Coming Around Again

Fall clothes are starting to show up, and I have noticed a couple of items going through a cyclical revival. Bomber jackets started appearing about a year ago, but now there are a lot more of them, and in a wide variety of materials (cotton, nylon, wool, suede).

I don't personally care for this style, primarily because of my realization a few years back that I prefer my outerwear with collars. I do like the uncluttered appearance of a bomber-style jacket, with only a zipper and two slash pockets for your hands. It's a nice casual look, one that has been around in various forms for many decades going back to the varsity jacket, and less fussy people than me will certainly enjoy it.

I've also noticed a couple of brands offering band-collar shirts. This is another throwback; these had a moment in the late 1970s, when I was in high school, and I had a couple of them. It's a style that tries to pop up every couple of decades; the latest versions I've seen are in oxford cloth, which strikes me as just a bit too incongruous. But that's what designers do: mine the past, remixing styles in different fabrics.

I would suggest avoiding wearing a band-collar shirt with a bomber jacket, because a collarless shirt with a collarless jacket could make one look like someone suffering from an avoidance issue or a bizarre phobia of some sort. It's the same impulse that is supposed to prevent people from wearing denim jackets with jeans, but it doesn't always function as it should.