Icons like James Dean, The Fonz, and Danny Zuko have all donned one. So why couldn’t I? Slipping on a leather jacket instantaneously warrants you a brand new bad-ass attitude. But did cool really have to mean cruel? Definitely not. Or so I thought. My quest for the perfect leather-like jacket was perhaps the most arduous must-have fashion task I’d ever set for myself. I mean, let’s face it, I can’t even count the ways poorly done pleather can go so very, very wrong. I even uncapped my budget, hoping to expand my search a little further. But after sifting through dozens of designer digs and sites like TheFind.com, I was spent – while my cash, on the other hand, was not. But then it happened. I found my steal in the unlikeliest of stores. dELiA*s has always been my go-to guide for denim and tees, but I never expected to find such a luxe looking item as their Ashton Pleather piece. As I gave it the once-over – cropped sleeves, an off-center zipper, and brassy buckle – I knew I had found the one.

[$69.50 at delias.com]