Barn jackets, waxed jackets, chore jackets and other types of bulky cotton jackets based on outdoor workwear are this Spring’s alternative to the blazer. They often sport collars in corduroy – a fabric that has been popular for a year or so now. And they all have lots and lots of large pockets which give them that bulkier silhouette that can work really well for us women well over 50.
Choose a waxed jacket for all-round usefulness. It’s rainproof – ideal for Springtime. A heavy denim or canvas has a good straight hang and can look stylish against even heavy fabrics such as sweaters and leather pants. Lighter-weight utilitarian jackets in linen or denim are perfect when the weather looks up and add an artsy-crafty vibe to a cotton dress or pants.
Whether you are hiking the hills, walking the dog, doing the shopping or seeing friends over the weekend, a barn jacket is your new best friend. It all depends how you style it. Below I suggest some super stylish workwear jackets with tips on how we can integrate them into a transitional look or a Spring capsule wardrobe.
A smart Spring outfit
A great way to style your barn jacket is to go for the neat rectangular silhouette with straight ankle-length cotton pants in a toning shade of sand. Workwear-inspired jackets tend to be heavier than some, so they hang straight. Depending on the weather you can add appropriate flats or sandals plus a matching belt to give a well-defined, smart vibe. Then select a simple round-neck tee shirt. The white tee always looks good for sunnier days but a black or navy tee will work well for this look too.
Notice the neat pants which add smartness to an otherwise outdoor workwear look. If, like me, you love a suede bag for transition seasons, you’ll find these are ideal with a barn jacket. And notice how the Everlane styling uses a turned-up collar and tucked-through belt for a cooler, weekend look.
A relaxed, youthful styling
Staying with the rectangle, you can relax the look by selecting wide pants – but still hanging straight. You can wear these so they hit your shoes or, in warm weather, you can wear linen cropped pants.
This is a very comfortable fit for most of us. Look good walking the dog or doing the shopping. Notice the woven strap on the simple shoulder or cross-body bag in the Marks and Spencer styling. It marks out this look as youthful and current.
Inverted triangle styling
Unless you are tall, a wide workwear jacket often looks better over narrower bottoms. And it can make your hips look slimmer if you load up the layers at the top too.
Although the Arya jacket ends at your widest point, the styling detracts from this. Notice the dark tee that stops at the waist – this disrupts the hemline of the dark jacket so you don’t get one very wide line across your hips. And those pull cords and the thin straps and tassels or ties on the bag, they all work to big up your top and reduce your hips -hurrah!
British monarchs have been striding through the Scottish heather, shooting anything that moved, for decades, wearing Barbour waxed jackets. But they’ve never looked anything like this! Barbour have cropped this waxed jacket and added a large eye-catching tote to concentrate the eye on our top half. Then they’ve added these fabulous straight slim leather pants to narrow and lengthen our lower half. Stunning. The heavy ankle boots are fun, but probably better in a Fall wardrobe. Add sneakers or flat sandals for warmer days.
Mix-it-up styling
Born out of the British outdoor music festival scene where girls cover their lovely frocks with waterproof or denim jackets against intemperate summer weather, this look has been going strong for years now.
Choose a floaty frock then add a barn jacket to get the look. I see this as a shopping at the farmers’ market on Saturday morning type of style. Fun, youthful and irreverent.
You can even style with knee-high flat boots in Spring. The main thing is not to look as if you put on the wrong dress that morning and were so late for the market that you couldn’t go back and change it. So wear this style confidently and enjoy wearing your widest, most feminine dress with a jacket that suggests outdoor pursuits and farm labor.
Sporty styles
Workwear jackets are useful for outdoorsy sporty looks. Sure, you can team any of these jackets over a sweater or striped top, jeans and sneakers and look good walking the dog. But the J Crew styling has heaped on the layers to get a super-casual healthy morning walk vibe. The striped top suggests Springtime, the grey hoodie suggests youthfulness and the blue barn jacket with its corduroy collar suggests the outdoor life. Add cotton chino pants and you have a great outfit even if your only exercise is nipping out to the local store.
Marks and Spencer are styling their cropped rainproof jacket to give a long sleek outfit. Fastened high at the neck over dark leggings with dark sneakers extending the line of the legs, this is a slimming look. The boxy top makes the hips look smaller in contrast. Perfect for a fast walk round the park with your pooch.
If you enjoy posts about how to style clothes take a look at The Mature Style Course which takes you from a cluttered closet to a stylish wardrobe in keeping with your personality and budget.