For many men, a coach jacket is a convenient option that can be put on casually when going out and still look stylish.
Italo Zucchelli, the former creative director of Calvin Klein menswear, once described this item as "simple, lightweight and unpretentious".
This jacket was originally designed for baseball team coaches who are exposed to the elements in daily outdoor training and competitions.
The elastic cuffs, drawstring hem, lightweight nylon fabric, and snap-on design make it easy to put on and take off, so you can wear it in any weather.
The clean and simple silhouette and handsome shirt collar make the coach’s status as a leader in the team obvious.
The coach jacket became a streetwear staple in the 80s, all thanks to N.W.A.
The Compton-based hip-hop boy band (whose members included Ice Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E, Arabian Prince, and Dr. Dre) helped popularize gangsta rap and made the coach jacket a streetwear hit.
In addition to N.W.A, another group of people who favor coach jackets are FBI agents! Yes, the coach jacket was chosen as the standard uniform for FBI staff because of its outstanding functionality and practicality.
Without the gold chains and baseball caps of hip-hop singers, the simple style of the coach jacket also has a taste of urban elites.
Today, coach jackets have evolved from uniforms to trendy items for daily wear. Because of the minimalist silhouette and style, coach jackets leave designers with a lot of room to play with color and material.
The appearance of elements such as prints, fleece, and technological fabrics makes this item have new surprises every season. Almost all the trendy brands we are familiar with have their own classic coach jackets.
As mentioned at the beginning, you don’t need to think too much about how to match a coach jacket.
You can wear it with items that make you comfortable - a knitted beanie that keeps you warm and hides your messy hair, a basic white T-shirt that everyone has, loose overalls or soft sweatpants, and sneakers that are easy to walk in.
With a coach jacket, these items that are obviously lazy can be combined into a street style look.
However, the best match for a coach jacket is a hooded sweatshirt. The sweatshirt can add a sense of layering to the overall outfit, and the hooded design can make the functionality of the coach jacket more complete.
However, in order to avoid looking bloated, it may be better to size up your coach jacket.
In addition, you can also use coach jackets to create a more urban normcore look.
A solid color style with a shirt or sweater of the same color, plus a pair of leather shoes will create a daily look similar to the style in Japanese street photography, which is completely fine to wear to work.
In most weather and occasions, coach jackets can give you a no-brainer choice of clothing.
No matter how lazy you are to take care of yourself, having a coach jacket in your wardrobe can always allow you to switch to handsome mode with one click when you go out.
Perhaps, coach jackets are indeed versatile.