Finding a decorated military veteran lurking in your wardrobe would normally be a rather frightening experience, but not in the case of the bomber jacket. This ex-forces favourite started its service in the skies of North America but has since found broader appeal among style-savvy civilians. Now it’s something no man should be without.

The term “bomber jacket” has today become a bit of a catch-all term for a number of different styles of outerwear, but they’re all united by three common traits: cropped length, a roomy cut and, almost always, knitted cuffs and hem. It all adds up to make a garment that’s instantly recognisable and unlike any other jacket in your wardrobe.

Here we examine the key bomber jacket variations, the brands doing them best and the reasons why you need one of these Air Force heroes in your outerwear armoury.

Key Bomber Jacket Types

Aviator

In the early days of flight, before plane cockpits were covered, pilots needed outerwear that could take a hammering and keep them warm at altitude. As a result, the aviator jacket was born; a heavy leather coat with a belted waist, zip-up cuffs and a thick shearling lining. The fit was boxy to allow for heavy knitwear to be worn underneath and although it’s a century old, the style is still popular today. Look to the likes of Brunello Cucinelli and Schott for some of the best options around.

MA-1

J.Crew

With the birth of the jet engine came the need for a jacket capable of functioning at higher altitudes and lower temperatures than ever before. With its nylon shell, knitted cuffs and hem and cropped body, the MA-1 jacket filled that gap, rewriting the bomber jacket rulebook in the process.

Lightweight and cheap to manufacture, yet warm and less prone to holding moisture and freezing at high altitudes, the MA-1 became the gold standard for flight jackets. It even featured a safety-orange lining to enable stranded pilots to catch the attention of overhead allies. The MA-1 took off around the world when US Air Force contractor Alpha Industries began exporting its products, and today it remains the definitive bomber jacket silhouette.

Varsity

Ralph Lauren @ Urban Outfitters

There are some who would argue that the varsity jacket doesn’t belong on this list, but to us it’s just another incarnation of the classic bomber. This collegiate classic borrows more than a little from its military counterparts in terms of design: the round collar, the ribbed cuffs and hem, the cropped fit. However, where the bomber rose to prominence in the skies, the varsity jacket earned its stripes on campus football fields. What really sets it apart, though, is its fabrication – expect leather and wool in place of nylon and a press-stud closure instead of a zip. Check out offerings from the likes of Golden Bear and Champion to see what it’s all about.

Premium

Valstar

The bomber jacket’s appeal as a fashion item has seen it reworked and updated by some of the most high-profile names in the game. In fact, you’d struggle to find a haute-couture fashion house that doesn’t have it in its permanent collection. It may have come from functional, utilitarian roots but these days the notion of a luxury bomber jacket is far from uncommon. From high-quality suede versions to those embellished with glitzy designer labels are staple pieces at all the world’s most respected retailers, taking the bomber from casual to something that could legitimately be paired with tailoring.

Best Bomber Jacket Brands

Alpha Industries

Respected military outfitter and purveyor of big coats, Alpha Industries is to the bomber jacket what Coca-Cola is to fizzy drinks. The MA-1 style was designed by the US Air Force but it was Alpha that won the contract to produce it and it has continued to do so for more than 50 years. For a classic nylon bomber, there’s no better brand out there.

Shop now at Farfetch

Golden Bear

American label Golden Bear is very much the Rolls Royce of varsity jackets. Yes, you’ll pay a premium, but it’s also the best money can buy. Here you can expect superior craftsmanship, quality materials and bombproof construction. This is the kind of jacket you’ll have for the rest of your life, so when you take that into account, the investment is worth it.

Shop now at MR PORTER

Schott NYC

If it’s an aviator jacket that’s taken your fancy, a good first port of call would be Schott NYC. This is a brand with a pedigree in making leather outerwear, and shearling-lined flight jackets are certainly no exception. The G-1 style is one of Schott’s most notable designs and looks as good now as it first did 60 years ago.

Shop now at Schott NYC

Sandro

The minimalist bomber is a staple of modern menswear and few labels are doing it better than Sandro. The Parisian brand is known and loved for its high-end take on the essentials and crafting the kind of garments you can keep coming back to year after year, decade after decade. Expect luxe contemporary takes on the bomber rendered in premium fabrications like suede, leather and shearling.

Shop now at Farfetch

Brunello Cucinelli

As far as upscale casualwear goes, there’s no label better than Brunello Cucinelli. The Italian brand may at the very top end of the price scale, but if you’ve got the money for it, these are some of the finest flight jackets to be found. Their leather and shearling aviator styles in particular are superb.

Shop now at SSENSE

Stone Island

Stone Island’s innovative take on outerwear design has earned it a cult following of jacket aficionados around the world. Known for its boundary-pushing dyeing techniques and unorthodox fabrics, this Italian heavyweight takes classic silhouettes and puts its own unique stamp on them. Bomber jacket styles vary from season to season but expect a mix of unlined, overshirt-style designs and weightier down-filled options.

Shop now at SSENSE

Valstar

Italian heritage brand Valstar only produce one bomber jacket: the now-iconic Valstarino. A sporty take on the classic A1 flight jacket, it was first created in 1935 and has remained popular ever since with any true in-the-know sartorialist. Featuring a button closure, two flap pockets, a short funnel neck and ribbed waist and cuffs, each season the brand render it in a number of sumptuous, seasonal fabrics including goats suede, corduroy, shearling and leather. Produced wholly in Italy by third-generation craftsmen, this investment piece is worth every penny.

Shop now at MR PORTER

Oliver Spencer

British designer Oliver Spencer loves a bomber jacket. The style has been a constant in his collections for years, and there’s always an interesting, tactile design touch involved. It could be a bold check or an interesting fabric choice, like linen or corduroy. He also tries rich colours like ochre oranges and sage greens, all the better for styling with a pair of slacks or woollen trousers.

Shop now at Oliver Spencer

Celine Homme

Few designer labels have the kind of love for bomber jackets that Celine Homme shows each and every season. It offers flight jackets and varsity styles but, with Hedi Slimane at the helm, you’ll also find a few satin and studded options that ooze rock n roll glamour, too.

Slimane has long preferred slim and skinny cuts, but he allows some oversized bombers, in line with the style’s heritage. As an historic French fashion house, Celine is renowned for the quality of its products, so expect beautiful leather, satin and wool from your jacket.

Shop now at MR PORTER

Thom Browne

Preppy but artsy, Thom Browne puts his own twist on classic American design. The bomber jackets are minimalist for the most part, but come with a few luxury embellishments like the stripes and grosgrain trims that the label is known for.

Like everything the brand does, these bombers are impeccably tailored. You could wear them in place of a blazer, but they also look great with elevated casualwear.

Shop now at Farfetch

Baracuta

It’s better known for the iconic G9 Harrington, but that’s not the only cropped jacket you’ll find at Baracuta. Its collections also regularly feature more traditional bombers, like shawl-collared flight jackets in corduroy or suede.

The British label (now under Italian ownership) has been producing quality outerwear since the 1930s and once created rainwear for the likes of Burberry and Acquascutum. The quality has never gone away.

Shop now at Baracuta

Alexander McQueen

The late, great Alexander Queen had a gift for combining art and high fashion with design that felt more grounded, like punk and streetwear. His bomber jackets came more from the latter but they were crafted and embellished like the former.

And the label that still carries his name is continuing in that vein. Think chunky bombers with gorgeous floral prints or tailored collars lining up next to plain black MA-1 styles.

Shop now at MR PORTER

Neighbourhood

Inspired by motorcycle clubs and punk as well as military clothing, Neighbourhood does some of the best streetwear-inflected bomber jackets you’ll find. The Tokyo label, one of the most revered on the scene, keeps its designs comparably simple but smuggles in authentic military touches and functionality, like the zipped arm pockets on its MA-1 jacket. Its rugged designs mainly come in black and army green.

Shop now at END.

GCDS

Italian label GCDS does an interesting mash-up of streetwear and campy luxury fashion. It has the big logos and vivid colours that you expect from streetwear brands, but while some come in stark combos of black, red and white, you’ll also find bomber jackets in a palette of softer blues, pinks and other pastels.

The quality justifies the designer price tags, too. Classic varsity styles are fashioned in beautifully tactile wool or satin.

Shop now at END.

Billionaire Boys Club

Created by musicians Pharrell and Nigo, Billionaire Boys Club is a playful but always stylish take on upmarket streetwear. Its bombers lean heavily into the roomy varsity styles that have always been popular in streetwear, but the label brings its own cartoonish branding and logos, contrasted with a smarter, muted colour palette.

Shop now at END.

A Bathing Ape

It’s one of the world’s most beloved streetwear labels, so of course Bape does a good line in bomber jackets. The Japanese brand brings all of its design signatures to the collection, from camo prints to bold graphics and embroidered patches. Vibrant, urban and steeped in global street culture, these bombers are crying out for some baggy jeans and a pair of grail sneakers.

Shop now at END.

Todd Snyder

For all its military service and adoption by hip-hop and other subcultures, the bomber jacket has also been a mainstay of smart-casual style, especially since brands started creating them in suede, linen and other fine fabrics.

Few brands produce that style of bomber better than New York prepster Todd Snyder. Fitting perfectly into the label’s dapper take on modern citywear, its bombers come in beautiful suede and cotton, often in lighter colours.

Shop now at Todd Snyder