Jackets Come In Many Styles
Eight Variations of JacketI formulated my own definition after perusing various sources including online dictionaries and wikipedia: A jacket is an item of clothing worn on the upper area body. A jacket is most often hip or waist length and it usually has sleeves. A jacket should not be confused with a coat (although it frequently is) - a coat tends to be longer - an example is the ‘coat like’ three quarter length jacket worn by Neo in the Matrix.
Jakcets can be grouped in many different ways, but a simple categorisation is:
- Fashion jackets
- Jackets that are for protection
Fashion Jackets
Blazers
A blazer is fairly very much the same in visual appearance to the jacket part of a suit. Blazers are usually employed within the a ‘smart casual’ look. It has metallic sleeve cuff buttons and a breast pocket. Blazers will probably be somewhat traditional in colour, navy blue for example is a notably favorite colour. Boating jackets are related in design but are often significantly brighter in color with strong stripes. The blazer form is frequently used as the most popular jacket style for work and school uniforms.
Leather Jackets
Leather jackets grew to become specially fashionable immediately after World War Two. The ‘bomber jacket’ style, so called due to the fact it was worn by the pilots of bomber planes, was especially fashionable. The leather jacket has always been associated with rebellion. Actors such as James Dean and Marlon Brando re-enforced this feeling. Never the less, although leather jackets remain identifiable with rock-and-roll and motorbikers, they’re a significant component of mainstream fashion. A present day example of this jacket variety is the Superdry leather jacket.
Denim Jackets
The word ‘denim’ comes from the terms ‘serge de Nimes’. ‘Serge’ is a fabric and was initially grown in the Nimes area of France. So ‘serge de nimes’ grew to become ‘denim’. Denim had a similar fashion path to leather: Initially denim was practical, chosen by those who toiled in harsh environments. Consequently it became included in fashion lines and became extremely well-liked in the 1960s and 1970s.
Many well-known design brands create jackets, for example Wrangler, Nike, G Star and Lacoste. G Star jackets are a relative newcomer in contrast to the other more established players. However the lacoste jacket uk is much better known.
Jackets That Offer Protection
The Donkey Jacket
From Wikipedia: “A Donkey jacket is a short buttoned coat, typically made of unlined black or dark blue woolen material; originally worn as a work jacket in the United Kingdom. It is derived from the wool sack coat worn by workers in the 19th century, and the OED references the term as first used in 1929: “one with leather shoulders and back”.
Flak Jacket
‘Flak’ describes the debrie from bombs, i.e. shards of metal. A ‘flak jacket’ protects the wearer from flak. It does this by having a lining of strong protective material such as steel or titanium. Such jackets are worn by soldiers and police forces in the majority of countries. In this scenario they guard the wearer from weapons, knives, bullets etc.
The Chef Jacket
Not only is the white chef jacket very recognisable, it is also very protective and highly practical. For example the chef can quickly hide stains by instantly turning it inside out!
Other Jackets
An example of a jacket which does not easily fit the groups above is the Eisenhower Jacket, or ‘Ike jacket’. Its blouson form was specifically created to make a very strong statement in order to individualize its wearer.
