It was with surprise that I discovered, a few years ago, a special attraction to the world of motorsport. I’ve never ridden in a karting, I don’t know anyone who does and the biggest motorbike I could ride was a 50cc petrol. However, I find it interesting to see that, every weekend, people risk their lives to take turns at 200 km/h. The movie “Rush” conveys this particularly well. It traces the rivalry between two great Formula 1 drivers in the early 1970s: Niki Lauda and James Hunt. And the film has a crazy atmosphere in the paddock. Seems like a bunch of cool kids like James Hunt, with no fear or failure in sight. Under extraordinary pressure, they always display a wonderful calmness. Obviously, the temptation to imitate them is great. But given that the only track I can compete with them on is bike riding, I’d prefer to stick with that style.

Today I am going to tell you about a famous example of the world of racing drivers. It’s found on the asphalt as much as in the air: it’s the bomber jacket. Finding one of good quality, with a good cut and at a reasonable price is not easy, especially if you want it in leather! So today, we’re testing the Bomber Leather Jacket from James Carrey.

 It is obvious that the temptation to follow them is great. But given that the only track I can compete with them on is bike riding, I’d prefer to stick with that style. Today I am going to tell you about a famous example from the world of racing drivers. It’s found on the asphalt as much as in the air: it’s the bomber jacket. It’s not easy to find one of good quality with a good cut and at a reasonable price, especially if you want it in leather! So today, we’re testing the Leather Jacket from James Carrey.

James Carrey is a brand that was created in the 90s and since 2003 is owned by the USA. Very stylistically marked, the JC as it is called in the United States, offers a wide range of automotive, motorcycle or aviation inspired products. The largest pieces in the world cost from 200 to 700 Dollars. The leather is carefully selected and processed in the most famous tanneries.

Technical Features:

• Model : Flying
• Colours: navy (three other colors available)
• Velvet goat leather
• Ribbed varsity collar
• Ribbed cuffs and waist
• Two external zipped pockets
• Three interior pockets
• Cotton lining , polyester sleeves

Design of Jackets

JC wanted to make it simple and efficient with the flying. And we can thank them for that. The charm of a leather jacket mens is its wearability, its skin imperfections, in short the fact that it is unique! So as long as it’s done correctly it doesn’t need to be overdone. In this case, our flying uses the codes of a bomber classic. However, there are some features that are not always found on this fashion jacket. Pockets, for example, are zippered, where they are often left open, and without flaps.

The collar is ribbed, but the cut is more geometric than usually found, almost forming a “U” around the neck. Finally, the wide selection of colors allows us many combinations. Here, it’s blue (I already have a brown one!), it’s very dark, almost navy, but with a lot of contrast.

The origin of this model lies within. As the brand suggests, the Flying has a “tropical vibe” lining. Monsteras and other exotic plants are lined up inside our bomber. Note that there are three pockets: one with a zipper, one with a button and one single pocket.

Conception

When it comes to designing a leather coat, the most important thing is… the leather! The Flying isn’t my first jacket of this type, I’ve had the element of competition, besides from a competing brand. I give you a thousand, without good raw material, your jacket won’t last more than a season. Even if fast fashion brands have made undeniable progress in imitating animal skins, I strongly advise against them.

It’s better to put a few hundred euros into a jacket that will last you 5 or 10 years than to put a few dozen and start over every year. Even the planet will thank you!

Here we are working with a suede leather. For a little clarification, when we say “suede” leather, it’s a general term that includes two types of leather: velvet and nubuck. The latter is leather sanded towards the grain (outside) for a very fine finish, unlike velvet, which is sanded or scraped towards the flesh. Velvet is a little more common but, well, it remains a visually very beautiful and soft to the touch leather.

On the Flying, the leather is soft and doesn’t crumple when my hand runs through it (unlike my other jackets of the same price). I then do a quick tour of the finish: I don’t see any missed seams, the stitches are regular and the closure doesn’t offer up too much resistance.

Another point to pay attention to on this jacket is the ribbing. If they don’t stop over time and start to loosen, it’s tile. You can have flawless leather if the rubber bands are stretched, it’s gone! The James Carrey isn’t short on priorities.

I don’t remember seeing such thick and dense ribbing on this type of jacket. Side zip, that’s it, it’s solid that was installed! Without swearing by the design of this jacket, the SAB closure (YKK’s USA rival) promises us good use.

Note that this is a single zip and not a double, be careful not to force it too much on the roof! The lining is in cotton and the sleeves are in polyester (which is always more practical for wearing your jacket).

Best Fitting of Jacket

Personally, I like a leather jacket to weigh its weight. In my opinion, it is a guarantee of quality and duration over time to have very thick skin on your shoulders. On this jacket, we are in between. You can feel it on your shoulders, but it’s clearly not a jacket for spending the winter. Nothing too serious, but you have to be aware of it. Where I am a little more disappointed is rather at the level of the sleeves. I’m not a big fan of the feel of polyester on my skin. Especially since it’s a jacket that you can wear with a short-sleeved top. But I also know that as mentioned above, it’s a practical choice: this kind of fabric allows the arm to slide better in the sleeves.

The cut, on the other hand, is very successful. I also appreciate the presence of many interior pockets to store my wallet, my laptop and my keys. I wear the flying in medium, which is not uncommon for me when buying a quality jacket (I’m 180cm tall and 72kg). And I think that the presence of very thick ribbing has something to do with it. The jacket follows my morphology well and I feel confident in this coat which hugs me at the wrists and at the waist. Here, I’m wearing it with a polo shirt and suit pants, but a white t-shirt and selvedge jeans would also work!

Our stylist’s opinion

For this shoot, I chose products in line with a suede leather jacket: retro! Two-dart trousers in light wool , polo shirt and to break up this vintage spirit a bit (no offense to Hugo ), I paired a pair of white monochrome sneakers.