Thursday's Women's Leather Jacket Review | The Best Value?

There’s a lot to consider when buying a leather jacket.

High quality leather, of course; dependable hardware; great craftsmanship; a comfy inner lining; timeless design; not too many seams (especially along the middle of the chest) and most importantly: Does it look cool?

As someone perpetually on the hunt for all the above, I was pleased to learn that Thursday Boot Company, a brand I’ve come to rely on for high quality footwear, now also makes leather jackets.

And the Racer Jacket meets all my criteria.

Best Value Leather Jacket

Thursday's Women's Leather Racer Jacket

Available in four colorways and two fits, Thursday offers impressive versatility and phenomenal value: you won't find any better for under $350.

Check Best Price

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Table of Contents

Thursday Boot Company, the Brand

Founded in 2014 by two friends named Connor Wilson and Nolan Walsh, Thursday Boot Company is based on the premise that high quality boots— a.k.a. the kind that don’t fall apart after six months — are too expensive. Their goal from the jump was to create an ever-evolving collection of boots that looked good, felt good, and cost mostly under $200, thanks to their almost impossibly low markups. (Direct-to-consumer, baby!)

Since then, they’ve branched out of the boot game into apparel, with men’s clothing and a variety of jackets for all.

[Further reading: Our review of Thursday’s men’s leather jacket]

thursday racer jacket natural — The “Natural” colorway, made of undyed lambskin leather.

Thursday’s Women’s Leather Jacket, First Impressions

Currently, Thursday has four styles of women’s leather jackets on their roster:

The Edition Jacket, with its classic pointed collar
the Flight Jacket, which is trimmed with shearling
the Motorcycle Jacket, with extra hardware and five pockets
and the Racer Jacket, which is the company’s most streamlined design.

Aesthetically, I’m more of a Motorcycle Jacket fan myself, but the Racer is a jacket is their top seller because it’s a simple style that will work for anyone. It comes in four colorways of varying materials: taupe suede, natural brown lambskin, matte black cowhide, and black lambskin. It’s worth emphasizing here that cowhide is a more expensive leather than lambskin so the value is higher with the matte black, but I opted for the black lambskin, the most classic of the bunch, with its buttery feel and subtle sheen.

Twin handwarmer welt pockets and a racecar driver-style snap buttoned mandarin collar give it a subtly edgy vibe, but the simplicity of the design makes it able to fit in almost any personal style. The look can come off slightly boxy, as is the case with most authentic leather jackets, but I appreciated the option to select a tailored fit, which tapers in slightly around the chest and waist.

Thursday Women’s Jacket Construction

Premium lambskin
Supple texture
Soft handfeel
Sturdy zipper
Polyester lining

The leather on this jacket, made out of premium lambskin, is absolutely gorgeous. Thick but not too heavy, it has a supple texture that feels luxe and gets softer with each wear.

The quality of the stitching throughout is evident and the SAB zipper feels sturdy and rugged enough to last for decades. Inside, the polyester lining feels unexpectedly soft and high quality (not qualities I’d typically ascribe to polyester) and leather trimmings reveal two hidden breast pockets—one vertical, one horizontal—which are surprisingly deep and good for holding a phone, money, or other secret things you might not want the bouncer at the club to find.

All the pockets, both internal and external are lined with the same polyester, which feels quite nice on your hands.

[Further reading: How to Care for Your Leather Jacket]

Thursday Women’s Leather Jacket Sizing

Tailored and Standard fits available
Size up if between sizes

Based on my bust/waist/hip measurements I should have selected an extra small, but I went with a “Tailored” small instead because of my broad shoulders, and was glad I did.

The “Tailored” option fits slimmer on the chest and waist. Out of the box, the jacket was just a hair snug, especially in the shoulders (as is usually the case for me) due to the stiffness of the leather. But this is how it should be. After just one wear the jacket had softened and loosened slightly without losing any of its shape, and it has continued to soften with each consecutive wear.

Thursday Women’s Leather Jacket Price

$349

At $349, this is not a cheap jacket, but it is a cheap leather jacket. Leading brands in the women’s leather jacket space would be AllSaints (~$500) and Cole Haan (~$400), and when you consider that Thursday’s has minimal seams — improving the look while increasing the price, because you can’t just stitch together smaller pieces of leather — you can see how the price is really remarkable.

If I can manage not to lose it (which admittedly for me is a big if), I expect to own this jacket for life.

Best Value Leather Jacket

Thursday's Women's Leather Racer Jacket

Available in four colorways and two fits, Thursday offers impressive versatility and phenomenal value: you won't find any better for under $350.

Check Best Price

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The Takeaway

Buying leather jackets from a trusted boot company is a smart move! This is a great piece of clothing that ticks all the what-to-look-for-in-a-leather-jacket boxes: high quality leather, dependable hardware, great craftsmanship, a comfy inner lining, and a timeless design. Do I look cool in it? I think so. I hope so. I guess you can decide.

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Hilary Cadigan

is a James Beard nominated writer and the Culture Editor at Bon Appétit. She was born in Texas and raised in Massachusetts but spent some highly formative years in Atlanta and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Now she lives in Brooklyn where she may or may not be thinking about writing a book.