Leather Bomber Jackets

Leather bomber jackets: are they still fashionable?

Leather bomber jackets are one of the greatest clothes for men to underline their masculinity and nice physical shape. They are not formal but suitable for a lot of other life occasions – from meeting with your friends in a park to go for a ride on a bike to free your mind. This garment has no limitations when it comes to genders, ages, or styles you adhere to. Well, you wouldn’t wear it to your office or when a serious meeting is planned (unless you run the company and it is you to whom other people report) but if a man has this jacket in own collection, it only underlines his high social status and freedom of mind (and his ability to grab a bike from time to time and go where eyes and heart lead).

Men’s Classic Black Leather Bomber Jacket

What is good about leather bomber jackets is that their popularity goes in waves, up and down. If you are reading this text in the midst of the low point, just let this garment hang in your closet for a while – in several months or a year as a max, it will turn popular again. And them, again in a few years. So, if you don’t give a clue about current fashion, simply dress up and use your leather bomber jacket to go out to complete your image – if well-suited to you, this will always work well.

Leather bomber jackets: materials, colors, prints, and other options

There are so many leather bomber jackets’ options that exist today. They differ by color, style, prints, material, and other subtleties. Let’s explore them:

By color:

• Black
• Brown
• Blue
• Silver
• White
• Tan
• Green
• Maroon/Burgundy
• Red.

By material:

• Sheepskin
• Cowhide
• Lambskin
• Goatskin
• Suede
• Nubuck
• Buffalo
• Artificial.

By type: jackets and coats (the latter very often also refer to jackets when customers seek for elongated versions).

The added effects can be tie-and-dye, full-grain leather, sewn-into items of decoration, and adornments (letters, prints, pictures, skulls, etc.). You’re also free to select items with warm or regular neck, and stretching models (which is usually implemented on the end of sleeves, in the bottom of the jacket, or inside of it, at the collar area to make it more comfortable for your neck).

The silhouette of leather bomber jackets remains pretty much the same for decades, only being split into several subtypes depending on the degree of cold protection and style. Yet, it is mostly not as much to warm up its owner as it is designed to underscore the masculinity. The jacket looks especially effective on guys with wide shoulders and a general classy physique. In addition to that, leather bomber jackets never lose their practicality and have many pockets not only on the body but also often on the sleeves.

Leather bomber jackets: what are they and some history behind

The first bomber jackets were made of leather for aircraft pilots in between of the First World War and the 1950s. All air personnel of the pre-jet era used to wear leather variances, as they were optimal for cold protection considering the available materials of those times. In the 1950s, the US military decided to design another jacket having a bigger degree of efficacy, comfort, and safety during the rise of the jet age. Those new-era jackets were made of fabric (cotton and nylon), with finishing treatment of the outer layer of fabric to make it more durable and water-resistant. Today, however, you can see both materials (leather and fabrics) on the shelves, while leather bomber jackets are considered more fashionable and expensive – to underline the status of the owner.

During the time as fabric jackets were widely used in aviation, the leather bomber jackets made their way to punks and listeners of heavy metal music – several decades before they did their journey to high fashion. The reasons for the popularity in those groups of people were the high durability of such jackets, availability of external and internal pockets, and a large variety in sizes, which made it possible to find apparel suitable for all kinds of body types and weights. They were known under a common military name ‘B-15’ and the popular name derived from the bomber aircraft. High popularization in commercial consumers began in 1963 when European Air Forces’ personnel started to widely apply leather bomber jackets.

Men’s Aviator Vintage Leather Bomber Jacket

In the US, they were coming back into fashion several times. In the 2010s, they were re-popularized in the US by a singer Kanye West, which is well-known for his ‘Kanye West Effect’. Thus, leather bomber jackets became popular not only in gentlemen but also in street-wear and grunge subcultures.

Leather bomber jackets: wear with style

This type of jacket is designed today for men of all kinds of physique: from skinny boys to seriously inflated ironmen. They are usually worn in a colder time of year and compatible with regular wool, corduroy, and tweed trousers, as well as with jeans. If you’re not having enough warmth yet you don’t want to change your jacket for a warmer option, try wearing waistcoat made of the same material as your trousers, or a sweater underneath a jacket.

Wear leather bomber jackets for a number of occasions, mostly casual and smart casual. As for footwear, you can opt for sneakers, brogues, high boots, leather trainers, loafers, suede derby, or even Oxfords if picked correctly to fit the general style. Underneath the jacket, there can be a collared shirt (for a smart casual), a T-shirt (for regular casual), a hoodie (for loose style), or turtleneck wear.

To create a complete look, think of the style you want to reach. Remember that all you will be able to create with leather jackets is the off-casual style, so you should further explore what direction of non-official style will be created. For a statement, opt for an option with embroidery or adornments and pair with non-usual colors. For a neutral smart casual, wear a collared shirt, regular trousers made not of jean (like chinos), and think of turtleneck or a vest. To complete the picture in a smart casual style with your footwear, wear anything but sneakers and loafers. For regular casual and even looser style, pick anything that is not mentioned in other styles.

You should also realize that a leather jacket proposes its owner to be open to experimenting. If something you wear composes a good style, which makes you express yourself and not look like a fool, then pick it.

Men’s Classic Blue Leather Bomber Jacket

Leather bomber jackets: tips on how to choose

Selecting the right jacket is a substantial work. Here are some general pieces of advice on how to choose a well-made jacket:

1. For colder weather, the jacket is to be more heavyweight. Sometimes, it can weigh up to 15 pounds but it will warm you up very nicely.
2. Remember that you will often wear this purchase with something warm, like a jacket, vest, or sweater. So pick 0.5-1 size bigger than usual or try to wear jackets already with all warm things worn on you so as to avoid making a mistake.
3. Leather protection spray is a bad idea for bombers on most occasions.
4. A warm collar is important for cold weather. Opt for a detachable option to make it a more universal purchase.
5. Consider it an investment, as a good thing may serve you for decades.
6. Black and glossy options do not look in the eyes of people as real as brown options even though they are not inferior to brown ones.
7. Pick zipper over buttons, as the latter will make you really mad one day.
8. Look for good stitching.
9. Opt for quality but it should be reasonable, otherwise, small extras in quality will boost the price up too much.

Leather bomber jackets: are they still fashionable?
Leather bomber jackets: materials, colors, prints, and other options
Leather bomber jackets: what are they and some history behind
Leather bomber jackets: wear with style
Leather bomber jackets: tips on how to choose