Saint Laurent Paris - Official Thread.

[echau]

@Jbidwal, they're a pair of JE Cast in Mica from last season. I tapered them from the knee down, cut the hem off, **** the knees, and threw them in the washer/dryer.

 

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Like Prudy says - Calf is the way to go. The L01 is a great jacket, but it is flimsy and super soft and delicate. Maybe its a psychological thing but I can't stand wearing it out to a bar where every little stain catches on. the leather especially in the back ends up looking like stretch marks and the shine is something I don't personally like and after 3 years had hoped would go away. Lastly, the seams ended up tearing up rather quickly (my own fault, i usually am not careful with jackets) and one time a nail caught on the side and made a nasty tear.

Still, a beautiful jacket, but the L17 calf is still my favorite as it is built like a tank and will probably even stop bullets. The downside is that it is still super shiny and the cut is very boxy on me. My current favorite jacket is the Surf Lace Up, but that one isn't perfect either. The material is very spongey and the cut just doesn't work with everything.

The point is, there is no 'Best' jacket. Just find a jacket you like and that works with your wardrobe (most people would say make your jacket the first purchase and build your closet around that) and wear the **** out of it.


edit: Oakghost usually posts a fit with a JE rider and i've seen others wear Blk Dnm and they pull it off very well.. the only way you wouldn't be able to tell it wasn't SLP is if you're obsessive about that kind of stuff. And also, I've seen many people unable to pull off L01 and L17's.

 

[prismichelix]

Do you guys use shoe trees in your SL sneakers? Just got a pair of sl/37l and was wondering if shoe trees were necessary.

 

[cyc wid it]

Blk DNM quality is pretty inconsistent.

 

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Blk DNM quality is pretty inconsistent.

Ive never owned it or anything, and I know its all MIC, I was just commenting on it because I've seen people wear that stuff and at least in pictures, I couldn't tell if it was SL or something else.

 

[SirGrotius]



Do you guys use shoe trees in your SL sneakers? Just got a pair of sl/37l and was wondering if shoe trees were necessary.

This comes up quite a bit. There is one camp who does use shoe trees, and they tend to be the type that notice the way you lace speakers or if there is a spec/mark on anything, and another group who does not use shoe trees, and treat them like nice beaters.

I started in the former pack and then went down the latter after a few years and not being bothered to use shoe trees. Save those trees for when you start wearing John Lobb.

 

[wurlwyde]



Ive never owned it or anything, and I know its all MIC, I was just commenting on it because I've seen people wear that stuff and at least in pictures, I couldn't tell if it was SL or something else. 

Their jackets are made in India. Beautiful fül makes a beautiful rider that's amazing quality. Made in the US

 

[halberdklown]



Some observations on the leathers, others may disagree...IMO the standard SLP L01 is often a bit flimsy for the price tag, though I understand the quality this season is better. My favorite leathers they've put out the past few years have been the seasonal offerings, usually in calf leather. Overall I think it's the nature of the material, though - calf is generally going to wear tougher/better over time and probably look better (lamb looks good off the rack but doesn't usually wear as well over time).

If you're after a beater/everyday leather I would also suggest the vintage or schott, etc. route or find a SLP calf leather second hand. Also, SLP cuts aren't for everybody (cropped) and it's more important to get the fit right in the long run. In my case, the L01 has never fit me all that well, I usually have to size down to get the right fit the the shoulders/arms and then the jacket ends up being way too short for me in the body (I'm 6'). The seasonal calf leathers tend to be cropped as well but are proportional and fit TTS so they look good.

Just my .02 cents. Also, this thread has way too much suede and not enough animal print.

Prudy, would you say the l17 in calf is still leagues ahead of the newer l17 in lamb with that slightly sturdier and textured looking finish?

 

[Death24xASecond]

(lamb looks good off the rack but doesn't usually wear as well over time).

I've often heard this but never really found it congruent with my personal experience. My go-to leather jacket is a hammered lamb intarsia from Rick Owens' FW 2009 collection. So it's pretty old. It's developed beautiful folds (can't call them creases) in places of wear, and some patina has developed in other places--it definitely doesn't look shiny new. But it also doesn't have a single scuff/tear/scratch/anything. It's been rained upon and isn't any worse for wear. There have been no seam rips, etc. And it's dark dust, not black, so these kinds of marks would be more visible.

So I don't know. I'd say lamb holds up just fine after a decent amount of time. Also, I don't particularly "baby" this one. I won't wear it in crappy weather obviously, but aside from that I don't treat it like it's fragile.

 

[neonrider]

your second best alternative is probably a real mccoys buco. truly amazing jackets, but not much cheaper than SL. third best, tight fit lewis leathers or a tailored schott (which can look great, just stick to the classic models).

cheap fashion jackets are a poor compromise, you might get a slightly OK cut, but the leather and the construction will be lacking in comparison to the above. a key part of what hedi's done is use some pretty amazing leather, and construct these jackets very carefully. the lamb L01's very delicate (if you actually live let's say an urban life, walking bars clubs gigs etc, vs driving around), but the flip side is the leather and construction are really something. i'd liken it to a really good high end suit. its not gonna last forever, no matter how much you take care of it, but there's really no substitute, you can tell at a mile when seeing and in an instant when wearing.

frankly, i'd probably go with all saints or kooples etc before john elliott, which doesn't look at all to me like it's at all close fit, leather, or style wise, it looks a lot closer to the 26" made in india rider a la blk dnm. at least the kooples/etc are ripping the cut hard. hell, there's a new sandro jacket that basically IS a cheaped out L01. for example i saw some dude in the kooples tan suede L01 rip with wyatt boots the other day and it looked pretty good.

you could also get the various korean rips. they're not there in terms of construction or leather, but at least the cut is 1:1.

the new lamb l17 is pretty tough. obviously not as tough as the calf, but it's not something i won't wear to a bar gig out whatever.

or you could just get the new calf L01.

all that said, i feel like most of us would be better off buying ONE really good jacket instead of ten that we're never really quite happy with. internet logic never wins.

 

[ohmydontcry]

The RO heavy calf from 14 might be my favorite leather.

Also wearing:
Ss16 flannel
Fw15 mid raw
Fw13 ocher cowboys

 

[slann01]

I always prefer to get the seasonal biker offerings from Saint Laurent, especially since they are iconic garments which you can't find anywhere. I really like my SS14 damier one (womens model, couldn't get it in a 44 for mens) and also @neonrider ss16 patchwork is a great example. Also when I wear it I get definitely more compliments or "where does that come from" from people compared to my studded fw14 biker.


Also Neon, is the verdict that fw13 season l17 is the best they ever made? also can't find on the ysl website the l17 in calf. thanks in advance.

 

[neonrider]

ah that checked biker's legendary. amazing.

as for L17's, if i could only choose one i'd probably go with the original. but i really really like the ss16 version, the leather's just...right. also it's a deeper black than the original. it's also easier to wear, just a great all around jacket that goes with everything.

lemme say one more thing. instead of thinking in terms of which is the "best" jacket, we should just think which jacket is "right" for me. these jackets are for different lifestyles, occasions, etc. there's no need to buy them all unless you're obsessive (like me). there's no "best" between the L17, L01, etc. they're just vastly different, meant for different purposes, tastes, uses, even styles within the general sl aesthetic.

for example i wouldn't use my L01 as a beater jacket given MY lifestyle. but if i lived a life where i drove around to photoshoots, i might. i walk a lot in pretty dense cities, i'm always in crowded places, people are always spilling crap and bumping into me, so my L17s are better beaters--and they look better the more i beat them up. when i need to dress up for various events and things i throw on an L01, which also looks better with proper shirts. so these are different things which play very different roles in my life.

so it really comes down to you more than the jacket. what's right for some is going to be totally wrong for others.

that said there are obviously better and worse sl jackets, but between the better ones, i don't think it's a matter of "best", just taste, purpose, what fits your life.

 

[Adamdraps]

I received the Hedi chelsea 30's and literally had them for 4 mins then filled out the return form. Did not like how they looked on me at all and the heel was a little to high for me. They are beautiful boots and they look amazing on the people that have them. Just not on me.

 

[Bussit]



Do you guys use shoe trees in your SL sneakers? Just got a pair of sl/37l and was wondering if shoe trees were necessary.

I use shoe trees in all my shoes after sweating in them, yes.