EASY RIDING THE FENCE
So, I finally got my first leather jacket. I suppose I've been on the hunt for the perfect one for a few years now, as it is not a purchase one should just rush into. Drum roll please as I present it here....Mine is from Urban Behavior. I decided I had to have it after I toured their amazing LA showroom and it just spoke to me. It is the perfect length, the perfect feel (soft enough to roll the sleeves), and the perfect balance of simple design with the right amount of character.
Now, a leather jacket isn't quite a wardrobe staple, but more of a cherry on the top of a well styled one. Everyone can pull off a pea coat, but a leather jacket has equal potential to make a person look super cool (yay!) or like a super dork (yikes!).
Because of this double edged danger, finding the right one can be quite a journey...and it is only half the trouble. Before one even starts the hunt, they'll need to decide whether or not they even want to own one. So what we have here is not only just a style dilemma, but also a moral one.
Temple Grandin is all over the media these days thanks to HBO's biopic. Not just famous for having autism, Ms. Grandin made leaps and bounds in the humane treatment of the cattle she so dearly loved and related to. Humane is the key word here. Gaining headlines along with Temple is the term "Flexitarian." This is a newer idea in Vegetarianism where eating humanely raised meats is considered. The buzz word here is Sustainability. Is it better than fields of chemically and genetically altered veggies?
So, humane and sustain...I think I respect my coat enough to keep it around for a long time...the fact that I got a sweet deal on it helps too...I can absolve myself from any blood money guilt.
As for style...I have to admit that my main inspiration for wanting a coat as been deeply rooted in my early and thorough love for Grease 2. I desperately wanted to be a cool rider! Unfortunately, I was way more Stephanie Zinone than I was Michael Carrington. Now that I have grown up and into as much machismo as i can muster, I think my coat is the perfect marriage of both characters...
...and I suppose that too could be what I've always wanted...for this iconic couple to be together, or ever, and ever...
My coat makes me this happy.
