In my time writing for Put This On, I’ve received more emails about the jacket above than anything else I’ve posted. The image is from something I wrote two years ago about my typical weekend uniform – a leather jacket with beat-up jeans and a crisp white t-shirt. And although I named the companies that made everything in the picture, I admittedly left out the jacket because … well, I wanted to keep the company’s name off people’s eBay radars. You can get these jackets for an uncommonly good price sometimes (I bought the one above for $250).
Having purchased my third jacket from the company, however, I figured I might as well answer the question. The jacket is from Mandelli, an Italian outerwear company that has been around since the mid-1950s. Unfortunately, they’re not terribly easy to find in the US. Or even in Europe. In fact, the only time I’ve ever seen their jackets in a store was at De Corato, and they dropped the brand years ago. The quality of their outerwear, however, is exceptional and their styling is tastefully European. That makes their leathers easy to wear with tailored trousers and dress shirts (think: the kind of stuff you see in Loro Piana lookbooks).
Since it’s hard to find Mandelli’s jackets, it’s also hard to find information about the company. From the three leathers I bought, however, and from the one stockist I spoke to, here’s what I’ve gathered: there are two mainlines – one simply called Enrico Mandelli and the other Mandelli Tailor’s – then a sub-line titled Mandelli Reloaded. The Reloaded line is targeted towards a younger demographic, which means it comes at a lower price point and is made in a slightly slimmer fit. The quality isn’t as nice as mainline stuff, although it’s still very good. The jacket you see above is from Reloaded, and the two dark brown ones below are from mainline. Mainline fits a bit fuller, but I’ve had mine successfully taken in by an alterations tailor.
You can find Mandelli on some European websites (Cipriani and Far Fetch are good starts). At full retail, these are a bit expensive, although the USD-to-Euro exchange rate right now is helping keep prices down for US buyers. For a better deal, check Yoox and eBay, where you’ll often find these on discount. One of the eBay sellers also has a store in New York called Lord Midas, if you want to see what other models he has in stock. I bought the tan bomber from him years ago for $250. The two dark brown jackets below are from Yoox, which I scored for $400 a piece. Not bad for this level of quality and styling.
So, there’s the answer to your question. It’s from Mandelli, and although prices aren’t as good as they once were, they’re still exceptionally good. If you get them on discount, anyway.
