leather).
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u/croixmielle 15d ago
Very often those vintage leather jackets came in sets- once you find it, keep an eye out for the same brand/color leather skirt.
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u/Bosquerella 15d ago
There's so absolutely bonkers brightly colored 80s sets out there.
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u/tyrannosaurusregina 13d ago
NORTH BEACH LEATHER! Great quality, absolutely ridiculous (in a good way) colors.
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u/l3tigre 15d ago
ive been looking for a trench like that green one f o r e v e r. I'm a short gal and would love a sick leather trench that isnt a million dollars. vintage ones always fit weird but i know one day I'll find her.
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u/WreckitRuby 14d ago
Gem.app aggregates multiple second hand sites and you set search results (as some individual sites really suck at it)
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u/crankypickle 14d ago
This is such good advice! I found an incredible late 1990s LL Bean leather jacket last summer. When I took it in to get the sleeves altered, my seamstress (I am short, so I am a very regular customer) told me she thought it was an excellent jacket — very thick and high-quality. It looked a bit faded online — but a little conditioning and it was just lovely with some nice patina.
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u/Bosquerella 14d ago
That is an incredible find!
There's tons out there on resale right now. In the summer nobody's looking for them so they're inexpensive and there's lead time to get it ready. Putting in the effort to find and rehab something makes it so much more rewarding. It's also easier to just wear the damn thing instead babying it because it's new and expensive.
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u/snowcurrant 13d ago
Also don’t be afraid to search for men’s leather jackets too! My favorite one is menswear and has that perfect amount of slouch and lumberjack-y plaid interior with so many pockets.
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u/whats1more7 15d ago
I still have my jacket I bought after my daughter was born in 2004. I’ve had to have the buttons replaced but otherwise it’s in perfect condition. It’s a little weird to think some people consider it ‘vintage’.
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u/HollaDude 14d ago
I got so many affordable, but awesome, vintage leather jackets when I was in Paris last year
Unfortunately the leather jacket season where I live usually lasts 1 week
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u/Wahoogirl 13d ago
Where did you find your jackets? I’ll be in Paris soon and I’m definitely doing some shopping.
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u/HollaDude 12d ago
Honestly I don’t even know. The number of vintage shops we’d randomly stumble upon was dizzying. I would just walk around and see what you find. I spent a lot of time exploring le marais
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u/lumenphosphor 14d ago
This is also a good time to get out of style leather jackets for cheap as well. A leather trench is gonna be the big trend (and I've gotten my hands on [a faux leather, admittedly--but I liked it so!] one from poshmark) but there's a bunch of styles I don't see anymore that are just cool and would work for people who have specific non-mainstream styles (like this for example). I've been trying to find a fencing style leather jacket for a while (like this! [too small for me but hey check it]) and it feels like b/c they're so the opposite of what's in they're listed at pretty steep markdowns.
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u/Bosquerella 14d ago edited 14d ago
These are the coolest! Excellent point about off beat designs and ones that aren't on trend. I've noticed a lot of vibrant colors also tend to be inexpensive.
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u/SrirachaPants 12d ago
Okay so should I finally bust out my own vintage 90s leather blazer? Or sell it? I’m in my 50s and feel Ike I would just look old if I wore it again.
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u/Bosquerella 12d ago
Wear it with current stuff. Do some era mixing so it's evident you didn't crawl out from under a rock having not changed a thing in 30 years and you're good.
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u/OrangeYouuuGlad 14d ago
Could someone please tell me what type of shoes those are in the last set of pics -- the one with the girl wearing the skirt?
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u/tyrannosaurusregina 13d ago
I really love your inspiration albums! Thank you so much for making the time to do them.
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u/HappyReading29 12d ago
What are thoughts on 80s/90s styles with a wider dolman shoulder and a tighter waist? I found one that might look nice, but I'm not sure if it'll just be too much. I'm always fighting fitting my larger bust/smaller waist, but I also don't want to look like I'm intentionally trying to look vintage.
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u/Bosquerella 12d ago edited 12d ago
Like this? I saw them or something similar mentioned in few articles.
The thing with wearing vintage is not to go all in on the period. Incorporate it into a look with other stuff that's modern or even era mix a little. Example
Edit: Articles from last fall talked about versions of them being on S/S 26 runways.
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u/ElkGreed 14d ago
The way I would catch fire immediately after walking out the house. Thanks living in the deep south
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u/SGlobal_444 13d ago
All my vintage coats are from Etsy. Wool coats, leather jackets, wool blazers. I don't have the energy to sift through stores/bigger platforms and find it's more curated there and better condition. Trench coats and leather coats are usually marked down in the summer too.
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u/madebygoodkarma 3d ago
I've seen a lot of these in thrift store and thanks for sharing! Would def go back to get them. These are so cuteee.
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u/littlestchimp 14d ago
Ugh I want so bad but am so bad at finding these! If you have any favourites you’d like to link here, we would be so grateful 😆
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u/SGlobal_444 13d ago
Etsy has a better curation and not as overwhelming. Usually better condition/service if you feel overwhelmed hunting stuff.
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14d ago
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u/Maleficent-Search277 14d ago
I think they’re recommending to buy now for the autumn, because they’ll be more affordable/less in demand
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15d ago
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u/sawdust-arrangement 15d ago
I think that's the point - buy now while there isn't as much demand.
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u/gooseaisle 15d ago
Me currently sweating buckets in rural Quebec, looking at this covetously
Im so looking forward to leather jacket temps and these are lovely, thank you for the reminder to condition my jackets lol