Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2015
Get your motor runnin’…Head out on the highway…Lookin’ for adventure…
Oh wait. What are you going to wear on said adventure? I have found that one of the best all time fashion default items is the leather jacket. It’s such a life-saver that you only need one really good one—and yet, you can never have too many.
The options are overwhelming, but the math doesn’t have to be. The reason why these things work so well is because they are “above the law.” Rules are made to keep us safe and help us understand how to get along. But once you know the why of it all, you get to break the rules. That goes especially for fashion. That’s where the leather jacket comes in. Worn by bomber pilots who later became bikers and then influenced rock’n’rollers, they are quintessentially American and bad-ass. The dress code might say, “cocktail” or “business-casual” or even “formal” but once you put that leather jacket on, it’s like YOU say, “I do what I want.”
For women, a great fashion moment occurred when one of those Olsen twins wore a leather jacket over a formal gala dress—it changed everything. Formerly the creative director for Christian Dior Men’s—now for Saint Laurent—Hedi Slimane has been replacing tuxedo jackets with leather jackets for over a decade now, and isn’t it great?
This month, Spring/Summer items are going on sale and it’s a great time to be looking for an item like a leather jacket. Although these aren’t necessarily on sale yet, they work as a reference point and can serve as a guide for some distinct styles to choose from and to get you started.
In keeping with our Easy Rider inspiration, I fell in love with Saint Laurent’s Suede Trapper Jacket available for $3,590 at Barney’s. It’s so Billy…the 2015 version, that is. Believe it or not, some things are still made in Italy and this is one of them. Made with 100 percent leather, it has a tab waistband, panel construction, rib-knit inset at collar, notch lapels, shoulder yoke at front and back, side on-seam pockets, button-tab barrel cuffs, button tabs at waist, center seam at back, logo-etched gradient brown shell buttons and a button-front closure. The jacket is lined with silky (60% cupro, 40% cotton) twill, one welt pocket and one double-welt pocket at interior.
Moving in the opposite direction, the Iro Black Hyda available on lyst for $1890 is a ridiculously sexy version of the moto jacket. And if you’re more of a Wyatt kind of guy, this body conscious slim fit with a deleted collar, has a fold-over flap that when opened looks like a classic moto style. So clever. With a belt at the waist, epaulets with snaps, asymmetric zip-front and zipper cuffs, this jacket is a great basic and the price point is solid.
Last but not least, the ASOS Reclaimed Vintage Leather Biker Jacket for $235.05 is next level rebellious as it dares to be white. The styling options for this item seems to have all kinds of fun built in, but really you should just wear it the same way you would a black moto jacket. I personally think it takes a certain kind of audacity to wear white, since people tend to worry about getting it dirty. It might have been the “gateway” leather jacket for that square George Hanson, had he survived.
Even if Easy Rider isn’t your thing, I’m confident in saying that with this leather jacket wardrobe you’re ready to take the world in a love embrace, fire all of your guns at once and explode into space.
Saint Laurent Suede Trapper Jacket
IRO Hyda in Black
ASOS Reclaimed Vintage Leather Biker Jacket
