Discover the Latest Spring Jacket Trends

Curious as to the key to effectively executing transitional dressing? We would like to inform you of a confidential tip: the garment is everything. Once you achieve that, every other detail will fall into position.

It is common to neglect outerwear during the spring, but that is incorrect. Individuals are so eagerly anticipating summer that they end up underdressing and becoming uneasy. Alternatively, they may opt to endure the transitional months while bundled up in an excessively warm winter parka, disregarding the changing temperatures.

Invest in a transitional garment that has been evaluated and is designed for spring conditions. This is a brief, midweight garment that is suitable for layering up or down. If you check each of these options, you will effortlessly navigate spring and beyond in an elegant manner. Curious? Here are a few of our preferred spring jacket silhouettes for your consideration.

Suede Jacket

Want to instantaneously lend an attire a touch of elegance, sophistication and purpose? A velour jacket is what you need. This upscale outerwear option is ideal for adding texture to ensembles and elevating even the simplest of looks with ease.

There are plenty of suede jacket designs to choose from, but the bomber jacket and overshirt are two of our preferences due to their timelessness and versatility. These are two jackets that can rapidly elevate casual ensembles or be used to give sophisticated looks a fashionable, contemporary edge. Opt for a classic colour, like navy, brown or taupe, and you’ll be able to pair it up with everything from T-shirts and denim to tailoring.

For anyone on a budget, there are plenty of acceptable faux-suede options out there, but it’s always best to get hands on before purchasing and make sure the fabric feels and appears authentic. If you do go for the genuine deal, make sure to use a suede-protector to shield it against any unanticipated April rainfall.

Safari Jacket

As you can undoubtedly infer by the name and its multi-pocket utilitarian design, the safari jacket was created out of the military. It was initially designed for use by English and European personnel stationed in South Africa during the Second Boer War.

Given the climate and demands of war, they required a lightweight garment that would keep them calm and camouflaged while also enabling them to carry plenty of personal cargo. Cue a robust khaki cotton jacket with large bellow pockets that became popular in the 1970s after Yves Saint Laurent issued a one-off, and Roger Moore donned various styles in the guise of James Bond.

In recent years, the sartorial crowd has joyously appropriated it, elevating it into a practical piece of tailored apparel. The design hasn’t altered much over the decades, but the fabrics have, with super-soft linens offering a pleasant airy layer in the summer and more luxurious cinched iterations in cashmere for winter.

Field Jacket

The modern field jacket has become an indispensable part of fashionable menswear, offering a masculine silhouette and masses of practicality. Much like the safari jacket, the field jacket’s origins are military, which is why the two often get muddled up.

While they share many details, there are some crucial differences: the field jacket tends to be constructed from a heavy cotton twill and is thus best positioned as a spring or autumn garment when the weather is milder. It’s more rugged and generally features a brief funnel collar. It’s also often made in dark tones such as khaki green and navy, unlike the safari jacket’s paler tan and beige default palette.

The benefit of the field jacket is that you can drape it over just about anything in your wardrobe and appear respectable. We adore using it to add rugged allure to a knitted polo shirt and tapered chinos with loafers, but you could just as easily wear it with selvedge denim trousers and a pair of sneakers. Equally, we’ve seen some excellent examples of men donning field jackets over sharp suits at Pitti Uomo, which is a compelling juxtaposition.

Worker Jacket

With a simple, practical design, the chore jacket, aka worker jacket, has been doing the rounds ever since it came to existence in 19th-century France, where it was the daily uniform for ‘blue-collar’ workers. In fact, that very term was spun out from the utility jacket itself since those early incarnations were dyed with a vibrant benzoate-based blue dye to conceal the grime and traces of outdoor labor.

In the modern era, the late street-style photographer Bill Cunningham famously donned the blue utility jacket daily. Still made from cotton, today’s utility jackets have largely deviated from the vibrant blue style, with Japanese makers popularising indigo-dyed denim versions and contemporary menswear labels creating a plethora of options in gentler tones.

What we adore about the task jacket is that it’s not really a ‘jacket’ at all – consider it an easy-to-wear overshirt that you can combine with plain shirts for an effortless summer appearance. Denim trousers or cotton twill cargo pants are the utility jacket’s natural foils, complementing the industrial heritage.

Denim Jacket

The denim jacket is the substance of layering legend. Low-profile enough to fit comfortably underneath an overcoat yet robust enough to serve as an outer layer, it’s ideal for changeable spring weather and you’ll probably find yourself using it in the summer, autumn and winter too.

Our go-to design will always be a raw denim trucker jacket. It’s a classic garment with a fashionable mid-century appearance that grows better with every wear and goes with just about anything. It’s a must-have piece in our views and one of the finest spring vests there is.

Wear it on its own over a white blouse with cream trousers and a pair of Converse, or layer up with a parka and knitwear on frigid days.

Overshirt

If you choose just one transitional garment, a quality overshirt is probably the best option. It’s the finest of the group in terms of versatility; able to be called upon through all four seasons and worn with almost anything… depending on what style you choose.

For the uninitiated, an overshirt lies somewhere between shirt and overcoat. It’s designed to be worn over the top of a blouse, camisole or sweater (hence the name), with jacket-like features such as patch pockets. It’s usually unlined and can be readily layered on top of too.

One of our preferred overshirt designs is the labor blazer. It features a classic collar, button front, three patch pockets and is usually made from dense cotton fabric like twill or drill. Wear it with workwear essentials like distressed denim and leather boots.

Read Also: Best Men Wearing Rings Ideas

Bomber Jacket

Originally designed to keep military pilots toasty at high altitudes, this ex-forces favourite has fully incorporated back into civilian life. It features a round neck, cropped length, ribbed wrists and hem with a zip fastening to the front. Classic versions are constructed from lustrous nylon fabric and feature a drawstring compartment to the sleeve.

Traditionally, a bomber jacket is best worn casually with things like denim and plain shirts. However, there are luxury options out there that make it possible to outfit a bomber in a dressier manner too. For this, opt for a premium material like suede or leather in a dark colour and pair it up with formal trousers, knitwear and business casual footwear.

Windbreaker

A windbreaker is a lively spring option that’s functional and can look fantastic too. The ongoing gorpcore trend for technical, recreational gear has brought this style back into the spotlight, making it a great choice for those looking for a practical transitional jacket that’s pertinent too.

Windbreakers may be practical but they’re not particularly versatile when it comes to design. This is a casual design and is best avoided when wearing tailoring or sophisticated casual clothing. Stick to activewear, outdoors-inspired pieces and other weekend-ready garb and you can’t go wrong.

Fleece

Another style of garment that’s been revived due to gorpcore is the fleece. Thick-pile versions like Patagonia’s iconic Retro-X have been shooting off shelves at machine-gun velocity for a couple of years now, with many high-fashion houses and designer labels following suit and releasing their own take. Vintage versions of that particular fleece can garner multiple hundreds on eBay and Grailed, and the appetite for fleece doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

We adore fleece because it adds texture to ensembles and is excellent for layering. It’s also comfortable, inviting and suitable for those spring days when the weather’s neither here nor there. It’s remarkably versatile when it comes to styling too, but we like it best with classic outdoors, military and workwear-inspired pieces like cargo trousers, work boots and down jackets.

Harrington Jacket

The Harrington jacket is a 1950s icon that’s still a reliable choice to this day. Popularised by Hollywood heartthrobs of the era and subsequently by the mod and skinhead subcultures in the UK, it’s a design ingrained in history and culture.

The Harrington’s trademark cropped length and light weight make it ideal for the transitional weather. It works best as part of a sophisticated casual ensemble and can appear razor sharp when paired with conservative pieces like an Oxford shirt, knitwear, chinos and loafers.