Joe's Picks

← Coats and Jackets Worth the Investment

Bomber Jackets Worth the Wardrobe Space Worth Getting Dressed For

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Joe's Top Picks

Bomber Jackets With a Zip Edge That Works PRETTYLITTLETHING UK Dusty Pink Faux Suede Covered Placket Bomber Jacket Jump to section ↓

$42.00 PRETTYLITTLETHING UK

Lined Bomber Jackets That Quietly Get On With It JUICY COUTURE UK DARK OLIVE VELOUR DIAMANTÉ BOMBER JACKET - Green Jump to section ↓

$160.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

Padded Bomber Jackets You Won't Want to Take Off SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's City Tweed Padded Bomber Jacket Beige Beige Herringbone - Size: Jump to section ↓

$97.99 SUPERDRY_UK

Quilted Bomber Jackets Worth the Slightly Higher Price MONSOON Reversible Faux Shearling Bomber Jacket Blue Jump to section ↓

$22.00 MONSOON

Coats Jackets Frewin Striped Ribbed Detail Bomber Jacket in Airforce – Kensington Eastside

Ribbed Hem Bomber Jackets You'll Be Glad You Found TOKYO LAUNDRY Coats Jackets Frewin Striped Ribbed Detail Bomber Jacket in Airforce - Kensington Eastside Jump to section ↓

$17.99 TOKYO LAUNDRY

Vintage Bomber Jackets You'll Be Glad You Found STUART TREVOR UK Pilots Leather Bomber Jacket Jump to section ↓

$228.00 STUART TREVOR UK

Bomber Jackets With a Zip Edge That Works

The bomber jacket has been done badly so many times that it takes a good one to remind you what the shape is actually capable of. The problem is almost always the zip. A cheap zip on a bomber looks like an afterthought and feels like one too. It catches the light wrong, sits proud of the fabric, and drags the whole thing down with it. A well considered zip, by contrast, does something almost invisible. It gives the jacket a cleaner line, a more considered finish, and tells you something useful about the quality of everything else going on underneath the surface. We have been specifically interested in bombers where the zip is part of the design thinking rather than just a functional necessity. Lightweight MA1 interpretations that work over a shirt. Heavier options that carry through autumn without asking for help. Leather trimmed versions for when you want something with more occasion behind it. These are the ones where the hardware earns its place.

PRETTYLITTLETHING UK Dusty Pink Faux Suede Covered Placket Bomber Jacket $42.00 PRETTYLITTLETHING UK

JUICY COUTURE UK THYME VELOUR BOMBER JACKET - L Green $140.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

PRETTYLITTLETHING UK Olive Herringbone Bomber Jacket $15.75 PRETTYLITTLETHING UK

LA REDOUTE UK Keyburn Warm Bomber Jacket with Zip Fastening and Hood $129.50 LA REDOUTE UK

TOKYO LAUNDRY Coats Jackets Rosoman Ripstop Bomber Jacket In Garnet Rose - South Shore $17.99 TOKYO LAUNDRY

LA REDOUTE UK Corduroy Short Bomber Jacket $36.49 LA REDOUTE UK

PRETTYLITTLETHING UK Mushroom Boucle Zip Up Bomber Jacket $14.50 PRETTYLITTLETHING UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's Everest Faux Fur Bomber Jacket Green Para Camo - Size: Xxl $90.99 SUPERDRY_UK

INSTOCK UK Classic Bomber Jacket - Stylish Zip Design - Perfect for All-Outfits - Sky Blue One Size Fits $26.94 INSTOCK UK

LA REDOUTE UK Airlines Bomber Jacket with Removable Collar $93.50 LA REDOUTE UK

BLUE VANILLA Acid Wash Bomber Jacket & Joggers Set - ML CHARCOAL $40.00 BLUE VANILLA

INSTOCK UK Cropped Zip Up Balloon Sleeve Bomber Jacket - Mocha ONE SIZE - $25.94 INSTOCK UK

Lined Bomber Jackets That Quietly Get On With It

The bomber jacket has a long history of being done badly. Too shiny, too thin, too obviously cheap the moment someone gets close enough to shake your hand. What we were looking for here were lined bombers that earn their place in a grown wardrobe without asking for constant attention. The lining matters more than most men realise. It affects how the jacket drapes, how it moves, and whether it has any real warmth to it or just the suggestion of warmth. We looked specifically at options that work over a crew neck, under a longer coat if needed, and in those in between temperatures where a heavy jacket is too much and a shirt jacket is wishful thinking. Clean ribbed cuffs, considered fabric choices, fits that sit properly without pulling across the shoulders. No unnecessary hardware. No branding doing all the heavy lifting. These are the bombers that let the rest of your outfit breathe.

JUICY COUTURE UK DARK OLIVE VELOUR DIAMANTÉ BOMBER JACKET - Green $160.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

JUICY COUTURE UK DARK OLIVE VELOUR DIAMANTÉ BOMBER JACKET - L Green $160.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

JUICY COUTURE UK BLACK VELOUR DIAMANTÉ BOMBER JACKET WITH FUR LINED HOOD - XX Black $160.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's Hooded Everest Puffer Bomber Jacket Beige Chateau Beige - Size: Xxl $90.99 SUPERDRY_UK

JUICY COUTURE UK BLACK VELOUR DIAMANTÉ BOMBER JACKET WITH FUR LINED HOOD - S Black $160.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

JUICY COUTURE UK DARK OLIVE VELOUR DIAMANTÉ BOMBER JACKET - S Green $160.00 JUICY COUTURE UK

DOROTHY PERKINS UK Klass. Boucle Bomber Jacket In Lemon $22.10 DOROTHY PERKINS UK

STUARTS LONDON Fred Perry x Miles Kane Houndstooth Bomber Jacket - Gunmetal $99.00 STUARTS LONDON

STUARTS LONDON Fred Perry Tennis Bomber Jacket $87.00 STUARTS LONDON

STUARTS LONDON Oliver Spencer Bailey Bomber Jacket - Velvet Navy $360.00 STUARTS LONDON

Padded Bomber Jackets You Won't Want to Take Off

The gap between a heavy coat and a light jacket is where most men's wardrobes fall apart in autumn and early winter. Too cold for a mac, not quite cold enough to justify the full overcoat. A well made padded bomber sits exactly in that window and does it without looking like you raided an outdoor gear shop. The silhouette matters enormously here. Too boxy and it reads shapeless. Too fitted and the padding works against you. What we've been looking for are bombers with enough structure to wear over a midlayer, a fill weight that actually earns its keep below ten degrees, and a finish that looks considered rather than purely functional. Nylon, ripstop, waxed cotton, matte quilted shells. All of them have a place depending on what you're wearing underneath. These are the ones that make the coat feel like overkill on a cold but not brutal day. That window is real and these fill it properly.

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's City Tweed Padded Bomber Jacket Beige Beige Herringbone - Size: $97.99 SUPERDRY_UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's Everest Faux Fur Bomber Jacket Black Jet Black - Size: Xxxl $129.99 SUPERDRY_UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's City Padded Bomber Jacket Black - Size: $90.99 SUPERDRY_UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's City Padded Bomber Jacket Beige Deep Beige Slub - Size: $90.99 SUPERDRY_UK

LA REDOUTE UK Padded Bomber Jacket $31.50 LA REDOUTE UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Mens Classic Embroidered Logo Surplus Nylon Hooded Bomber Jacket, Black, Size: $79.99 SUPERDRY_UK

LA REDOUTE UK Idak Padded Bomber Jacket $99.00 LA REDOUTE UK

MADE IN PARADIS UK Bomber jacket G-Star G-A $133.24 MADE IN PARADIS UK

Quilted Bomber Jackets Worth the Slightly Higher Price

The quilted bomber sits in an interesting gap in the market. It's warmer than a leather bomber, more considered than a puffer, and easier to dress up than either. The problem is that at the lower end of the price range the quilting goes flat after a few months, the fill loses its loft, and the whole thing starts to look like something you grabbed on the way to a car boot sale. Spending a little more gets you baffled quilting that stays structured, a shell fabric that resists light rain without looking technical, and a collar that actually sits right when you zip it up. We've been looking at options that work with tailored trousers as well as jeans, because the best ones can do both without looking confused. The slightly higher price tag on these isn't about the label. It's about the jacket still looking good in three winters' time.

MONSOON Reversible Faux Shearling Bomber Jacket Blue $22.00 MONSOON

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's Everest Bomber Jacket Black Jet Black - Size: $90.99 SUPERDRY_UK

STUARTS LONDON Schott NYC Suede Bomber Jacket - Rust $349.00 STUARTS LONDON

STUARTS LONDON Schott NYC Suede Bomber Jacket $122.15 STUARTS LONDON

STUARTS LONDON Mackage Collin Bomber Jacket Down Front $175.00 STUARTS LONDON

Ribbed Hem Bomber Jackets You'll Be Glad You Found

The bomber jacket earns its place in a wardrobe the same way a good leather jacket does: it works harder than it looks like it should. The ribbed hem version specifically is worth paying attention to because that cuff and waistband construction is what stops it reading as shapeless. Get it wrong and the whole thing collapses into something that looks borrowed. Get it right and the jacket sits properly, holds its silhouette, and layers cleanly over a crew neck or a plain tee without any fuss. We have been looking particularly at versions where the rib weight matches the shell fabric, because that detail is where a lot of cheaper options give themselves away immediately. Suede, nylon, wool blends. There is a lot of ground to cover here. These are the ones that have the proportions sorted, the materials chosen with some actual thought, and the kind of finish that still looks considered six months in.

TOKYO LAUNDRY Coats Jackets Frewin Striped Ribbed Detail Bomber Jacket in Airforce - Kensington Eastside $17.99 TOKYO LAUNDRY

LA REDOUTE UK Wool Mix Bomber Jacket $69.99 LA REDOUTE UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's Everest Hooded Puffer Bomber Jacket Cream Chateau Beige - Size: $129.99 SUPERDRY_UK

BLOCH DANCE UK BLOCH Ladies Apex Cropped Bomber Jacket, Black $60.00 BLOCH DANCE UK

PRETTYLITTLETHING UK Plum Bomber Sweat Jacket $10.50 PRETTYLITTLETHING UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Men's Surplus Nylon Hooded Bomber Jacket Black Jet Black - Size: Xxxl $79.99 SUPERDRY_UK

MONSOON Ombré Sequin Bomber Jacket Multi $23.00 MONSOON

GIGLIO.COM_GLOBAL DIESEL bomber jacket in nylon $245.00 GIGLIO.COM_GLOBAL

MADE IN PARADIS UK Down jacket Superdry Bomber à capuche Vintage Workwear $83.58 MADE IN PARADIS UK

STUARTS LONDON Paul Smith Zebra Logo Bomber Jacket - Navy $40.50 STUARTS LONDON

STUARTS LONDON Champion Reverse Weave Bomber Sweat Jacket - Navy $69.00 STUARTS LONDON

STUARTS LONDON Fred Perry x Miles Kane Houndstooth Bomber Jacket $99.00 STUARTS LONDON

Vintage Bomber Jackets You'll Be Glad You Found

The problem with buying a vintage bomber jacket is that most of what gets called vintage is nothing of the sort. Reissues dressed up with worn leather patches, fast fashion versions with suspiciously perfect ageing. Finding one that is actually worth owning takes either serious time or knowing where to look. We have done the looking. What we were after specifically were bombers with real provenance or at least honest construction. MA1 silhouettes in genuine nylon or satin. Leather flight jackets with hide that has earned its creases. Pieces where the lining tells you something about where it came from. Fit matters enormously here because a vintage bomber that swamps you just looks like a mistake you made in a charity shop. These are jackets that reward wearing in. They improve. They start conversations. The right one becomes the piece your friends ask about every single time you put it on.

STUART TREVOR UK Pilots Leather Bomber Jacket $228.00 STUART TREVOR UK