Styling a new jacket from The Jacket Maker

Today I’m delighted to share with you a new addition to my wardrobe, the Suzy Mocha Suede Trucker Jacket from The Jacket Maker. A leather jacket is a timeless, stylish, and practical wardrobe staple that looks fantastic on men and women of all ages.

Founded in 2015, the goal of The Jacket Maker is to give consumers high quality leather jackets at affordable prices. They do this by cutting out the retail middlemen, designing and manufacturing their products in-house and selling them directly to consumers online. Shipping is free and the jacket comes to your door directly from the manufacturer in Karachi, Pakistan. It even comes with its own breathable, fabric garment bag.

Women’s leather jackets from The Jacket Maker come in standard sizes from XXS to 3XL, but for a very reasonable extra charge, they can also be made to measure. Choosing the right jacket can be a challenge though as there are so many styles to choose from!

I have always loved the soft, rich feel of suede so that helped narrow my choices. Although the label is less specific, the website says that my jacket is made of goatskin and like the majority of the fashion industry, The Jacket Maker uses leather that is a co-product of the meat industry.

I knew that I wanted my jacket to be a dark, warm brown. Not only has brown always been a favourite neutral of mine, one that compliments my complexion, but chocolate brown continues to be a dominant colour trend for fall 2026. It serves as a new, softer alternative to black.

Although I’ve just received the jacket and can’t speak to its durability, the quality and workmanship appear to be very good. The bronze colour of the YKK zipper and the snaps compliment the dark brown very nicely. The jacket has four outside pockets as well as two inner ones that are both large enough to hold my cell phone.

My one complaint would be that the lower front pockets aren’t big enough to fully slip my hands into, but I do like the way that they fit into the seams of the jacket’s front panels. The jacket is fully lined with quilted viscose, a premium quality lining fabric.

The boxy trucker style, very similar in cut and design to an iconic jean jacket, has a relaxed feel that makes it a great go-to item for casual wear, but the luxe suede makes it easy to dress up for an evening out. Let’s look at five different ways that I might style my new jacket with items that are already in my closet.

A leather jacket always elevates the look of a casual jeans and t-shirt outfit. Here, I’m wearing a pair of worn and slightly faded jeans, a simple white tee, and white sneakers.

For a slightly dressier look, I switched out the jeans for a newer dark wash pair, the t-shirt for a classier animal print top, and the sneakers for black shoes.

I probably won’t be wearing the jacket much during the heat of summer, but when fall arrives, it will be perfect! Although the trucker style has a fitted silhouette, there’s room for a sweater underneath for added warmth when it’s needed. Here, I’m wearing the jacket with a cozy knit pullover instead of the sleeveless animal print top and I added a slouchy cap.

Now let’s really change things up and go for a dressier, date night look.

And finally, I paired the jacket with a black t-shirt, a paisley patterned skirt, black boots, and a hat. I called this my Bohemian look, but hubby, who also acts as the patient photographer for all my fashion posts, thought I only needed a rifle to look like Annie Oakley!

And, my friends, as they say in show business, that’s a wrap! If you’re looking for a leather jacket (men’s or women’s), you won’t go wrong with The Jacket Maker!

Disclaimer: I was provided with free product for this post, but the words are entirely my own.

Naolinco, where everything is leather

In this part of Mexico, the small town of Naolinco, nestled in the mountains northwest of here, is famous for its leather products. Apparently more than 200 shoe stores and cobblers line its narrow cobblestone streets.

This morning, we took the bus into Xalapa and then a taxi the rest of the way. The landscape was rugged and beautiful.

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From Xalapa, the drive to Naolinco is only about 33 km, but it took close to an hour as the road winds its way higher and higher into the mountains and passes through a couple of tiny towns. Even though it was a cool, cloudy day, the views were spectacular and our driver, realizing that Colleen and I were snapping pictures out both sides of the vehicle, began to stop along the way to allow us better opportunities to photograph the panoramas spread out below us.

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As the taxi drove up what appeared to be the main street lined with shop after shop selling shoes, boots, leather jackets, belts and handbags at a small fraction of the price that we would spend for similar products in Canada, we could actually smell the new leather all around us!

img_3789img_3791img_3800Once again, we felt as though we’d stepped back in time as we wandered the narrow streets. We also discovered a much more modern looking mini mall with three storeys of tiny shops all selling leather goods.

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Amazingly, though there were many very tempting boots and handbags, all we bought was a harness for our new Mexican friend, Layla, the 7-month-old boxer pup that shares Richard M and Colleen’s home and hearts.

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