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- For the past three years, I've seen the same distinct, beautiful, oversized leather jacket on my Instagram feed. Everyone from prominent fashion editors to supermodels seemed to be in love with the same one.
- I traced it back to the $1,095 wunderkind 'Moya III' by The Arrivals and have been pining after it ever since.
- The Arrivals sent one to our office to test, and I finally got to answer if the jacket was really worth the price.
- For its versatility, premium materials that age well, and unmatched "cool" factor, I found the Moya III to be worth the hype. If you love leather shearling jackets, you won't regret buying this one.
It’s like one of the answers you’d find on a standardized test.
Peanut butter is to jelly as The Arrivals Moya III oversized shearling is to… fashion editors, supermodels, and every girl you’ve considered asking "where did you get your leather jacket from?" on the street.
You get the picture — and you’ve probably seen more than enough of them floating around Instagram to already know exactly which jacket I’m talking about. I thought my obsession was unique, actually, until I started mentioning that I was working on this article to coworkers and friends. Nine times out of 10, they stopped me before I began with — "I know which coat." Or, as an almost equal number told me, (including fellow Insider Picks editor Sally Kaplan), "I’ve had that on my wish list for years now."
The obsession with the Moya III is not unique. But what is unique is that this exorbitant $1,095 coat is not just reserved for that "cool girl" supermodel girl gang you know from social media and incessant Gigi Hadid or Kourtney Kardashian paparazzi photos. It's not a $30,000 runway piece. It is — very obviously — not by any means a normal purchase for the average person, but it is the final candidate for a surprising amount of us for that one permitted splurge with our bonus or the single, much-labored over "yearly treat."
There are even articles about editors who are budgeting the entire year to make the Moya III purchase work.
And why? It's not like leather moto jackets in general — even oversized shearling ones — are in short supply. There are hundreds of them out there. Thanks to fast fashion, it’s possible to buy tiered-quality mimics of virtually any trend you like at a fraction of the cost for the "real" one. And if all you’re after is participating in said trend at the ideal moment, then that’s pretty great.
But the Moya III isn’t something you should buy imitations of if you’re thinking of getting it at all.
I feel confident saying that because I’ve been in the same spot — stalking it on Instagram and on The Arrivals site for the past three years, but ultimately unsure if I could justify the cost. A couple weeks ago, though, The Arrivals sent one to Insider Picks for testing. My time had come. I would finally get the low-risk opportunity to test drive the Moya III for myself to see if it was really "worth it".
In my opinion, it is devastatingly worth the hype.
In person, the jacket looks much like it does online. The leather feels and looks expensive and the shearling is pleasantly thicker and cozier than I had expected. The oversized fit was chic, effortless, and undeniably "cool".
For reference, since leather can be tricky, I'm 5'7" and typically wear a size small, and the Moya III in a small is a nice fit now, but as the leather stretches over time could become more oversized than I'd like. The Arrivals suggests sizing down for the Moya III, and, after testing, I would agree. Even if you typically have trouble with coats that fit through the sleeves but don't zip over your chest, this will likely still apply to you, thanks to that intentionally oversized fit.
My favorite part of the Moya III, aside from its exceptional execution of a biker jacket that feels high-fashion, luxurious, and easy-going at the same time, is its versatility.
The whole point of the Moya is to "embrace the elements," so it’s made from innovative water-resistant nappa-back Italian Merino shearling, a 16mm wool interior, and insulating details, and it was comfortable even in only a T-shirt underneath at 30 degrees.
I wore it to brunch with jeans and sneakers as well as to nice dinners at restaurants that wouldn’t have seated me in said jeans and sneakers. It looks at home in either scenario, and that means that it’s a real contender for replacing my winter puffer that has the same high functionality but low style points.
In terms of buying cheaper imitations in order to just have a leather moto in your closet — something I’ve definitely fallen victim to in the last three years — I really wish that I hadn’t. I was never completely happy with those buys, and instead of putting the money I spent on them toward something timeless like the Moya, I wasted it on a rotation of clothes with a short lifespan that didn’t make me happy and likely ended up in a landfill. After trying the Moya, I’d be happy to splurge on this — and benefit from how much it elevates the rest of my closet — than have the spare change to participate in trends that are less enduring.
The Moya III, as one co-worker who stopped by to try it on (after years of it sitting on her own wish list) put it, is the "perfect legacy piece."
Simply put, it's the one perfect prototype of the oversized leather shearling moto.
It's the standard bearer. It's sort of like if Michelangelo was teaching a sculpting class, and at the end, he was selling his example statue for $1,100 and the students were offering theirs for $200. You'll probably want Michelangelo's. No matter how many $200 lumpy statues you buy, they will not summarily equal the effect of one great Michelangelo piece. More is not better.
As far as closet splurges go, it makes me feel better knowing that the Moya is not only a great classic piece because of its style, but because it’s made out of pretty much the ideal materials for legacy — leather and shearling. The leather will grow softer and more personalized with character as the years pass, and the shearling will continue to feel soft and lived-in. It’s not the same as investing $1,000+ in a white dress made from a delicate fabric that has an essay-long laundry instruction list.
However, it's also worth noting that you shouldn't drop $1,095 if you think this will be a year-round coat. While you might be able to get by with a light leather jacket during the summer months for an evening out, the Moya is going to be your best friend during the fall and winter, and won't be in rotation during the summer months, which shouldn't come as a surprise but should also be stated. I happen to love the style enough for those colder months that its limited warm-weather wearability (especially as a cold baby who lives on the East Coast and sometimes Midwest) doesn't bother me as much as I would have expected before trying it on.
For better or worse, the Moya III — even amongst shearling moto jackets — is not just one fish amongst many in the sea. It sort of ruins you for the other fish. If you’ve been wavering on whether or not to get it, I can say from experience that I wish I had years ago. You won’t regret it. And if I’m wrong, they give you free returns, too, just in case.
Buy the Moya III Oversized Shearling Leather Jacket by The Arrivals on the company's website for $1,095
Mara Leighton Senior Digital Culture Reporter Mara Leighton is a senior digital culture reporter. If you want to get in touch, please send an email to mleighton@businessinsider.com, or send a DM on twitter to @maraleighton. Read more Read lessYou can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
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