Mens Coats and Jackets

The second change had to do with waist and tailcoat styles, which, in accordance with the trends of the day, meant muting their colors and overall aesthetic flare. These changes represented a desire for more social equality in dress as the middle class emerged. As a result, the commoner and the high-society gentleman became harder to distinguish from one another.

Nineteenth-century overcoats, which were similar to the 3/4-length coats of contemporary formal wear, were meant to last, so steel buttons and thick wool were the materials of choice for middle class workers and socialites alike. For winter wear, men would bundle up in longer tailcoats lined with fur.

For most formal occasions, men wore frock coats, which looked a bit like modern double-breasted suits, but flared at the hips and extended to the knees. The other option for evening dress was the tailcoat. Formal tailcoats of the day were different from modern tuxedos in that the tails of the coats were wider and more rounded—but, as with frock coat flares, that style also faded as the century drew to close.

A new level of informality was reached in the 1880s when the dinner jacket was introduced. Appropriate only in casual situations or when ladies were not present, the dinner jacket was called a dress lounge in Britain and a tuxedo in America, after the well-to-do district of Tuxedo Park, New York. Accompanying overcoats at this time had less of a tailored look, hanging looser on the body and featuring more pockets.

In the late 1890s, men’s clothing began to reflect the presence of the automobile. Clothing designed specifically for driving included shorter, tighter-fitting jackets that buttoned almost to the throat. These "Norfolk" jackets were made mostly out of tweed and were often paired with matching hats and knickerbockers. Norfolk-style jackets are still used as uniforms by some schools, branches of the military, and police departments.

For summer travel, the blazer took the Norfolk jacket’s place. Blazers are still worn today in more or less the same style and take after standard-issue British university uniforms of the late Victorian era. These were almost always very bright in color or striped, and had a looser fit than the Norfolk jacket.

By the turn of the 20th century, the three-piece suit was common for travel and everyday wear. Men were still expected to wear tails for dinner, but trousers, vests, jackets, and neckties were good enough for day wear. Suit jackets then were approximately the same as the ones today, though there were variations. Lounge coats, for example, tended to be single-breasted, while jackets for formal wear tended to be double-breasted, after the look of tailcoats.

During World War II, fashion became more utilitarian due to the lack of raw materials and the financial strain on the U.S. and Europe. For men’s suits, this meant no more pocket flaps, pants cuffs, or vests—no man wanted to look unpatriotic by wearing anything too flashy or material-heavy.

After the war, suits went back to double-breasted, and sweaters and shorter jackets became acceptable day wear, as did button-down shirts. The most dramatic of these new leisurely fashions was the Hawaiian or Bermuda shirt, which started to show up on the beaches of the west coast in the late 1940s. While not coats themselves, they’re worth mentioning because for the first time, men didn’t have to wear a jacket!

A notable hot item of the late 1940s and early 1950s was the Levi’s denim jacket. This sturdy blue jacket was considered work wear during the war and in the post-war years. But in the 1950s, it was held as a rebellious alternative to more constraining day wear. The denim jacket, made by both Levi’s and Wrangler, along with the black leather jacket, made famous by Marlon Brando in the 1953 film The Wild One, would become staples of young men’s fashion for years to come.

Rock ’n’ roll culture was another important influence on men’s fashion, as young men everywhere dressed in more flamboyant and ornamented suits like those of Elvis Presley. Part jacket, part western shirt, two-tone rockabilly jackets were wildly popular in nightclubs and dance halls. Another big style was the prep look—cardigans, blazers, and letterman jackets were sported in droves on most college campuses.

In the 1960s, a number of influential new styles emerged. Suits in the early part of the decade were a far cry from the utilitarian work wear of less than 15 years prior. Men’s suits were all bright colors and loud patterns. In Britain, the so-called "mod" style was immensely popular, especially the men’s collarless button-up jackets worn by The Beatles early in their career. This was replaced in the second half of the decade by a neo-Edwardian style, which brought back double-breasted suits and tighter slacks, but this time made of velvet or silk. Cravats and patterned ties were worn, usually in bright colors.

Suits of the era were generally more fitted-looking than anything previously seen in the 20th century, though there still was a subculture in England that emulated the ’50s rockabilly and western styles. Leather and suede were in as well, with jacket-length suede single-breasts gaining immense popularity in the late 1960s. Another leather phenomenon was the leather fringe jacket. This waist-length coat featured tassels hanging from the sleeves, chest stitching, and sometimes pocket flaps. It was even more sought-after after its appearance on Dennis Hooper in the 1969 film Easy Rider. International clothing, starting with the rise of the Nehru jacket, was also a significant part of the ’60s. Young people who identified with hippie culture wore jackets and ponchos from Central and South America, as well as Indian-style woven coats and kurtas.

Into the 1970s, suits shifted away from the unembellished mod and exuberant ’60s styles to something entirely different: the leisure suit. Loosely based on the safari jacket, the wide-lapelled, two-piece polyester outfit became representational of mid-’70s style. Suits in the ’70s were very eclectic, often made out of less traditional materials like denim or polyester. Most had wide lapels and only two buttons, and were worn with patterned ties or, continuing with the neo-Edwardian, cravats or scarves.

Even less formal were the retro brown leather bomber jackets, as well as black leather and denim jackets. If Brando had been the model in the 1950s, this time around punk and hard rockers like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols championed the look.

Trends such as the love of suede and denim as suit materials continued into the 1980s. The double-breasted suit, however, fell out of fashion, and was replaced by large single-breasted, often single-button suits. Lapels were narrower and so were the ties that complimented them. Casual jackets got shorter—the rainbow of Members Only jackets come to mind, as do the short, vinyl snap-button jackets emblazoned with pro football, baseball, or basketball team logos.

Leather jackets also stuck around, but now they were produced in a variety of colors and often featured multiple zippers, pockets, and chains—think Michael Jackson music videos. The bomber jacket soared to an even higher level of vogue in the ’80s when it was considered normal practice to wear one with a polo shirt in a semi-formal setting. This wasn’t the only change in formal wear: more and more men started sporting button-down shirts of various patterns with open khaki or tan suit jackets.

Today, new jacket styles continue to emerge, but some of the most fashionable jackets feature styles that have been cherry-picked from earlier eras. For fans of vintage clothing, this is good news, but why go for the modern imitation when you can have the real McCoy?

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