Anyone with a modicum of fashion sense desires to have leather apparel in their wardrobe. A lot of people struggle to find that perfect leather jacket or that amazing leather skirt. But do you take the time out to identify the caliber of the leather garment you are purchasing? It is very important to know how to pick out a genuine leather jacket and how to distinguish from the fakes. This is especially important for bikers purchasing leather motorcycle jackets. Buying a fake jacket may lead to fatal results.

Genuine leather is a fabric made from animal skin through an intricate manufacturing process for it to look attractive and remain sturdy and durable. Lambskin leather is probably the most commonly found leather in shops, boutiques, stores etc. In fact when you order leather online as well, the garments are usually created out of lamb leather. The fabric is soft and flexible and quite reasonable. It makes for excellent pants and skirts – basically the type of clothing that clings to the skin. It leaves enough space for you to breathe and feels soft against the skin.

Several leather clothing items – especially jackets – come with lining and patch work. You have to be especially careful while buying such items since the leather caliber of these items may be less than ideal.

There are basically three important grades that leather can be divided by on the basis of quality. The animal whose skin is used to make the leather is irrespective. It could easily range from lamb to alligator:

Grade 1 Leather:
This leather is basically ‘fully grained’ and the quality is identifiable by looking at the grained pattern – it should be asymmetric; the material itself should be devoid of any patina, shade discrepancies and be smooth to the touch.

Grade 2 Leather:
A grade lower than the best – this leather has just the most basic inconsistency in color and the surface is discolored with light patinas.

Grade 3 Leather:
This falls lowest on the scale in terms of quality leather fabric. There are splotches and variations in shade as well as plenty of patinas.