Certain designers hit harder on the esoteric than the everyday. Others make an immediate impact on the streets. Saint Laurent falls in the latter category. The house’s extremely popular leather bomber jacket has been near-ubiquitous among the fashion set. In Paris, chic showgoers have been making slouchy leather jackets the crux of their street style looks, while models nipping between casting calls are throwing their own bikers over basics on the run.
Vogue’s Favorite Leather Jackets:
Of course the leather jacket is not a new wardrobe staple, but something about Saint Laurent’s drop-shouldered, supple style feels particularly fresh for now. On the catwalk, the popped-collar pieces have served as protective outerwear to everything from louche suiting to evening wear. “You’re dressed. It’s about control, and power, in a way,” said Anthony Vaccarello of his razor-sharp approach to realizing the “relaxed” look.
Away from the impossibly glamorous Left Bank headquarters of YSL, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner have been deploying their softly sloping jackets to bring both nonchalance and grit to downtime looks. No one wants to swan around Paris looking “done,” or as though they’ve curated their fashion week wardrobe—even if they actually have. A textured leather jacket offers the swagger of that biker lifestyle, with all the luxury of a satin lining.
Autumn always ushers in leather jackets in various iterations (fitted All Saints-adjacent zip-ups, aviator Acne Studios styles, Toteme-meets-The Matrix trench coats), and this fall/winter 2025 season (not to mention spring/summer 2026) proves no different. A plethora of new silhouettes—collarless, with covered buttons, with funnel necks—proliferate on the runways, from Khaite and Kallmeyer to Victoria Beckham, Loewe, and more.
While indie sleazers will be chuffed they got their leathers (and their second-skin jeans) out of hiding, this season’s jacket diktat demands super-sized zip-ups. Now is not the time to channel your inner Marianne Faithfull in Girl on a Motorcycle, it’s about rifling through second-hand stores and finding someone’s late grandpa’s rough, tough flight jacket. This year’s autumn essentials should look well-loved and lived in. Just don’t forget the attitude of Faithfull, Marlon Brando, Patti Smith and the other leather icons who contributed some small part to that Saint Laurent swagger we’re seeing today. Failing that, scoring one from YSL is never, ever a bad idea.
