Friend and stylist Tom Stubbs has become obsessed with vintage silk bomber jackets – when we saw him in one at a recent event, he looked amazing (above). It’s an interesting category, like a slightly military, fashion version of the gab jacket. Not for everyone for sure, but an easy one to explore if you like a blousy silhouette. Here’s Tom’s story of how he got into them – and where to get one.
By Tom Stubbs.
“I’m not gonna dress like bloody Kevin Bacon in Footloose for this whole series, alright?” my TV-host client instructed with defiance. “How about Don Johnson in Miami Vice, then?” I retorted. And thus my current stylistic obsession was set in motion.
The weekly NFL TV show I was dressing him for needed a wearable Americana accent to the presenter’s wardrobe. I dutifully searched the internet for silky, slinky bomber jackets, with a vague image of Sonny Crockett in mind.
Blow me, what a rich vein of cool, slouchy bomber-chic was revealed. Almost a genre unto itself, silk zip bombers (specifically with an eighties flavour) are certainly out there: a seemingly un-tapped resource that also delivered me a new look I hadn’t even realised I was desperate for. Intriguingly, all of these swiftly acquired ‘vintage’ pieces share particular characteristics.
As the ‘silk-bomb’s’ fundamental feature is silk, naturally they’re all lightweight. Whether Mr Johnson actually wore silky blousons in Miami Vice is beside the point, as the aim was just good-looking, light, TV studio-friendly outerwear in that general feel.
These silk ultra-lights worked well, worn as a cool insertions into the (contemporary) varsity style we’ve been running for the show. And I was left fixated, experimenting with the bevy of silk bombs I’d amassed, unleashing potent stylistic forces.
Although these blousy, parachutey jackets have military origins, they’re impudently non-robust; a contradiction I’m relishing. Rather like how a polo neck knit deformalises a tailoring ensemble, these silk bombs ‘de-functionalise’ military or workwear looks, rendering them comparatively flamboyant and frivolous. I’ve not accessed such light, voluminous men’s gear since Katharine Hamnett reissued her eighties emblematic parachute silks.
The military inspiration is also clear in details like the workwear topstitching and pocket detailing. Some feature huge map pockets and additional panelling. Double and triple stitches run parallel to zips, while hip pockets often have reinforced side entry and buttoned flaps from above.
How to wear
This ‘contra-casual’ style is an effective tool for outfit accenting. On the telly our silk bombs took a conservative edge off Dermot [O’Leary]’s chino-prep, rending it punchier and edgier. Silk juxtaposes well with denim too, which in turn allows quite outré silk colours.
Another presenter client wore a vivid jade bomber (with an amber sweatshirt) against true blue denim, and while I point blank reject the ‘it pops’ terminology, you can imagine the impact.
Even in lively colours the jackets are a surprisingly easy wear, and on that client’s 6’5” frame looked effortless, as we made sure the sizing was generous enough to maintain the essential slouch quotient. If you’re going silky slouch, for heaven’s sake go big.
I also propose these silk bombers beneath sturdier layers as indoor-out-wear. The thing evolved in the dead of winter, so I was wearing them under hefty shearlings or solid overcoats as layers.
For example, a metallic gammon-pink silk bomb with dark wide jeans and a big retro-sheepskin overcoat (below). Interestingly the sheepskin and the bomber share sixties skinhead references, though not in this kind of silhouette.
The indoor pay off comes when discarding the outer layer on arrival: you’re delivered up into chic-casual free-dynamism. It’s a look, a layer, a bomber but not a bother. Even with smart tailored trousers they operate in a sort of fifties US officer leisure look: sharp pleat volume with blouson silk proportion.
Shoulder pads
Yes. I was surprised to find that every single one of these guys is padded up! Their padded silhouette is a vital characteristic, and it ranges from subtle, non-obtrusive rounded ones to sharply angled ‘set in’ pads.
Fixated by this silhouette impact I’ve sourced an inventory of pad shapes and styles from haberdasheries, and taken to adding booster pads to any that lack them. My silk bomber squadron now all has them installed. Grasping how correctly fixed pads work as I go, most are merely safety pinned into the interior of the bombers, which now resemble giant makeshift brassieres.
I am careful to not expose these inserts in the abrasive environment of my local pub – The Prince George in Dalston – where I drink and run the fashion gauntlet, almost as a style testing ground. I long ago melded into the motley spectrum of older fellas there, and it’s one of the coolest gaffs in the capital, a heady mix of eighties pop stars and Gen Z ultra-trendies.
One last distinctive feature of these jackets: while they all have classic MA1 bomber rib-knit collars and waistbands, the collars are all dropped and exaggerated, accentuating the slouch.
Where to buy
Should any of this strike a chord with you, I recommend starting on eBay. Vintage shops, markets and charity shops are hit and miss, lacking as they do the specialist reach of the internet.
Among my pieces are almost zero brand names I recognise, and incredibly affordable prices. Shocking price revelation alert: my collection are all under £30. Some of the best are £13 or £16, and the most expensive was £22.70 (a rare actually recognised name of Dunn & Co – the ‘Silkthread’ line).
The unknown labels are fascinating, predominantly eighties items but with many early nineties pieces emulating eighties motifs. Peculiar and previously unknown brands include ‘Signé Incognito’, ‘Herren Globus’, and two models from ‘Pure Silk’ as well as ‘Avanti’ (which I suspect was a C&A in-house line).
When I wore the Dunn & Co aubergine-khaki bomber to the Permanent Style x Sebago dinner pictured at the top of this piece, Fashion Director Luke Day was convinced I was decked out in Celine, Saint Laurent or someone, until I demonstrated otherwise.
Current brands
Few contemporary brands are in accord with this story. Some, such as Stefano Ricci, do silk bombers, but they’re not blousy enough. Tom Ford’s are very silky but not remotely slinky, and more bloated.
The nearest potential is Giorgio Armani’s revisits of their mid-eighties collections. ‘Archivio’ has seen some excellent tailoring and outerwear offerings recently. Distinctly voluminous and blended with Armani’s distinctive cupro/viscose, this is the closest current designer echo.
On a recent visit to Armani on Sloane Street I was shown some stunning eighties-looking blouson leathers (much more trendy at the moment) which offered optional pads. These hand basted, well-formed pads are also options for regular clients who are into the Armani palette and fabric but can’t entertain the ultra-slouch empty shoulder vibe, or oversized effect.
I find my silk bombers utterly compelling to wear and work with. The celebrity fellas are happily sporting them, and even some of the aforementioned Hackney old boys at The Prince George are keen, wanting to know ‘the link’ or the way to buy similar. (Its ebay.co.uk and all for under a score, as I’ve explained.)
It’s gratifying, in a way, that they haven’t been picked up more generally, and the affordability makes it very low risk. The additional shoulder pads are the only real leap of faith. For now at least. Have fun.
The PS Team have been exploring away since reading this piece, as you might imagine, and suggest the following as examples:
- A navy with nice articulated arms (£42, medium)
- A faded dark purple (£12, X-large)
- Interesting olive with black arms ($62, X-large)
- Another navy (£35, large)
For any information on the other clothes Tom is wearing, please ask in the comments below.
Photography: dinner images, Sebago; walking image, The Telegraph; all others, Danny Millar. Many thanks from Tom to the Prince George pub and Luka for being such a stand-up guy.
