Bomber jackets: How will you wear yours?
Picture the scene: it’s Korea, 1954, and Marilyn Monroe has delivered a sensational concert to the US troops in an equally sensational little black dress. You’ve seen the images, haven’t you? And if you haven’t, I bet you can find them easily enough online. But have you seen the photos of her before and after the concert wearing an oversized army-issue black leather bomber jacket?
And do you remember Steve McQueen in The Great Escape – you know, in the prison camp grounds? What about James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause? A bomber jacket-wearer. And then there’s my mum (admittedly not a celeb/cultural icon), in another BJ also from the 1950s. Hers was part of a military uniform. And that’s exactly the purpose for which the bomber jacket was born – their origins with the military dating right back to WW1. In fact, they are the creation of the US Army Aviation Clothing Board - yip, that was an actual department!
Through the decades, bomber jackets have come and gone, both as functional, practical, hard-wearing items (made from leather and serge), and as glorious fashion statements in delicate silks and cottons with elaborate patterns and prints. Oversized, waist length, gathered heavily at the waist and cuffs, raglan sleeves, set-in sleeves, roomy, snug, with or without collars, worn under or over other clothing, the bomber jacket is infinitely wearable. And it’s the style choice de jour. Oh … and, top tip for pocket lovers, many BJs have those too!
I am lucky enough to have in my own wardrobe a classic leather BJ (sheepskin lined). It’s a vintage piece gifted by a relative – massively oversized and gloriously warm. (I need a vintage sportscar and a silk headscarf to show it off to best advantage, but it kind of works with baggie combats and wellingtons, as my neighbours will attest.) And like many other preloved items of clothing, it’s not going to wear out any time soon. But what I don’t have – although a little fashion birdie tells me where I can get one (yes, I’m talking Trash Chic, of course!) – is something lighter that I can throw over a tee and a pair of jeans, or a summer frock, or perhaps even my baggie combats. It really is open season as far as the BJ is concerned – and any newspaper, magazine and celeb photo will tell you so. Honestly, with plenty of options, the only question to consider is: How will you wear yours?
Sandra Stafford is a writer, editor and long-time Trash Chic customer.
To view TC’s range of preloved bomber jackets, return to the Trash Chic shop where you will find a delightfully cheerful array for sale.
