How to Wear a Denim Jacket with Selvedge Jeans
Denim jackets and selvedge jeans are like lemonade and iced tea. They’re great on their own, but put them together and the mixture reaches new heights. In our books, wearing two pieces of denim at a time is not just an acceptable way to wear denim—it’s the best way to wear it.
Of course, we need to approach the combination with a degree of caution. Stacking denim pieces on top of each other without considering the overall effect we’re creating can quickly turn a stylish combo into a caricature.
Thomas and I have both been practising double denim for decades, and we’ve worked up a list of pointers that will help you do double denim the right way and avoid some of the commonly encountered pitfalls that come with the territory.
As with all our advice, you can take some and leave some. If you’ve found something that works for you that goes against what we suggest below, fill your boots. Dress in the ways that feel right to you. If, however, you’ve been looking for advice on double denim styling, the tips below should help.
Don’t Have a Denim Jacket Yet?
Before you get too deep into the double denim weeds, make sure you’ve got the right jacket. We’ve rounded up our top picks in the Raw Denim Jacket Buying Guide. Every jacket on the list is built to fade and made to last.
Tip #1: Choose Your Weapon Wisely
There are plenty of brands that produce entirely unique denim jackets—Tellason’s Coverall Jacket and RGT’s Supply Jacket spring to mind—but the vast majority of selvedge denim jackets on the market are based on a trio of Levi’s jackets that spanned roughly a century of the brand’s history.
Here’s a very brief look at each of these:
Type 1
Based on Levi’s oldest riveted denim jacket, which was probably first manufactured around 1880, made its official debut in 1905. A pure and iconic piece of American workwear that, like the 501, helped build the West.
Key features are the single, low chest pocket (either open or with a flap) secured with rivets, the back cinch, the pleated front, and the extremely boxy fit. Perfect for heritage enthusiasts trying to recreate truly classic workwear looks.
Type II
The updated version of Levi’s denim jacket first appeared in 1953, and is perhaps best remembered as the denim jacket worn on screen by Elvis Presley (Martin Sheen wore it equally well in Badlands).
The Type II only lasted a decade, but it made a strong impression. It’s now enjoying a modern-day resurgence.
Key features are the waist tabs, the symmetrical chest pockets reinforced with bar tacks under the button-down flaps, the waist adjusting tabs at the waist, and the knife pleats on the chest.
Like the Type I, the fit is boxy, though some modern brands offer longer, slimmer-fitting versions, occasionally with added handwarmer pockets.
Type III
Introduced in 1962, the Type III was a slimmed-down and aggressively styled version of the denim jacket that became both a cultural and counter-cultural touchstone in the decades that followed its release.
The key features are the higher chest pockets, which, like the triangular stitching and angled button-down flaps that sit on top of them, point downwards, creating a slimming effect and drawing the eye down the body towards the waist.
Handwarmer pockets were added in the ‘80s, the merits of which are still hotly contested by heritage enthusiasts (I’m firmly against them).
Other Notable Denim Jackets
Of course, these are not your only options. Lee’s Rider Jacket (including the blanket-lined Storm Rider) and Wrangler’s 124MJ are stylish workwear icons with a rich and storied history.
There are excellent modern jackets inspired by Lee and Wrangler’s mid-century jackets, and there are just as many great jackets inspired by other lesser-walked avenues of classic workwear. Before buying, do a bit of research.
The perfect denim jacket is the one that’s the perfect fit for your body type and your personal style. Remember, if you choose your weapon wisely, you’ll only need one.
One Denim Jacket to Rule Them All
Not sure whether you’re a Type I, II, or III kind of guy? We break them all down (plus the worthy alternatives) in our Raw Denim Jacket Buying Guide. Find your fit—and your forever jacket—here.
Tip #2: Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd
We all love denim, but we’ve got to apply the brakes at some point. Two denim pieces can play off each other beautifully, building on each other’s strengths.
When we introduce a third piece of denim to the mix, though, the happy and stylish union begins to fracture. Three or more pieces of denim are more a caricature of denim love than an elegant expression of it.
For this reason, we see denim shirts and denim jackets as an either/or style choice. When looking for a piece to wear with jeans and your denim jacket, instead of denim, consider one of the following:
Our Favourite Tops to Break Up Double Denim Looks
- Tee/Henley – It’s impossible to go wrong with a loopwheeled cotton basics in light colours. You’ll find some of our favourites here. Nothing pairs as perfectly or as easily.
- Jersey Knits – Pick your poison. The classic sweatshirt is our favourite, but hoodies (either with or without zips) lend the jacket a semi-athletic, casual vibe.
- Chambray – Versatile and comfortable, chambray shirts are soft enough to wear comfortably under denim jackets, and they look equally good tucked or untucked.
- Flannel – Heavy flannels and denim jackets are fast friends, but be careful with the length. Long flannels will leave a mile of fabric below the jacket. They tend to work better with denim chore coats than with traditionally cut denim jackets.
Break Up the Denim Party
Looking for the perfect piece to slot between your jacket and jeans? Whether it’s a loopwheeled tee, a rugged henley, or a heavyweight flannel, we’ve got full guides to help you find the best options. These layers aren’t just filler—they’re the glue that holds the look together.
Tip #3: Heritage Brands Beat Legacy Brands
Levi’s, Lee, and Wrangler all have rich histories, and all of them can claim without blushing that, at some point or another, they made the world’s best denim jacket. As denim became a global style commodity, though, they needed to find a way to keep up with surging demand.
They switched from selvedge denim produced on shuttle looms to denim produced on projectile looms. This allowed them to produce more denim faster, but they lost something in the process.
Japanese brands (spurred on by ravenous Japanese collectors) preserved selvedge denim as a kind of slow-manufacturing art form. Ever since, the world’s best denim has been produced in Japan.
Legacy brands still produce extremely popular versions of their iconic denim jackets, but heritage brands’ tributes to these classics are better than the real thing. They cost more, but they’re worth every penny—especially if you wear the hell out of them.
Brands That Nail the Details
If you want your jacket to actually age well, look to the brands that put fading front and centre. We’ve got dedicated buying guides for Iron Heart, Samurai, and Full Count—each with a slightly different vibe, but all built for the long haul.
Tip #4: Contrast is King
There are two different schools of thought with styling double denim. The first is to match the jacket as closely as possible to your jeans, treating the jeans and jacket like a matching suit. When buttoned up, this produces a kind of head-to-toe colour consistency that some people seem to enjoy.
It’s undeniably a classic workwear look, but Thomas and I both feel that the matchy-matchy style makes you look too much like a gas station attendant. It’s our advice to introduce some contrast to your outfits.
If both your jeans and jacket are dark, wear something between them that brings some sharp contrast to the outfit. A dark blue or black tee won’t do the trick. Go with something white or light grey under an open jacket.
Best of all is to have some contrast between the jacket and the jeans. If the jacket is crisp and raw, pair it with a fully faded pair of jeans and vice versa. There are also some stellar denim jackets in lighter denims that are still raw.
Another combination that works exceptionally well is to introduce some duck canvas to the mix.
Duck jackets look absolutely incredible when paired with jeans of just about any colour—and if you want that new selvedge denim jacket to really pop, try pairing it with Iron Heart’s 17 oz. duck Type III. The combination is a guaranteed stunner.
Tip #5: Don’t Pack it In, Let it Breathe
With its roots firmly in the world of workwear and westernwear, the denim jacket was designed with working men in mind. It is meant to move with you, to aid the working man, not to hinder him.
No matter what you wear under it, the denim jacket should slide on relatively easily. It should both look and feel comfortable. You should, for example, be able to change a tire or mend a fence without removing it.
Yes, when it is brand new, the jacket will feel stiff. It will need some work before it will move easily. It should never, though, make movement difficult or impossible.
When sizing, leave yourself some room in the chest and arms. When styling, don’t pack it so full of layers that it strains the seams whenever you flex your arms.
Even if you never do any dirty work, pick a jacket that feels like you could work in it. If you look free and comfortable, you look good.
Tip #6: Earn Your Layers
Jeans jackets can absolutely be incredible layering pieces, either as the last layer or a middle one. If you want to use it as a middle layer, though, there’s a catch. You need to earn the right.
When they are new, raw denim jackets are simply too stiff to be used as a middle layer. They look and behave like outerwear, so they should be worn as the outermost layer.
When we’ve fully broken them in, though, they can play in almost any position. Beat some of the blue out of it and you’ll earn the right to wear your denim jacket like a shirt, an overshirt, or as outerwear.
Built to Fade, Made to Layer
Breaking in a raw denim jacket is a rite of passage—and once it’s softened up, the styling possibilities explode. If you haven’t picked your jacket yet, our Raw Denim Jacket Buying Guide will help you find one worthy of years of wear.
Tip #7: Watch Your Waist
When the Type I and Type II were introduced, men wore their trousers much higher on their body than they do now. This means that heritage-minded denim jackets tend to sit quite high on the body.
If you wear your jeans low on your hips, this might create some issues (especially if you have a long torso).
Ideally, the jacket should, when your arms are down at your sides, cover your belt line. Whatever you’re wearing it over, you shouldn’t have more than an inch or so of fabric hanging below the jacket.
To skirt your way around the issue, if you’ve got a traditionally cut denim jacket, pair it with mid-rise or high-rise jeans. Alternatively, you can look for longer-bodied chore coats or longer, modern takes on the classic denim jackets.
Tip #8: Make It Entirely Your Own
When those fades start to emerge, the jacket will start to look dramatically different from the ones that are hanging on racks and in store windows. This is the absolute best way to make a jacket our own—by wearing it so much that it starts to say something about both our style and our lifestyle.
Even before this, though, we can do small things to make the piece uniquely our own. Pins and patches will help separate your jacket from others that might look just like it, and they also help us broadcast something about our tastes, allegiances, or affiliations.
Embroidery, especially when guided by a skilled hand, can turn a simple jacket into an eye-popping work of art.
Chain stitch embroidery might be something simple like your name or nickname over your heart, or it could be a colourful back piece. Either way, it’s a massive style upgrade, and it’s well worth the investment.
Tip #9: Collars Up!
Join the ranks of Rugged Royalty like Robert Redford, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, and Dennis Hopper by turning up the collar of your denim jacket.
The jean jacket has an in-built rebellious streak, but you’ve got to lean into it by wearing it a little askew and a little haphazardly.
Denim jackets made from raw denim have a big advantage in this department. The stiff denim stands up straight for much longer.
Even when nicely faded, the collars stand at attention when flipped, creating a pleasing vee shape that lengthens the neck and frames the face very nicely.
Like Sinatra’s cocked hat, the flipped collar is a touch of personalisation that makes even a brand new jacket look uniquely your own. The only thing to it is to do it—and to own it. Lift your chin and make it clear that your collar isn’t just flipped. It’s flippant.
Tip #10: Dress it Up, If You Dare
For adventurous dressers, the Type III can absolutely stand in for a blazer or a sports jacket.
Worn over a shirt and tie, well-made denim jackets can look exceptionally sharp. Either with double denim or with dressier trousers, the bold combination demands attention.
The look is at its sharpest when the jacket is closed. Leave a button or two undone at the top so that you’ve got a bit of a triangle to work with—just like you would with a blazer.
Especially if you’re wearing lower-rise jeans, keep the jacket on and buttoned to keep your waistline out of sight.
The tie seems to be the linchpin of the ensemble. Without it, the dress shirt and the denim jacket seem ill-suited for each other. With it, everything hangs together brilliantly.
Tip #11: Be Monogramous
Just as with jeans, it’s not uncommon for denimheads to have a few great pieces from some of their favourite brands that are fighting for supremacy in their wardrobe.
If it’s in your nature to be sartorially polygamous, by all means rotate through your collection and continue adding new ones that catch your eye.
However, in life and in style, the most deeply satisfying relationships are monogamous ones. Denim love shared is denim love divided.
To properly fade a jacket, it needs to be your one and only. It needs to sit at the centre of your collection and, indeed, your life.
If you want to bring the best out of a jacket, settle down with one. Move in with it. Build a life together. If you don’t feel that any of the jackets in your collection are worthy of this kind of focused attention, splurge on one that is.
When you’ve got that love match, remove temptations. Put all those jackets to one side, where they can wait until you’ve done justice to that worthy piece.
All the jackets in our Raw Denim Jacket Guide are made to be lived in. Pick the right one, wear it as much as possible, and let it become a reflection of what you do and who you are. That’s what the best jackets do: they tell your unique story in scars and stitches.
The Perfect One-Two Combo
The advice above covers how to wear double denim right. If you’re looking for advice on what to wear, check out our Selvedge Masterlist and our Raw Denim Jackets guide.
To get the latest news on what we’re wearing and watching, sign up for our newsletter here.
The post Double Denim Done Right: 11 Style Tips That Actually Work appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site