Hell-Bent for Leather

You know that Muubaa leather jacket I so valiantly resisted at London Fashion Weekend? Well, there was a reason I wasn't too smug about my restraint: I knew I would end up buying the black one I really wanted before too long. And I have. I did manage to get 10% off online, although I was so sad to find out that the morning after I placed my order Muubaa were offering a £50 discount via their Facebook page, so I could have saved another £15. Whoever said patience was a virtue was right. That said, my new jacket appeared in the post tray at work just 36 hours later and it's barely left my side since then.

Muubaa Monteria biker jacket - open

On the Muubaa website, there are a number of designs with very subtle differences, but I went for the Monteria jacket in black. As I'm usually a UK size six or eight, I would probably have ordered a size six had I not already tried on a size eight at LFW. These jackets are very fitted and I wanted to be able to comfortably do up the jacket, even when wearing a jumper underneath, so the size eight is perfect for me. The leather is so soft and although London hasn't got super-cold yet, the jacket has been keeping me warm in the evenings, even when I'm only wearing a shirt underneath. The Patara jacket I tried at LFW did have slightly padded sleeves, which made it slightly warmer but also a slightly tighter fit. I prefer the flexibility of being able to wear a jumper underneath, or not, depending on the weather.

I love the asymmetric zip and the slight wrap/crossover design that makes it cosy when zipped up and chic when left open. The curved shape of the hemline, the raw-edged cuffs and hem and the zips on the sleeves also make interesting details. £349 is a lot of money, even for a leather jacket, so if you're interested in buying one, I would suggest either hunting for discount codes or signing up for Muubaa's mailing list so that you find out about any special offers they are doing. Also, you pay a similar price for leather jacket from Ted Baker and other mid-range high street brands, and I think Muubaa's jackets are better quality and have more interesting designs.

Muubaa Monteria biker jacket - zipped up

I have been hunting for the perfect black leather jacket for many years and I'm really pleased with my purchase. Although I did eventually find a winter coat last year, it is navy and now that I'm wearing more black again, I wanted a coat I could wear wear with black. I'm finally going to be moving from Marylebone to (shock, horror) South of the River in a couple of weeks, so hopefully my tough new jacket will help me blend in.

Edit: I thought a photo of me wearing the jacket without my scarf might be helpful. For reference, I'm about 5'3. I'm wearing a cardigan underneath the jacket and it fits really well.

Muubaa Monteria jacket zipped up

Edit #2 (Feb 2013): Unfortunately, I noticed a tear in my jacket, near one of the pockets on the front (it looked like the stitching had come undone). Fortunately, Muubaa's customer service is amazing and within a couple of days of contacting them, they had sent over a new jacket, as the Monteria was still in stock. I remain very impressed with the brand and when it's time to expand my leather jacket collection, they will definitely be my first port of call.