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The Best Lightweight Jackets for In-Between Weather

Unlined, open-front jackets that won’t make you overheat.

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By Evan Malachosky

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The switch from one season to the next doesn’t happen as smoothly as a line change in hockey or the handing off of a baton in a relay race. There’s overlap, a waiting period wherein weird weather lies. It’s cool in the morning, warm by lunch, and even warmer by the mid-afternoon — and then cold again as the evening creeps in.

Transitional remains the best way to describe it. And there’s a growing number of brands dedicating collections to this cold-but-kind-of-hot time of year. For those suffering through living in places with four defined seasons, this phenomenon takes place twice a year, when spring turns into summer and when summer fades into fall. And it seems, at least for me, when it does, I lose my ability to dress accordingly.

I’m caught in a heavy coat when the high is still in the mid-70s, missing my warmer layer when temperatures hit the low 50s. Either way, I’ve learned from my mistakes and found quite a few jackets that can be layered overtop sweatshirts for the ultra-mild moments, paired with a T-shirt for temperate days, and carried around with ease when it gets too steamy.

Products in the Guide

What to Look for

When you want versatility, it’s best to go with some unlined. Liners are the best defense against the bitter cold, but they’re also what will make you sweat when the sun starts shining. Simple cotton, canvas, denim, flannel or linen coats are the most breathable, which means they can serve as a solid top layer with a hoodie or thermal underneath or stand on their own with just a T-shirt beneath them. They offer the most versatility — and that’s what you need.

As you’ll notice below, I’ve targeted a specific silhouette — a cross between an Eisenhower jacket, a mechanics jacket and a classic coach jacket. The latter is usually made from nylon, but nylon doesn’t breathe as well as cotton or linen. Sure, it’s great at keeping water out, but it won’t make cooling down easy. These jackets have zipper fronts, standard collars and two angled hand pockets (for the most part). Why? Well, because this style looks great with a hoodie underneath, and put together if you wear it with chinos and a T-shirt. It’s the “best of both worlds” jacket you’ve been looking for.

3 Ways You Can Wear a Lightweight Jacket

  • Try layering a tonal hoodie underneath. If the jacket is predominantly blue, for example, try a hoodie in a similar shade. On the contrary, gray usually works well if you can’t find a color that you think matches.
  • Zip it all the way up. I know it might sound uncomfortable or even conjure your friend that buttons his shirts all the way up, but zipping a simple, flat-front jacket to the top is the easiest way to look done up. Blazers be damned.
  • Try it with a T-shirt. If it’s a bit warm where you are, put a white tee on underneath. The contrast will make the jacket more casual.

The Best Lightweight Jackets for Men

Cool, huh? This Chase jacket by Wax London packs a hell of a punch. It’s made from recycled French yarn in Portugal and finished with an incredible print you probably won’t see anywhere else. There are two pockets at the hips and a breast pocket tucked inside. Statement-making, for sure, but this jacket is plenty practical still.

This one looks like a standard Dickies jacket, but it’s actually from Knickerbocker — and it’s far better for a number of reasons. First, it’s water repellant, courtesy of its cotton and polyamide twill construction. The fabric comes from an Italian mill famous for its technical fabrics, Olmetex.

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Best Affordable Lightweight Jacket

Dickies Unlined Eisenhower Jacket

The classic. The GOAT? (Greatest of all time, duh.) Donned by celebs and WW2 pilots alike, there’s nothing Dickies’ Eisenhower Jacket can’t do. Fit in alongside tuxedos at the Met Gala? Check. Grace the garages of nearly every auto body shop in America? Check again. There are surely better versions of this style nowadays (see: the rest of this guide), but it’s an affordable entry point nonetheless.

Folk’s 100-percent, super-soft cotton Signal Blouson is finished with a two-way zipper and two side pockets. It’s blue, but a shade reminiscent of indigo or ocean waves, not royal blue. Plus, the cuffs are adjustable and it comes with a locker hook for easy hanging.

Rhythm specializes in clothing inspired by Australia; it’s where the brand hails from. But it also takes cues from workwear and surf culture. Both manifest in the brand’s Mechanic Cord Jacket, which is part mechanics jacket, part simple chore coat. It’s made from rich cotton corduroy.

LA-based brand General Admission made their Nard Check Jacket from a polyester blend that’s covered in a cool pattern. The collar is corduroy, and there are two snap button pockets across the chest.

As an obvious ode to the 70s, Pass~Port Zip Up Jacket mixes green corduroy and gold hardware for a fun, vintage-looking jacket. It does have a quilted liner — I broke my own rule: no liners — but that shouldn’t make you sweat. Just avoid it in the dead of summer.

As the name suggests, Thrills’ Minimal Work Jacket is, well, minimalist. It’s straight-fitting, has two hidden hip pockets and a pen/tool stash on the sleeve. The zipper runs the length of the jacket, and the collar is tight and tidy. Simple, and easy to match.

Soulland’s Windom Work Jacket has a slight sheen to it due its construction: a blend of polyester and cotton. But instead of making it look cheap or like a windbreaker, it bestows a sort of luxurious air. It has the usual hip pockets, a tiny logo above one of them and a first-of-its-kind (at least that I’ve seen) zippered wrist pocket.

Step away from Carhartt’s hefty coats for Carhartt WIP’s trimmed down Detroit Jacket. It’s cut from durable yet breathable Dearborn canvas and has a tonal corduroy collar. This one comes with the benefits of a broken-in Carhartt, but it’s totally brand-new.

MORE ABOUT CARHARTT WIP

Nigel Cabourn collects vintage military garments from menswear’s most formative time period: 1940 through 1970. He loves them, and wears them but they also inspire his eponymous brand. Case in point? This Check Short Flight Jacket, which has adopted the shape of one of his vintage finds, but he’s finished it with a more modern print.

Brixton’s Utopia Jacket looks like a lot of the vintage shop jackets you’ll find nowadays — textured, either dark blue or hickory stripe and adorned with a patch that’s indiscernible from afar. This one’s cotton corduroy and the patch says “Brxtn.”

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