The ageless class of the black leather jacket means that it has never lost its classic appeal. It’s enduring popularity means that decades of innovation and redesign have given men almost endless choices when it comes to what to wear with a black leather jacket.
We don’t want to tell our customers how to wear their leather jackets, but our experience over the years has equipped us to offer some tips to those of you who might be looking for some inspiration. We’ll take you through some of our top picks for different items of clothing that you could wear with your jacket of choice, then finish with some thoughts on overall looks.
Most men’s leather jackets can be worn with a range of different outfits, but they work particularly well with smart-casual shirts, jeans or chinos and boots or smarter shoes. These are all clothes that many men will have in their wardrobes anyway, which makes a black leather jacket a great buy for anyone.
Style a leather jacket with casual shirts or plain tshirts
The majority of leather jackets can be complemented nicely by casual shirts and plain, neutral tshirts. Pale blue or white oxford shirts work well with a simple, classically designed jacket like the Mac (below left), giving you a dressed-up look without being over the top. Alternatively, a jacket with a worn, antique look like the Rik (below right) matches very well with casual checked flannel shirts of any colour. An outfit like that is great for the spring or autumn when the air’s a bit cooler, but there’s no need to zip the jacket up all the time.
Both of the above jackets can be paired with light-coloured tshirts for a dressed down look that’s still sharp. In fact, most leather jackets can be worn with a simple tshirt – they do a good job of making the jacket stand out from the rest of the outfit.
If you want a formal look, simple leather jackets and smart leather blazers (see below left) will pair with a smart shirt and tie. Black blouson jackets (below right) also work very nicely with formal clothing underneath, unzipped down to reveal the knot and top of the tie.
Pair your jacket with jeans and chinos
Most black leather jackets will look great when worn with plain jeans or chinos (ideally pale in colour). An outfit with a black leather jacket and trousers along those lines will look casual, yet stylish and classy.
That being said, some trousers and jeans work better with some jackets than others. The two jackets below, a black B4 flying jacket (left) and a classic Elvis jacket (right), match particularly well with a pair of casual blue jeans, working especially well with darker shades. This dressed-down style feels great and looks awesome.
If you’re going for a more formal look and you have a jacket along the lines of a 9853 (left) or a John (right), try pairing it with stone-coloured chinos or something along those lines. Dark blue chinos can look good, though they tend to work better with brown or tan jackets.
