Hey guys, I'm searching for a leather jacket. Uniqlo doesn't have any, so I'm searching for a good one. Any suggestions? Zara has a sale now, and I found a piece I like very much. What do you think? I'm about 170 cm tall.

Hey guys. Recently a post got to the front page of r/malefashionadvice about Uniqlo's new double rider faux leather jacket. I asked if anyone was interested in a review, and 8 of you mofos upvoted me, so now you get a review.

Just a warning, this is my first review of anything so bare with me.

Okay here we go. First and foremost, the album

Fit Pics

And, some flat lays of my suggested fits

Review time!

Let my start of by saying, I've been looking for a double rider leather jacket for while now. I, like many of you here, am a big fan of the SLP aesthetic and want to slowly incorporate some this style into my wardrobe. It's about a hundred degrees F where I live everyday until about mid fall/early winter but I figured I would start looking now.

For those of you how aren't familiar, the double rider jacket that SLP offers is about $4k+. As so wonderfully worn by Mr Aziz Ansari. Of course, quality, construction, design, and material play a huge roll in the differences between these two jackets so I will not even begin to make a comparison between the two. No one is going to be torn in between deciding which one of these jackets they want to buy.

If you want to try out the SLP/leather jacket style and aren't sure if you can pull it off but have enough dedication to shell out $60 for one F/W season, read on! If you are committed to this style and are convinced you will cherish your jacket and wear it year after year, (or if you are an actual biker) this is not be the jacket for you.

The Good

This jacket serves its purpose well. It's minimal and about as non-flashy as a biker jacket can be. It has no epaulets or waist belt which I rather like. It's slim fit and the form is very well cut. The faux leather does not look cheap and does not immediately stand out as fake in my opinion. I am actually surprised at the pictures Uniqlo used on it's website because it makes the jacket look plasticky. I don't wear leather much but I compared it to a rather expensive authentic leather jacket my father has had since the 80s and they aren't too incomparable. Although, I doubt this jacket would last half the amount of time his did! The metal hardware pieces feel heavy and of decent quality. The zipper doesn't get stuck or feel cheap. There is a zipper on the sleeve to allow for more room which is nice. It's cut as you'd expect a biker jacket to be. It sits just at the seat of your pants and the sleeves exceed the length of the body. There are three pockets in the front of the jacket and one hidden between the left breast (very handy).

Sizing

This part was a bit tricky for me. I'm rather lanky at 6 feet tall and 125lbs. I am usually a small but sometimes Uniqlo fits me XS. After about an hour trying on the XS and S variants of this jacket, and asking numerous Uniqlo employees and texting friends in the dressing room for advice, I settled on the S. The XS looked great in the mirror open with a tee shirt. Too perfect, though. I couldn't really raise my arms up and it looked a bit too tight on me when I zipped it up, much less if I wore anything thicker than a tee shirt underneath.

Here are the measurements for size S.

Here is a reference pic for the measurements

Chest (pit to pit): 52 cm

Length: 62 cm

Sleeves (from shoulder to cuff): 88 cm

Waist: 50 cm

Hem: 48 cm

The Bad:

Here is where I am torn. At $60 USD, this is definitely the cheapest jacket I own. After years of buying and throwing away cheap clothes from H&M, Forever 21, etc. and learning about the horrors of fast fashion, I don't really shop for clothes at fast fashion stores anymore. I don't want to get into a debate about ethically sourced clothing. I know it's not easy to determine which brands are absolutely ethical, but I simply try my best. If I really like a piece, I do my research, save up for it or bid on grailed. I enjoy what I buy more and treat my clothes well and they last me longer. While I did find some alternatives on grailed for a few hundred dollars, I just knew I could use that money on basic pieces that I would wear more often. Like I said, this isn't a piece you'd wear every day for years because it's quite bold and it probably wouldn't last you that long. But with a piece like this, that is okay! Fashion trends change quickly. For a statement piece such as this, I wouldn't expect myself to wear it for years either. I invest in pieces that are basic enough for me to wear in a variety of ways.

The Verdict:

It's a jacket. Don't put as much thought into this as I did. If you like the way you look in it and can afford it, pull the trigger! You can be the guy with the cool jacket this season and be the envy of all your friends. If you are committed to this look and want to shell out a bit more for some decent quality leather, maybe look at Sandro or Allsaints. If you are ABSOLUTELY dedicated and have the budget of a decent used car, go directly to SLP and join the coveted ranks of Aziz and Co.

Let me know what you think of the review and pictures! Want me to review anything else? Suggestions? Think this post is absolute garbage? Leave a comment! :)