Some may argue that the jean jacket never went away but I know that, while I couldn’t bear to give away my not-worn-in-years jean jackets, they were relegated to the back of my out of season closet. Well, after a weekend of serious people watching, window shopping and internet celebrity stalking where jean jackets are de rigueur, my jean jackets now hang front and center in my in-season closet. And I’m happy to have them there.
A jean jacket is one of the most versatile items you can own. Today they’re being worn over everything from strapless maxi dresses to brightly colored skinny jeans and stilettos. They even lend a decidedly rugged and irreverent look to this season’s pretty floral dresses.
When the jean jacket was co-opted as a fashion item in the 90s it morphed from its original boxy utilitarian design that allowed for freedom of movement to a stylish accessory. Waist definition, longer lengths, decorative buttons and embellishments such as embroidery, patchwork and – who can forget? – bedazzling elevated the jean jacket from a work staple to a stylish woman’s wardrobe staple and today, the jean jacket has achieved even loftier fashion heights, often seen on the backs of the fashion industry’s premiere designers’ creations. Good news for fashionistas who like to mix it up with high end and lower end pieces. More good news is that, if you have kept your jean jackets from a few years ago, they are probably still in style. The fashion for jean jackets today runs the gamut from everything to the tried and true Levi’s staple to any number of washes, colors, adornments and shapes. (You may, however, want to leave your bedazzled jacket in the back of your off season closet, or better yet, put it on and start a new trend.)
