The Essential Men’s Leather Jacket Guide: 12 Of The Best Brands And Jacket Styles (Updated 2022)
Field Jacket
One of the most underrated pieces of military menswear, the field jacket is a stone cold classic that was originally rendered in a cotton drill fabric, but has since been updated in leather.
The M-65, as it’s otherwise known, is usually slightly longer than other styles, with multiple front pockets and belted at the waist. Often buttoned with a hidden placket, it looks particularly good in rich brown leather and as it falls below the waist, it will keep you warmer and better shield you from the elements.
“This is the bread and butter of brands like Barbour and Belstaff,” says menswear blogger Neil Thornton, who has worked for leading department stores like Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. “It’s the perfect winter style, even more so if you live in the countryside, styled with fitted jeans, a chunky knit and a classic pair of Chelsea boots.”
Bomber Jacket
The OG flight jacket has become a bona fide menswear staple in its own right in recent years, and it’s not difficult to understand why.
Though consistent in its simple shape – a cropped body featuring a central zip and fitted waist and cuffs – it can be rendered in anything from shiny nylon to soft, supple leather.
One of the most versatile outerwear silhouettes a man can own, the bomber jacket has been favored on screen by everyone from Steve McQueen to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. It can take its wearer from skinhead to Scandinavian chic, but the safest pairing is with raw denim and a simple white T-shirt or chambray shirt.
Racer Jacket
Aside from the military and sportswear, one of menswear’s biggest influences is the automotive world – driving shoes, ribbed-knee jeans et al. Bring the two together and wrap them in leather and what you have is the racer jacket.
On returning home from World War II, many soldiers caught the bug for souping-up pre-war motorbikes to be raced them between local pubs and cafes, creating the need for a streamlined, minimalist leather racing jacket. Heavy horsehide and a strong main zipper was deemed to provide enough protection for the boy racers, and by the 1960s the style otherwise known as the ‘Cafe Racer’ had gone mainstream.
