Keep it short: Cropped jackets are a must-have for hip urban trailblazers

They're stretched across the shoulders of everyone from Manchester United's new striker Dimitar Berbatov to Keira Knightley's actor beau, Rupert Friend. Mark Ronson is a fan, as is Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Short suit jackets, which finish just above the wearer's derrière, are not just a smart way to save material; they are also the smart way to be smart this autumn.

Friend was photographed on Wednesday night wearing a short, tailored navy jacket to the premiere of Knightley's latest film, The Duchess. On Tuesday, Berbatov was photographed shortly after his high-profile £30m transfer from Tottenham Hotspur wearing a single-breasted grey number that finished at the waist. Tailored jackets of traditional length, which finish well below a man's hips, are increasingly considered anachronistic by the fashion crowd. "If I'm wearing a classic, traditional jacket, then it feels like I am being forced by my father to wear a suit to a wedding. You can tailor in a much more fun way; and it is much easier to mix shorter jackets with casual clothing," says the London-based designer Henry Holland.

Tight-fitting jackets are all the rage at the Savile-Row-based b Store, which sells to Shears and Ronson. Kirk Beattie, a buyer for b Store, says: "They seem to be the must-have thing. I do think a lot of it is down to [New-York-based designer] Thom Browne. People look to him as a father figure of the style. And what he does is emulated on the high street almost immediately."

Browne's suits boast a distinctive silhouette – tight-fitting, soft-shouldered suiting that often ends just before the wrist and ankle. After leaving his job as fashion director for Ralph Lauren's Club Monaco line in 2001, Browne brought his devotion of 1950s and 1960s tailoring to his first collection, debuted in 2003. By employing narrow jackets, hand stitching, and fitted trousers, he is credited with bringing formal attire to a new generation.

"A few of the Scandivanian designers, such as Patrik Ervell and Peter Jensen, are also going for a more nerdy looking blazer; really short, like an old kind of public schoolboy blazer," says Beattie. "It is also getting to the East End; boys are wearing them with their scuffed jeans and trainers. We are also selling the shirts to go with them."

And it's a style that's mirrored across the fashion world. Others to have incorporated it into their collections include Comme des Garçons, Hedi Slimane and Gucci.