Is the City Jacket Betraying Its Workwear Roots?

It might be best described as a cross between the weekend coat and the moto jacket (it's also been called the urban coat, barn coat or plain old car coat) but however you name it, the city jacket is one of this season’s coolest coats.city jacket It’s an outerwear piece that’s got the kind of pared-back, rugged feel that’s perfect for anyone who loves the idea of dressing down a dress or tee with faded blue jeans or sneakers. And it’s a look that’s being embraced by everyone from Gigi Hadid to Kendall Jenner and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

The style was first seen on the runways when Prada sent a boxy barn jacket down its spring-summer 2024 line, while Fendi sent out a similar design for men in fall-winter 2024.city jacket Since then, major brands have introduced it into their collections and more accessible streetwear labels have hopped on board. Carhartt WIP’s Detroit jacket and Dickies’ duck canvas chore coat both feature, as do cheaper alternatives from Zara and H&M.

While the trend for a more casual take on the workwear staple has been widely adopted, it’s important to remember that these garments are steeped in history. The barn and chore jacket were once worn for manual labour, whether that was hauling coal down a mine shaft or building the London underground. And while the coats have been reimagined for those whose physical graft extends to plugging in their laptop, it’s worth asking if this is a betrayal of their working-class roots?

“Once an item of clothing gets removed from its original context and becomes a fashion trend, it has a chance to be reimagined in different ways,” says Doris Domoszlai-Lantner, professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “It can become something that’s edgy, cool, and rebellious at the same time.”

It’s a theme that’s being echoed in the way Moore and Ratajkowski wear their respective takes on Posen’s cropped denim version of the style. Both have paired it with oversized pants, which puts proportion play at the forefront — and takes that New-Yorker-in-the-fall aesthetic to a whole new level.

If you’re looking for a more tailored approach to the city jacket, Ellesse’s Vicenza Two Track Jacket is a great choice. The jacket’s compact twill fabric offers natural stretch and optimum water-resistance, while its military-inspired details include a zip pocket, ribbed trim and concealed side zip pockets. And the coat’s hood is thick enough to act as a built-in scarf, keeping you extra warm in winter weather.

As the colder weather sets in, the need for a jacket that can keep up with our fast-paced lives will only increase. But with so many options available, the city jacket can be a hard choice to make. To help, we’ve rounded up some of our favourites below.