Style

How to Wear a Bomber Jacket in 2017, According to the Menswear Experts

January 30, 2017

The bomber jacket will probably never go out of style but last year, the interest in the staple was unparalleled. Google searches for the jacket surged by over 500%. GQ.com wrote no less than a dozen posts on the topic. Everyone from Kanye West and Jaden Smith to Liam Hemsworth decided to start wearing theirs 24/7. And shelves bulged with options for consumers. There were the crazy embellished styles from Gucci, the classic nylon renditions from Alpha Industries, and luxed up velvet options from Haider Ackermann—and about a thousand interpretations in between. Knowing the trend isn't going anywhere in 2017, but curious how it might evolve from here, we reached out to a few retail experts for their insight. Here's what they had to say:

Tom Kalenderian EVP, GMM of Menswear at Barneys New York

The bomber is an iconic style that has existed since the turn of the century in uniforms and fashion. In the '50s, youth culture adopted military and labor pieces like the the MA-1 bomber, subverting their symbolism by bringing them into the streets and clubs. I think we're seeing that rebellious spirit again from young people and designers, which is why the bomber jacket has again surged in popularity.

We started carrying Alpha Industries in early 2016 when we saw it trending on the runway, worn by Kanye West, and all over Instagram. It took off immediately. Now one third of our outerwear assortment is bomber jackets (125 styles for spring). We have styles in wool, satin, and tech fabrics, collaborations with Resurrect By Night, exclusives from Off-White, and pretty much every cut and color you could imagine. I think today's young guy is wearing a bomber as a replacement for a sport coat; it's authentic, simple, and smart but it still has that subversive spirit.

Shannon Schafer, Senior Fashion Director at Nordstrom:

"The bomber jacket trend started with ‘90s throwback colors of black and olive for us. Fashion colors quickly gained momentum and now burgundy is our top-selling color. We’ll also have teal and dark purple this spring and jackets in unexpected fabrics like denim, lightweight wool, cotton, and fleece.

Last year's Gucci-inspired embroidery details are evolving towards patches, back logos, and statement graphics for 2017. We bought into oversized bombers for our most fashion forward customers, but there are a lot of guys who will prefer a traditional fit. We’ll have both."

Wayne Gross, Fashion Director at East Dane:

"We’ve moved away from the padded bomber to a lighter weight, trans-seasonal version for spring. Satin is big for us. The nice thing about this version of the jacket is that it’s more versatile, allowing you to treat it like an outerwear staple or a layering piece depending on the weather.

We’ve also started to move away from the embellished styles, choosing to offer our customer more timeless, classic versions. We think the varsity jacket-inspired versions will be big in 2017. A two-tone style bomber looks so cool with a classic white T-shirt and jeans; think: James Dean and Marlon Brando circa early 1950s."

Sam Lobban, Senior Buying Manager at Mr Porter:

"Bomber jackets are very masculine and very flattering, which is part of the reason why they sell so well. They widen the shoulders and make you look trim. They also work both dressed up and worn more casually, which always helps.

You can wear a bomber jacket more casually with sweats and a hoodie but I like it over a button-down shirt and a crewneck sweater with slim pants for a mix of refinement and sort of a streetwear attitude. The real trick though is to choose a fabric that will work into your wardrobe in as many situations as possible so you never have to choose just one way to wear it."