FW08: Leather Jackets

It's finally September! I can't believe the clear blue skies and sunshine is about to come to an end so soon. On the bright side, we can now officially focus on our FW08 wardrobe! And the beauty of fall is that you can experiment with different FW outfits without worrying about the snow and freezing to death- yet. The first thing that caught my eye this season is the leather jacket.
No big surprise since it is one of the heaviest advertised looks by high street stores. Bebe went for the typical dark, cool leather jacket look.
While Express mixed the hardcore leather jacket with feminine flirty dresses and prints, creating a look which I absolutely ADORE! Thus I must now go and look out for the perfect leather jacket and floral dress to recreate this look.
First things first. I got to find that leather jacket. Urban Outfitters has this simple one (left) with ribbed trims and Vanessa Bruno Athe has this classic asymmetrical zippered one (right) which I especially love because it looks cute with this black dress (which I have a very very similar one of!) and it'll look very cool with just jeans. The fact that they're both brown makes them all the more interesting.
More ribbed leather jackets from Ted Baker (left) and Top Shop (right). The ribs make them less rock and more toned down and sporty, which is great if you want a softer look. Although I'm not sure about these two. It's usually hard to tell quality with leather until you feel it, but from the LOOKS of these... they don't look of very good quality. And you definitely don't want to look cheap with leather.
So for styles with higher quality, I think it's safe to say that at the >$600 price range these two from Marc by MJ (left) and Vince (right) is good. One is classic biker chic while the other is more toned down and ladylike.
Of course, not everyone can afford the >$600 price range and even though I believe that jackets are my best friends, even I'm not sure they're worth that much (I'd be REALLY sad if I bought a leather jacket of exquisite soft leather and it got SCRATCHED). Thus I have my eye on this Aqua leather jacket I tried on the other day. The quality is not bad and it fits quite snug and well, with a bit of a crop. For $298, I thought it was priced reasonably, in the mid range of the worst and the best. Leather jackets are expensive things after all. Unfortunately, my bargain hunting instincts wouldn't let me buy it until it is at least on some kind of tiny sale. Fingers cross there will still be one left by then!

Image Source: Bloomingdales, ShopBop, Bebe, UO, Vanessa Bruno, Ted Baker and Express