Fashion trends ruled by weather

Now why does moisture ruin leather? Aren't cows outside a lot of the time?

In his book, SeinLanguage, Jerry Seinfeld wondered about the dangers of exposing leather to the elements. After experiencing the snow, rain and slush that goes along with winter in Happy Valley, students might be wondering the same thing.

Students have two options to prepare their clothing for inclement weather: using a product to treat their clothing, or buying outerwear that is already treated to be waterproof or water-resistant.

Weather can damage leather products, said Cecil Houser, a sales clerk at Double D Leather in the Nittany Mall.

"Because it's actual skin from an animal, it has pores," he said.

After exposure to rain or snow, these pores can dry out and eventually crack, causing the leather to appear rough and distressed, he said. Without treatment, "eventually, the jacket would become so brittle that it would just fall apart," he said.

Houser recommends conditioning or oil-treating leather products two or three times a year in order to protect them from drying and crackling, he said.

Tammy Etters, sales clerk at the Shoe Fly, 214 E. College Ave., said the store also recommends protecting shoes from weather.

"Basically all shoes are water-resistant," she said, but students usually want to put something on the shoes to protect them from "rain and stain."

There are different products available to treat shoes, including spray-on formulas for leather, suede and fabrics, and a liquid form for leather, which is applied with a cloth.

Although rain probably won't ruin shoes, she said, shoes will last longer if protected from the weather, especially in State College. "We get a lot of rain here," she said.

With leather jackets, though, the best idea might be to avoid extreme weather altogether.

Ideally, leather jackets should not be worn in heavy rain or snow, Houser said.

However, if someone does choose to brave the elements while sporting a leather jacket, he said, the jacket should be conditioned as soon as the wearer gets home.

When it comes to buying clothing that is already water-resistant or waterproof, students might be paying for more protection than they actually need, said Chris Galton, sales clerk at the Ski Station, 224 E. College Ave.

Customers who are looking for waterproof clothing may not know the differences between "water-resistant" and "waterproof," he said.

A water-resistant fabric has a coating that makes water bead on it, he said, but totally waterproof clothing has a thicker, sometimes rubbery, coating or waterproof taping on the seams.

Some students have misconceptions about needing a waterproof coat to walk to class, Galton said. Totally waterproof clothing is only necessary for people who go camping for days or work outside all day, he said.

In a severe downpour, water will get into a water-resistant jacket, he said, but for students who are only walking to and from class, water-resistant jackets might be the better -- and more affordable -- choice.

Water-resistant shells for jackets can be bought for $50 to $75, he said, but waterproof jackets can cost more than $250.

Because it is in style, he said, "people are interested in the highly technical clothing right now," for example The North Face and GORE-TEX jackets. But these types of outdoor wear might have features that students don't need.

For example, GORE-TEX jackets are tested in weather conditions similar to a monsoon, he said. Some of the waterproof jackets students are wearing are the same kinds people wear on expeditions to Mt. McKinley or Mt. Everest, he said.

These jackets can be light, durable and comfortable, he said. "But then again, is that what everyone needs?"

Better ask those cows.