Spring can be a hit-and-miss season. Any day can switch from the beaming sun and clear skies to torrential rain and bone-chilling winds. It’ll often be far too warm for your trusty winter coats but the switch to colder and wetter weather means that going out in just a shirt is risky. If you’re spending a whole day out in the spring, the chances are that, at some point, you’ll need a lighter jacket than your winter one, but one that can also fend off the elements.
Three distinct styles stand out as your best options for solving the spring jacket problem. Each pick is very versatile – as proven, in some cases, by outfits worn by famous names – and offers that in-between of not being too hot when on as well as offering good protection on windy and sometimes rainy days.
Denim Jackets
Denim jackets are the go-to spring jackets for many as they’re incredibly versatile, quite lightweight, and come in a good enough range of colours and styles that let you customise your look. We’re well beyond the days of every denim jacket looking mostly the same. On a day with a good forecast, you can wear it with a white T-shirt underneath.
On days that the weather looks set to turn for the worse, the denim jacket is robust enough to see you through biting winds or a sudden shower. There are many kinds of denim jackets these days, which you can wear with many different ensembles. What’s been detailed as the perfect denim piece is that it doesn’t feature rips or patches, it has side and chest pockets, and it closes with buttons rather than a zip.
As for the colour, the trend would suggest that white denim is best avoided. When you see the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Adam Levine, Ryan Gosling, or Kanye West in a denim jacket, it tends to be of the light-to-medium wash variety. A medium blue is your most versatile option. Also known as “mid-wash,” it’s nice and minimal, suitable from early spring through to late summer or even fall. Still, there’s nothing wrong with going bold on a dark indigo piece if you want a somewhat less casual look.
Bomber Jackets
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Bomber jackets are a perfect choice for spring. They’re lightweight enough to hack the sunnier days and made of the right materials to keep you dry from any rain and encased from any wind. Some that you’ll find are 100 per cent polyester with a PVC coating for the shell and a 100 per cent polyester satin lining.
This is a good standard for the spring, but for a bit more breathability and diversity with the seasons, bomber jackets that use more wool and nylon with polyester should be the target picks.
Infusing some elements of leather can also make the jacket more versatile, both for the turns of the weather and for outfit choices. When looking through the selection of stylish jackets, the bomber certainly stands out as the most spring-appropriate. The choice will likely come down to colour and fit. On the platform for volume discounts without any minimal orders, the Threadfast piece comes in black or army as well as black or brown vegan leather. The latter styles would lend themselves to more ensembles. That said, the Melton & Deercow bomber’s black with red certainly catches the eye, but its black option would be more in line with the pieces worn by the likes of Abel Tesfaye, Bradley Cooper, and Charlie Hunnam.
With the bomber jacket, which you’ll likely wear open as the weather improves through the season, you can mix in a collared shirt, just about any stylish T-shirt, or even a sweatshirt on those very cold and windy days. Some may even venture into the realm of a turtleneck with the bomber jacket, but this would be for particularly cold days when rain isn’t expected.
Fleece Jackets
In some places, spring still isn’t a particularly warm or welcoming season much of the time. If you live in higher altitudes, are subject to particularly strong winds, and only tend to be treated to beaming sunlight with the caveat of it being generally cold. For these regions and days out, the fleece jacket can be your trusty companion. They’re much lighter than your winter jackets but offer a very good amount of protection from the elements.
Usually, they’re best deployed against cold winds, but most also tend to be waterproof to a point. Another element in favour of fleece jackets against denim or bomber jackets is that they suit activity days. Some would consider denim jackets, particularly, unsuitable for most activities away from urban areas. Should you be going out walking or hiking, the fleece jacket will keep you warm and dry throughout while also not being so heavy that you work up much of a sweat – unless it gets really warm.
Even then, it’s light enough to not be a hindrance if it needs to be carried or tied up. For a usual day out and about, they do offer a casual choice, but so casual that it’s essentially loungewear. You can get some very stylish fleece jackets these days from leading labels, such as those from Columbia, Patagonia, The North Face, Arket, and even Gucci. Fleece jackets were traditionally outdoor wear, but designers quickly found that making them versatile enough for everyday wear makes them all the more desirable.
Which Jacket’s Best?
Grappling with the swings of spring is a problem to solve each year, and while the season continues to get warmer, its flippant mood does make picking the right jacket a tricky one. There are pros and cons to all of the above. Denim jackets aren’t overly waterproof, bomber jackets don’t suit every occasion, and fleece jackets can be far too warm in some areas. So, your best bet is to pick the one that best suits the area that you live in and your lifestyle.
If you want a versatile jacket that can hack the months of spring, see what the denim, bomber, or fleece styles can do for you.