Ever owned a suede jacket? Easy to maintain?

glam on the inside

I have a crush on a jacket, but it's pale suede.
If you have owned a suede jacket, I'd love to know whether you found it easy to keep it in good condition.
I'm in Western Australia, which doesn't see heaps of rain, and I plan to only wear it when my delightful but messy children are at a safe distance...
Thanks!

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14 years ago

Shopping

11 replies

Latest reply was from glam on the inside

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Any light colored jacket is difficult to maintain, especially suede. Expect lots of expensive trips to the dry cleaners.

14 years ago

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

it is a really awesome jacket

14 years ago

Anonymous

Probably a pain to maintain, but I'm in love with it!

14 years ago

Barbara

Veteran

I had a suede jacket in a similar color and wore it a lot! Tip: to prevent body oils from staining the neck, ALWAYS wear a lightweight scarf.

You WILL spend quite a lot having it cleaned regularly, but that jacket is GORGEOUS. The color makes it super versatile.

14 years ago

cloud9

Veteran

I have a suede jacket. It is not as light as yours. I have sprayed it with waterproof spray which does help a bit. It does get dirty around the usual areas, like collar/sleeves/pockets. I've heard of 'suede erasers', but have not used them. I've been wearing it pretty regularly and it's held up well. There are other tricks of cleaning as well, like dust baby powder on food/grease stains, etc.

14 years ago

Cilleena

Veteran

Suede is kind of tough to maintain. I have a camel color suede jacket that only gets worn on rare occasions. It still looks great, but I'm a little afraid of it. If you get anything on it, well you can't really get it out without a trip to the cleaners.

14 years ago

celia

Veteran

I love suede jackets but they are very expensive to maintain.Dry cleaning is usually very expensive.
But that jacket is adorable.

14 years ago

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

I've owned two suede jackets in my life: The first was pale like the one you've posted. I was in college and I quickly learned the difference between being able to "afford" it at the drastically marked down sale price, vs. maintaining it in good condition long term. Its life with me ended when a close friend lost control of her leaking ink pen in the seat behind me during a test and I ended up with an angry blue pen smear down the back! My second suede jacket is chocolate brown, and made out of the washable processed suede that Eddie Bauer sells. I've worn and loved it for 7 or 8 years. I think the tips you've gotten above are great. Use scarves, etc. Don't mind a little discoloration at the cuffs and collar -- think of it as "patina." And for the love of god avoid college students and/or toddlers at all cost in that coat! L.

14 years ago

bella

(website)

Veteran

I have a dark green suede jacket that I wore regularly for about 3-4 years. I had no problem with water stains, even though we have a very rainy spring and fall season. Barbara has a good point about the neck stains but other than that I found everything came off easily with a suede eraser that I needed to use only from time to time.

14 years ago

Claudia

Veteran

I love the rich texture that suede adds to an outfit and that jacket is gorgeous. I own three suede jackets in black, camel, and teal. They must be handled with care and are high maintenance, but are wardrobe favorites. If you really want something carefree, then you should probably pass, but I wouldn't let it stop me and would just use good judgment about when and where I'd wear it.

14 years ago

glam on the inside

Active Member

Thank you so much for the helpful advice!
I went shopping for a black leather moto and didn't like any of them as much as I liked this baby. The fact that I wear black tops almost all of the time made the pale colour an appealing prospect.
The jacket is relatively cheap (to buy) but you have given me food for thought regarding the cost of cleaning...
So I think I'll look around for another pale jacket in a hardier fabric, but if none take my fancy I will just go for it - It's cheap enough that I won't feel it's wasted if I only wear it occasionally. I have pretty much zero in the way of autumn/winter outerwear, so I am also hoping to get a black blazer and some cardies that will be my workhorses.
Thanks again for the great feedback!

14 years ago

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