10 Transitional Jackets Worth Buying Now
There's a stretch from about now until the middle of October where a coat is too much and a jacket is not quite enough. It's roughly eight weeks long, it...
There's a stretch from about now until the middle of October where a coat is too much and a jacket is not quite enough. It's roughly eight weeks long, it happens every year, and most wardrobes have nothing in it.
This is the most useful outerwear you can buy, because it works twice: once now, and again in April on the way back out. Ten worth the money, and what each one is actually for.
Ten transitional jackets
Denim: the one you already understand
A denim jacket is the default for a reason. It's the only one on this list that works over a summer dress and under a winter coat, which makes it the highest-mileage jacket you can own. Buy it slightly oversized so a knit fits underneath, and in a mid or dark wash rather than a pale one if you want it to last past October.
Trench: the one that makes everything look sharper
A trench makes jeans and trainers look like a decision, which nothing else here does. Belt it rather than buttoning it, and go a size up if you want to wear a jumper underneath, because most are cut for a shirt.
Quilted and barn: the one that has quietly taken over
Quilted jackets with a cord collar have gone from countryside to city in about two seasons, and they are now among the most-worn jackets on any British high street in October. Practical, warm for the weight, and rain doesn't bother them. Olive and brown wear better than black.
Leather and bomber: the evening ones
Everything above is a daytime jacket. A leather jacket or a bomber is what you put on over a going-out outfit when a trench would look like you had come from work, and it is the only category here where the cheap version really shows. If the budget only stretches to one good piece of outerwear this season, a leather jacket outlasts every other jacket on this list by about a decade.
How to buy one that lasts
Try it over a jumper
A jacket that fits over a t-shirt and nothing else is a jacket you stop wearing in October. This is the single most common sizing mistake.
Check the sleeve length seated
Outerwear sleeves that look right standing up ride halfway up your forearm the moment you sit down or hold a bag strap.
Pockets you can use
Fake pockets on outerwear are a genuine con. Put your hands in them before you buy.
If you're only buying one, make it the quilted jacket. It handles rain, it goes over a knit, and it's the one you'll still be reaching for in February when the proper coat is too much for a quick trip out.
Prices and stock on outerwear move fast once the weather turns, so don't sit on it.