How to get the Look: Leather jackets

This boxy, half-sleeved piece from Steffen Schraut is a serious splurge (£485, stylebop.com), but it's about as grown-up as a leather jacket gets

Before we start: it's January and I'm skint.

Aren't we all? That's why we're not recommending any more irresistibly discounted but ultimately dicey sales purchases this week. Now is the time to look to the cruise collections, if for nothing else than inspiration for when your bank balance is in ruder health.

Cruise? You know I'm in St Albans not St Lucia?

Designers' cruise collections traditionally cater to a leisurely crowd, but they're not all about holiday gear. Mainly they offer inter-season options to those who simply can't wait till spring to buy some new togs.

So what's inter-seasonally hot right now?

Leather jackets are a favourite for dealing with weather that doesn't know what it's doing, due to their layering potential. This boxy, half-sleeved piece from Steffen Schraut is a serious splurge (£485, stylebop.com, above), but it's about as grown-up as a leather jacket gets.

My salary's not quite that grown-up.

Asos's leather-and-suede biker jacket in inky blue (a nice change from classic black) has a pleasingly vintage feel and a touch of 1970s glamour that is on the money, for not too much money, for the season ahead (£100, asos.com).