CULT ITEM: BOMBER JACKET

Warm enough for hanging around street corners in, yet lightweight enough not to hamper you when scarpering from pesky authority figures, the bomber jacket has long been a youth tribe staple. James Dean's iconic character in Rebel Without A Cause, troubled teen Jim Stark, famously sported a red version, while the collarless, nylon MA-1 – matched with cherry red Dr. Martens, tight blue jeans and a freshly shorn bonce – became synonymous with the 70s skinhead scene.

Though the skinhead movement's descent into knuckleheaded neo-Nazism (as depicted in Shane Meadows' This Is England) threatened the bomber jacket's universal appeal, credibility was restored by the embrace of the item by the hip-hop movement in the late 80s and early 90s, with Public Enemy noted fans.

Today, the classic versatile waist-length cut of the MA-1 ensures its status as a timeless wardrobe staple. Traditional olive green, navy blue or black varieties will see you through autumn after autumn – or you can opt for a burst of seasonal colour (rust, caramel, burgundy, or even emergency orange) for a bang-on-trend approach. Some of the beloved derivatives offer even more opportunity for a stylistic statement – the woollen Letterman jacket with its leather sleeves and all-American varsity badges, and the silky sukajan with Japanese-inspired embroidery.

To show you’re ready for AW18, why not don an all-black ensemble? Make like this guy and opt for a black bomber jacket, then base the rest of your threads around it for a monochrome, minimal getup. A beanie hat, sweatshirt, side-striped tracksuit bottoms and fresh creps will give a distinct streetwear edge – and because your outfit's all one colour, the structure of your bomber jacket will stand out even more.