Mode pour La Saison

With fall and winter months on the horizon, you can never be too warm. Well, you can, but that's not the point. Jackets come in all patterns, colors and sizes. Needless to say there are some basics / essentials that will look good with any look. With the history of these garments, and how timeless they truly are, these are undoubtedly the best jackets and coats to wear for the fall and winter:

Trench Coats

Trench Coats are classic and trending. These coats come in many variations and are often made from “water proof” and durable cottons, as well as other materials. Coming in a number of lengths: slightly above the knee to just under the ankles.

Both invented and popularized by the British, first manufactured in 1823 designed and branded as “weatherproof outerwear” for the people as well as those in the armed forces. Throughout this time, they were called “macks” rather than trench coats. Macks would soon be reinvented so that the fabrics used would allow for the person wearing them to be warm, “weatherproof” and comfortable.

These coats would be far more attractive and stylish than the original. It’s now been nearly two whole centuries and yet these jackets have stood the test of time. They are classic and essential to any wardrobe. It is wise to invest in at least three trench coats, all in different basic / classic colors; black, tan, and carmel.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/trench-coat-made-its-mark-world-war-i-180955397/

Suit Jackets / Blazers

The 20th century would find themselves entering a new stage in their development of the suit. Suits would become more tailored and classy, as the previous form of suit would lose it’s long suit tail. Most comparative to our current trends are actually some of our early examples, being seen in the 1920’s Gatsby and so forth.

These suits would maintain their original design, only to be altered in material, textiles and most importantly, consideration of occasion. The originally strict guidelines for what a suit should look like would drift from its classy and professional motif, to more fun and expressive look. That’s the kicker- to an extent, clothing and self expression overall shouldn't have a “should '' or a strict “mode” of which everyone has to follow. We see The Beatles, during the 1970s, wearing “wacky” pants and suits of different lengths and textures!

https://www.gq.com/gallery/the-gq-history-of-the-suit-by-decade

Suits have been seen on women for centuries, especially as a part of women’s movements! It was in the 1870’s that a suit would first be seen on a Persian actress in the media. This resulted in a mass amount of hysteria and scandal, as the act of both wearing a suit and subsequently playing a male character would take gender roles by the horns (1899). It was in the 1910s that in America, women’s suit would be tailored to have more movement allowance as it was one of the first major american femisist movements in american history. In the fashion world, suits would precede corsets and were made to be more fashionable, form fitting and flattering to a woman’s appeal and figure. By the 1960s, women’s suits would become more professional and formal in appearance so that women would have the option to wear them at events as well.

As you can see, suit jackets have always been empowering and nearly fundamental apparel for people of all genders, economic classes and backgrounds. As of the 21st Century, you can find blazers in more patterns and styles than ever before! Suit jackets are classic; any person should acquire a few for their day to day wardrobe.

Puffer Jackets

The first puffer jacket was invented in 1936, by a man named Eddie Bauer. It was originally called the “Skyliner”, lined with fabrics of which would carry feathers inside of the coat to keep the wearer especially warm. At the time these coats were designed as a result of great demand for reasonably priced and appropriate coats for winter time. Many people would find themselves sick with a number of weather related illnesses as well as hypothermia, a bodily reaction to low temperatures the inventor had even experienced.

(Norma Kamali Puffer)

Both efficient and fashion forward, his design would find itself on the runway consistently over the course of time. Later, Norma Kamali would be inspired to create the general format for puffer jackets we see today (1970s).

 https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8951/a-brief-history-of-the-puffer-jacket Leather Jackets

Leather jackets were originally designed for the German military, much like trench coats were for the British. The classic brown leather jackets were typically worn by German pilots, and would later be called Bomber Jackets. It was only until the 1920s that leather jackets would be fashionable, then commonly worn by rough, edgy or strong characters in 1950s films. By the 1980s, women would also be seen wearing leather jackets, as rock and alternative music rose in popularity.

These jackets are associated with grunge and punk fashion. Even so, they can be paired with light and soft garments, depending on the color leather and what detailing the jacket might have. These jackets are must haves for fall and winter weather, as they are classic and versatile:

Fur coats were traditionally worn by men in the 1870s, whereas women would wear coats that had fur lined around the wrists, collars and hemlines. It was only until the 1950s however that fur would become affordable and even common among those of all economic classes. Whether it be luxury furs to faux furs, they could be seen everywhere and in the 1960 it was quite common for fashion designers to utilize faux furs in their designs; shirts, jackets and accessories in particular.

https://www.andrianafurs.com/our-blog/2016/02/the-early-history-of-fur-in-fashion/

Denim Jackets

Denim jackets will never go out of style. The denim jacket was first created in 1880 by the renowned Levi Strauss. He designed the original jeans in the 1870s, with their intended demographic being western civilians; engineers and miners. These jackets are durable under a variety of conditions despite their light and breathable material.

Jean Jackets would become associated with “coolness” and “angst” among young adults all over North America.

https://www.glamour.com/story/fall-fashion-essentials-jacket-denim-c

Corduroy Jackets

Corduroy jackets would achieve great popularity by the 1970s as a sort of rebellious garment. While leather was worn by bikers, “street thoughs” and punks, corduroy was worn by artists, musicians, directors, and more.

It is a fabric used to create all sorts of designs, from trench coats to cropped jackets. Corduroy is a more stylish and light jacket that will still keep you warm in the fall seasons whilst also maintaining a fashionable ensemble.

Burnt orange corduroy is “tres chic”.

Work Cited (MLA)

Research:

Chabbott, S. (2015, August 19). From Marilyn Monroe to Madonna, here's a brief history of the All-American Denim Jacket. Glamour. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.glamour.com/story/fall-fashion-essentials-jacket-denim-c.

Do Good Co. (2020, November 6). The feminist history of the power suit. Do Good Co. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://dogoodkc.org/blogs/blog/the-feminist-history-of-the-power-suit.

Early history of Fur In Fashion: Chicago, IL. Andriana Furs. (2021, March 4). Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.andrianafurs.com/our-blog/2016/02/the-early-history-of-fur-in-fashion/.

Gloverall. (2019, April 1). The history of corduroy. Gloverall. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.gloverall.com/blogs/journal/history-of-corduroy.

Leather Skin Shop. (n.d.). A brief yet interesting history of leather jackets. Leather Skin Shop. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://leatherskinshop.com/blogs/default-blog/brief-history-of-leather-jackets.

Magazine, S. (2015, May 27). The classy rise of the trench coat. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/trench-coat-made-its-mark-world-war-i-1809553 97/.

Marshall, S. (2016, August 9). A brief history of The puffer jacket. AnOther. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8951/a-brief-history-of-the-puffer-jacket.

Woolf, J. (2015, April 6). The history of the suit by decade. GQ. Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.gq.com/gallery/the-gq-history-of-the-suit-by-decade.