Sorry for the photo dump! I wanted to see if I could get your opinion on this Banana Republic leather moto. I already have two black leather jackets, the Spiegel lemming one with wide lapels that I got for around $25 and wear a lot (9, 13, 18/19, 24) and a streamlined Tahari one that's even older but don't reach for much because it's rather plain (8, 14, 20/21, 25). I've really been wanting a leather moto for a while to add a bit of toughness to my edgy ladylike outfits.
I first tried a Kate Spade one (see finds below) and got it 25% off, but considering it was $900 before the discount it was still pretty expensive. I felt like it was a little too tough looking (ironic that a Kate Spade moto could be too masculine!) and it felt a little thick/stiff and the epaulets stood up quite a bit off my shoulders. It felt a little too costumey on me (in my head this voice kept singing "You know I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it") so I returned it. Now I kinda wish I had kept it for comparison, because it's cropped so maybe it might work better with dresses, and maybe my eyes just needed to adjust, but I had a limited return window so I returned it a couple of months ago and it's sold out now.
Then I found this leather moto at Banana Republic online and I thought I would try it out once it got to the stores, but it sold out right away. I finally found one in stock in Emeryville so I had to drive out there on Mother's Day to get it. I ended up being able to use a 10% off coupon and $50 off $100 in store, so I think it ended up being about $350 down from $450. It's totally sold out now. I've been trying it on with various outfits, but was a little worried because I had posted it with my Catfight Champ thread and someone said it looked too big on me and that I should get a cropped jacket instead. This is a S. I did try the XS when I bought it, but it was too tight in the shoulders and arms and not as comfortable as the S. The leather is very soft and it feels like it fits like a glove. But looking at the pics, I'm not sure if it looks too big on me when unzipped? I am showing some pics of it zipped up, but I hardly ever wear jackets zipped up and honestly I think the zipped up pics make my apple belly look bigger. I took a bunch of pics with different outfits to compare this one with the two others I already owned to see if I could justify adding yet another black leather jacket to my wardrobe. I think I would still keep the other two and use the Spiegel one when I want to emphasize the triangle points (9) and the Tahari to use as a leather blazer for work (8). But I could see the leather moto being my new favorite with most outfits.
For some reason I got a little nervous and ordered a Trouve leather moto (26-28) from Nordstrom to compare, also in a S, but that feels too tight everywhere especially in the arms and stomach, so I probably would need to size up to a M. I went to Nordstrom to try a M. They didn't have the collared moto, but had a collarless Trouve version (29-30). But again the arms were snug (it felt like the thin sweater I was wearing was bunching up in the arms). And I really liked the Banana Republic one more because it had more of the "moto" styling I was looking for.
So, what do you think? Am I overthinking this? Is the Banana Republic leather moto a keeper in terms of fit on my body and in my wardrobe, or should I go for one of the Trouve, or keep looking? Tag is still on, but I'm inclined to snip and keep unless you all think it looks bad on me. Thanks so much for your advice! Oh and 1-5 is my edgy casual luxe look with distressed jeans, Chanel boy and wedge sneakers. I heart YLF (5)!
