No 82 Dior bomber jacket >
Like many great menswear staples, the shearling bomber jacket has its roots in the military. During World War II, British pilots wore the Irvin flying jacket, while Americans had their equivalent, the B-3, but both looked and performed much the same. Made from shearling (sheepskin with the wool still attached), they were designed to keep airmen warm for hours inside chilly cockpits, and it was perhaps a bonus that the boxy cut — most likely designed to be as economical as possible — made the wearer look especially broad and bodacious. Decades on, the shearling bomber is still the go-to jacket for those wanting to keep their cool in the cold, and as we slide into a new winter, none come close to this example by Dior Homme. Cut from 100 per cent shearling, it is not only sleek, moody and a little bit menacing, but it will block out the bitterest of gales.