Perhaps no other jacket on earth is associated more with American culture than the iconic varsity jacket. Today, everyone from boarding school preps to the most discerning streetwear sartorialist can be seen rocking the varsity on a regular basis. Its aesthetics and history are a big reason behind it getting the maximum amount of attention in the recent pre-fall 2016 collections. Being a production and experiment-friendly jacket – varsity – or popularly known as the letterman jackets, are becoming a collection staple for Indian exporters as well. Coming from being a strictly menswear style to entering into the womenswear segment, the jacket has shown its “varsiti-lity” and is here to stay for many more seasons to come…
Varsity jackets – The Old New Trend – is the correct example of the fact that everything goes like a continuous cycle. You can never know when these garments will come back in fashion and you will be wearing a fashion hit. Nowadays, everything circles around the trends of the 1990s by reinventing the past with a new twist, and 2016 fall is all about the comeback of the varsity jacket, or so-called “letterman jacket”. This jacket became popular, thanks to American high-schoolers and Michael Jackson who rocked in it at one of the stages in the 1980s. Now it has come back in fashion, with a sporty, chic and urban twist.
Looking at the pre-fall 2016 collections, Derek Lam, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Altuzarra, Alexander Wang and Rag and Bone bought this jacket back in town, and made designers and exporters talk about it. Not to be confused with the bomber jackets that held attention last season, the varsity jacket is less tough than a biker jacket and less coy than a boyfriend sweater; it is meant to be a lighter jacket with an added style statement. 2016’s fall version is lighter and cut way leaner than the traditional one. The details, like the rows of buttons, an extra zippered pocket or two are also an update of the classic. With the rise of luxe streetwear in recent years, the varsity jacket has entered the fuzzy grey zone between street fashion and high fashion. This season alone, designers like Paul Smith have tightened up the silhouette while Lavenham x H by Harris created a perfectly contemporary version featuring mesh nylon sleeves.
Leaving aside the typical sports garment, designers this year have experimented with clean lines and a minimal vibe playing around in day-to-day basic silhouettes. And matching the same sensibilities, the letterman jacket appeared as the perfect fit. Elements such as mesh inserts, sharp cuts, cut-outs and detailed colour blocking made these jackets look casual yet sporty.
Taking it higher for the luxury category, sporty elements mixed with sophisticated tailoring, embroideries, embellishments, beading, fabric innovation, panelling and other statement details is today what is being quoted as ‘sports couture’. The jacket is being presented in printed and embroidered versions, making it no longer a high school winter wear.
This trend also goes hand-in-hand with the uniform trend. As we have noticed in the past few seasons, military and other uniform focused trends have been taking rounds of the fashion industry. Indian exporters have been creating jacket styles which have elements borrowed from a sailor’s jacket or an army man’s uniform. The original varsity actually wasn’t a jacket at all, but a thick knit sweater that players wore as uniforms, thus, these letterman jackets are the perfect pitch for the autumn collections.
Some might confuse the letterman jacket with cardigans, but the construction and aesthetics, both are very different. A wool body, contrasting leather sleeves, and of course, adorned with a prominent and proud letter on the side. Highlighting the versatility of the varsity jacket, the following are the varieties being seen on the runways, with the potential of becoming a never-ending trend and go on strong as a classic style statement.
Monochrome
Breaking the letterman jacket’s staple contrasting sleeve feature, pre-fall witnessed jackets in monochrome, with subdued contrast effects. Coach created a combination of shiny black and grey, to give a more formal look. Discussing on the similar lines, Sandeep Chopra, MD, Kadambri International said, “A black varsity jacket with black leather sleeves is probably a lot more versatile than one with contrasting coloured sleeves”.
Printed
Though classic remains classic but the industry is definitely moving towards something more experimental, therefore designers and exporters are looking at printed versions of the jackets. Taking it up a notch higher by creating a varsity jacket in a bold print or pattern, the likes of Clover Canyon showcased florals, geometrics and even butterflies on the so-called sporty outfit. Ankit Nair, Designer, Kanchan International, informing about the great impact of printing on letterman jackets said, “When it comes to how to style a varsity jacket, this is a much more modern take on the trend and perfect to stand out from the already existing versions in the market.”
Androgynous
Masculine and androgynous dressing is always present in some form or another in the fashion world. Started as a menswear style, the letterman jacket has entered the womenswear segment and it has made a bigger androgynous statement. Rag & Bone presented a leather variation of the jackets with knitted sleeves; whereas, Coach took up a biker inspired take on the jacket to make it look tough and masculine. Madhu Sudan Maloo, MD, Maloo Exports believes that the letterman jacket is a unisex trend and can run for menswear and as well as for womenswear, seamlessly.
