SS04 Helmut Lang ‘Cafe Racer’ Tan Diagonal Zip Jacket

Helmut Lang’s Spring 2004 collection at his eponymous Maison was inspired by fireflies. Quoted just before the show stating his references were “the [fireflies’s] lightness of structure, the iridescent color”, this season, we’d find a slew of shimmering textiles and neons atop the runway. Despite such audacious hues, the collection as a whole roughly boiled down to the root of Lang’s greatness. Showing asymmetric tank tops (some of which showcased the wearer’s nipple), mesh layered skirts and mummy wrapped bottoms, he’d close the Spring of 2004 with two insane transparent bottle cap jackets and metal tipped heels.

 

Debuting in Helmut Lang’s Spring 2004 collection, this perfectly tailored Cafe racer jacket comes in a neutral tone. Originating out of the Ace Cafe in London, the phrase was coined after patrons would put a coin in a jukebox, race around the circuit on motorcycles and attempt to beat the song back to the cafe before its finish. Complete with diagonal zippers on the torso, this jacket features a low collar, elongated sleeves and cropped body. Tagged as a size 50 or medium, in pristine condition throughout.