Away from the impossibly glamorous Left Bank headquarters of YSL, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner have been deploying their softly sloping jackets to bring both nonchalance and grit to downtime looks. No one wants to swan around Paris looking “done,” or as though they’ve curated their fashion week wardrobe—even if they actually have. A textured leather jacket offers the swagger of that biker lifestyle, with all the luxury of a satin lining.

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images

Autumn always ushers in leather jackets in various iterations (fitted All Saints-adjacent zip-ups, aviator Acne Studios styles, Toteme-meets-The Matrix trench coats), and this fall/winter 2025 season (not to mention spring/summer 2026) proves no different. A plethora of new silhouettes—collarless, with covered buttons, with funnel necks—proliferate on the runways, from Khaite and Kallmeyer to Victoria Beckham, Loewe, and more.

While indie sleazers will be chuffed they got their leathers (and their second-skin jeans) out of hiding, this season’s jacket diktat demands super-sized zip-ups. Now is not the time to channel your inner Marianne Faithfull in Girl on a Motorcycle, it’s about rifling through second-hand stores and finding someone’s late grandpa’s rough, tough flight jacket. This year’s autumn essentials should look well-loved and lived in. Just don’t forget the attitude of Faithfull, Marlon Brando, Patti Smith and the other leather icons who contributed some small part to that Saint Laurent swagger we’re seeing today. Failing that, scoring one from YSL is never, ever a bad idea.