I recently produced a fashion story for Style Section L.A. about bell bottoms, and in one of the images, I styled a pair of Current/Elliott jeans with a gorgeous $800 motorcycle leather jacket made by Doma.

Seeing it on Aria, a 5’11 model, I was sold — and planned to purchase it soon after the shoot. But on my 5’4 frame, it just looked bulky and heavy.  Realization: This ubiquitous fall trend, in all its edgy stylishness, is pretty difficult to personalize.

One problem is that there are so many variations on the motorcycle jacket happening at once: cropped, boxy, adorned with metal, fitted. And if you’re spending close to a grand on a leather jacket, you should be thinking longevity — not something you’ll shelve in a few months.

After some serious research, here’s my take on how to find the perfect leather:

++ Unless you’re Amazonian in stature, stick with the jacket that hits around the hip bones.  Any shorter, and you’ll look bulky.  Any longer, and you risk looking stumpy.
++ Metal is great. But be careful not to go Michael Jackson-style overboard on the hardware. A buckle and a few zippers is all you need.  Stay away from exaggerated studs or spikes that are in one season, out the next.
++ Make sure the leather jacket is fitted enough to flatter your shape, but not so tight so that you can’t wear a long-sleeve shirt under.  There’s nothing tackier than a leather jacket that looks like it’s painted on.
++ And lastly, have fun with it. We live in LA, so feel free to add a little whimsy to the jacket with a slip dress and flip flops, cut off shorts, sweats, a long gown — anything goes. It doesn’t have to make sense with what you’re wearing.  It just has to make sense on you.

Photo: The Doma leather jacket looked amazing on my model, but turned me into a tree stump.