Be it military, sporting or ultra luxe, fabric ... - Thomas Stubbs

For many, there is a visceral aspect to wearing 

clothes made from animal skin. The smell and 

the feel alone make for an engaging experience. 

Add the potential masculine avatism that leather 

formats afford and it’s easy to see why leather 

outerwear has long been a significant part of 

men’s wardrobe. But something has driven 

designers to place a special focus on leather this 

winter, along with sheepskin and shearling. 

It could be that these tactile fabrications 

constitute reassuringly honest and long-term statements that 

improve with age. Perhaps leatherwear sits well with a rediscovered 

straight-up masculinity in men’s fashion. Or it might simply be 

luxury brands competing for men to shell out on an investment. 

Either way this season has produced some of the best, most 

wearable and stylish-looking skin-work for many years. 

Wearing black, shiny leather biker jackets is usually a young 

man’s game, as referenced via cult films and iconic rock’n’rollers. 

It’s a look that the selection of super-lean leathers from Lot 78 

(from £790) specialises in, with body-conscious, sleek lines. Toby 

Bateman, buying director at Mr Porter, says, “We’ve brought in 

two new brands for autumn that specialise in 

leather – Lot 78, for the modern rocker style, 

and Schott for true vintage American flight 

jackets and Perfectos (£790)” – the belted black, 

zippy style worn by Marlon Brando in The Wild 

One. Bateman expands on his jacket roster, 

howtospendit.com 

From left: oiled shearling biker 

jacket, £3,000, by Belstaff. 

Sheepskin military coat, £4,000, by 

Ermenegildo Zegna. Suede and mink 

Harrington coat, £2,870, by Brioni 

UNder 

the 

skiN 

Be it military, sporting or ultra 

luxe, fabric experimentation and 

modern takes on iconic styles are 

updating the landscape of leather 

outerwear. Tom Stubbs reports 

67 

289_Leather_outerwear_PRESS.indd 2 29/08/2012 15:34

“Blousons are on trend this winter, and the classic fabric 

is leather. We have suede blousons from Loro Piana 

(pictured on next page, £3,000), shearling-collared 

flight jackets from Ami (£950), nappa Harringtons from 

Brioni (pictured on previous page, £2,870), and bikers 

from Gucci (£2,520).” (Ami is an excellent emerging 

French brand, and its flyer jacket is thick, tarmacadamdark 

and without a whiff of Biggles.) “The most 

important thing with a leather is fit – it should be snug 

when you first buy, because it will give like a pair of 

shoes,” Bateman advises. “Second is shape, and this is 

personal. I like a knitted hem and cuff because I have a 

long body and short-ish legs, so this style shortens the 

proportion of the body and gives me a better overall 

look.” And colour? “We have them in navy blue, olive 

green and tan as well as black and brown.” 

The treatment of leather to achieve distinctive colours 

and patinas is a signature technique of Berluti – a 

French brand founded by the Italian bootmaker. Now, 

its first season of ready-to-wear menswear uses the 

house’s artisan processes to striking effect on simple 

leather biker jackets (pictured right, price on request), 

where an almost antique quality is achieved. The darkgreen 

zip leather is hand-patinated at the end of a 

vegetal tanning processing that takes more than 25 

hours. It has a remarkable, stippled patina, making 

for a distinctive piece in conjunction with its cut. 

“Leathers are constructed following the tailor-made 

rules that we normally use for handmade suits,” says 

artistic director Alessandro Sartori. “This, together 

with the rich colour, and the quality of the patina are 

making the Berluti leather garments as iconic as the 

shoes.” Another simple sheath-like jacket is in a 

shiny bordeaux and navy reversible nappa baby 

calfskin (price on request). It’s an example 

of Berluti’s artisanal colouration 

prowess, and a great-looking biker 

interpretation to boot. 

Jackets go through further 

fabric experimentation in the 

hands of motorcycle clothing 

brand Belstaff, the first 

company to ever use waxed 

cotton. There’s a classic-cut 

biker in graphite-grey waxed 

crocodile (£60,000); 

chocolate croc takes on the 

famous Roadmaster belted 

four-pocket jacket (£80,000); 

and on-trend quilted leather 

versions of both styles. 

However, the shearling biker 

and Roadmaster are the 

coups of the season, both in 

black with taped seams. Such 

dark and refined shearlings 

and sheepskins are a key look. 

Italian luxury tailoring house 

Brioni seasonally produces a 

couple of covetable hide 

jackets. The best this autumn is 

a plush black suede blouson 

(£6,600) with leather piping and 

mink-fur lining and collar. A 

structured coat between a classic 

sheepskin and car-coat style, in a 

dark, cocoa shearling, has an almost 

1970s accent (£3,900). This shape is good 

for men who are not suited to overly waistconscious 

jackets. Rich, intense ebony 

bonded-sheepskin car coats come from 

Spanish leather designer Loewe (from 

£2,895); it makes convincing black, padded 

suede field jackets (from £4,450), too. Also 

subtly retro are peat-dark nubuck coats 

bonded with sheepskin collars and lapels 

(£6,250), and no stigma of 1970s football 

manager is hinted at. 

Head of menswear at Harrods, 

Jason Broderick, clearly enjoys designer 

68 

Clockwise from main 

picture: leather jacket, 

price on request, by Berluti 

at Harrods. Leather and 

shearling flying jacket, 

£4,600, by Louis Vuitton. 

Calf-skin blouson, £2,335, by 

Tod’s. Lamb-suede trench 

coat, £4,050, by Ralph 

Lauren Purple Label. 

Shearling and nubuck car 

coat, £6,250, by Loewe 

“Shearling’s cocooning quality has 

been perfectly employed by 

designers Margiela and McQueen” 

interpretations of sheepskin and shearling. “They’ve 

always been winter staples and are a fantastic way to add 

texture and warmth. The cocooning qualities of sheepskin 

and shearling has been perfectly employed by designers 

such as Margiela and McQueen.” His favourite? “I love 

the sumptuous leather jackets with shearling trim, 

especially this year’s Alexander McQueen coat (£4,400).” 

Other directional retailers assert that it’s the updated 

classic designs that work best for their customers. 

“We’ve found the strongest pieces are those that give a 

nod to iconic styles – the biker, bomber and flying jacket 

– while adding a contemporary spin,” Stacey Smith, 

buyer for Matches boutiques, tells me. “Acne has 

retooled the biker, with some great black leather and 

fabric-mix versions (£460).” The fashion-led Swedish 

label has also created Blue – a black shiny, quite boxy, 

leather jacket (£950). “Lanvin’s blouson comes in 

two-tone leather (£1,830), adding a graphic sense to a 

menswear staple. Gucci’s horse-leather jacket (pictured 

right, £2,520) is a modern reinterpretation of the 1940s 

aviator jacket,” continues Smith. The Gucci flyer’s patch 

pockets and ribbed waistband are a little retro – but not 

overtly so. Flying jackets are a strong, manly story, and 

easy to wear with conviction at most ages while 

channelling the current fur trend in an understated 

manner. Louis Vuitton’s no-nonsense approach to its 



lack/purple deerskin flyer (pictured on previous page, 

£4,600) with its detachable beaver collar and lightweight 

fabrication epitomises chic, under-the-radar luxury. For 

those who like their style more nostalgic without going 

authentically vintage, there is Bally’s jacket in caramel 

water-repellent lamb-nappa, which also has shearling 

collar and cashmere lining (pictured right, £1,850). In 

fact, Bally’s collection is good all round, including 

caramel coats cut like simple macs (from £1,850) and 

other items not frequently seen in hide. 

Ralph Lauren is also working unexpected 

fabrication. Classic flyers (from £1,860) and 

bikers (from £1,860) both appear in the 

Black Label range. However, the most 

interesting design this season is the supple 

lamb-suede trench (pictured on previous 

page, from £4,050) from Purple Label. With 

Italian horn buttons and a shorter cut, 

it’s slightly trimmer through the 

bottom and shoulder than normal 

Ralph trenches and is a great way 

into structured suede/leather, 

particularly if you’re not tall. 

Mid- and three-quarter length 

leather coats (pictured on first 

page, from £570) were focal 

at Ermenegildo Zegna, where 

a new Matelassé technique – an 

embossed quilting method – has 

been used on some leathers 

to modernising effect. 

Meanwhile, Zegna’s pea coats 

(price on request) and military 

coats (£4,000) in “vintage” 

shearlings with curly hair in vivid 

ochre-tan colours reference 1980s 

styles. Also looking back a few 

decades were the tailored leathers 

at Trussardi, a house whose new 

collections designed by Umit Benan 

Sahin (this autumn is his second) are 

the toast of sophisticated style pundits at 

the Milan shows. Racing driver Jackie 

Stewart inspired the 1970s playboy 

storyline that combined tailoring, rich 

earth and jewel colours combined with 

flamboyant retro-styling. On the runway, 

washed nappa-leather pieces, such as the 

fox-fur trimmed pea coat (£3,260) and 

embossed bombers (£2,475), channelled 

this and the deep-tan leather trench was 

one of the biggest statements of the 

season. Black leather trenches at Valentino 

(pictured right, £5,825) and Hermès 

combine great style with a touch of 

menace – think iconic films The Night 

Porter and Blade Runner. The Hermès 

trench (pictured right, £12,170) is interesting for its 

re-styled military pockets and belt details, as well as 

being made from smooth “sport calf” leather, which has 

no grain and is usually used for bags. Although not agesensitive, 

these dark military styles require a certain 

stature and theatricality, which means you do have to 

get into the part as well as the coat. 

If you prefer your clothes to play more of a 

supporting role, the simple calf-leather bombers at 

Tod’s (pictured on previous page, from £2,335) are the 

epitome of modern low-key luxury. Artisan workers 

meticulously select skins and treat them with special 

waxes, making the leather exquisitely soft and supple. 

Finely ribbed waistbands, cuffs and even the zips are 

carefully coloured to match. 

There were many different types of leather coat on 

the runway this autumn – a style and choice of skin for 

each stage of a man’s style-life. Whether it be a strong, 

tough statement to channel a certain machismo and 

rebellion or a softer choice of skin and shape for 

elegant finery, taste and comfort. Whatever your 

preferred, the leather jacket is far from a one-trick 

pony – and worth the investment. ✦ 

70 

“ The strongest pieces 

are those that give a 

nod to iconic styles – 

the biker, bomber and 

flying jacket” 

From far left: Horse-leather 

flying jacket, £2,520, by Gucci 

at Matches. Calf-leather 

trench, £12,170, by Hermès. 

Nappa-leather trench, £5,825, 

by Valentino. Lamb-nappa 

flying jacket, £1,850, by Bally. 

Ami leather flight jacket, £950 

hide: a multitude of skins 

Acne, 13 Dover Street, London W1S (020-76299 3744; 

www.acnestudios.com). Alexander McQueen, 4-5 Old Bond Street, 

London W1S (020-7355 0088), and see Mr. Porter. Ami, www. 

amiparis.fr and see Mr Porter. Bally, 116 New Bond Street, London 

W1S (020-7491 7062; www.bally.com) and see Selfridges. Belstaff, 

12-13 Conduit Street, London W1S (020-7495 5897; www.belstaff. 

com). Berluti, 43 Conduit Street, London W1S (020-7437 1740; 

www.berluti.com) see Harrods. Brioni, 32 Bruton Street, London 

W1J (020-7491 7700; www.brioni.com). Ermenegildo Zegna, 37-38 

New Bond Street, London, W1S (020-7518 2700; www.zegna.com) 

and see Matches. Gucci, 18 Sloane Street, London SW1 (020-7235 

6707; www.gucci.com). Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London 

SW1X (020-7730 1234; www.harrods.com). Hermès, 155 New Bond 

Street, London W1S, (020-7499 8856; www.hermes.com). Lanvin, 

32 Savile Row, London W1 (020-7434 3384; www.lanvin.com). 

Loewe, 125 Mount Street, London W1 (020-7499 0266; www.loewe. 

com) and see Harrods. Loro Piana, 153 New Bond Street, London 

W1S (020-7499 9300; www.loropiana.com) see Mr Porter. Lot 78, 

125 Ledbury Road, London W11 (020-7243 4118; www.lot78.com), 

and see Mr Porter. Louis Vuitton, 17-20 New Bond Street, London 

W1S (020-7399 3856; www.louisvuitton.com) see Harrods. Martin 

Margiela, see Harrods. Matches, www.matchesfashion.com. Mr 

Porter, www.mrporter.com. Ralph Lauren, 1 New Bond Street, 

London W1S (020 7535 4600; www.ralphlauren.com). Schott, www. 

schottnyc.com and see Mr Porter. Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, 

London W1A (0800-123400; www.selfridges.com). Tod’s, 2-5 Old 

Bond Street, London W1S (020-7493 2237; www.tods.com) and see 

Selfridges. Trussardi, www.trussardi.com. Valentino, 174 Sloane 

Street, London SW1X (020-7235 5855; www.valentino.com). 


getty images/ amana images

Be it military, sporting or ultra luxe, fabric ... - Thomas Stubbs

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