For years I have judged beige biker jackets. Said they were a cop out. The nervous middle child of outerwear; for people who want to look edgy by association with leather but don’t want to commit to actually looking like they might chop your fingertips off. I bought myself a black leather motorcycle jacket. Obviously. And mocked the beige ones hanging silently on the rail in shops, as if they’d somehow personally offended me. But I was wrong and I want to apologise publicly. So sorry I laughed at you in the shop beige biker jacket, I’m sorry. You weren’t the boring choice, you were just better at your job than I gave you credit for.
It takes the edge off the aggression of the shape without diluting why you’re wearing that shape in the first place. That stiff shoulder, the zips, the cropped torso – it all still applies, but in a hue that doesn’t bang its own chest before you’ve even entered the room.
It speaks ‘I put some thought into this’, rather than ‘punk-rock’, which is where black leather can easily slide, especially when you pair it with anything vaguely reminiscent of band t-shirts, at which point you’re not far off booking flights to Manchester.
Trust me.
Your fit is also likely to be where you screw it up. Including myself in this – last year I tried on a beige biker jacket in a department store changing room and left with it despite being worried I couldn’t raise my arms. Wrong. It should fit snug against your shoulders and contour the waist. Trousers length; stopping right at the top of your jeans, not hanging down at your hips like it thinks they won’t notice it there. With muted things underneath; a white shirt, a slip dress, a plain knit; it’s where it shines. Denim obviously works, but it’s also the thing that stops you looking like you’re wearing a floral dress to a garden party when what you actually want is to wear said dress out for drinks. Tan/camel shoes/bag work, but so does black. Don’t get too hung up on matching them.
It’s your go to when the event you’re attending doesn’t need much of an effort but you still want to look like you put some in. Throw it over a dress for that wedding you’re not attending. Wear it when you’re catching up with friends straight after work. Wear it on a plane, because it doesn’t crease and nobody needs to know you slept in it a little.
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