I’ve been looking for a motorcycle jacket to replace the one that I’ve been wearing for years. The old one is faux leather and after about six or seven years, the PU coating on it cracked and flaked. So, this time around, I tried real leather jackets, hoping to find something that will last longer. Here’s how they compare.

Before we dive in, here’s some relevant size info about me: I’m short (5′ 4″) so this post is from a petite perspective. In most brands, I wear a size S.

All of the following jackets were made in India, one of the world’s top five producers of leather, according to Reuters.

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Madewell Washed Leather Motorcycle Jacket

I prefer a more minimalist look without much embellishments for my moto jacket. No belt, please. And no epaulettes. Madewell’s jacket initially caught my eye for that reason. It comes in four colors with silver hardware. But the brass hardware edition really called to me. (At one point, I saw a petite version on the website, but it was out of stock and seems to have vanished.)

Leather: Lamb leather. Lightweight. True to its name, it has a worn-in soft feel.

Ethics: The leather is from a tannery certified by the Leather Working Group, an organization that promotes more sustainable practices in the leather industry. The not-for-profit only examines tanneries and not other parts of the leather supply chain.

Price: $525. But from time to time it goes on sale. For Labor Day, it’s 30% off, which brings it down to $367.50. You can also find it secondhand on sites like Poshmark.

Fit: Runs snug. I wanted enough room to accommodate a light sweater, so I sized up to a medium.

Measurements by my tape measure (size medium):
15” shoulder to shoulder
19” chest from pit to pit
22.5” length front (though the website says 23″)
19” length back
25.25” sleeve (from shoulder seam to end of sleeve)
1 pound, 9.4 oz

Impressions: The fit seemed good overall, though it tented out in the back away from the body. One aspect that didn’t work for me, though: the sleeves. They were way long for my arms, going up to the joint on my thumb as you can see above. A good option for someone with long limbs, but not for me!

This biker jacket did have the most color choices, nine in all, including some spring colors. If you’re looking for something different, you might find it here.

Quince 100% Washed Leather Biker Jacket

I’ve been pleased with many pieces from this direct-to-consumer brand. (See my review of some of their silk items.) Priced at just $170, this jacket seemed like too good of a deal not to try out.

Leather: Sheep leather. The leather’s lightweight, thinnest of all the jackets I tried. The finish is slightly shiny.

Ethics: This leather also comes from a Leather Working Group-certified tannery. The factory where it was produced is certified by Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), which aims to improve working conditions throughout supply chains.

Price: $169.90. Quince items don’t generally go on sale as they’re already priced low. But you can use my referral code for $20 off your first order of $200.

Fit: True to size. I took a small.

Measurements (size small)
15” shoulder to shoulder
18.5” chest from pit to pit
23.25” length front
20.5” length back
23.75” sleeve
1 pound, 6.8 oz

Impressions: While the look is similar to the Madewell motorcycle jacket, the leather was thinner and didn’t seem quite as nice. I ordered two sizes to try on and was shocked by how lightweight the package was when it arrived. How could it contain two leather jackets?!

Perhaps because of its lightweight nature, this jacket draped a little funny on me on the front, creating some areas that didn’t lay flat. The back, though, lay flat just fine and didn’t tent out like the Madewell jacket. It was also slightly longer than the other jackets, which was not preferable to me as a petite person. Still, the quality is alright and the price can’t be beat. If you’re looking to get the biker look without heft, or if you live in a warmer climate, this lightweight version is one to consider. Quince also makes a $150 motorcycle jacket with a belt that looks very much like the AllSaints Balfern jacket.

AllSaints Dalby Slim Fit Leather Biker Jacket

Can we have a try-on of leather biker jackets without AllSaints? I don’t think so. This brand is synonymous with leather jackets. They certainly have the variety. I tried the Dalby Slim Fit, which comes with silver hardware or gold.

Leather: Lamb leather. Has a substantial feel while being soft. Thicker than the other jackets. The most impressive leather of the bunch.

Ethics: The leather comes from a Leather Working Group-certified tannery.

Price: $499. (Though one iteration of this jacket is usually in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale at a good discount. You can also find it secondhand.)

Fit: Runs way small. I’d say two sizes small. I’m usually a dress size 4, sometimes a 6, and I took an 8 in this.

Measurements (size 8)
15” shoulder to shoulder
18” chest from pit to pit
22.5” length front
19.5” back
23.25 sleeve
2 pounds, 4 oz

Impressions: As advertised, this moto jacket has a slim fit, fitting closer to the body and in the sleeve. The waist is also more tapered. Interestingly, the two sides of the jacket sit closer together in the front than the other two jackets, as you can see above.

From the moment I opened up the box, the quality was apparent. Everything about this jacket feels higher quality from the thicker leather to the zippers, which zip more smoothly and have wider zipper heads. The pocket zippers come with leather tassels too. (But TBH, I don’t really care for this extra touch.) Compared with the Madewell jacket, which is priced similarly, AllSaints is a better value.

Which Moto Jacket is the Best?

Out of the three motorcycle jackets I tried, the AllSaints Dalby seemed the best both in terms of quality and fit for a petite person. While my tape measure says it’s the same length in the front as the Madewell jacket, the AllSaints looked a tad shorter to me. And the sleeves, while still long for my limbs, was not as long as Madewell’s.

One con of AllSaints though, is the lack of inclusive sizing. Their jackets go up to a 16, but given that these jackets run way small, that’s really a 12.

I was leaning towards keeping the Dalby, but then I learned that AllSaints also makes a cropped moto jacket. So of course, I had to try it.

AllSaints Elora Cropped Leather Biker Jacket

As a short person, when the word cropped describes an item, that usually means it has a better chance of fitting me. (Though sometimes the item is not cropped at all on me). Plus, I mostly wear high-waisted bottoms, so it just made sense to try a cropped jacket. Though I love the touch of glam in the Elora biker jacket with gold hardware, I saw that an all black version was included in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, so I jumped on that.

Leather: Lamb leather. Same substantial feel as the Dalby.

Ethics: This jacket is not from a Leather Working Group-certified tannery. Randomly sampling some of AllSaints’ other leather jackets, it seems that many, but not all are LWG-certified.

Price: $499

Fit: Like other AllSaints biker jackets, this runs small. Again, I went up to an 8.

Measurements (size 8)
15.5″ shoulder to shoulder
18″ chest from pit to pit
19″ length front
17″ back
23.5″ sleeve
1 pound 13.2 oz

Impressions: It’s definitely cropped! (I’m wearing it with high-waisted jeans above.) It looks a little funny all zipped up and so cropped, but it pairs better with skirts and dresses. It tents out slightly in the back, but not as much as the Madewell jacket. Some details to note: the Elora has a little pocket on the front called a ticket pocket, and it doesn’t have zippers on the sleeves. The sleeves are still a little long for a short-limbed person like me. You can see from the model photo how the sleeve ends right at her wrist, while it goes past for me.

The Winner

It was a hard choice between the AllSaints Dalby and the Elora. Both are great quality with that supple and substantial leather. In the end, I decided on the Elora. I figured the cropped look was more flattering proportion-wise for a petite. But honestly, I want both!

UPDATE 10/22/24 – Of course, I have to throw another one into the mix. Here’s an in-depth review of the Able Maha Leather Jacket, another minimalist motorcycle jacket with a slim and slightly cropped fit.