Before they were blowing up on your Instagram feed, bomber jackets were the outerwear of choice for pilots, punks, and police over the course of the 20th century. Known for a (generally) cropped length, looser arms and shoulders, and ribbed collars, waistbands and cuffed sleeves, these key layering items are reliably tried, tested, and in vogue. Adorned by the stars in recent cinematic history, Tom Cruise made hearts soar as a bomber jacket- clad pilot in Top Gun, while Ewan McGregor’s skinhead-era Mark Renton rocked one in the opening scene of Trainspotting. Perhaps the most seminal 21st century screen time for the style was Ryan Gosling’s scorpion jacket in Drive.
