Item: MA-1 Bomber Jacket

If you don't know anything about Skinhead (i.e. you think all skins are white power nazis) please read this before you continue on. Like they said on GI-Joe, knowing is half the battle!

So first up is my jacket. Originally known by its military designation, MA-1, bombers have been a staple of Skinhead fashion since the mid '70s. Real MA-1s are produced by Alpha Industries, however they've become part of popular fashion and are now pretty ubiquitous They're available from Alpha in green, navy and black. I prefer green because it's more traditional. Other companies sell a broader array.

What I really like about bombers is that they provide an interesting contrast with the rest of the Skinhead uniform. The bomber's modern nylon creates a strong disparity from knit polos or gingham button downs (Freds and Bens). Additionally it provides a great silhouette- the bulky upper body of the bomber, the comparatively thin legs of tight Levis and then oversized Docs. It all works together to present an almost cartoonish image of hyper-masculinity. Like a bulldog, the Skinhead's chest swells with aggression!

I've adopted more of an Oi! Skin look with my bomber, the result of all the band patches. I've always thought bombers were more appropriate for Oi! Skins- I think Crombies and Harringtons are much more suited for Trads. I've decided to buy a Crombie, so I figured that I might as well punk out my bomber so I'll have something for both looks.

The band patches are pretty standard, but I do really like them all. I take particular pride in the Boils pin and patch (collar and right arm), repping the Philly scene. I'm  also really happy with the PBR patch on the back, which I cut out of an old t-shirt. I Actually couldn't find any PBR patches online, so I lucked out finding that shirt in my closet. PBR: the official beer of subcultures.

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Patches in the future may include the Last Resort and Yuengling beer.

The patches were all pretty easy to put on, I just used simple studs like any other punk. The brass knuckles patch is ironed on. A warning: where the Business patch is currently I originally tried to iron on an "Oi!" patch- with disastrous results. Nylon burns very easily! Don't fuck about! In fact, don't fuck with iron on patches at all. Nylon is very hard to get patches to adhere too. For best results, just stick with studs. But no safety pins! You're a Skinhead, not a punk!

Even if you're not Skin a bomber is a great piece of clothing. They're incredibly warm, light, flattering (particularly if you're broad shouldered) and when unzipped hang open widely so they can be worn in warmer weather.

Where to get:

In Philly, Net on South Street sells bombers sometimes. Otherwise flightjacket.com provides a pretty good (and cheap) recreation and alphaindustries.com still makes the original millitary version.