Style Watch: Celebrities and their Leather Jackets

It’s a love affair that’s been going on for half a century

The humble leather jacket, created for durability and functionality rather than fashion kudos, made its first mark on Hollywood’s elite back in the 50s with rebel and anti-establishment characters – hotties Marlon Brando and James Dean come to mind.

It was a seemingly accidental style pairing that would characterise the use of the jacket for the next sixty years.

via Instagram @winonaryderofficial

From Rockers like the Ramones to Dirty Harry in the 1970s, Madonna in the 80s and a very cool ‘90s Winona Ryder, the leather jacket has been used again and again to make a statement.

In the fashion world, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang all helped to elevate leather jackets to couture level, and as a result everyone from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to Cara Delevingne, Alessandra Ambrosio and Beyoncé (in her studded Mikhael Kale leather jacket) have all donned one. Even southern-style officionardo Reese Witherspoon has been spotted in her Isabel Marant Étoile jacket more than once.

via Instagram @davidbeckham

And being the ultimate gender-neutral accessory, male celebs are often photographed in their carefully styled jackets. David Beckham prefers a classic look, Keanu Reeve’s latest sizzling shoot for GQ magazine sees him wear a 70s inspired leather jacket, and granddaddy Jeff Goulburn has even been known to put down his turtlenecks for an evening and turn to a sleek leather jacket.