Words: Gentleman's Journal
The bomber jacket rises from the ashes season after season as one of the most stylish pieces a man can wear. Day or night, smart or casual, the bomber takes control of wardrobes far and wide – in the best way possible.
As with a lot of men’s outerwear, the bomber jacket derived from the flight jackets worn in the military in WWII. Since then, it’s gone through the life and times of some of pop cultures most stylish men and is seen today by most men around the world as one of the most stylish wardrobe essentials there are. So, whether you’re looking to men of the past or gentlemen of the present, here’s your definitive guide to wearing wearing the bomber jacket.
Look at any of today’s style icons, and you’ll notice that the majority of them wear the bomber in the same way. If you’re heading towards baggier, wide-legged chinos and a more casual approach to your outfit in general, use the bomber to add some much-needed structure and shape to your outfit. Its clinched waist, wrists and fitted collar automatically means that your going to add definition.
Due to their background with American soccer and basketball, bombers can be typically associated with purely the most casual of occasions and therefore reserved for the weekends and not much else. But if there’s one thing that gentlemen overtime have taught us, it’s that the rules of dressing for particular occasions need not apply. So chuck your bomber on over your work shirt, wear it with your jeans for weekends and don’t stress about letting it define you.
Just because you’ve delved deep into the world of outerwear doesn’t mean that you need to overcomplicate the rest of your wardrobe. Keeping things simple is the easiest way to give the bomber jacket the spotlight that it deserves, so fair with with a white t-shirt and jeans for the best look. Keep the actual jacket simple too, avoiding any complicated embroidery or colours (here’s looking at you, Ryan Gosling in Drive). Neutral is best, gentlemen.
In our humble opinion, the best looking bomber jackets are the simplest, and made with either suede or cotton. Anything leather or otherwise might in theory be a good idea, but it’s a lot less classic and certainly less wearable than the classic bomber. A brown suede or navy cotton bomber is truly the way forward – simple, goes with anything and can be worn year after year and for work or play. 88
The best thing you can do for your bomber is to make sure that it actually fits you. The fit on your shoulders, the perfect arm length and the way it sits is essential to the whole look. If it slips off your shoulders, is too long on the sleeves or the waist or is either too baggy or too tight, you’re going to look instantly out of place. Get these things right, and the world is your oyster.
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