Hype vs Reality: Thursday Racer Jacket Review
Thursday Jackets is an offshoot of the popular Thursday Boots brand.
It feels like Thursday Boots has engaged a small army of high profile social media influencers to wear their leather jackets and produce cool-looking content featuring the jackets. For example, Aaron Marino of the Alpha M YouTube channel frequently recommends Thursday leather jackets to his nearly 7 million subscribers. From his video on 10/19/23 8 Items Men Wear That Attract Women Like a MAGNET!: “All the hardware is super premium” “Thursday Boot leather jackets are as good if not better than some of these jackets I’ve spent literally $800 on” “The fit is amazing the price is insane” “Thursday makes perfect leather jackets”
Can the hype possibly be real?
(If you prefer video, you can watch my YouTube review here)
Materials
I reviewed the Thursday Racer Jacket in Black Lambskin.
The lambskin is thin, stretchy, soft to the touch, with some grain apparent right out of the box. Lamb is known as a comfortable leather. It requires no breaking in and has a luxurious, buttery feel from the first wear.
What you gain in immediate comfort, you lose in durability. Lamb damages easily. Brushing up against a brick wall may be enough to tear it. It’s softness can lead to wrinkling like a shirt that needs laundering. A lambskin jacket generally won’t last as long as one made of goatskin, cowhide, or horsehide.
Lamb is also inexpensive. Buying retail from Hide House, Black Lambskin goes for $2.85 / sqft, while midweight cowhide for motorcycle jackets goes for $6.95 / sqft. High end Horween Chromexcel goes for around $12 / sqft.
This racer jacket was made in Turkey, however Thursday works with factories in many countries to produce their jackets. When I asked Thursday for more information about sourcing, their answer was non-specific: “We work exclusively with tanneries that can provide traceable material records and have received high marks from the Leather Working Group (LWG) for both environmental practices and chemical management.”
The lining throughout is polyester. The sleeve lining is smoother than in the body and pockets. There’s no insulation, so this jacket won’t provide any warmth in colder weather.
Hardware-wise, the zipper is made by SAB out of China. The collar snap is branded Ideal, a North Carolina-based company. The product listing doesn’t mention brand for the cuff snaps, but they do look the same as the collar snap.
The jacket weighs about 2.4 pounds. It’s firmly in the lightweight leather jacket category.
Construction
The sewing is straight, even, and neatly done with lightweight thread. The lightness of the hide also makes it easier to work with. On the flip side, I see no French seams, double stitching, or reinforcement in high-wear areas.
The front has two large panels, while the back is broken into three. The arms are also three panels, in addition to the cuffs. Generally, fewer panels make for a more expensive leather jacket. So it appears that Thursday has gone for the middle ground by opting to save money on the back and arm construction. The front being divided by the zipper also naturally breaks the space.
The lining is neatly sewn in. However, it is somewhat blousy. A maker can pleat the lining material to help give shape and stop it from sagging below the hem over time. However, Thursday opted not to.
Fit
If this Thursday Racer Jacket has a place to shine, fit is it.
Thursday offers a range of sizes from Small to XXL and Slim, Athletic, and Relaxed fits.
At 5’9″ 175 pounds with about a 40″ chest, the Athletic Medium fits me well. The jacket sits close to my body, which you’d want for a cafe racer jacket. High armholes allow for shoulder mobility with less movement across the jacket as a whole. The hem hits just below my beltline.
However, the lightness and flexibility of the lambskin are very forgiving. The shoulders and arms would be too tight with a more robust leather like cowhide or horsehide. The sleeves are a touch long for my arms, but the leather stacks easily against my wrist.
Most folks who are interested in getting a Thursday leather jacket should be able to find one to fit them.
Who is the Thursday Racer Jacket for?
To my eye, Thursday is competing directly against so-called “mall” jackets like those offered by Cole Haan and random JC Penney brands. The quality is about the same. These are lightweight jackets that feel good on day one. That don’t require a break in. If that’s something you want, these jackets may fit right in your wardrobe.
But what does the Thursday jacket do differently from the malls?
Two things: price and fit.
The Thursday price never changes. So you’ll always know that they’re offering their “best” price. No need to wait for Black Friday or Semi Annual Sale. Mall jackets often retail in the $400-$600 range, but then they’re discounted down to the “best” price of $200-$450. Folks that don’t want to wait for a sale can just go to Thursday.
Thursday also offers a wide range of sizes and fits. They offer a jacket that will fit most people. With their free shipping and returns, its easy enough to find the size that works for you.
Who Should Avoid the Thursday Racer Jacket?
If you’re looking for a robust leather jacket. If you’re looking for a leagther jacket you can break in and mold to your body. If you’re looking for a leather jacket that will build an attractive patina over time while still maintaining its functionality. If you’re looking for that heirloom leather jacket you can hand down to your children…
Then the Thursday Racer Jacket is NOT for you.
It simply won’t be able to last in that way.
What if you’re looking for a leather jacket at around the $350 price point (as of the writing of this article) that CAN do those things?
Your best bet is to buy a used Schott, Vanson, Aero, Willis & Geiger, or any of the other robust jackets you can find on eBay.
(Check out my review of the Schott 618 Perfecto here)
Hype Check
So is this THE PERFECT LEATHER JACKET?
Clearly not.
But it is a well-fitting inexpensive leather jacket that’s easy to buy year-round.
Just don’t go for it expecting to get a leather jacket that will last.