Imissed the first wave of rave, so the appeal of the bomber jacket was lost on me. The shiny surface and zipper placement always seemed an odd mix of gaudy and conservative: an identity crisis with two sleeves. But then along came Ryan Gosling in Drive. His dawn-lit silver scorpion jacket was a definitive piece of bad-boy costuming and nudged the leather jacket into second place (we all want to imagine ourselves as the cinematic bad boy, right? Even though we’re probably “unnamed party guest number two”). It presaged the revival of Japanese souvenir jackets and Saint Laurent’s eagle bomber that was worn by every male celebrity you can think of (Kanye West and Keith Richards included).
Despite this, I still balked at the idea of a bomber. Mainly because almost all the jackets I own are made for practicality; the extreme-weather parka that looks like a prehistoric animal and is built for tramping through the Highlands, rather than nuzzled into a hot armpit on public transport. The jackets I remember most fondly are from childhood: synthetic fabrics in bright colours from C&A smelling of burnt curries with a top note of fresh plastic toys.
Everyday, all-weather jackets should be simple, familiar items into which you can slip without a thought. They should be the sartorial equivalent of the best friend with whom you immediately fall into easy silences and pig Latin in-jokes. This bomber I’m wearing today feels as if it could become, if not a best friend, at least a good companion.
The feel of it is quite luxury and made me come over a bit Italian rally car driver (for context: in my own clothes, I usually feel like a bass player in a 1990s indie revival act). At the same time, the fabric is extremely comfortable, a robust, sensible choice for our monoseasonal weather, as well as – in a shade of dark purple (very aubergine emoji) – extremely cool.
• Jess Cartner-Morley is away
• Priya wears Jacket, £55, riverisland.com. T-shirt, £175, by Marni, from mrporter.com. Jeans, £30, topman.com. Trainers, £115, whistles.com.
Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Laurence Close at Carol Hayes Management.
