Ah, the denim jacket…. Known today as the classic all-American piece, the denim jacket can be found both in your mom’s closet and on the it-girls at fashion week. The ubiquity of this casual piece means it would be a great fit for your wardrobe as well, and we’ve got everything you need to know about it.

Below, I’ll share a quick history of the denim jacket, followed by outfit inspiration and some tips on buying the perfect one.

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A Brief History of the Denim Jacket

The original jean jacket was Levi Strauss’ Triple Pleat Blouse, created way way back in the late 1800s. The sturdy fabric of the denim jacket made it the perfect piece for the rough and tumble work of the West. Cowboys and miners used it as their go-to work uniform. 

Selvedge Yard explains that after cowboy days and westward expansion were over, around the 1920s and ’30s, America got nostalgic and kept the myths of the West alive through the denim jacket and other western fashions. Silver screen stars donned them to emulate “the West” in a time where the western lifestyle was ceasing to exist. Bing Crosby famously had Levi Strauss make him a tuxedo out of denim, with the west in mind, which was definitely a rebellious formal-wear choice. 

As time went on, the jacket’s appeal for the rebellious continued. James Dean wore it in the ’50s and then rockers, both classic and punk, adopted it in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Bustle perfectly describes its appeal: “the point was that the denim jacket was so not formal; anyone who wanted to openly rebel against the ironed suits of the Establishment threw a denim jacket on.”