... going to motorbike show on my birthday and am thinking of clothing as my pressie to myself.  My payrise (woohoo!!) will kick in the day before & I've asked the girls at work to give me the cash if it's not going to upset the older ladies so that I can treat myself.   Gloves are definately on the list as mine are okay but not very techie.  I've never worn leathers so am I going to be better in textiles over winter, warmth wise, and looking at leathers at BMF next year?  Prob a daft ??  but having never been in them...                                                                                                                                                                             

Definately textiles over winter,  no contest.                                                                                                                                                                               

i like ixon ladies gear they are good womanly shape!! plus the linings are toastie warm but the outer fine for summer on their own.                                                                                                                                                                             

Girls bike 2 have a fab range of ladies stuff, and as it suggests cut for a ladies shape so goes in (and out) where it should do lol

Agree with wierdo, textiles in winter, better for warmth and waterproofing and easier to layer, leathers if you get wet no matter howmuch you waterproof will absorb water and become ruddy heavy when they do.

Also get yourself a bottle of the nikwax (or similar) waterproof spray so that if a little area (I usually find it's elbow creases on a jacket or seat on trousers that loose waterproofness 1st) becomes leaky all you need do is spray that area and having the spray ready means you won't forget to buy it and get wet several times :-)

  Having worn leather and textile bike clothes, while riding in winter, I recommend textile.   I can't recommend any waterproofing products cos nothing worked for me. Nik wax included.   One thing that makes clothes leak less is if they don't have a lot of stitching, the water gets in thro the perforations no matter how much you seal the clothes.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Had a good 2 hours out this morning and all was good, when it drops another couple of degrees I'll put the liner back in my trousers and get the kidney pad out.                                                                                                                                                                               

Simple answer is to buy as good as you can afford and avoid unknown makes etc.

Good textiles shouldn't leak for at least five years.  You need to make sure that the outer shell has taped and welded seams (cheaper ones are just taped and they will give pretty quickly due to moving around on the bike) and that the waterproof lining is a good one like Sheltex, Sympatex or Goretex.

If you have the money for Goretex, make sure it's Goretex Z-liner, Performance Shell or Pro-shell.  If it isn't any of these then it's probably simple two ply Goretex which is more appropriate for walking gear etc and will let water through eventually due to wind pressure.

Also, regardless of whether an item is reduced or not, you want a good returns policy.  If it's faulty in any way, zip breaks, it leaks, poor stitching etc, you want to be able to take it back and replace or refund.  Because of this it's worth finding out where the shop is in the country in relation to you or if they have a local branch.

I've always found that Hein Gericke are very good and I get most of my gear from there unless I'm having stuff made to measure.  They offer a very good range for a wide variety of budgets and if it's guaranteed waterproof, my experience is that it is.  I had my last jacket for about eight years before it started to leak and I do a lot of miles.  Even then, it was the Goretex that broke down (probably my fault for not washing it often enough) rather than any particular fault with the jacket and they did tell me that if I'd kept my receipt they could have sorted it for me because although they only had a two year warranty on the product, Goretex comes with ten years.

Plus on the rare occasion that I've had call to take an item back, there has never been any questioning, they've simply replaced it there and then.

That's the sort of customer service you want and you need to make sure whoever you buy from is the same.                                                                                                                                                                              

Hello Lou,
Without a doubt textiles are the best for winter. I've been riding for ever so really like my leathers, but at the end of the day you have to be warm and comfy.
All good advice in the postings so far, but here are a few more pointers.
If you are warm, dry and comfy you will be a safer and more concentrated rider.
Buy absolutely the best you can afford, and try it on. Then adopt your riding position: Does it cut you in half? Does the Jacket ride up over the top of the trousers? Is there room for layers whilst still not becoming tight? Don't be ashamed of squatting in the shop!
Cannot emphasise more strongly the returns policy that Geoff spoke about.
Heine Gerrick is good.
I use Rukka, whic is Uber-costly and even better.
Have a chat with Ollie at Motorcycle Essentials in Cannock (Not far from you) I've dealt with him many times. Honest and reliable kit. A very nice fellow ( and feel free to say I told you that...)
Any other questions, PM me.