Types of Leather Jackets: A Buying Guide

Few garments have held their place the way the leather jacket has. It has moved through nearly every chapter of modern dress, on pilots in the 1940s, on the silver screens of the 1950s, through the punk and rock scenes that encapsulated attitude, and even now.

A leather jacket is a statement piece. It carries a look on its own, ages into something personal, and tends to outlast whatever else is in your wardrobe.

With leather, the shape is often what defines the jacket. Colour and finish also matter, but the silhouette is what you notice first, and shapes how the rest of the outfit comes together.

Across everything we make at Mutimer, we lean toward cropped proportions rather than the long, fitted cut that you might associate with leather jackets. To us, that shape feels more timeless and versatile to better adhere to modern outfits. Below is an outline of our range broken down by shape, and how to choose the one that suits you.

Most of our current range shares one silhouette. A pointed shirt collar, a straight centre zip, and a cropped, boxy silhouette that sits cleanly over the belt line without swamping you. It takes its inspiration from the mid-century work and riding jackets of those times, and it is the shape we’ve built some of our most signature pieces around. What changes across them is the finish, from clean and new to more worn-in looks.

Black Leather Jacket

The purest version of this silhouette, the classic black leather jacket. Made from full-grain cowhide in a deep black with a slightly cropped and boxy fit. It features inner chest pockets and a YKK two-way zip, finished with an embossed Mutimer collar. It’s our most versatile jacket that reads dressed or casual depending on what sits under it.

Distressed Leather Jacket

The same cropped, boxy shape, put through an enzyme wash that breaks the surface for a worn-in vintage look. An enzyme wash softens and ages the leather, so the jacket arrives already looking lived-in rather than new.

Aged Heavy Wash Leather Jacket

The widest cut in the range, and the warmest in colour. Similar to our Distressed Leather Jacket, it’s enzyme-washed in an aged brown to mimic a rich patina from the start. Built on a slightly wider fit but with the same boxy proportions as the other two.

The sleekest leather jacket we make, the Linea Jacket features cleaner lines, a streamlined body, and that sleek waxy, glossy finish that catches the light where our classics stay matte. It keeps the slightly cropped, boxy fit, with welt front pockets, an inner chest pocket and the embossed Mutimer collar.

It comes in two colours, the first being a Tobacco that’s been twice dyed, finished first in orange and then in black over the top, revealing a more rich colour patina as you wear it. Our second is our signature Bordeaux, which skips the double dye for a deep red colour, for anyone who wants their leather in a more alluring tone.

The Leather Bomber draws inspiration from MA-1 flight jackets of the 1950s and is one of the most popular and versatile styles due to its ability to be dressed up or down. Ours features a ribbed cotton hemband and cuffs that gather the body into that familiar blouson volume. The fit is slightly oversized and cropped for a more relaxed look than our zip-front classics.

If you are deciding between them, consider the shape first. The classics and the Linea share a clean zip-front silhouette while the Bomber is our outlier, with its ribbed hem and blouson volume.

Finish and colour come next, where you may want a more clean, classic look (Leather Jacket, Bomber), already worn-in (Distressed, Aged Heavy Wash), or the sleek reflective nature of waxed jackets (Linea).

Most of the range is slightly cropped and boxy so you may consider sizing up if you’re more used to an oversized look.

Whatever you choose, the construction for our leather jackets is consistent across the range. We use full grain leather to ensure that they retain a lot of the original qualities, and develop a unique character that makes each one feel one-of-a-kind. YKK zips throughout, and embossed logos or morse code detailing to bring a subtle hint that it’s Mutimer. If you want to understand why full-grain matters and how it differs from the genuine leather most jackets are made from, we wrote about that here. A good leather jacket is bought once and worn for years, and we’ve built ours to make sure that stands true.

What should you consider when buying a leather jacket?
Start with the shape, it's what defines the jacket and what you notice first. Once the silhouette is right, finish and colour follow, whether you want something clean and classic, already worn-in, or with a sleek waxed sheen. You can see how each shape and finish plays out across our range.

How should a leather jacket fit?
That comes down to preference, but most of our range is designed slightly cropped and boxy, sitting cleanly over the belt line without swamping you. If you are used to a more oversized look, consider sizing up.

How long does a real leather jacket last?
A good one should last a lifetime. Because we use full-grain leather, our jackets keep the original character of the hide and age into something personal rather than wearing out. Looked after, a leather jacket is bought once and worn for years, and often outlasts everything else in your wardrobe.

Can you wear a leather jacket in all seasons?
Leather naturally suits the cooler months, worn as a layer over a knit or shirt through autumn and winter. In milder weather it works just as well in the evenings, thrown over something lighter once the temperature drops. How far it stretches across the year really depends on your climate, but it is one of the few jackets that always has a place to go.