Very Bright Suede Jackets Are the First Great Trend of 2018
Spring might be a solid month away, but that hasn't stopped famous guys from breaking out their warm-weather clothes early. (Along with "wearing leather jackets in July," file this under "perks of being ushered around in a black car"). One trend they've embraced with enthusiasm right out of the gate is bright-color suede jackets. Unlike baggy jeans or, say, sock sneakers, these coats are pretty easy to wear. Throw one on top of your go-to wardrobe basics and—boom—you've got an outfit that works on a morning show, or just out on a date.
To start: Ed Sheeran wore an orange-red suede jacket by Tom Ford at the Brit Awards last night, and while the idea of a redhead wearing a red suede jacket on the red carpet sounds terrifying, dude navigated it with ease. That's in part because he wore all black underneath in order to keep everything out of "I just raided a vintage store" territory—a move we've seen the likes of Chadwick Boseman (who made our Best-Dressed list this week in his "chamomile" Bottega Veneta suede jacket) and Drake (also in Tom Ford) use to temper a loud-color coat.
But all-black isn't your only move. At the Tom Ford menswear show last month, Zayn Malik and Anwar Hadid used another easy method for pulling off a bold-color coat: doubling down. Malik paired his lime green jacket with a matching green sweater, while Hadid wore his teal one with light-wash blue jeans. Different technique, same vibe: The jacket is still the most important part of the outfit.
While wearing a bright suede jacket isn't too difficult to figure out, finding one that fits your budget can be a little trickier. Affordable suede jackets in brown and black are easy enough to come by, but purple and pink are risks fewer mass-market retailers are willing to take. Still, they're out there: Mango has a burgundy suede coat on shelves right now for $250, and the details make it look much more expensive than that. And if you can afford to spend four digits, you've got plenty of options. Cool-kid Scandinavian brands like Acne and CMMN SWDN are all in on the trend, and you can trust their craftsmanship, too. And if money is truly no object, Tom Ford and Prada make holy-grail-level suede coats so beautiful they bring a tear to the eye. (A tear you can never, ever let drop on the shoulder of a suede coat.)
