How do I style a bomber jacket elegantly?

Wear it with wide tailored pants or a midi skirt and a blouse underneath. Ankle boots or loafers make the look smarter.

Which shoes go with a bomber jacket?

Sneakers, boots and loafers work well because the jacket is fairly sporty. With a skirt, ankle boots look especially harmonious.

What is the difference between a blouson and a bomber jacket?

The bomber jacket is a type of blouson, usually with ribbed cuffs and often a shiny fabric. Blouson is the umbrella term for short jackets gathered at the hem.

Women’s blouson jacket outfits

A women's blouson jacket is easy to style with high-waisted pants, so that the cropped jacket and the waistband meet. Wide-leg pants, pleated pants, straight jeans and slim pants all work, with a plain top or long sleeve top underneath.

The morning is crisp, the sun comes out at midday, and after an hour your sweater is already too warm. That is exactly what the cropped jacket is made for: it ends at the hip, can be worn open and takes nothing away from your outfit. Plenty of women still hesitate, because they are not sure which pants work underneath. The article shows what a blouson is, which pant shape suits a blouson jacket, how it should sit and when to wear it.

What is a blouson?

A blouson is a short jacket that ends at hip height. The elastic ribbing at the hem and the cuffs is typical: it gathers the fabric upwards and gives the jacket its slightly bloused shape. In English it is often compared to a bomber jacket.

That is also where the name comes from: blouson is French and related to the word for blouse. You will find a selection in the blouson jackets for women.

In the picture above you can see exactly that: a short jacket in red with white contrast stripes on the sleeves and shoulders, elastic ribbing at the bottom, a white top and light jeans.

Which pants go with a blouson? Cropped on top, high at the waist

The short jacket sets the proportions. Because it ends at the hip, the rise of your pants decides the whole effect.

The waistband should sit high so that jacket and pants meet. If the pants sit low, a gap opens up in between and the silhouette is split into two halves of equal length.

Which pant shape suits a blouson jacket

Almost every pair of pants works with a short jacket, as long as the waistband is right. There are differences all the same.

Wide-leg pants. A strong contrast and the combination in the picture further down. The compact line on top balances out the volume below, as long as the drape stays long and calm. There is a selection in the wide-leg pants.
Pleated pants. The pleats bring a vertical line with them. A good choice when everything else should stay calm. You will find styles in the pleated pants.
Straight jeans. A straightforward solution and the combination in the picture above, because they widen neither at the top nor at the bottom and keep the jacket in the foreground. A high waistband is half the battle here too. More in the jeans.
Slim pants. The classic with a short jacket, because they do not overload its shape. Here too: a high waistband.

With pleats it is worth taking a second look at the drape: the calmer the pleats hang, the clearer the vertical line looks. How to combine them is in the article how to style pleated pants.

Red, camel and what goes with them

Red is the tone that carries the outfit. Everything else can stay calm then: white, cream, black, sand, denim blue. In the picture above, red is paired with a white top and light jeans.

Camel is the easy-going counterpart. The warm sand tone goes with white, cream, black, denim blue and every shade of brown, and it looks calmer than red. In the picture below it is worn open over a white top with wide black cargo pants.

If you are unsure: camel can be combined more often, red does more for a plain basic outfit.

Short blouson jacket in camel with white piping on the sleeves and shoulders, worn open over a white top, with wide black cargo pants | Lisa’s Boutique

What to wear under a blouson and which shoes

Because the jacket is short and looks good open, your top is more visible than under a coat. On mild days a plain top is enough, as in both pictures. When it gets cooler, a long sleeve top goes underneath and closes the gap to your pants.

With shoes it is simple: the shorter the jacket, the more they count. White sneakers for everyday, loafers for a calmer look, ankle boots for cooler days. With wide pants a flat shoe works well.

Matching pieces are in the tops and in the long sleeve tops.

How a blouson should sit

As a general guide, the shoulder seam ends on your shoulder bone and the sleeves end at your wrist. A simple test: close the jacket and lift both arms. If the hem rides up over your hip and stays there, the jacket sits rather snugly.

With oversized cuts like the ones in the pictures this shifts on purpose, and the shoulder is allowed to sit lower. There is more in the article how to wear oversize. The details for each style are in the product description.

When to wear a blouson

An unlined short jacket is something for the transitional season. As a rule of thumb: worn open from around 15 degrees Celsius, closed with a long sleeve top underneath down to about 10 degrees. It is not made for frost. For an overview of other jackets for these weeks, see our guide to the transitional jacket for women. Outfit ideas for spring and the transitional season are in the guide “Spring outfits for women”.

These figures are a guide, not a fixed limit. Wind makes the same temperature feel noticeably cooler, direct sun the other way round warmer, and a sweater underneath shifts the range down.

Matching pieces in the shop: transitional jackets for women and windbreakers for women.

Frequently asked questions

What is a blouson for women?

A short jacket that ends at hip height and has elastic ribbing at the hem and the cuffs. The ribbing gathers the fabric slightly, which is where the bloused shape and the name come from.

Which pants go with a blouson?

Almost any pair, as long as the waistband sits high. Wide-leg pants give a strong contrast, straight jeans are a straightforward choice, slim pants are the classic.

How do I style a women's blouson jacket?

With high-waisted pants, a plain top or long sleeve top underneath and flat shoes such as sneakers or loafers. If the jacket is colorful, keep the rest calm.

What do I wear under a blouson?

On mild days a plain top, in cooler weather a long sleeve top that closes the gap to your pants. Because a blouson is often worn open, the top is clearly visible.

How should a blouson sit?

As a guide, the shoulder seam ends on the shoulder bone, the sleeves at the wrist, the hem on the hip. With oversized cuts the shoulder is meant to sit lower.

From how many degrees do you wear a blouson?

Worn open from around 15 degrees Celsius, closed and with a long sleeve top underneath down to about 10 degrees. Wind, sun and what you wear underneath shift that, there is no fixed limit.