Brown Leather Weather

A brown leather jacket does everything a black one does but looks softer and more relaxed. It works with denim, cream knits, burgundy and olive, and it never looks too harsh in daylight.

The shapes that feel right now are roomy bombers with a stand collar, boxy shirt jackets and slightly oversized moto styles, not tight biker jackets.

Every jacket here is faux or vegan leather or faux suede, so they are lighter and easier to care for. I split the edit into smooth leather jackets first, then suede for a softer look.

The bombers are the easiest place to start. The espresso and chocolate bombers with a ribbed or elastic hem look great with straight jeans and a cream sweater, and the bomber with a fuzzy collar is the warmest pick here.

For something a little more polished, the belted jacket and the cinched waist jacket give you shape, and the shiny tumbled jacket looks great over a black dress.

My fitting room test: wear it over your thickest sweater and lift your arms. If it pulls across your back, size up. What I would skip: very stiff jackets that crease at the elbows on day one.

Suede looks softer and a little more seventies. The mocha and dark chocolate cropped jackets look great with a matching skirt or wide jeans, and the camel shirt jacket is the brightest option here.

The suede blazer with patch pockets is the one to wear to work over a knit and trousers.

What I check: the shade in daylight. Suede can look much warmer or redder outside than in the photo. What I would skip: very long suede coats if you live somewhere rainy.

Try it with a cream turtleneck, dark straight jeans and black boots, or over a black slip skirt with a chunky knit.

Brown and burgundy look great together, so a wine sweater under a chocolate jacket is an easy fall outfit.