The Best Work Jacket So Far

It's the best blue.

Work jackets and overshirts are pretty much what I wear in the shop (and everywhere). A basic T-shirt soaks up the sweat and the stink. And an overshirt or work jacket keeps me warm and protected from scrapes and scuffs.

Workwear is easy to find these days. But good workwear is still rare. I don’t like to buy imported stuff, even if it’s decent quality. I’d rather support my neighbors who still stitch and sell the stuff. Or buy vintage stuff, which can be an amazingly good deal.

If you want to buy a new work jacket, I have one favorite. It’s the Jack Jacket from imogene + willie. This small company is committed to making everything in the U.S., and they go to incredible lengths to do it. Sometimes it works out great. Sometimes the results fall short.

So I empathize with them. We do the same. Making stuff in this country is hard.

One of the company’s home runs is its Jack Jacket. It’s the perfect weight for work. It has pockets where you want them. It’s easy to button up. The plackets are nice and wide. Every dang thing about it makes me happy to pull it on in the morning.

I have two. The French Blue version will become an instant best friend. It’s simply cotton canvas, but it’s been washed before you get it. So it slides on your shoulders like it has always been there. It’s long enough that you won’t feel a breeze when you bend over. And – I can’t stress this enough – it’s made like I would make a jacket. It moves nicely and doesn’t pinch.

The other Jack Jacket I own is in amber. It’s made to the same standards as the blue one, but it arrives a little stiffer and needs some breaking in. Plus, it’s yellow. And we all know from reading Fydor Dostoyevsky that yellow is the color of sickness. Yet, I still love the color.

They also offer the jacket in slate, which I don’t own. Black is supposed to be the color that joiners wear, but I still prefer the French Blue jacket (blue is supposed to be the color for farmers, or so my sources tell me).

Now, if someone made an awesome U.S.-built overshirt I’d be happy. (Yes, this is foreshadowing. Stay tuned.)

Photos by Kale and Katherine, who are available for runway work.