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Are leather jackets good for winter?

We all love a leather jacket and as the cooler weather sets in, the opportunities to don our favourite piece of apparel increases daily. But can you wear your leather jacket all year round? And are leather jackets good for winter?

Do leather jackets keep you warm?

Firstly, let’s put an end to this myth once and for all that leather jackets don’t work when the temperatures plummet. Leather jackets are the perfect jacket come rain or shine, cold or hot. A leather jacket is merely the outer layer.

In the summer a leather jacket comes into its own because it is a cool, breathable second skin that transforms effortlessly from day to night. Whereas in the winter, a leather jacket is ideal because as it is a second skin it is windproof, and if treated correctly, waterproof too.

Just don’t forget to dry your jacket properly when you come back inside again. The last thing you want is to put away a leather jacket wet - the leather won’t thank you for that oversight.

Are leather jackets OK in the snow?

As mentioned in our many previous articles about maintaining leather jackets, when you take care of your leather jacket properly, it can last you a lifetime. And wearing a coat out in the snow shouldn’t stop you from wearing your favourite leather jacket.

If you’ve treated it properly beforehand, and if you treat it properly when you come in from the cold, a leather jacket is the perfect jacket to wear in the snow.

What to do with a leather jacket when it’s been snowing

• Dab the water/melted snow off the jacket. Don’t rub the wet leather.
• Hang the leather jacket up somewhere to dry where the air can circulate around it. Don’t throw it in the tumble dryer or hang it next to a radiator, neither of these options work well with leather.
• Rub leather conditioner into the dry leather as exposure to water draws out the leather’s natural oils. It’s important to replace them, to prevent the leather cracking.

Delving further into the idea that leather jackets keep you warm, let’s turn our attention to a couple of ways a leather jacket will keep you toasty this winter.

1. Leather is breathable

OK, so we touched on this briefly before. Leather is incredibly breathable thanks to its hydrophilic properties. Meaning that as we sweat throughout the day, the water evaporates from our skin. If you’re wearing non-breathable garments, that sweat gets trapped between the layers of clothing and your body, leaving you damp.

Leather doesn’t do that. Leather simply absorbs the water and dissipates it later.

This dissipation of our sweat makes leather jackets the perfect jacket to regulate our body temperature because the leather stops us from getting cold and damp, nor hot and sweaty.

2. Layer under the leather jacket

Leather jackets work perfectly when layered with warmer layers. Meaning you don’t need to invest in a padded or quilted jacket to keep you warm in the winter months. All you need is to make sure you’re wearing enough layers underneath to keep the heat in.

A good combination of layers to keep warm is: a base layer ie a merino top, a second layer ie a chunky jumper for example, and an outer layer ie the leather jacket. This is a tried and tested combination that traps the warm air all around your body.

How to wear a leather jacket in winter

We touched briefly above how to layer a leather jacket, here are a few more ideas to help keep you warm this winter.

• Opt for oversized. Sizing up on your leather jacket means there is ample space beneath it to wear plenty of thick layers.
• Make your base layer merino. Not only is merino a natural fibre, but it doesn’t smell, even after you’ve spent all day sweating into it. Seriously.
• Accessorise your leather jacket. Wrap up with a chunky scarf, colour coordinated gloves, and go crazy with a vibrant hat. The point is, be warm, and wear your leather jacket.

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