What’s the Deal with Jean Jackets?

It’s time for the denim jacket to come back into full force as our outer layer of choice before the vortex of cold awful (AKA puffy jackets that make people look like a bag of packing peanuts). As of late, many of our customers have been coming into the shop looking for the perfect one, (and by denim jacket, we’re talking about the 20th century ‘trucker’ style made popular by Levi’s and the Marlboro Man – you know: boxy, raw or stonewashed, button-up, welt/side pockets and chest pockets); it is pretty much a failsafe wardrobe piece. Why, you may ask? For one, it’s heavy enough to protect against that nip of wind, but still light enough for the day. This is obvious. So apart from this, there is no real reason why we should be drawn to this jacket, right?

Technically, if we’re being really honest, the jean jacket is not THAT cute. Who even uses chest pockets? And to do up all those buttons every day is like, “OKAY, SURE”. Nevertheless, this very curious denim piece is even more curiously never going out of style. Maybe its lack of cute or cool is the appeal – it’s almost boring! This makes it the perfect layering/mixing piece. It is so neutral and unassuming, you can wear it with almost anything (or wear it underneath almost anything) – observe, Marty McFly, I mean did you even know he was wearing one the whole time? Similar logic: purposely having less attractive friends in your Tinder profile photos.

Every season there is a “modernized”, “reinvented” version that is slimmer, longer and has more pockets or less pockets, but the true blue always prevails. This reinvented “modern”, “slimmer” look is a myth by the way; the original denim jacket (aka the “workman’s blouse”) was a two pocketed, long, cinch back jacket that sometimes had a drawstring waist. For real. A drawstring. LVC has decided to bring the repro back (yay!), and it looks great. But again, this classic look is a certain taste. It doesn’t seem to have anything on the popularity of the trucker style.

Everyone has had, or wants, or will have one of them (…like, literally everyone – moms, dads, even babies). So go ahead and layer up, work in a raw, or find that perfect showpiece – let’s all get our JJs on this fall. Find that cherry to top your perfect Canadian tuxedo!