I really ought to be writing, but instead...biker jackets

[popularinthe80s]

Can one be too old.
I'm writing something about feminism. So aware of the absolute irony of this question. But one does worry. Am 50.
Thinking of this kind of thing, at a kinder price:
www.mintvelvet.co.uk/product/Black-Leather-Biker-Jacket/29014

[Terralee]

You are never too old for an item you like.
Or too young.
Biker jackets are a classic & are back in fashion- there is one in a spread in cosmopolitan this month as an example.

The mint velvet one is nice but very expensive.
You can get a real leather one in somewhere like Zara or River Island for half that.
Or a fake leather one really really cheaply that can look good.

Btw there is no law in feminism that says to be equal to a man a woman can't care about her appearance! I'm a feminist, probably not quite radfem though & I'm very feminine & bothered by my looks.

[dontcallmelen]

Never too old, I’m older than you & have four, Sainsburys do a few in the premium range I have a black one under £100.00, M&S also do them & if you can wait a bit hush always reduce biker jackets In the sale, also jigsaw & whistles usually do good sale reductions as do All Saints.

[MoltenLasagne]

An older family friend in her 80s still wears a (very chic) leather jacket. She looks fab in it. I tell her I want to be her when I grow up and she tells me the key is to keep your shoulders supple.

[Ilikecakes]

Mango is your friend. Leather jackets usually around £120 mark. Never too old

[L8Bloomer]

I really like it but I read months ago that they were over now 😥
Obviously you should do what you like but i am careful not to knowingly date myself.

[MolotovMocktail]

L8Bloomer This is my concern too. Wish I’d bought one 10 years ago but I thought I was too fat at the time. Now I am actually too fat, and too old

It seems as though leather bombers/shirts/blazers are more in these days, but am not very fashionable so could be wrong.

[popularinthe80s]

Thank you everyone.

Teralee: Btw there is no law in feminism that says to be equal to a man a woman can't care about her appearance! I'm a feminist, probably not quite radfem though & I'm very feminine & bothered by my looks

• absolutely agree.

MolotovMocktail - superb username. It's confusing, isn't it. I read somewhere else (I think on this board) that blazers are on their way out. I'm often the kind of person who invests in something a month before the trend ends.
But I really, really like a good biker.

[evilharpy]

You're never too old for a leather jacket. Just beware of collarless styles as they can be ageing. The Mint Velvet one is lovely. I have a few (black, tan and cream) from Barneys at Asos which are lovely and a great price. Example here

I do love my All Saints one the most though, it's so buttery soft.

[dontgobaconmyheart]

I don't think age is a factor in this example, or indeed should be at all. I do think they are dated though, and have been for a few years. I retired mine about 3 years ago after previously living in them as they just didn't feel 'cool' on me any more. I'm 32 and grew up with them being 'cool' but I never see younger women in them and my teenage niece thinks they are hideous and definitely parent uniform . I have kept the best one in case they make a return but ditched the rest and haven't reached for the one i kept once, so will probably pass it on if i don't reach for it once autumn hits.

With that all being said i wear several other items i like, that suit me, that are not peak fashion and think anyone else should wear what makes them feel good that they enjoy and like.

[DramaAlpaca]

I'm older than you and I adore my biker jacket. They are classics, so just choose one that's the best you can afford and fits you perfectly. My style is far more biker jacket than blazer, I don't feel like me in a blazer.

[Poppyolive90]

Definitely not too old. I recommend Mango for a reasonably priced one. Try to get one without too much paraphernalia so it won’t date

[popularinthe80s]

@dontgobaconmyheart
(There are some brilliant usernames on here) Gosh, your niece is a hard task mistress.
I've been thinking about a non-leather one so the look is a bit softer.
Something like this:
www.allsaints.com/women/leather/allsaints-unlined-fern-biker/?colour=6412&category=25
Or this, though I would get from a shop purely as I need to return if it doesn't fit
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/All-Saints-Stunning-Green-Lowe-Military-Biker-Butter-Soft-Suede-Jacket-Size-8/283962084886

[Floisme]

I nearly bought myself a good one for my 60th a few years ago and only changed my mind after deciding they didn't suit me as well as I thought (too busy). I think leather is very kind to ageing bodies.

That said, I think the leather biker trend has peaked for now. I'm sure they'll come around again in a few years but in the meantime, they may well go through a spell of looking dated because that's what happens to anything that's in fashion for so long. This might not matter to you and of course it shouldn't. I only mention it because I myself am vain and shallow and it would matter enough to me to not spend a lot on one at this point.

[popularinthe80s]

@Floisme I get the dilemma. That's why I'm thinking suede rather than leather - it's a bit of a gentler look.
I think you have to have a certain panache to carry a black leather biker off. Less to do with age, more to do with bold confidence (which I'm sure all the other posters on this thread have)

[Floisme]

Sorry I missed your latest post and the link. I wouldn't spend a lot on suede as I don't think it would be very hard wearing.
Personally I wouldn't try to soften the look but I'd go for as simple and with as little fussy detail (and that includes the zips ) as possible. And black because iI think the coloured ones will date the most.

[Floisme]

Sorry cross posted. I know what you mean but I think the whole point of a biker is the tough look and I wouldn't mess with that. And I think they!re taking the piss charging that much for suede - it diesn't wear well in my experience.

[popularinthe80s]

Interesting - I hadn't thought of the durability issue. False optimism.

[Floisme]

I do like suede but I've had suede boots and they wore so quickly and so badly that I've avoided it ever since.

[fizzpopbang123]

I agree with Floisme that the leather biker trend has peaked, a few years ago, so if being on trend matters to you, then I wouldn't bother considering the cost. A large portion of the board seem to disagree with this though, and of course if you want one and they suit you, then you should go for it regardless. Age also irrelevant.

They do however have small but significant fit variations though, and my normal recommendation would be to try loads on, then if cost an issue, find on eBay. (They are always on eBay). Mainly whether they are boxy or fitted, and where they hit your waist or hip tends to make a huge difference.

I wouldn't necessarily discount suede, but that makes it a different proposition completely IMO. I'd think of it more in the knitwear level of durability, or occasion rather than every day rotation. Not a jacket you could take off and throw anywhere, not worry about stains etc.

[Srictlybakeoff]

I think leather biker jackets look great. I’m older than you , and prefer to wear what I like rather than what’s in fashion.
I think the mint velvet ones tend to be a bit bulky tho- massimo dutti do a softer leather . I would see it as a jacket that would last years So maybe better paying a bit more

[PerkingFaintly]

OMG I should never have clicked on this thread. I was hitherto unaware of biker jackets as anything other than boxy objects with too much busy bling for my taste.

Now... Oh lord. I do not have £50+ to spend on a jacket. But I would look eleventy million dollars in some of those unfussy, tailored jackets. They're absolutely bloody made for me.

Arrghh! Get thee behind me, tantalus!

[popularinthe80s]

@perkingfaintly, tbh I am finding The Right Jacket more a task for Sisyphus :-)
Also painfully aware this is a great distraction from the writing I'm meant to be doing.
@fizzpopbang, my original aim was for a fitted, short blazer to wear over dresses. These aren't 'in', either, so I couldn't find one. Hence the biker journey. I definitely think ending at the waist and fitted for me, rather than longer and boxy. I have the wrong frame for that one.

[popularinthe80s]

I've found this on eBay. It's so quirky and probably not at all on trend. But it's an interesting All Saints riff on a biker - the green

or there's this one, Levi's - suede - but very unfussy

[PerkingFaintly]

That's the one I saw on eBay too! Thank god it's a size 8 so I can't torture myself resisting it!