How to wear a Biker Jacket

How do you wear a statement leather biker jacket and feel comfortable?

If you’re thinking how can I ever wear one without looking startled and confused, feeling like a belisha beacon at a tea party with “I’m wearing a leather jacket” written in flashing neon lights above your head?
Wearing this kind of jacket can genuinely mess with your mind. When you’re not used to wearing one, or not quite sure what to do with it. This can make you feel by turns like Sandra Dee in the closing ten minutes of Grease and then suddenly like Michael J Fox in Back to the Future Part II.

Frankly, it’s quite the emotional rollercoaster and can easily send you, hyperventilating, stuffing your (probably very expensive) jacket back in the cupboard never to be seen again.

There is a solution, it’s the same trick you must perform with all other extreme and worrying items of clothing, which we nonetheless are drawn to like moths to a flame. Just off the top of my head, I’m thinking body-con dresses, tartan trousers (being a Scot) fedoras or anything hot pink.
In order to make sure you’re wearing a leather biker jacket rather than the other way around, you have to show it who is boss.

But how?
Well: what does a leather biker jacket ‘say’? It says danger, night, motorbikes, sexy. You neutralise it by putting it with unsexy things – over a hoodie or a thick cosy roll neck with slouchy trousers, jeans, pretty tea dress, flouncy skirt. This is the thing it’s taking this very statement bold piece and teaming it with a contrasting piece of clothing.

Wear with trainers, strappy shoes, brogues and espadrilles, ankle black boots with a floaty skirt or dress. If you are going to wear heels pair them with joggers or a floaty dress or skirt.
Heels can be tricky because one wrong move and you will simply look like Dorien from Birds of a Feather. Yes, yes, I’m sure there are some women who wear a biker and heels with no trouble but their name probably starts with a Cara and ends in -vingne.

It’s also not just a question of balancing out the ‘temperature’ of the leather jacket, (stop me if I’m getting too theoretical about all this), but about balancing out the actual shape of it. A leather biker will close in your top half, so your bottom half needs to be a bit looser. Be it a maxi or midi skirt, wide trousers or even a smart pair of joggers, a look you definitely want to avoid is tight-all-over because it’s just not very modern. And while we might not care about looking fashionable – because what does that really mean anyway? – we do want to look modern.

Now the only thing left to discuss is the extremely thorny issue of colour. Is it ever alright to wear a biker jacket any colour other than black? Many of you will be astounded I’m even asking the question. Yes! You will holler, spilling your tea. No! You will scream, hurling your cereal bowl at the wall. See? I told you it was a
thorny issue.

Personally, I like to maintain a dignified, non-committal attitude towards this – although I must admit that all the one biker jackets, I own are black. I have no plans to buy a different one. I tilt my head to one side in wonder whenever I see anyone wearing an olive green, grey or purplish biker jacket and marvel at the confidence they had when buying it that a jacket in that colour would go with everything else in their wardrobe.

I’m ending this journal with the women who have got wearing a biker jacket spot on !

Love PS X