Alexa Chung Made a Patchwork Barbour Jacket That Guys Will Want to Wear
The tidal wave of wild style that has washed over modern menswear means that breaking some sartorial rules is now wholly encouraged. Guys can wear bold, swishy pants, a women’s fleece jacket, or moon-shoe sneakers and not have to worry about getting called a weirdo. Hell, you can even pair a wavy Dries Van Noten blazer with a ratty Dead Kennedys T-shirt. (Shout-out to Jonah Hill, who did precisely that last month.) The point being: If you want to wear something, just wear it—even if that means wearing this extremely good women’s jacket from the new Barbour x Alexa Chung collection.
The model-writer-designer has been in the fashion game for quite some time. She runs her eponymous label and is no stranger to collaborations, having worked with brands like Topshop, AG Jeans, Madewell, and Superga. Barbour has been making rugged, outdoor-friendly threads for over a century, and the brand’s classic waxed jackets look just as fresh now as they did decades ago. The two are both quintessentially cool and quintessentially British—perfect components for a collaboration.
One of the standout pieces from the collection is a weatherproof waxed cotton jacket. It has been elevated from run-of-the-mill to wildly stylish thanks to its clever patchwork design and a few beautifully placed pockets and zippers. The slouchy, oversize fit makes it perfect for the relaxed-fit silhouettes that are found all over menswear these days. In fact, the jacket feels akin to the handiwork of Junya Watanabe x Carhartt but skews more heritage than experimental.
Chung worked with the Barbour team on the collection and pulled from the brand’s archives to breathe new life into several iconic pieces like this jacket. It has all the telltale signs of being a crossover hit among style-savvy men: biggish fit, timeless silhouette, classic patchwork, eccentric details. Only time will tell if we have the next hit womenswear-turned-menswear jacket on our hands—but don’t be surprised if you see guys everywhere wearing this one come next fall.
Article written by Tyler Watamanuk #GQ
