Originally bomber jackets were worn by men who flew in the open cockpits of World War 1 (when they were called flight jackets) and then in World war 2 by the men who flew bombers over Europe and Britain.
It was only after the World Wars that the general public realized that flight jackets were too much of a good thing to leave to the military. These items of clothing were often made of goat skin or horse hide, and were wonderful insulators. It was not long before women realized that they didn't have to be pilots in order to wear one, and women's bomber jackets were born.
Of course, the entry of women into the area of aviation made these accessories more practically attractive to women. Since then this specific fashion has never lost its adventurous allure among the fairer sex.
The bomber jacket for women has, of course, morphed mightily in accordance with fashions, fabric availability and the technological developments in textile creation and leather tanning. But we have managed to whittle down the varieties of women's flight jackets to about ten, which we enumerate here for your information.
1. The Genuine Military Item
Some lucky ladies own genuine B-13 or A-2 jackets bequeathed to them by grandfathers or uncles. It probably looks better than ever, and that is because it is made from strong, durable leather, possibly "shearling", leather, which is soft, pliable suede with woolen pile still intact. Some of these vintage coats still have historically valuable patches and memorabilia on them. These are as scarce as hen's teeth, but they do come up for auction from time to time.
2. Replicas and Nostalgia
There are manufacturers (some would call them craftsmen) in North America and Europe who create replicas. These aim to maintain the strong, rugged look of the original jackets. Some have genuine or faux fur collars. Authentic they most certainly are not, but they are lovely objects just the same.They tend to be a little "knocked back" compared to the genuine ones, not having patches or other loud embellishments.
3. Women's Style
It is a fact of life that young women have small waists. The earliest variation on the flight jacket for women theme was the creation of a shorter jacket, one that did not end at the bottom of the hips. It has a narrow waist, often with elasticized fabric, and is cut much higher. It tends to be plain and without military aspirations in its styling. The pockets are more refined and less capacious than in the men's version. And yet it is clearly identifiable as being an item of apparel for a woman.
4. Relax, Ladies!
Next the ladies version of the aviator jacket stopped taking itself seriously. The manufacturers and designers realized that it was okay for the jackets to have pockets and zips everywhere, for instance, and still be identifiable for what it was -- a superior leather coat.
5. Edgier Versions
About the time of the movie Star Wars in the early 1980s the jacket became edgier, with shoulder flaps and highly stylized sleeves. The cleavage started to get a look in, and these jackets graced the catwalks of the world. The designer version had arrived.
6. Enter the Hood
When "hoodies" became the latest vogue, it was not long before the hood was added. Suddenly it took on a softer and more feminine aspect.
7. Claret and Blue
Why should a bomber jacket be black or brown? There is no good reason why, of course, especially with the wonderful, colorful leathers around. There are women's bomber jackets made from lovely, naturally textured ostrich leather in vibrant colors too, and also made of distressed leather (usually cowhide) and other special leathers such as "pearlized" leather.
8. Seeing Red!
A red bomber jacket (or claret or maroon or pink) makes a great fashion statement. What great contrast could there be than between a style of jacket with military undertones and fabulous primary colors? You also get aquamarine and yellow bomber jackets...
9. Jackets With Knobs On!
In the eighties there were sequins of everything. It took some time for embellishments to be added to women's bomber jackets, but today there are bomber jackets for ladies with sequins, rivets, costume jewels, patches and lots of other armor attached. The sky is the limit!
10. Good in a Vest
The latest in the long line of events to have befallen the women's bomber jacket has been the elimination of the sleeves to create a bomber jacket vest. This allows softer fabrics of shirts to show on the arms, and makes the bomber vest much more versatile. It remains to be seen where the women's bomber jacket will go from here.
Keep an eye on Bomber Jacket World to find out more about developments in women's bomber jackets and where to find them. There is a very useful section on bomber jacket sizes for US, Canada, UK and elsewhere. You can find out about Harley Davidson leather jackets [http://www.mens-bomber-jacket.com/harley-davidson-leather-jackets.html] too.
It was only after the World Wars that the general public realized that flight jackets were too much of a good thing to leave to the military. These items of clothing were often made of goat skin or horse hide, and were wonderful insulators. It was not long before women realized that they didn't have to be pilots in order to wear one, and women's bomber jackets were born.
Of course, the entry of women into the area of aviation made these accessories more practically attractive to women. Since then this specific fashion has never lost its adventurous allure among the fairer sex.
The bomber jacket for women has, of course, morphed mightily in accordance with fashions, fabric availability and the technological developments in textile creation and leather tanning. But we have managed to whittle down the varieties of women's flight jackets to about ten, which we enumerate here for your information.
1. The Genuine Military Item
Some lucky ladies own genuine B-13 or A-2 jackets bequeathed to them by grandfathers or uncles. It probably looks better than ever, and that is because it is made from strong, durable leather, possibly "shearling", leather, which is soft, pliable suede with woolen pile still intact. Some of these vintage coats still have historically valuable patches and memorabilia on them. These are as scarce as hen's teeth, but they do come up for auction from time to time.
2. Replicas and Nostalgia
There are manufacturers (some would call them craftsmen) in North America and Europe who create replicas. These aim to maintain the strong, rugged look of the original jackets. Some have genuine or faux fur collars. Authentic they most certainly are not, but they are lovely objects just the same.They tend to be a little "knocked back" compared to the genuine ones, not having patches or other loud embellishments.
3. Women's Style
It is a fact of life that young women have small waists. The earliest variation on the flight jacket for women theme was the creation of a shorter jacket, one that did not end at the bottom of the hips. It has a narrow waist, often with elasticized fabric, and is cut much higher. It tends to be plain and without military aspirations in its styling. The pockets are more refined and less capacious than in the men's version. And yet it is clearly identifiable as being an item of apparel for a woman.
4. Relax, Ladies!
Next the ladies version of the aviator jacket stopped taking itself seriously. The manufacturers and designers realized that it was okay for the jackets to have pockets and zips everywhere, for instance, and still be identifiable for what it was -- a superior leather coat.
5. Edgier Versions
About the time of the movie Star Wars in the early 1980s the jacket became edgier, with shoulder flaps and highly stylized sleeves. The cleavage started to get a look in, and these jackets graced the catwalks of the world. The designer version had arrived.
6. Enter the Hood
When "hoodies" became the latest vogue, it was not long before the hood was added. Suddenly it took on a softer and more feminine aspect.
7. Claret and Blue
Why should a bomber jacket be black or brown? There is no good reason why, of course, especially with the wonderful, colorful leathers around. There are women's bomber jackets made from lovely, naturally textured ostrich leather in vibrant colors too, and also made of distressed leather (usually cowhide) and other special leathers such as "pearlized" leather.
8. Seeing Red!
A red bomber jacket (or claret or maroon or pink) makes a great fashion statement. What great contrast could there be than between a style of jacket with military undertones and fabulous primary colors? You also get aquamarine and yellow bomber jackets...
9. Jackets With Knobs On!
In the eighties there were sequins of everything. It took some time for embellishments to be added to women's bomber jackets, but today there are bomber jackets for ladies with sequins, rivets, costume jewels, patches and lots of other armor attached. The sky is the limit!
10. Good in a Vest
The latest in the long line of events to have befallen the women's bomber jacket has been the elimination of the sleeves to create a bomber jacket vest. This allows softer fabrics of shirts to show on the arms, and makes the bomber vest much more versatile. It remains to be seen where the women's bomber jacket will go from here.
Keep an eye on Bomber Jacket World to find out more about developments in women's bomber jackets and where to find them. There is a very useful section on bomber jacket sizes for US, Canada, UK and elsewhere. You can find out about Harley Davidson leather jackets [http://www.mens-bomber-jacket.com/harley-davidson-leather-jackets.html] too.
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