In my recent Danier thread Sveta mentions that she layers UNDER one of her leather jackets, i.e. she wears a jacket beneath it.

Then, Claire mentioned in Makrame's thread that Angie layers OVER her leather jacket, i.e. wears a coat over top.

I'm looking for my first leather jacket now.

The ones I tried in store could NEVER have been layered under in the way Sveta describes. The SA told me that they were supposed to fit very snug. I could fit a long sleeved shirt, maybe a thin knit underneath. I can't imagine wearing a blazer underneath.

Thing is? One of those jackets was EXACTLY the jacket that Sveta wears with a jacket underneath!! What's up?

Meanwhile, in my imagination, I had planned to wear my new leather jacket like a blazer. I happily layer OVER my blazers with my trench or winter coat, just as Angie does. It never occurred to me not to.

However, with the jackets I tried on...while I didn't feel I could layer UNDER them successfully, I also wasn't sure I'd feel great with anything layered OVER them. They felt somehow too substantial for that. As if I'd have been all bulky. As if my arm movements would have been restricted.

So, what is going on here? Are these jackets just not the right weight for indoors? I looked at a few others in the store that might (arguably) have been considered thinner, more "indoor" type jackets. But I did not care for the styles or fit as much as I liked the ones I showed you. And to be honest, the difference in weight of the leather was not that great. It may have been nonexistent. In fact, what really seemed to differentiate the jackets was that instead of collars they had simple stand or mandarin collars so there was no extra overlapping fabric. Otherwise, they felt the same.

I would love your thoughts on this and your experiences, oh, leather experts!