This Old Thing? T&C Reviews: Barn Jackets

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For a garment whose origins are more grassroots than silver spoon, the barn jacket is quite popular among those who spend most of their working hours twiddling between Instagram and TikTok in the comfort of their country homes in the Cotswolds. Even Silvia Venturini Fendi has recently found the garment amusing; a plethora of barn jackets came down the runway at the Fendi men’s fall 2024 show. “I call it town and country,” she told journalists, “because it’s classic chic.” This came shortly after Prada introduced its own version for women—in colors ranging from tan to burgundy, and layered over delicate, feminine separates—in its spring 2024 collection.

How did the barn jacket, built for toughness, become a fashion staple? Let’s start at the beginning. Also known as the chore jacket, it was a product of 19th-­century France. Traditionally made from durable cotton drill or moleskin and equipped with roomy pockets for tobacco tins and button cuffs for easy sleeve rolling, it was meant for laborers, railroad workers, and farmers. It earned the name bleu de travail (“working blues”), thanks to the dye used to achieve its signature hue.

By the 1920s chore coats had made their way across the Atlantic and were produced on a mass scale, with American workwear label Carhartt leading the way. The brand introduced its first version in 1917 and, in time, added its own flair with corduroy lining on the collar, triple-stitched seams, and pockets reinforced with copper rivets. Then companies like L.L. Bean furthered the coat’s sartorial evolution by using different fabrics, diversifying the range of colors and styles. A version made of waxy canvas is what has proliferated among fashionable crowds today.

In the modern era barn jackets have lined the closets not just of people who build things but of everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Bella Hadid, not to mention many a Dimes Square hipster. A big resurgence of the look came about in the ’90s, thanks to brands like J.Crew and Lands’ End adopting the style to lean into the nostalgic appeal of preppy Americana. And in the past year the barn jacket has gone high fashion, appearing on the runways of (in addition to Fendi and Prada) Valentino, Balenciaga, and Loewe, which offered a cropped version with bulging pockets.

Why the sudden interest? “It’s a variation of a less formal everyday staple,” says Ian Bradley, a New York City–based stylist and fashion editor. The British royal family (the OG #oldmoney influencers) regularly sport barn jackets, which most likely contributes to their enduring popularity. Or perhaps consumers are interested in these highly tactile garments as a break from our digital-heavy existence. “In the 2000s it was military jackets, but that feels aggressive now,” Bradley says. “The barn jacket is casual but crisp, and people are gravitating toward that.”

Shop the Barn Jacket

Classic Barn Coat

Women's Casual Jackets

The Barn Jacket

Wallace & Barnes lightweight twill chore jacket

This story appears in the March 2024 issue of Town & Country SUBSCRIBE NOW

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