How did you decide what color bomber/moto to get? - YouLookFab Forum

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How did you decide what color bomber/moto to get?

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I'm in the process of searching for a faux leather bomber or moto jacket, and I'm curious: what inspired the color you chose?
I've always liked cognac, but those are harder to find. I do like black, but wonder if that may be too harsh or edgy for me. If you picked a brown, what do you do about boots? Do they need to match, or can you wear two tones of brown?
What color boots do you grey jacket owners plan to wear? And same question for cream jackets?
I usually wear black, brown, purple, navy, and grey. A black jacket would work great with the clothing I have, but again, I wonder if it's too harsh. I've tried a few on and I felt I looked like a poser.
Thank you!

Dressing

16 replies

Latest reply was from yublocka

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I found a brown one. I don't wear black, so it was a no-brainer for me. (Plus, I found it for a song) I have chocolate brown ankle boots that I plan to wear with it. I think it's cute to pair different shades of brown together. My jacket is a lighter color than the boots.

Anonymous

I've also been wondering about brown boots with a brown leather jacket and will be watching this thread. If I found the right grey faux or leather jacket, that's the color that seems to go best with my coloring and the color I'd go with.
For the midwest black seems too harsh, too urban unless it's your best neutral.

Maya

Veteran

I like black motos on others, but on me I do think it's too harsh--not the color (I love black), but the personality is just too "tough" for me. That is also the reason I like non-leather (or leather-like) jackets. I think it has to do with personality more than aesthetics for me. The jacket I bought at the YLF convention is black, but it's very non-traditional. It's a knit jacket for one thing, and it's longer and more like a cropped trench. I just need something to soften the look a bit to feel comfortable in it. My other jacket is red and twill, but still unmistakably moto.

shiny

Veteran

I wrote a reply and it got eaten, argh! Trying again....

I also feel like a poser in a black leather jacket. I'm not sure why! This is why I went for the purplish-grey Bebe jacket instead. It's softer. Also, the reality is I already own way too many black jackets (although tweeds, velvets, wool - not leather), so it is good to diversify. The hardware on this new jacket pewter, so I can wear it with gold or silver, browns or blacks. I expect it will be very versatile but we'll see! I think this color would work with all the colors you listed. I am seeing a lot of items in this color out right now - not just coats but tops and purses.

Meanwhile, with my cream AT pleather jacket, I can wear anything, and I mean anything. The only exception is I can't carry my cream purse. I am now convinced Angie is right that cream or white is the most versatile of colors for coats, if you can deal with the smudge factor (and the pleather washes right off with a damp washcloth).

I also have a chocolate brown jacket (AT from a few years back) which got YLF approval. I found I did not wear it much at all last year, as I embraced blacks/grays/white/silver and moved away from browns/khakis/gold (I can wear either, but I look better in the former rather than the latter).

This jacket works *beautifully* with my wine boots - very pretty, rich combo. I also wear with bronze flats, and suede brown boots that are the same color - but since they are suede it works. I don't usually wear it with black boots or shoes though. I guess it would look okay, just have never tried it!

I am thinking these days that more important than the color of the jacket, is the color of the hardware!!! If you wear mostly gold jewelry, make sure the hardware is gold and not silver. If you wear mostly silver, go with silver. Pewter or bronze is a nice in-between that goes with either.

So factors to consider:
1) Hardware & jewelry preference
2) Do you wear a lot of browns and khakis, or more blacks and grays?
3) What color is your hair? (I think cream looks amazing on blondes and those with silver hair... and browns look amazing on brunettes and redheads; black can go with any color hair... but this may be just me - anyone else agree?).
4) What color purse (esp important if you have one special "go-to" purse)
4) Lastly, shoes. Important, but not so much.

Louise

Veteran

I hadn't really thought about colour for mine, i kinda fell into having a tan one because the fit was great. I would happily wear it with black or brown boots as there would be something else in between the two x

shana

Veteran

I bought a brown leather jacket for this fall at NAS (still not sure if I am keeping it) because a) I find the black leather moto jacket a bit too ubiquitous and b) I already have a black motoish (about 5 years old, banded collar, lots of zips but in a heavy weight nylon) jacket

I really would have preferred a dark, charcoal grey or a burgundy/wine moto inspired jacket but with all of my fit issues (petite, short waisted, broad shouldered), beggars can't be choosers so I might just settle for the brown NAS one. I am really liking some of the twill, non-leather fabrications like the one that Maya posted from UO and if I were to get onto the moto trend bandwagon this is the way I would go.

Personally, I think you can absolutely do a cognac jacket with black boots or dark brown (chocolate boots). To me at least, grey seems to call for black boots but it may work with brown - would have to see it to be sure.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

My moto jacket choice was simple: Angie told me to go with brown rather than black, and I wasn't about to argue! But now I'll be watching this thread with great interest, as I hadn't given the shoe/boot question a whole lot of thought. I'm sure the shade I chose would look fine with the burgundy boots I hope to obtain, but will a dark brown work with black footwear? I'm not concerned about the aesthetic with my red and metallic ballet flats, but I am now wondering about the colour of the zips on the coat. Does anyone recall what colour they were?
Thanks for starting this thread, Sarah.

cciele

Veteran

I think one can wear a brown jacket with black boots (or virtually any other color boot). It's not a matter of color matching so much as matching styles and textures and the overall look, I think.

The black moto jacket does have a certain tough personality to it (thanks Maya for that description!). I've always been tempted to get one, but I think it's a little too stereotypical in some of the environments I would be in (e.g., playing in a band). Also, I have a lot of other edgy "rocker" items (boots, purses, cuffs, etc), and a black moto jacket would really limit how I combine those elements.

So for experimentation I've chosen an off-white knit moto jacket (the UO one, Maya!) and also a black moto-style vest. We'll see how those work out Shiny, I'm also becoming a convert to considering cream/white as being the most versatile color for jackets. When I met up with Angie, I told her I wanted to add more white tops to my wardrobe, but then after trying on a few white jackets she said perhaps my white top would work better in jacket form. That was a major revelation to me, that I didn't have to go with the standard white t-shirt or button down to add white to my wardrobe.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

I have black and love it. I figure classic black is the best place to start and then I can branch out. Plus, Angie told me to do it Next, I would love a cream-colored leather jacket, like the ones that Shiny and Inge wear. Maybe in the spring.

Your style is very feminine and romantic, Sarah -- you might be able to pull off the black because it will bring a nice edge to your style. And it would go with everything in your closet, from the sounds of it. But, you have to feel comfortable in it (i.e. not like a poser!).

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Wow, thank you all for your input! I've tried on some fairly edgy styled black jackets, so maybe that's what's turned me off to black.
I did just see this one, and I really like it
http://www.bebe.com/Metallic-M....._rd_t=3901
(in black)
because the hardware is gold (I wear both tones, but I like gold at the moment, although my wedding rings are platinum) and the ruffles make it less harsh to me.
I may try it, along with a brown and cream. I have one more stage to my hair coloring process and will probably wait to make the final decision till then.
Eventually I may get two colors, but I'd rather get one I really love now than two that are just okay. I'm specifically looking for a jacket to go with graphic tees and my cream lace Nanette Lepore blouse. I love the look of dresses with leather jackets, but don't think I have any that would go just yet.
So Shiny, to answer your questions:
My hair is going to be blonde in two weeks (with a sort of cinnamon base, highlighted lighter towards the top in a inverted bob cut)
I wear both blacks and browns. I love brown for casual. My favorite outfit would be brown boots, jeans, and a navy wool blazer. For work, I wear a lot of black, ie: pencil skirts, microcheck pants, etc. But I do have several black blazers and jackets that I could wear for now if I chose to get a brown leather jacket.
I wear both gold and silver, but am in a gold phase right now.
My current go-to bag is white crinkle leather with gold zipper details and hardware. It's my summer bag though, and I really don't have a fall/winter bag yet. The jacket probably won't even be used until October.

taylor

Veteran

If you are going for faux leather ,I say go ahead and get something fun. If you are not going to spend a ton of money, that is the time to step out of your safe color zone
On an investment piece, real leather... I would stick to a neautral color like brown, black, cream.:)

medusa

Veteran

Sarah, I tried on that bebe jacket and it is definitely nice. It's really shiny, more shiny than other jackets I've looked at. I have a couple pictures - if you want to see what it looks like on a non-model person let me know and I'll post them.

medusa

Veteran

I realized that I don't know if your name is spelled Sara or Sarah. Sorry if I messed it up.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Medusa, you got it right! I'm a Sarah with an H, or as we Sarah's say "it's spelled the right way".
I'd love to see photos of the jacket. Can you post them on this thread? Thanks!

medusa

Veteran

Sarah, phew - I lucked out on the spelling.

Here's how it looked on me: not great photos, but you can get an idea.
Unzipped:
http://s605.photobucket.com/al.....MG0368.jpg
Zipped:
http://s605.photobucket.com/al.....MG0369.jpg
Side:
http://s605.photobucket.com/al.....MG0371.jpg

I have really short arms, so don't assume the sleeves will be too long for you. I think it's a very cute jacket, I was just unsure if I was ready to embrace the shininess of the fabric.

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

Medusa did you get the jacket???It looks great on you!!!