In our society, we've gone through a lot of fashionable phases. We've seen everything from bell bottoms, poodle skirts, suits, bright colored neon 80's gear, Nike high tops, etc... All these style have come and gone, but one style that has stood the test of time, is the leather jacket. You can wear a leather jacket, with just about anything, and nothing says "Hey, I'm a badass" like a vintage bomber jacket, I mean just ask Indiana Jones.
You can essentially wear a leather coat with just about anything, as long as you know how to match it. Leather comes in a variety of styles, each with their own unique look. So what are the different types of leather? We'll I'm glad you asked, because you are about to find out.
Buckskin
Buckskin is a pliable leather, that has a smooth finish. It's made from wild stag such as deer, elk or antelope.
Chamois
Chamois leather use to be made from the goat-like animal Alpine chamois, but today it's made from sheepskin. Chamois or SHAM-wa / SHAM-ee as it's called, is extremely soft, has great absorbency and has a beautiful light tan color
Calfskin
Is leather produced from young calves. Calfskin is naturally smooth, but is often times roughened or embossed to create a "velour leather" look. It's very popular in the fashion world, and often serves has deep accents with it's darker black and brown shades.
Cowhide
Is the most common leather out of the group. Jackets, boots, pants, gloves, etc... are all made from cowhide. It's extremely durable and lasts for years with proper care. You have the option of smooth or rough finishes, as well as a choice of colors.
Lizard skins
This is more for eccentric types. Lizard leather is made from Crocodile, alligator and various other reptiles. This is really an option where less is more, thus why they're only made into belts, luggage or cowboy boots. They have a scaly surface, with a beautiful sheen and come in a variety of colors.
Pigskin
Yes pigskin is used for more than just old school footballs. It's mainly used in exotic places such as South America. It's very smooth and has a warm tan color.
Ostrich
Like lizard skins, ostrich leather is very exotic. Less is more once again, as you only really see this in belts, shoes, or if you're a rapper, covering the interior of your Lamborghini. It's has a goose bump look, because of the plucked feathers, and is light in color.
Suede
Suede, in my opinion is the Mack daddy of all the leathers, especially for leather jackets. It's created by roughing up the reverse side of calfskin, till it's extremely soft. The cool thing about suede, is you pretty much can pick any color you want. And yes, you can cover the interior of your lambo with this as well.
There you have it my friends, all the different varieties of leathers. Now do you really want a jacket made out of all of these? No probably not, unless you are just craving to stand out like a sore thumb. However, a nice leather jacket can really make you look awesome, if worm appropriately. Just remember with great leather, comes great responsibility not to look like a tool.
