fall checklist: the motorcycle jacket

A couple of years ago I was at a dinner party at Soho House, celebrating my older sister's birthday, and one of her good friends who happens to be a Supermodel (yes, with a capital "S") asked me where she could buy a great but not terribly expensive motorcycle jacket. I took a moment to respond, mostly because I was wondering why a Supermodel was asking me this question. Then I rattled off a short list that included All Saints, Topshop, Rag & Bone, Asos, and a few others. Fast forward to today and my list is twice as long, because the motorcycle jacket has evolved into a wardrobe essential that's not only intrinsic to the model-off-duty, editor-on-duty and rocker-round-the-clock uniform, but to every woman. This season the leather staple is being rendered in various crowd-pleasing silhouettes (fitted, cropped, oversized) and fabrics (boucle, silk, denim and wool). Here are a few of my current favorites: a classic leather investment from Acne, an oversized Topshop (along with a dressier fleece-lined wool version), a polished boucle and leather-sleeved Vince, a military-inspired BLK DNM, a structured coated denim Asos (particularly love!), a camouflaged lined Nasty Gal (and its distant olive/faux-fur trimmed cousin), and the creme de la creme, an asymmetric leather-coated and woven ground-breaker from Proenza Schouler. Below are some inspirational snaps.

Photos: Tommy Ton, Altamira, Harper's Bazaar, Stockholm Streetstyle, The Northern Light