Margaret Howell MHL Cropped Bomber Jacket

Boiled wool is made rather than woven. A wool is knitted first, loosely, and then put through heat, moisture, and agitation until the fibers interlock and the knit collapses in on itself into a thick, matted cloth. The scales on a wool fiber are what make this possible and what make it irreversible. What comes out is dense, warm, and windproof in a way that its weight does not predict, and because it is felted rather than woven it can be cut without fraying, so the edges need no binding and the garment has no visible finishing at all. That is why it suits a bomber, and why MHL by Margaret Howell has cut one in it. The shape is already minimal, a cropped body, an elastic hem, and a zip or button front, and boiled wool lets it be built with almost no seam allowance showing. The pockets are large and set at the side, which is a practical decision on a jacket with a short body, because there is nowhere else for them to go.

Why we selected it

Boiled wool is warmer per ounce than almost anything that is not down, and it does not look like a technical garment. That is a rare combination and it is the reason.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent boiled wool, made in Portugal. Cropped bomber cut, elastic hem, large side pockets. Color: Black.

Fit notes

Cropped through the body with the hem gathered on elastic, so it sits at or above the waistband and is worth seeing against your own trousers. Lettered sizing. Boiled wool has almost no drape; it holds the shape it was cut into, which is what makes the cropped body read as deliberate.

Styling

Over the MHL Simple T-Shirt or the MHL Open Neck T-Shirt for the plainest version. Over a shirt with the collar left out. With the MHL Slide Adjuster Trouser or the MHL Painters Trouser, where the cropped body over a full leg is the proportion the whole line keeps making.

Care

Boiled wool has already been felted once and will felt further if it is agitated. That is the one thing to know: no machine, no hot water, and no wringing. Brush it, air it, and spot clean, and take it to a specialist rather than washing it. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The MHL Worker Jacket is cotton drill in Indigo, and the MHL Flap Pocket Blazer is mostly wool with cotton in it, cut relaxed. MHL by Margaret Howell is a line of its own rather than a lighter version of the main one, and there is more on the house on the Margaret Howell designer page. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell, main line and MHL alike, is listed together.