Our regular series of style features explores the history of fashion classics and how to wear them. For this issue we’re getting wrapped up in the denim jacket.
Over the course of a century, the humble denim jacket has graduated from workwear staple to fashion icon. Simple, utilitarian and functional, the early denim jacket was worn by workmen and cowboys. Come the fifties, it had been adopted by greasers. Hippies and rock stars took it on over the next three decades and now it’s so ubiquitous that most of us own one.
Levi Strauss created the Levi Blouse in 1905. Designed to be worn with his famous blue jeans, and cut in the same fabric, it was short and boxy to allow the wearer to move easily in it.
The style developed over half a century, and come 1953, a new shape was introduced which was adopted by teenagers across the US, helped in part by famous wearers including Elvis Presley. Denim jackets were worn by countless stars in the second half of the 20th century, and by the nineties they were popular among fans of grunge and Britpop.
Today the denim jacket is a true neutral in all our wardrobes. In short, it goes with just about everything. Wear yours with the cuffs turned up over a long summer dress. Or for something a little different opt for a denim jacket in a pastel shade. Keep it simple by teaming it with khakis and a t-shirt or go bold by wearing it with matching denim jeans.
