The original Panther jacket was a very different beast to today’s sleek, hand-waxed leather model. In fact, the original 1950s version was sold as a two-piece motorcycle suit made of vulcanised rubber with electronically welded seams to make it both incredibly hard-wearing and waterproof against the worst the British weather could throw against a rider.

In some ways, the modern-day style owes more to Belstaff’s famous wax cotton Trialmaster and the classic four-pocket jackets the firm manufactured both for the British military and various police forces for their motorcycling officers than to the original three-pocket rubber style. That said, the essential features of the jacket – its chin strap, slanted chest pocket (itself borrowed from Belstaff’s early Air Ministry flying coats) and belted waist – all derive from the Panther. But in leather, it’s a lot more comfortable. belstaff.co.uk

Christian Lambelin wears Belstaff throughout