By Chevaun Jackson
A trend revisited this season is the cropped leather jacket—or faux leather for the animal conscious. Once again these little jackets are making a BIG impact this season. They have the sleek stylish look of the average leather jacket but the feminine touch of baring the midriff, which make them ideal for the practical bundling up of Fall while also adding flair when paired with jeans, pants, skirts, leggings, dresses, etc. They, essentially, add to the idea of layering— a formidable trend this season.
A few designers that seem to be mastering the creation/reinvention of this piece include Bluemarine, Chanel and Poleci, which can all be seen HERE, as well as Rick Owens They can come plain, as seen by Poleci’s design, spiced up with small accents like studding as per Blumarine and BCBG, with the adding of fur like that of Chanel, or with fusions, such as cloth fabrics as seen by Rick Owens incredible design. Also, the style of these cropped tops can vary in style from a biker look it an Aviator Look, or with an embellishment that warrants its own title like the cropped Bolero jacket by Valentino. The aviator design tends to have more zippers, a more opened collar and fur lining the neck; whereas, the biker design is more simple and chic with practical studding and zippers that blend.
This style is one of the few that looks good on all body shapes. This is due in large part because of its cropped design which eliminates the puffed look a lot of jackets can give around the mid section since there is no midsection. Ideally these jackets stop at the middle of the rib cage and so flatter the waist. The waist and hips are then more set off by the jeans, skirt or dress one chooses to wear beneath the jacket.
Celebrities who have been spotted sporting cropped leather jackets include a lot of young Hollywood like Taylor Swift, Kristen Stewart, and Mollie King.