The impact of Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2025 show is already being felt on the streets. The morning after the night before, Vogue’s Daniel Rodgers boss-bitched his way into The Adelphi wearing a gently outsized pinstripe blazer as a subtle nod to Bella Hadid’s tailored return to the runway. In Paris, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Gigi Hadid have been making slouchy leather jackets the crux of their street-style looks, while models nipping between casting calls are throwing their own bikers over basics on the run.
Of course the leather jacket is not a new wardrobe staple, but something about Saint Laurent’s drop-shouldered, buckled, supple style feels particularly fresh for now. On the catwalk, the popped-collar pieces served as protective outerwear to louche suiting, for a toughened up take on office wear. “You’re dressed. It’s about control, and power, in a way,” said Anthony Vaccarello of his razor-sharp approach to realising the “relaxed” look.
Away from the impossibly glamorous Left Bank headquarters of YSL, the Hadid sisters have been deploying their softly sloping jackets to bring both nonchalance and grit to downtime looks (and Rosalía’s birthday party). No one wants to swan around Paris looking “done”, or as though they’ve curated their fashion week wardrobe – even if, like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, they have. A textured leather jacket offers the swagger of that biker lifestyle, but with all the luxury of a satin lining.
Autumn always ushers in leather jackets in their various iterations (fitted All Saints-adjacent zip-ups, aviator Acne Studios styles, Saks Potts-meets-The Matrix trench coats), and indeed, new versions proliferated on London’s AW24 runways, with burnished moto jackets at JW Anderson, corseted numbers at Dilara Findikoglu, and balloon-sleeved, funnel-collared takes at Knwls and Supriya Lele. Laura Hawkins reported that the most memorable iteration came from Daniel Lee at Burberry, where Maya Wigram walked the runway in a belted design that balanced heritage-chic with moto-babe glamour. That Maya is the daughter of Phoebe Philo, who has been keeping Chloë Sevigny in covetable high-neck leathers, only made the moment that much more perfect.
While indie sleazers will be chuffed they got their leathers (and their second-skin jeans) out of hiding, this season’s jacket diktat demands super-sized zip-ups. Now is not the time to channel your inner Marianne Faithfull in Girl on a Motorcycle, it’s about rifling through second-hand stores and finding someone’s late grandpa’s rough, tough flight jacket. This year’s autumn essentials should look well-loved and lived in. Just don’t forget the attitude of Faithfull, Marlon Brando, Patti Smith and the other leather icons who contributed some small part to that Saint Laurent swagger we’re seeing today. Failing that, scoring one from YSL is never, ever a bad idea.
