Is A Funnel-Neck Bomber Jacket Too Young For Me?
The new style of bomber is less sporty, more polished and much easier to wear than you might think. Here is how to choose the cut that works well into your fifties, sixties and beyond.
The bomber has had a quiet promotion this autumn. The shiny, sporty jacket that once belonged firmly to off-duty dressing has been replaced by leather, wool, boucle and matt fabrics, often with a high collar and a much cleaner line. It still has that useful throw-it-on ease, but now sits somewhere between a blazer and a coat rather than at the sporty end of the wardrobe.
No, what makes a funnel-neck bomber work in your fifties or sixties is the jacket itself: hip-skimming rather than sharply cropped, clean through the sleeve, and cut in leather, suede, wool, boucle or matt nylon, with a funnel collar that stands rather than collapsing around the neck. The cut and fabric matter far more than the age of the wearer.
Think of it as the jacket that replaces your blazer on days when you are not in the office. Wear it over a striped or white shirt or a fine roll-neck, with wide or barrel-leg trousers, straight dark jeans, a loafer or flat boot and a good bag. Chocolate, olive, grey, black and cream are particularly easy; camel or wine give you colour without making the jacket the loudest thing in the room. The trick is knowing which version you are actually looking at, because a bomber, an overshirt, a boucle jacket and a soft blazer can now occupy much the same part of the wardrobe while doing quite different jobs.
Our Favourite Funnel-Neck Bombers And Jackets
If you want to try the trend properly, start here. With wide or barrel-leg trousers, the most useful bomber finishes around the hip bone: too short and it can underline the waist just where the trouser starts to widen; too long and the shape of the trouser disappears underneath it.
The COS Leather Funnel-Neck Bomber is the clearest grown-up version because leather gives the shape weight and polish, while the high collar makes a simple shirt-and-trouser outfit feel intentional. If you have a shorter neck, do not feel obliged to zip a funnel collar to the chin. Let it sit slightly open and avoid extra bulk underneath. With a fuller bust, a cleaner front and a hem that does not grip tightly at the waist are generally easier than bulky chest pockets or a very gathered finish. Fancy something that can take you comfortably into evening? Don't sleep on M&S's plush Faux Fur Funnel Neck Jacket for a cosier take on the trend that still feels unmistakely elegant - perfect for throwing on over party dresses and tailored separates for dinners, drinks and dancing as we approach the festive season.
Or Else You Might Prefer...
The Everyday Zip-Up
If the funnel collar still feels like too much of a fashion statement, the everyday zip-up is the easier route in. It does the same job as a casual blazer or cardigan, but looks sharper with jeans and has enough structure to balance a wider trouser.
The Uniqlo Unisex Zip-Up Short Jacket in dark browncheck is the sensible first try because the simple shape and deep neutral colour make it easy to wear with clothes you already own. Keep the rest grown-up rather than sporty: a white shirt, fine knit, dark denim or tailored trousers and a loafer will do more for it than trainers and a hoodie.
The Boucle Jacket
Yes, a boucle jacket is dressier than a bomber. Its texture and structure put it closer to a little jacket than traditional sportswear, which makes it useful when you want the ease of a short shape but would like it to work for lunch, dinner or a smarter daytime plan.
The Centigrade Boucle Short Jacket is our pick here because it gives you that neater, more dressed finish without requiring the formality of a blazer. Wear boucle with dark jeans, simple trousers or a plain knit underneath and let the texture be the interesting part. If you are already wearing barrel trousers, avoid adding exaggerated volume at the shoulder as well. Still keen to test out a true funnel neck style? The Anthropologie Boucle Funnel Neck Jacket looks just as spectacular worn open and loose as it does buttoned up to the top, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds with your luxurious textured finish.
The Overshirt, Or Barn Jacket
A bomber usually has a zip and some degree of shaping at the hem or cuff. An overshirt, or shirt jacket, is straighter and looser, normally with a button front, while the barn jacket is its more practical, workwear-influenced cousin. If you dislike anything that pulls in at the waist, this is probably your section. The Arket Wool-Blend Doublé Overshirt is the best alternative to a bomber for that reason: the straighter line skims the body instead of finishing with a band at the middle. It also sits naturally over a shirt or fine knit, so it is particularly good if a fuller bust makes short, gathered jackets feel fussy.
The Soft Blazer
You can wear a bomber to work without looking casual, but the office matters. In a smart-casual workplace, a clean leather, wool or matt funnel-neck bomber over tailored trousers can look entirely appropriate. In a more formal office, the soft blazer is the safer way to get the same relaxed proportions.
The Scamp & Dude Navy with Pink Side Stripe Blazer is the bridge between the two: softer and less corporate than traditional tailoring, but still recognisably a blazer. Wear it with the same wide trousers, loafers and fine knit you would put under the bomber. For something a little sharper, Zara's Fitted Wool Blazer features a turn up collar that nods to the funnel neck trend, without going OTT.