A man’s swag is defined by his choice of jacket, we have researched the historic, current and upcoming trends in men’s style to give our readers the decision making insights needed when choosing a new men’s jacket. Read our breakdown of the history and key differences of:
- The versatile field jacket
- The ever-popular varsity jacket
- The currently trending flight jacket
We dive into these 3 icon jacket types, to help inspire you to try a new style throughout 2018.
Field Jacket – History & Current Trends
OFF-WHITE – Camouflage-Print Cotton-Ripstop Field Jacket
The M-65 field jacket is a classic, that has been in existence for over 50 years. Historically this jacket was born from the first World War 2 specialist jacket, the M-43. Sadly the M-43 jacket was discontinued however, it was replaced by the M-51. When the United States entered into the Vietnam War, the M-51 needed to be updated to be better suited to the climate and terrain the U.S soldiers would have to endure, hence the creation of the iconic M-65 field jacket. If you’re interested in copping a similar style jacket for less than half the price, buy it from here.
The main features originally designed for the jacket are still very visible in today’s iteration. Making use of windproof cotton, multiple chest pockets and the official “olive green” colour palette adapted for jungle warfare, meant the military were very content with this new official field jacket style.
Fast forward to today we see a number of famous personalities swagged out in the Field Jacket and this wear is never out of fashion.
Jay Z & Beyonce
Ty Dollar Sign (Sophia Chang x Ebbetts Field Jacket for 300 Entertainment)
Future
Varsity jackets / Letterman Jackets – History & Current Trends
Varsity jackets have a certain eye-catching trait which makes so many of us do a double take whenever we see someone wrapped in one. The history behind this jacket dates all the way back to 1865 and it was created on Harvard’s Cambridge, Massachusetts campus. The jacket started out as a knit sweater and was worn by players as a uniform. Later on, The Harvard Baseball team made the decision to sew a large “H” onto the jackets, hence the name “Letterman” jackets.
Over 10 years later, the Harvard football team adopted the lettered jackets which eventually became widespread across other schools and teams across the US in a variety of styles. Nower days, the varsity jacket is available from a wide range of brands, each of which has their own take on the classic which helped to open it up to the masses. Many artists and fashion moguls own their own unique varsity jacket and it has been a popular choice throughout the hip-hop scene for many years too. You can find a blacked out varsity jacket that you can cop here.
Michael B Jordan & Sylvester Stallone
J Cole
Pharrell Williams
Flight Jackets – History & Current Trends
The famous flight jacket is almost as old as airplanes themselves, having been designed specifically for war pilots in the early 20th century who needed to be protected from versatile weather conditions while traveling thousands of feet in the air. Nowadays, flight jackets are also well established in the fashion scene. Many men want to sport the iconic style jacket, especially in the colder months.
The flight jacket has changed over the years with many brands customizing it to suit their growing portfolio of outwear attire. A number of music artists have also worn the jacket infamous photos and album covers such as Naughty By Nature:
Naughty By Nature
Kanye west predominantly wore his Alpha Industries flight jacket a couple of years ago and still sports it occasionally today in 2018 too:
Kanye West
Big Sean copped the wool collar flight jacket that blew up last winter:
Big Sean
Whatever your preference of style the flight, field and varsity jackets are a safe bet for your personal collection. Explore the new variations of these styles and pick out that signature look, for when you are on the move.