The last few years have seen 1970’s favourite, sheepskin make its way back into fashion. For anyone who has ever bought a sheepskin vest or jacket, you will know how tricky this can be to look good.
The physical bulk of sheepskin, while offering great thermal warmth, can make one look somewhat like a barrel. After umming and ahhing about this purchase, I plunged in trying to decide between options from Best Made and The Real McCoy’s; two brands that have proven themselves to me with their exceptional quality and robustness.
Finally, I settled on this Best Made vest. Unfortunately, my sheepskin adventure did not start well, ranking near the top of my all time, worst-ever purchases. What’s worse, I marked the vest while trying it on and could not rerun it. The issue was not one of quality or style, it was one of fit, which was frankly horrendous and can best be described as making me look like a barrel will legs. Over the next year, I wore it only once and was suffering from a severe case of buyers remorse. What I should have thought of straight away was to find an alterations specialist who could tailor the vest to fit me better.
This autumn, I found David at Leather Trade in Sydney. David specialises in leather tailoring and very quickly had my vest clamped into place. To say the difference was terrific is to understate it completely. I tried to manage my expectations over the next three weeks, finally getting a call that it was ready. Arriving one chilly autumn morning, I was still trying to manage my expectations as David handed me the vest.
Even my highest expectations were exceeded. The vest has gone from essentially unwearable to a tailored to fit and one that works nicely with this vintage Pendleton jumper. Sheepskin may not be for everyone. However, if you do decide it’s for you, I cannot recommend enough visiting a specialist tailor to ensure a good fit.
Leather Trade | 579 Elizabeth St, Redfern | 02 9699 3364
