Tried on one of Pretty Green's new Defiance Leather Jackets today, so thought I'd stick down some thoughts on what really is a rather cool piece.
Having done a nice Leather Bomber Jacket in the Gaston style recently I was a little surprised PG were back with another in their SS16 Pre-Collection. The Gaston was a very popular design, so why return to it...could they improve things?
When we saw the Defiance on the initial promo shoots it was a little difficult to work out if it was perforated or some kind of print pattern across the outer shell. Then PG dropped the range and we got a proper look...up close.
Bit of a strange one was my initial thought, thinking of perforated leather styles as being for the Italian fashion houses such as Armani to stick out on their higher Emporio label. It felt very 'fashion' for Pretty Green to be doing.
But then why shouldn't a brand like PG be doing styles like this..!
First thing, does it look good? Well, like all PG's other leathers I can say that in the flesh it does indeed look very cool. The black leather colour is quite matte in real life, the promo shot makes it look shinier than it is. The stock shot is a better representation of the colour, looks good. For me personally the matte tone works better than a shiny look.
The leather as always is really nice, I don't know that it's quite as soft as some of the original biker jackets, but it's still as soft and as good as the better leathers you're ever going to look at. The leather weight is perfect, I find it hangs well when on and looks very tidy.
Stlyed to look like a Bomber Jacket but with some designer bells and whistles. PG have added a nice deep map pocket at the chest, handy for train/bus tickets and the like. Or a map indeed....
The cuffs and hem are finished with a nice fitted ribbed knit. The fit for me on this is bang on, tight enough to keep things comfortable without getting annoying.
The zip is taken off centre, I guess just to be cool and different as opposed to any functional reason. Looks good, gives it something a little different. This brings the collar over off-centre also, only slightly, but looks good
It's been lined out in a nice Paisley material, reminds me of the copper paisley lining from the original PG leathers.
The side pockets are a good size, plenty room to stuff your essentials in or just to stick your paws in on a cold day.
Size wise, well as always it's a PG lottery. I'm a XXL and in comparison to other PG leathers I've had on I would say this is closest to a proper true fit. I'd say it's bigger than previous biker styles and probably closest to the Hooded Leather that was worn by LG himself.
This is listed as slim-fit but I can't say I find it feels that way at all. I sometimes struggle with PG's sizing, but for me this is the closest to a proper fitting size for a while. Pretty much perfect really.
Summing up, no doubts about it, this is a really smart addition to Pretty Green's already outstanding collection. From a distance it looks like a tidy bomber jacket, up close you start to see the designer elements that lift this above other brands. If you're in the market for a leather then this is one to definitely take a look at. It's a classic style with a very modern (PG) twist to rise it above the normal. Sometimes you just have to be different and stand out, this is a piece that will help you do that. Simply put, this is just really cool
Peace&Love, theSub