When the summer heatwave comes crashing to a close (cue: broken umbrellas and sodden Stan Smiths), the skimpy clothes you purchased in a desperate bid to avoid awkwardly placed sweat patches will be redundant.
The solution is to purchase one statement piece that will allow you to extend the lifespan of your outfit. This idea, of “trans-seasonal dressing”, is about elbowing your clothes into different seasons. It’s mainly done using one key, statement piece that will allow you to pull off that look. Previously, we’ve had chunky brogues worn with shorts or a reworked denim jacket that withstands semi-serious weather conditions. This year, it’s the biker jacket.
In the spirit of Jenny Beavan at the Oscars and Zayn Malik wearing an Enfant Riches Déprimés jacket on the cover of Paper magazine, the leather biker jacket is the trend that is set to dominate next season. So far this year, the jacket has been overshadowed by other styles (the souvenir, the Shearling and the field jacket as seen at the Craig Green and Christopher Raeburn SS16 collections). But at the autumn/winter 2016 menswear shows, designers such as Les Hommes, Juun.J and Costume National, went big on the oversized, wide-screen biker jackets. With peaked, exaggerated shoulders, clunky zips – sometimes even worn with matching leather gloves. Think Charlie Sheen in Ferris Buller’s Day Off rather than the skinny fit of the Strokes. The motocross aesthetic is one that has popped up at the autumn/ winter women’s shows (Louis Vuitton and Chloe). For men, the biker jacket is a great between-season item.
