let's thrift the leather jacket of your dreams
featuring 30+ links to online secondhand finds for under 150
The other day, my best friend Flo texted me she’s on the hunt for a secondhand leather jacket. And when a bestie calls on trouvé, you deliver!
It’s the perfect reason to write a post about this iconic piece of clothing. Plus, is there a better item to shop secondhand? It ticks every single thrifting box:
it’s much cheaper than getting it full-price
you get to wear leather guilt-free
every imaginable cut and color already exists out there
and, if you ask me, a leather jacket is more beautiful with some patina.
As we ease our way into fall, the timing also couldn’t be better. So without further ado, let’s help Flo find the leather jacket of her dreams (and maybe yours too?).
A little bit of history
But not before a quick history detour! Although, the origin story of the leather jacket isn’t exactly romantic. They were created for military aviators during World War I.
Then in 1928, the brand Schott NYC created the first motorcycle jacket (the "Perfecto"). For decades, this item was associated with rebellion and rock and roll.
It was only in the 1980s that the leather jacket made its way to the runway, thanks to designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Claude Montana.
By the 1990s, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren were incorporating them into their collections, turning the leather jacket into a timeless wardrobe staple.
Some thrift tips
There are a million secondhand leather jackets just waiting for you to find them. So here are some practical tips on how to get searching.
I start with a broad search: “vintage” + filtered on women’s jackets and leather & suede materials. This gives me ideas of brands to start looking at in more detail.
Here’s a shortlist I put together from this method:
Schott NYC (🇺🇸)
Mac Douglas (🇫🇷)
Chevignon (🇫🇷)
Renée Derhy (🇫🇷)
Nannini (🇮🇹)
Gimo’s (🇮🇹)
Preston & York (🇬🇧)
But honestly, the list is endless. You can also just use the brands you usually love to thrift and filter on leather jackets. For example I like to use:
Banana Republic (🇺🇸)
Naf Naf (🇫🇷)
United Colors of Benetton (🇮🇹)
And always check (or ask) for the “genuine leather” label!
30+ secondhand finds for you
Classic, suede, colorful, long, belted: the possibilities are endless. Here are 30 secondhand finds all under 150€, most under 100€, to help you get started.
Classic jackets
Suede jackets
Long leather jackets
Belted jackets
Colorful jackets
Do you already own a leather jacket? Or are you on the hunt? Let me know if you’re looking for something specific, I’d love to help. And send a photo if you end up getting one of the ones above!
Thanks for reading, see you next time :)
— Laure
tried it, found it, love it - so lucky to have a thirft queen (amongst other things) best friend 🫶🏼 thanks trouvé !
Thank you for this - I just started wearing secondhand leather after eight years of being leather-free for ethical reasons and really love you spreading the word about how easy it is to find preloved.