The Quintessential Leather Jacket!

A Leather Jacket is as essential a wardrobe must-have as the Little Black Dress every lady should possess. It is classy, smart and stylish, and can be easily blended with several of your looks. From making appearances on the runway to being a costume piece from Hollywood, the Leather jackets have become a timeless fashion piece now.

Rockers in the 1960s

The first glimpse of leather jackets was during the World War 1 where the pilots were given heavy-duty leather flight jackets to keep them getting frozen in the cold. In the later decades, many subcultures like the Mods, Skinheads and Scooterboys adopted these ‘flight jackets’ or ‘bomber jackets’ as a part of their signature ensemble. 

Motorcycle jackets also were inspired from these bomber jackets and became a symbol of thrill, speed and exhilaration for the youth of the 20’s and 30’s. The ‘Rockers’ subculture of the 1950’s followed suit and wore leather jackets heavily decked with pins, badges, metal studs etc. 

But the full impact of these jackets was the doing of celebrities and musicians. When several youth icons like Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One’ (1953), James Dean in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (1955) and Steve McQueen in ‘The Great Escape’ (1963); all wore the Classic Leather Jackets and carried out that tough guy, rugged look, it became an article of every young boy’s closet.

 

Sex Pistols during a concert!

 In the latter half of the 70’s,  Giorgio Armani’s leather jacket became a status symbol, and designer Claude Montana used black leather jackets for his womenswear collection giving women a new tough and enticing image. At the exact same time, punk rock was gaining popularity in New York and London, and leather became the face of this rebellion and of several bands including Sex Pistols and The Ramones. And who can forget Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis in Top Gun, with the cool and alluring effect of their matching leather jackets!

Styling the leather jacket is not that big a task, as it has the ability to convert your casual into tantalizing, and turn your girly into sexy. Avoid the leather jacket with the leather pants combination, as it will make you look too kinky and cheap to be out in this century. Let the jacket itself bring out the dramatic, dangerous and rip-roaring side of your personality, and give you that required boost in your self-confidence.

Model: Aneesha Khatar

Photo by: Nitin Raj

The Look - 

Leather Jacket: Vintage Boutique, Rome

Top: Mango

Jeans: Bershka

Boots: Aldo

Necklace: Lui & Lei, Milan

Model: Miray Kuzucu

The Look - 

Leather Jacket: Zara

White Pullover: H & M

Orange tank top: Pull & Bear

Pants: Zara

Shoes: Nike

Bag: Topshop

Model: Nitin Raj

The Look - 

Leather Jacket: Celio

T - shirt: Alcott

Jeans: Levis Strauss

Flatcap: Parisian street shop

Your leather jacket has the class of the old world, ensuring it will stay in the fashion scene, and in your wardrobes, a long long time.  Think back to the time when Sid Vicious instructed in his suicide note, ‘Bury me in my leather jacket’, and it will give you a fresh perspective on the importance of this iconic fashion piece.