If you’re wondering how to dress a jean jacket, you’ve come to the perfect spot. A nice jean jacket is the ultimate clothing cheat code. Throw on a classic denim trucker—the sturdy and perpetually gorgeous style that Levi’s first debuted well over a century ago—and your fit suddenly gets additional character, toughness, and all-around aura. Jean jackets are so crazily adaptable, in fact, that there’s literally no “wrong” way to wear ‘em. If that feels more terrifying than freeing, however, have no worry. Your old buddies at GQ are here with a few ideas to help you pick out just the perfect denim jacket with exactly the correct fit and then pull it off with aplomb. Let’s get started.
How should a jean jacket fit?
A jean jacket should fit the same way you’d like any garment to fit: not too snug, nor too baggy. These days we definitely incline towards casual jackets that crop at the waist, and denim jackets are no exception. However, you may get away with a denim jacket that falls roughly two inches below your waistline. As a total, the jacket shouldn’t fit so slim that you can’t layer additional pieces of clothing below it (preferably, it should accommodate at least a light sweater). This applies to the body as well as the sleeves—while little additional room is OK, you don’t want them to be overly billowy.
Is a jean jacket business casual?
A jean jacket can easily fall within business casual requirements. It’s going to rely on what you wear underneath it, not the jacket itself. If you’re wearing a fit that skews office-appropriate, like a well-worn oxford and pleated khakis, a denim jacket may fit into that outfit well without making it intrinsically less professional.
Can you wear a denim jacket with jeans?
Ah, the everlasting question: can you wear denim-on-denim? Yes, certainly. You can completely wear a denim jacket with pants, even when the washes of the denim match. (We’ll show you a couple good examples of this momentarily.) Canadian Tuxedos are a wonderful appearance, one we support completely. Don’t let anyone convince you differently.
How to Style a Jean Jacket
There's no need to overcomplicate things. Already wearing an easy, breezy casual fit? Chances are, you can just toss a jean jacket on top and make it that much better. Whether it's a Hawaiian shirt and chinos like Johnny Knoxville or a vintage tee and black jeans like Ryan Gosling, merely adding a distinctive trucker to the mix gives a whole new level of complexity and texture.
Double Up
Yes, it's absolutely OK to wear the Canadian Tuxedo. As Bob Marley and Leon Bridges both proved nearly 50 years apart, the trick to making denim-on-denim work is to absolutely nail the fit—from the flatteringly tailored silhouettes of their jackets to the stage-ready flared cuts of their jeans, every detail on these kits feels purposeful, considered, and impossibly cool.
Read Also: Wrangler Denim Jacket With Inner Pockets Mens
Layer Like a Pro
A jean jacket works wonderfully as an outermost layer on pleasant spring days and cold summer nights. But when things take a turn for the chilly, don't be afraid to pull another coat, jacket, or bulky knit over top. Messers Lauren and Beckham are skillfully showing how to do it here with a grail-level leather bomber and thick knit cardigan respectively, but your trucker will also look sufficiently stunning peeping out from behind a tweedy overcoat, puffy parka, or classic trench.
Give Your Blazer a Break
How can you make a beat-to-hell denim jacket seem great for the office or a dinner date? You simply swap it in wherever you'd ordinarily wear a sport coat. As NBA style god Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and eternal style god George Harrison both illustrate here, a dress shirt and tie looks outstanding juxtaposed with well-worn denim—whether you then match it off with sick frayed jeans or crisp tailored pants is totally up to you.
Our Favorite Jean Jackets
Ready to give a denim trucker a go? Here are four of our go-to selections. And don't miss our comprehensive list of the Best Men's Jean Jackets for even more amazing selections.
Mercado Wolski
If you’re wondering how to dress a jean jacket, you’ve come to the perfect spot. A nice jean jacket is the ultimate clothing cheat code. Throw on a classic denim trucker—the sturdy and perpetually gorgeous style that Levi’s first debuted well over a century ago—and your fit suddenly gets additional character, toughness, and all-around aura. Jean jackets are so crazily adaptable, in fact, that there’s literally no “wrong” way to wear ‘em. If that feels more terrifying than freeing, however, have no worry. Your old buddies at GQ are here with a few ideas to help you pick out just the perfect denim jacket with exactly the correct fit and then pull it off with aplomb. Let’s get started.
How should a jean jacket fit?
A jean jacket should fit the same way you’d like any garment to fit: not too snug, nor too baggy. These days we definitely incline towards casual jackets that crop at the waist, and denim jackets are no exception. However, you may get away with a denim jacket that falls roughly two inches below your waistline. As a total, the jacket shouldn’t fit so slim that you can’t layer additional pieces of clothing below it (preferably, it should accommodate at least a light sweater). This applies to the body as well as the sleeves—while little additional room is OK, you don’t want them to be overly billowy.
Is a jean jacket business casual?
A jean jacket can easily fall within business casual requirements. It’s going to rely on what you wear underneath it, not the jacket itself. If you’re wearing a fit that skews office-appropriate, like a well-worn oxford and pleated khakis, a denim jacket may fit into that outfit well without making it intrinsically less professional.
Can you wear a denim jacket with jeans?
Ah, the everlasting question: can you wear denim-on-denim? Yes, certainly. You can completely wear a denim jacket with pants, even when the washes of the denim match. (We’ll show you a couple good examples of this momentarily.) Canadian Tuxedos are a wonderful appearance, one we support completely. Don’t let anyone convince you differently.
How to Style a Jean Jacket
There's no need to overcomplicate things. Already wearing an easy, breezy casual fit? Chances are, you can just toss a jean jacket on top and make it that much better. Whether it's a Hawaiian shirt and chinos like Johnny Knoxville or a vintage tee and black jeans like Ryan Gosling, merely adding a distinctive trucker to the mix gives a whole new level of complexity and texture.
Double Up
Yes, it's absolutely OK to wear the Canadian Tuxedo. As Bob Marley and Leon Bridges both proved nearly 50 years apart, the trick to making denim-on-denim work is to absolutely nail the fit—from the flatteringly tailored silhouettes of their jackets to the stage-ready flared cuts of their jeans, every detail on these kits feels purposeful, considered, and impossibly cool.
Read Also: Wrangler Denim Jacket With Inner Pockets Mens
Layer Like a Pro
A jean jacket works wonderfully as an outermost layer on pleasant spring days and cold summer nights. But when things take a turn for the chilly, don't be afraid to pull another coat, jacket, or bulky knit over top. Messers Lauren and Beckham are skillfully showing how to do it here with a grail-level leather bomber and thick knit cardigan respectively, but your trucker will also look sufficiently stunning peeping out from behind a tweedy overcoat, puffy parka, or classic trench.
Give Your Blazer a Break
How can you make a beat-to-hell denim jacket seem great for the office or a dinner date? You simply swap it in wherever you'd ordinarily wear a sport coat. As NBA style god Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and eternal style god George Harrison both illustrate here, a dress shirt and tie looks outstanding juxtaposed with well-worn denim—whether you then match it off with sick frayed jeans or crisp tailored pants is totally up to you.
Our Favorite Jean Jackets
Ready to give a denim trucker a go? Here are four of our go-to selections. And don't miss our comprehensive list of the Best Men's Jean Jackets for even more amazing selections.