Bomber Command – The Classic Men's Jacket Is Back In Style

The bomber jacket is never not a useful wardrobe addition and is enjoying a style resurgence, having played a key role on the runways, from Prada and Saint Laurent to Loewe's pillowy leather version. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have been playing with scale for a few seasons, giving the oversized look a boost in popularity.

Pharrell Williams in Ernest W Baker at the 65th GRAMMY Awards Photograph: Amy Sussman/Getty Images/PR

Prada's pink leather bomber was spotted on Canadian rapper Drake in his music video, while newly appointed Louis Vuitton menswear creative director Pharrell Williams opted for a fitted red leather studded Ernest W Baker bomber with matching trousers at the Grammys.

Something classic to wear every day or a statement piece for special occasions? Zara's satin take on a baseball squad fit is similar to a souvenir jacket, with the colour and fabric giving it trophy status. Remember Ryan Gosling's Drive jacket? Case closed. Wear for nights out or events. Ditto varsity jackets, with the best buys to be found on resale websites. Depop has some great styles from £40, and cudoni.Com has a Casablanca cream jacket (£195). Streamline your search by colour and if you wear a lot of neutrals add a bright hue into the mix. Meanwhile, River Island's minimal black, Gap's old-school green with orange lining (£75), and Weekday's retro navy(£79) are everyday wears now spring is here. Pair a leather version (£339, allsaints.Com), Axel Arigato (3, below) or Gant's khaki (£220) with denim. Experiment with patterns like Rodd and Gunn (4, below) and Oliver Spencer's Langar (from £359), and style up with a sharp trouser or down with jeans and a white T-shirt.

1. Wool, £190, cos.Com

2. Satin, £89.99 , zara.Com

3. Khaki, £315, axelarigato.Com

4. Checked, £295, roddandgunn.Com

5. Oversized, £49.99, hm.Com

6. Cord, £69, weekday.Com

7. Light-weight, £220, gant.Co.Uk

8. Leather, £75 , riverisland.Com

9. Suede, £369, allsaints.Com

10. Jersey, £95, mkistore.Co.Uk

Winning Suits: Step Into Spring In A Versatile Shorts Suit

Without wishing to jinx things, it looks like spring has finally sprung, so turn your thoughts to warm-weather dressing. The shorts suit is riding high on the season's trend list, designers from The Row to Givenchy and Max Mara are backing them as office wear for men and women alike. The added bonus of a shorts suit is that it forms the basis of a mix-and-match modular wardrobe. You can pair the suit blazer with a denim skirt, style up with a blouse or down with a vest. Keep the shorts smart by wearing with the matching jacket or style separately with a knit or blouse.

Gigi Hadid at the Today Show in New York City.

While silhouette options are varied, neat and fitted with mid-thigh-length shorts is perfect for a summer wedding. Zara's nod to Chanel in textured check (5, below) looks super chic and Marks & Spencer's tweed high-waist suit is ideal for a city break. Bermuda shorts that hit just above or on the knee, teamed with a boyfriend-style jacket, feel more office-appropriate. Sandro has a great blush tone (2, below) while Cos's emerald version (8, below) has a generous inside leg. Both would double as wedding-guest looks styled up with a silk vest and block heels. For a modern twist, choose a waistcoat set. All Saints' version in brown looks stylish with simple flat leather sandals, see Gigi Hadid (left) wearing a trio set by Brandon Maxwell for another monotone styling tip. If bold colour is your thing, there are plenty of options from M&S's vibrant green (1, below) to Warehouse's mango shorts (6, below), which go up to a size 24, and Me + Em's hot pink tweed pair (10, below). Finally, don't forget failsafe black: the AllSaints combo (3, below) is a winner.

1. Green blazer £79 and shorts £49.50, marksandspencers.Com

2. Clay jacket £419 and shorts £239, sandro-paris.Com

3. Black blazer £269 and shorts £129, allsaints.Com

4. Denim blazer £169 and shorts £89.95, massimodutti.Com

5. Check jacket £79.99 and shorts £29.99, zara.Com

6. Yellow blazer £69.30 and shorts £27.30, warehousefashion.Com

7. Cream blazer £34.99 and shorts £14.99, hm.Com

8. Bermuda blazer £150 and shorts £79, cos.Com

9. Grey jacket £79.99 and shorts £35.99, mango.Com

10. Pink blazer £350 and shorts £165, meandem.Com

2023 Is The Year Of The Best Men's Leather Jackets

OK, so even the best men's leather jackets are divisive. We're often told that they're cool. We're shown that they're cool, in fact. Marlon Brando. James Dean. Brad Pitt in that film where everyone hits each other and isn't allowed to talk about it. But beyond the big screen, in the world where people don't hit one another and don't talk about it, Regular Guys can feel a little awkward in leather jackets.

But that needn't be the case. There's a leather jacket for everyone and understanding the different options available (as well as the histories behind them) is the first step to finding the right piece. That's why we've defined the main types – from biker to bomber and everything in between – and offered our picks for the new season from a wide range of brands. There's some styling tips in there too.

Sure, the best leather jackets for men don't come cheap. And taking the plunge can be a daunting experience. But follow our expert guidance, and you'll end up investing in a wardrobe essential that will last a lifetime, moulding to your body and becoming something of a second skin (nailing that cost-per-wear ratio in the process). Without further ado, here's everything you need to know to nail menswear's riskiest (but most rewarding) piece.

The Different Types of Leather Jacket

Classic Biker

Marlon Brando, the leather jacket OG

Silver Screen Collection//Getty Images

One jacket to rule them all. Ask a child to draw a leather jacket and this is what you'll end up with.

Created by leather legend Schott NYC for Harley-Davidson in 1928, the first iteration of its kind was named the Perfecto after founder Irving Schott's preferred cigars. With a cropped, belted body, diagonal zips, epaulettes, notch lapels and four pockets, the archetypal biker jacket still has all of these features. If it doesn't, then it's not a legit biker jacket, sorry.

It has a history. James Dean wore one. So did the Ramones. And while they pulled it off by token of youth and confidence and global fame, you can cheat your way in with the first two, and slot above plain T-shirts (grey or white, ideally) and black straight-ish leg jeans. Nobody this side of 'nu rave' should be wearing spray-on denim with a leather jacket.

Cafe Racer

Peter Fonda and his stars-and-stripes cafe racer jacket in Easy Rider. Leather pants optional

Susan Wood/Getty Images//Getty Images

If a full-blown biker jacket feels a little too Alice Cooper, the cafe racer provides a more middle-of-the-road alternative. Named after the lightweight motorcycles that soldiers would race between pubs and cafes, this leather jacket is a stripped-back take that does away with the detailing of its American counterparts.

The clean-cut look has a touch of the bomber about it, which means the cafe racer jacket is more versatile – and more forgiving – than the biker jacket. It's got a hint of its attitude, but wouldn't call a policeman a pig until he was out of earshot. So perfect for the man who wants to dip his toes into the world of leather jackets but needs something that'll work across the majority of his wardrobe.

Aviator and Bomber Jackets

Tom Hardy, staying grounded in a killer flight jacket

Greg Williams

From two wheels to two wings, leather's use as an outerwear material doesn't end with motorcycle clothing. For a century, those who take to the skies on the regular have embraced the fabric for its ability to stave off the worst of the cold.

There are two key styles of leather flight jacket: the classic bomber and the shearling aviator. Both are boxy, for warmth and ease of movement in a cockpit, but where the bomber features a round, knitted collar, the aviator boasts one with sheepskin lining, which can be buckled up for added cosiness.

Bombers and flight jackets are best suited to men who want more from their leathers. A flight jacket looks good, but it's also highly functional in winter weather. Team it up with cold-weather favourites like heavy selvedge denim, work boots and chunky knitwear. Avoid the temptation to add aviator sunglasses, unless you actually are Tom Cruise.

Leather Field Jacket

Benjamin Button might age backwards, but his leather Belstaff jacket is timeless

Paramount

Motorbikes weren't always ridden by rebels without a cause. In their first decades, they were the pastime of young adventurers, who'd bomb between each other's country piles. The original British motorcycle jacket was crafted with them in mind, and has a more refined, functional design.

Championed by English outerwear institutions like Barbour and Belstaff, this quintessentially British motorcyclist jacket features four pockets to the front, ideally including an angled chest pocket for your maps, with a press-stud and zipper closure to keep the wind out and a tonal belt to the waist.

The brilliance of this style lies in its versatility. There aren't many leather jackets that can be successfully paired with tailoring, but a Belstaff Trialmaster looks as good over a suit as it does a hoodie. For an easier way in, try it in brown leather with navy dress pants, a rollneck sweater and Chelsea boots.

Leather Blazer

RB/Bauer-Griffin

A leather blazer is by no means a safe choice, but once you've committed to such a purchase, we all but guarantee you'll never look back. In fact, you'll probably keep it forever – it's just one of those unfailing menswear hero pieces.

And since your next leather blazer purchase could potentially be your last, it's vital that you sidestep any that conform to current trends (a heavily jewelled Y2K-inspired blazer is definitely not OK) and focus on the buttery suit jackets you could wear for a lifetime. Our best advice is to follow in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's footsteps and stick with black so that you needn't think twice about throwing it upon any ensemble.

But if a black leather blazer is too Joey from F.R.I.E.N.D.S for your liking, there are some wonderful, just-as-versatile brown options out there – our favourite being the lamb leather croc-effect offering from Copenhagen-based menswear label Sunflower.

Best Leather Jackets – Leather Blazers Leather Puffer Jacket

Melodie Jeng

The leather puffer is the young, rich and handsome cousin of the leather jacket family. Counting versatility as one of its greatest attributes, it blends in just as well at boujee affairs as it does on the streets — thus, it's a piece rarely left at home.

Especially during the colder months as a leather puffer is just as practical as it is versatile. A leather layer that actually intends to keep you warm. Yves Salomon's leather jacket, for example, contains high insulation stuffing that comprises feathers and down. And Deadwood's Denver puffer employs recycled PET bottles to form its warming filling.

Like most leather jacket styles, vegan leather options are also available – the most noteworthy being the Nanushka Hide, made from the Budapest-based label's very own alt-leather and favoured by London's in-crowd. But if you're searching for a more affordable faux leather puffer, you can, as always, rely on Zara.

Leather Coach Jacket

Edward Berthelot

The coach jacket – one of the most popular, most versatile transeasonal layers of our time – now comes in leather. Which is big news for those who depend on the point collar silhouette; if a cotton coach has seen you through many an after-work drinks, imagine how much use you'll get out of a strong, durable leather iteration.

So, who's doing them? All of our favourite designers, each of which interprets the look uniquely. Loewe has embossed its take with its covetable logo (see the chest pocket); Mr P has paired luxurious full-grain leather with silver hardware; Rick Owens keeps things streamlined and minimalistic; whilst Represent references the layer's American sports roots by electing for press stud fastenings.

Leather Overshirt

Claudio Lavenia

The leather overshirt, a transeasonal layer, available everywhere from Scandi shopping centre gem Cos to luxury stalwart Loewe, is proof that you needn't be rich to look rich.

For leather overshirt outfit inspo, most look to the dripped-out men of the music scene. Joe Jonas, for example, rocks his with slick, black pleated slacks and Duke and Dexter Playboy loafers; Skepta sports his with a plain tee, a flashy chain and spray-painted trousers; Usher, as seen above, pairs his futuristic sunnies and co-ord bottoms, not to mention a statement hairstyle.

But that's not to say you can't confidently throw a leather overshirt atop any old clobber because, truly, you can. From experience, we can confirm that said layer works just as well with a grey sweatsuit and some trainers (our favourite weekend 'fit) as it does with a cashmere roll neck and some wool-blend pants (our go-to look for a boujee birthday dinner).

The 12 Best Leather Jacket Brands

Belstaff

Known primarily for its use of waxed cotton as a motorcycle jacket material, Staffordshire's Belstaff is also a dab hand when it comes to leather. The brand's signature belted jackets are classy, timeless, refined and unapologetically British. They're the Norton to the USA's Harley-Davidson; the sort of thing James Bond might wear to stride around Hampstead Heath on his day off, and a happy medium for those who like the idea of investing in leather outerwear but want something a little more grown up.

belstaff.Co.Uk

Lewis Leathers

While Schott was busy pinning down the motorcycle jacket market in the United States, London's Lewis Leathers was hard at work doing the same thing here in the UK. The first ever British motorcycle clothing company, Lewis Leathers' jackets earned the respect not just of bikers, but also several mid-century youth tribes, with the Bronx jacket becoming a hallmark of the Sixties rocker subculture.

lewisleathers.Com

Tom Ford

Fashion's king of sex appeal brings a typically Studio 54 approach to his leather jackets, be they a cropped biker jacket or a slightly sleazy leather blazer. You also get Tom Ford's uncompromising approach to materials – the brand's leathers are tough, buttery soft and will last for longer the man who's lucky enough to wear them.

tomford.Co.Uk

Schott NYC

Historic New York label Schott is to leather jackets what Dyson is to vacuum cleaners. Without it, there'd be no Perfecto motorcycle jacket. Hell, there might not even be any zips on jackets in general, given that this pioneering outerwear powerhouse was the first to add them. A true originator and probably the most storied leather jacket brand on the face of the Earth.

schottnyc.Com

Leather jacket visionary Melvin Schott, at work in the brand's New Jersey factory

frederic meylan//Getty Images Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli makes a gorgeous nappa leather biker jacket that we implore you to never actually wear near a motorbike. It is too beautiful, too well-crafted, too soft and supple to risk covering in engine oil, or to pepper with squished bugs. The received wisdom about leather jackets is that they get better with age, and yes, that's true. However, a Cucinelli leather jacket – with its cashmere linings and silky ribbing – is a slightly different beast, lacking rock 'n' roll energy but more than making up for it with sheer luxuriousness.

brunellocucinelli.Com

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent's biker jacket has been an icon since the Sixties, when Yves himself introduced it as part of his sixth collection as head designer for Dior. It took what had, up until that point, been a rugged, testosterone-fuelled symbol of rebellion and transformed it into something sleek and elegant. Shortly after, Yves Saint Laurent severed ties with Dior, setting up his own eponymous brand, and the black leather biker jacket has been a staple in its collections ever since.

ysl.Com

Acne Studios

Acne's knack for blending Scandi minimalism, classic silhouettes and avant-garde weirdness is what's made it a fashion-editor favourite for the past quarter-century. And nowhere is this more evident than in the Swedish label's selection of leather jackets. The brand takes tried-and-true styles and updates them with artful, contemporary tweaks that range all the way from subtle to downright outlandish. Perfect for those who are after something a little bit different.

acnestudios.Com

Dunhill

When you've been making leather stuff as long as Dunhill, you get pretty good at it. For more than a century, the London-based brand has crafted some of the finest belts, briefcases, bags and beyond, and its leather jackets are built with the same care. Dunhill's leather outerwear selection features everything from blazers to smocks, but it's the bomber and aviator jackets that really shine for us. Clean, simple and made to last a lifetime.

dunhill.Com

If in doubt about your leather jacket's fit, just copy ASAP Rocky

Bertrand Rindoff Petroff//Getty Images Reiss

There are some who'll swear blind it's not possible to get a decent leather jacket on the high street. Those people have never stepped foot inside Reiss, which is a dab hand in leather that punches above its price tag. As befits a brand known for trim silhouettes and ultra-sharp tailoring, its leather jackets are more for nights out than jaunts on your Kawasaki Ninja. Think classic styles reimagined in body-hugging cuts, with details kept to a minimum.

reiss.Com

AllSaints

Moody, grungy and dark, AllSaints's gear probably isn't the best if you're looking to shower your wardrobe with sunshine. But if you're after a great-looking leather jacket at a reasonable price, you'll struggle to find a label that delivers better value. Since 1994, the London-born brand has been cementing its reputation as the go-to place on the high street for outerwear with attitude. Expect soft supple leather, modern cuts and a shadowy colour palette across the board.

allsaints.Com

Connolly

The British institution started life as a leather goods company, and in the 150 years since, hides in all shapes, sizes and tanning techniques have been at the core of its offering (you'll still find its leather on the seats of your Rolls, Aston Martin or Ferrari). So yes, it can do you a nice leather jacket. As a luxury brand with motoring DNA, its big on cafe racer and biker jackets, although you'll find the odd shearling-trimmed bomber in its collections, too.

connollyengland.Com

Sandro

Sandro, a Parisian brand founded in 1984 by artistic directors Evelyne and Ilan Chétrite, specialises in the kind of versatile and understated designs that slot effortlessly into anyone's wardrobe. What's more, 36% of its leather comes from LWG gold or silver certified tanneries, which seek to reduce use of chemical substances and water, as well as follow the best possible environmental practises – a key focus for a brand that wants to make over 60% of its products eco-responsible by 2025. We're big fans of this simple leather jacket, with its classic collar, ribbed hem and clean design, and are patiently waiting for this Seventies-inspired piece to come back in stock.

uk.Sandro-paris.Com

Just like David Bowie, the best leather jackets get better with age

LGI Stock//Getty Images Should I buy a faux leather jacket?

A proper leather jacket doesn't come cheap, so if you want to get the look without having to remortgage your house, the temptation to go faux can be very real indeed. It is, however, a false economy. If you can't afford a proper leather jacket right now, stick it out and wait until you can. A proper leather jacket looks better every time you wear it; a synthetic starts to fall apart the second you put it on. If you get a year out of fake leather, then you've done very well indeed. The planet – and your wallet – won't thank you for binning and replacing.

According to Jason Schott, chief operating officer at Schott NYC and fourth-generation family member, a real leather jacket has the potential to last as long as you want it to, even with minimal care. "If you get the right leather jacket, you shouldn't have to do anything to it for months if not years besides wear it," he says. "As long as it doesn't dry out it should actually get better with time."

Schott suggests you only worry about waterproofing if your jacket is a particularly light shade. Aside from that, simply apply a neutral conditioner to it if it ever gets soaking wet. Just remember to let it dry first, preferably on you so it retains its shape. "If it's a really soft leather be careful not to over stretch it by keeping it on a hanger for too long," he says. "And most importantly, wear it often."

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