September 8, 2012

Like Shannon, I went out to buy undies this afternoon. While at the mall, I popped into Cleo to try to pick up the portobello pencil skirt she bought. But they are totally sold out.

42 Comments

Suz replied 11 years ago

Ack. Having posted these I realize the pics are not terribly helpful to you. I don't know if I can buy and get proper picks and then return.
replied 11 years ago

Very nice! When I read on your other thread that you were born strawberry blonde, I thought, 'this changes everything'! I would call that first jacket a brown. There doesn't seem to be enough grey in it to make it taupe, BUT it looks very good on you (and now we know why). The collar is fun, funky, and I love how it comes to a point in the front when zipped. The red is a no-brainer accent color for you. I like it too!
replied 11 years ago

I really like both of them, Suz! The first one looks way better on you than the model. I also am jazzed to see the second one, because I have been eyeing it on the website for ages!

My vote would be for 1.
DeclawedJaguar replied 11 years ago

The first one is so cool! The collar frames your face and neck beautifully. I also like the inverted V-shape bottom. The red one is very nice, but not as dramatic as the brown one.
replied 11 years ago

Oh, online, Cleo has a $3 shipping promotion, and the skirt is showing as still in stock. I ordered some stuff online as my Cleo didn't have it, and I could return to the store no prob.
Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

Agree with Ceit - Cleo has a great shipping and return policy. If the skirt is available online, I would order and then you can return to the store if it doesn't work.

I tried on that first jacket in black when I was looking - isn't that collar cool? I love the fit and shape of the first one and suspect it would be more versatile than the other colour.
rae replied 11 years ago

Suz, I love you in leather! #1 also looks brown on my monitor, but I still like it on you, and I think this style is much more special and architectural.
merwoman replied 11 years ago

hmmm - I think #2 fits you better than #1. I find (to my uneducated eye) that #1 seems a little long - it might be ok with jeans - but maybe not - I'd like to see where the point ends up. I do like the colour of #1 - the taupe is very pretty on you.
replied 11 years ago

Suz, did they have 1 in the denim colour in store? I am curious to see what shade of blue it actually is, especially as the "red" they claim 2 is on the site doesn't look it at all!
Suz replied 11 years ago

Thank you all! I will check Cleo online!

As for the jackets - it IS sort of brown, but IRL it reads much more "greyed" than full on brown; it doesn't look at all like the online colour, which appears much more reddish.

It is quite cool, isn't it? I am tempted, especially at the price.

To be honest, I think the red/pink one is a lot more flattering to my complexion IRL. The taupe/brown/teak - whatever it is is GOOD, but the raspberry is sort of great. But you can't tell from these pics.

And I like other aspects of the taupe one better. Alas!

More cogitating...
replied 11 years ago

Do they have the blue? Maybe that is the answer! :)
Suz replied 11 years ago

Ceit, do you mean #1 or #2? Actually...they had only ONE of #1 (in this colour, obviously, LOL) and jacket #2 they had only in brown and so-called "red." I'll bet the denim colour is gorgeous, but I'm not buying blue for sure. YOU, however, might want to look into that! :-)
Suz replied 11 years ago

OH - reason I'm not buying in blue - most of my bottoms are blue, I have a blue blazer, I have two blue denim jackets....

Since I'm building up my "base" wardrobe, for now, no need to repeat a blue topper, unless it's a very special patterned one. I think denim wouldn't work as well with jeans.
replied 11 years ago

Ha, I might just do that...have to visit my sister in TO, so hoping to get to a Danier as we have nothing here.
Angie replied 11 years ago

The brown jacket looks too snug, but the red jacket looks much better. I prefer the red on you too!
Suz replied 11 years ago

Thank you, Angie! The brown one feels a bit more snug but they assured me it totally gives in an hour or two, and I tend to believe them because I could feel it relaxing even as I was wearing it. Both did this, actually.

I'm debating still. It's quite a lot of cash, but a beautiful piece.

The one thing I'm not crazy about with the red one is the cuffs. It has these sort of buttoned cuffs along with the zipper. You can unbutton, unzip, and scrunch a bit and then
you re-button the cuff part. The only thing is, you can't really scrunch further because of the darn cuff. I mean you can only scrunch as far as it rebuttons on your arm, or else you have a flopping button tab thingie. A bit odd.
replied 11 years ago

Oh no. The dreaded flopping button thingy. IKWYM!
MNsara replied 11 years ago

I really like #1 for its unique hemline, for theway you shaped the collar around your neck, and for its neutral color. If you're looking for a taupe jacket, this is pretty good! It has the depth of a brown without all the warmth of brown.

If you really think it will stretch to conform. . . I'd think you would want at least thin layers able to fit under it.

I DO prefer the fit of #2, but here you've gotten away from your purpose of finding a taupe leather jacket.
Vicki replied 11 years ago

Am I the mare this time with the brown? The red just said "yes" no questions asked and I'm for the red in a hot second. It was a definite. I love this jacket on you and I prefer the red. You just shine in the red. Enough said.
Sveta replied 11 years ago

The first jacket is the one I have so I should be biased - but I LOVE the red on you. WOW! Good grief, you should go and get it NOW if you have not done it yet!
Actually this jacket is an outher-wear (#1) so it should not be snug. Fitted but not snug. I can layer a jacket under mine. Is it your regular size? Can you try a size up?

1
Suz replied 11 years ago

Sveta, I am so glad you chimed in - I was hoping you would! I couldn't remember if this was your jacket.

No way I can layer anything under that baby. I mean besides a shirt.

How can you actually tell whether they are meant as inside or outside wear? This felt quite thin and insubstantial to me. I mean, I wouldn't wear it TODAY...but I could have worn it as a blazer substitute, which is sort of how I imagined it.

But I couldn't layer a jacket under the red one, either. A JACKET?? You mean a jacket like a blazer?? I can't imagine that with either one of them.

I fear, if I get a jacket that will allow me to layer, it will be WAY too big in the shoulders and especially the arms. They would be far too long. So if that is what I am after, Danier's not my maker.
MNsara replied 11 years ago

I can't see layering another jacket under a leather jacket, but I, myself, would want to be able to wear longsleeved tops and shirts under it, and probably fine gauge knits.

I wouldn't be able to fit chuny knits under anything except outwear.

Is that how you think you might use it in fall and winter?
replied 11 years ago

I think these types of "in between" leather jackets can be worn either way. You buy snug if you intend to wear as a blazer or a tad loose if you mean to layer. It's whatever decision you make when purchasing. I could be wrong, however.
Suz replied 11 years ago

I was envisioning wearing it as you suggest, Sara. So I'm astonished to hear Sveta layers a jacket underneath! I layer jackets under my wool and puffer coats, but it never occurred to me to layer a jacket under a leather jacket. And I surely could not do that with either of these!
Suz replied 11 years ago

Thank you, Zap! That is helpful. It's sort of what I thought based on how they felt, but I wasn't entirely sure. I still wouldn't put a jacket under, though.
Elly replied 11 years ago

I love the red one-- unless the leather is super heavy I think layering a shirt or thin sweater is sufficient. In your climate the leather should be a spring/fall/indoor piece like a blazer, that you can put a coat over in the winter.

Only doubt------ is it too similar in color to your winter coat? Don't you have other pink/red jackets/coats?

Unexpected with a bit of edge and gorgeous color on you.
Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

I love Danier - the products and the service - but that is one problem I've had with their jackets Suz. On us petite ladies, it's hard to find a style that isn't too long. Just something to keep in mind for future reference - if you find a jacket you like but they don't have the colour or your size in store, you can call their toll free customer service number listed on their website and speak with an SA and order it. The shipping is reasonable as I recall and they send directly to your home address - it arrives in about a week. If the item doesn't work out, you can return it to a store.
replied 11 years ago

I get so claustrophobic layering thick over thick, I hesitate to even wear a blazer under my coats. I sometimes just carry the blazer in my bag. Believe me, I do understand. It's a matter of preference and individual comfort too. I run hot so layers can and will suffocate me.
Sveta replied 11 years ago

I have not seen the red one but for the teak one: the leather is substantial. For me it spells outerwear: it would be too warm indoors. I think mine is not as snug as yours. For comparison this are my indoor blazers which I like to be a snugger fit.
Yep, I can wear a blazer under this jacket but it does not look big on me. I also think it is cut more generously than some other jackets: it is the same size as my asymmetric one but fits very differently. I think Danier jackets are cut pretty generously in the shoulders and slim in the body - and this is why they fit me so well.

1 2
Makrame replied 11 years ago

I just posted on my leather jacket thread how much I like both of these on you! Can't help with the choice between them, they both look great to me.
Suz replied 11 years ago

Sveta, this is SO interesting!! Our perceptions are totally different.

To me, this leather did not feel "substantial." Of course, I had nothing to compare it with except the other jackets in the store, most of which (including the red one) felt MORE substantial. So I thought, of the brown jacket, "Oh. Sort of an indoor/outdoor jacket."

Meanwhile, I found it cut much tighter than most of the others I tried, particularly in the shoulders. And ALL the jackets were snug in the shoulders on me. They fit....but only just. They didn't feel roomy in the body, either, but then I was wearing a very small, snug size in both.

I put on the next size up in the red jacket and the SA thought I was swimming in it. I had to agree. It was just too big.

Hmm. Maybe I just do not fit the product except as an indoor jacket, and maybe I need to go to Toronto to see the other options - lighter weight indoor type coats.

Thank you so much for weighing in.

Thank you also Shannon. Shannon, how did you discover the one you eventually bought? Did you have to try on lots of styles? Kingston does not have a huge selection, but it's not tiny, either.
velvetychocolate replied 11 years ago

I just typed out a reply, detailing why I'd vote for the red...

Lost my post (posting from hotel room is why!).

Love the red on you - the colour is amazing, and I think you should get the raspberry red jacket, hands down. Gorgeous on you! Much better than the taupe/camel-ish one.

You can't go wrong with this softened-up red jacket. As a fellow blonde, I sometimes find that the so-called neutrals aren't always the default, 'best option' for me - in many cases, it turns out that an actual colour looks way better. And although I don't have a leather jacket (yet!), last year, I ended up buying a teal, tweedy-looking winter coat. Not camel, not grey, not navy, not black...and yet, the colour looks much better on me than the usual neutrals do.

I think that's what's going on here too - the raspberry red looks incredible on you and I don't think you'd regret buying it at all.

Hmm...I just remembered that you have a fabulous red winter coat - and I could see why you might want a different colour for a leather jacket. Still though...if it comes down to a choice between these two - definitely the red.

Hope that helps, and doesn't confuse too much. :)
Suz replied 11 years ago

Sveta, I hope you come back ... I just looked at the pics blown up of your jacket - it is true it fits much looser in the shoulder than the one I tried on. I couldn't try a size up in that because they didn't have it, but I can't imagine I'd have been able to layer under even at a size bigger. Or two sizes bigger, for that matter! It would then have been far too long in the arms for me as well, and also in the body. This was the size that was the right length and "fit" the shoulders (very snugly) at the shoulder point. Although Angie is right - the brown was more snug than the red and I thought perhaps TOO snug, too, although the SA (of course!) assured me not.

Well, no decisions yet.
Sylvie replied 11 years ago

Hi Suz! I have lots of opinions. :)

Both jackets look good on you but I'm not too fond of the first color. I would hold out for that perfect taupe.

Danier is willing to order in jackets to be shipped to your store for you to try on. They did that for me. What shows up as in stock online does not necessarily match what is available in store. The teal blue jacket I tried on in store shows as not available online. Contact them and give them a list of the styles and colors you want. Don't limit yourself to what's in stock in your local store.

The second jacket you tried on comes in a Navajo and Grey colorways as well. I think you should try them out in case one is your "perfect taupe"

This one comes in taupe but it's more moto, less avant-garde:
http://www.danier.com/leather-.....px?lang=en

This one is very dramatic:
http://www.danier.com/leather-.....px?lang=en

I think the taupe version of Shannon's jacket would also look spectacular on you!

My SA assured me my jacket should be snug too. I wore it today, mostly open but I also zipped it closed for about half an hour and I think it did stretch out a bit. I had no issue fitting a long sleeved shirt underneath but I would never expect to be able to fit a jacket. Although the body is snug, I have lots of room in the arms. If the arms were snug, I wouldn't be able to layer under.

Also, I want to encourage you to hold out for the "right" jacket because frankly speaking with the financial investment that goes into them, they have to be a 10. The other alternative is to thrift something to hold you over for the time being.
Suz replied 11 years ago

Sylvie, thank you so much!

I did call about one style that is not available anywhere in my size, alas...

However, I didn't ask about others, and that is a great idea. I mainly just went to the store to find out what my size in the jackets is. I had never tried one on before.

As to your particular recommendations....thank you!

I actually tried the first jacket you linked to. It is clearly an outdoor jacket (in my mind) both because of style and also because it just felt heavier overall than the other two. It was "okay" but not great on me. IRL the colour actually did not look as good as the colour on the jacket I pictured here. And I didn't want all the detail - e.g. epaulets, etc. It felt too fussy to me.

I like the looks of the super dramatic one you linked to. But it is much more of a true brown than I want, and also would be long on me, I'm sure.

Now to your fit explanations. This is becoming more and more interesting every time somebody pipes up! You got the same advice I did about fit, and I would have been able to wear a long sleeved shirt or a thin knit under the ones they told me were the right size; nothing more.

On me the fit IS very snug in the arms, however. The body of jacket 1 was snug through the bust area (as were a couple of others, prompting me to laugh like crazy because as everybody knows, I have ZERO bust!!!!). I don't think it's really the "bust" per se that is snug - it's because of my shoulders/ arms. (I am not an IT but have a strong shoulder line!)

Jacket 1 was snug on the body as well...but not at all uncomfortably so.

Jacket 2 was less snug overall (body and arms) but again, the snuggest place was the shoulder/arm area.

When I sized up in that, it was just way too big overall.

The brown in that jacket was in store - it is too dark. The grey is...well...GREY...not taupe. And while I like grey and expect it to be one of the colours in my wardrobe, I am pretty sure the raspberry would be more flattering to me. I tried on another jacket in that grey and thought it was just "okay."

Back to peruse the website to see if there are other styles I could get ordered in, though. Thank you for that tip!
Sveta replied 11 years ago

Sorry Suz if I confused you. I guess leather jackets are very subjective to different people.
Yes, my jacket fits differently in the shoulders than yours and that's why I can comfortably layer under it. However it is not big and fits well, it just roomier than other jackets if it makes sense. It feels more substantial in leather than my other two jackets - I agree there are even more substantial jackets in the store but this one just does not feel right to wear indoors for me, I would be too hot in it. It can be subjective though and it may work for others including you :-)
BTW Danier has a similar jacket to the red one in their outlet section:
http://www.danier.com/leather-.....px?lang=en
It looks very similar and 3 times cheaper. No red though but nice neutrals... and small sizes are available only!
Suz replied 11 years ago

Thanks, Sveta.

Yes, it seems totally subjective about the fit, or very much dependent on body type, perhaps more so than other clothing - which makes sense in a way since leather conforms to the person's shape over time.

Also, because you are tall and have long arms and a long body, you can order "up" in one of Danier's jackets and not be sized out. In other words, it will just be bigger in the body but not too long in the arms or too big in the shoulder (looser, but not "too big" and still fitted in shape.

Whereas for someone as small as me, if I order up a size, the whole thing is badly proportioned for me. I was actually surprised at how well it fit to begin with (i.e. shoulder, sleeve length, length of jacket) but the minute I put on the next size up, I was swimming - sleeves WAY too long, body way too wide. The shoulders were fine, but nothing else was. So body type clearly influences what you can do with one of these jackets.

And I actually agree with you about the weight of these. They felt "outdoor" weight to me, as well - lightweight outdoor, but outdoor. Which is why I was having trouble imagining layering OVER them. And I CAN'T layer under...which leaves me wondering if maybe a leather jacket is just a total indulgence that will quickly become a closet orphan in my climate.

I LOVE that jacket you linked to, Sveta. But alas -it is not available in my size in any colour but dark brown and that is not one of my neutrals. The red one is actually the remake of this. I called about it, hoping to get it. But it's just not there. Too bad!
rae replied 11 years ago

Just as a small aside, I have successfully layered over my leather jackets with zero issues, since I get mine pretty darn fitted.

ETA: And I don't really size up in my coats at all, either. I think it's just that second skin effect of the jackets.
Sveta replied 11 years ago

Yep, height might have a play in the fit too. This is one thing I love about Danier that the jackets have long sleeves and roomy shoulders but slim body. I have wider shoulders but very narrow back and chest and very often jackets which fit well in the shoulder are puffing on the back. Never with Danier though, they usually fit like a glove. So I can see a problem for somebody with narrower shoulders: you fit the shoulders and the body may be too tight... Oh well, I guess we are lucky that manufactures don't base clothes on the same body so we have some fit variety :-)
I cannot size up in their jackets as well - the fit would be off, too big in the body.
One of the alternatives for indoor leather jacket is perforated panels. Even if the leather is not super thin perforated panels make it breathable. Like this one:
http://www.danier.com/leather-.....px?lang=en
As for a small variety in your Danier store: they can order a jacket for you in the store. Sometimes they charge a deposit but that one time they ordered it for me they did not charge me anything. I did not buy it in the end and that was OK.

Again, I am sorry if I confused you :-)
Suz replied 11 years ago

Thanks, Rae and Sveta! And NO need to apologize, Sveta! -The confusion was important and necessary. For a big investment purchase like this I really need to think through how I will use it and what makes most sense for me. I don't want a closet orphan.

The reason I am looking at leather jackets is last year I LOVED my moto/trench cross made of horrible plastic. (It cost $9.) I mean I really loved it! So I thought a leather jacket would be a no-brainer. But now I think of it, that jacket was thinsulate lined outerwear. Maybe that is the type of jacket I need to investigate first.

More thinking!
Meredith1953 replied 11 years ago

I really like both on you but do love the red one the best!
Suz replied 11 years ago

Meredith! Great to see you! We have been missing your posts.

Pix-Elated

WIW at Danier (and did not yet buy)

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