Utility-inspired men’s jackets from cool brands …
The utility-inspired jacket train is still in motion, and for good reason. Living in Ireland, with its will-it-won’t-it-be warm enough temperatures, the style solution is simple: an unlined cotton twill, canvas or linen jacket. It’s the ideal partner for nearly everything you own, from chinos and button-ups to jeans, shirts and T-shirts.
We recently spotted great vintage French versions on actors Jeremy Allen White, Jacob Elordi and Austin Butler – the gold-standard wearers of effortless cool – sourced from Golden Age Hollywood, a vintage workwear store in LA.
Forest green Oliver vintage wash chore jacket, €230; percivalclo.com.
Blue Parsons cotton chore jacket, €155; percivalclo.com.
Originally dubbed “bleu de travail”, or “worker’s blues”, for that irrefutably French shade of indigo, chore jackets have evolved far beyond navy: now available in a multitude of colourways, from Percival’s racing-green take to Le Mont Saint Michel’s tobacco versions.
Le Mont St Michel moleskin authentic work jacket, €243; jeanstore.co.uk.
Amo & Pax offers a particularly good interpretation: a five-pocket Irish linen chore jacket with cuff buttons and enough structure to sit somewhere between a blazer and a shacket.
Elsewhere, Arket has leaned into unlined, slightly stiffer, canvas blazer style jackets, €129, that hit the sweet spot between polished and practical, while Magee 1866 delivers a softer approach with the textured Moy tumbled linen unlined jacket, €475.
Stable of Ireland also offers very cool box-style denim and linen versions, €380, while Hark stocks French label Vetra’s durable herringbone canvas cotton jacket, €215.
Look for a fit that works for your body type: there should be room for a lightweight sweater, but not so much that it looks oversized. These jackets improve with age and may even need a few wears to break in. A corduroy collar can add interest, and lots of pockets are always a plus. Buy well and a chore jacket will last for years to come …
SEE MORE: Toasty Fleeces For Winter
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