Varsity Jacket Outfits for Men. From the high school setting to the runway, the iconic varsity jacket has been welcomed and adopted by a variety of style subcultures over the years. Jocks and nerds have their differences, but one thing these campus subcultures have in common is an excellent sense of style. This outerwear trend is one of America’s best-loved fashion exports.

Varsity jackets are also called “letterman jackets.” It is because this outerwear essential has a large cloth letter (the initial of the player’s school) usually sewn or embroidered to the chest. These letters are generally a sign that the wearer plays a certain sport for their varsity team.

How To Wear Varsity Jackets?

Rolling Stone said that the rock stars have now taken the varsity jacket from the jocks. Well, we can’t deny that the athletic image and the jacket’s wool fabric might still give off some high school football vibe. Traditional designs feature two or more contrasting colors with collarless, wool, and button-through body and leather sleeves. However, it’s been changing for a few years now as designers make new and modernized varsity jackets.

History. The varsity jacket was first seen in young athletes in 1865. Harvard University’s baseball coach wanted to reward the players by advertising a huge letter ‘H’ on their woolen sweaters. And since then, the jacket was called “the letterman.” Later on, the symbol was adopted by the university’s football team.

In the early 1900s, these exclusive letterman sweaters got an upgrade when the more valuable letterman jacket joined them. The letterman soon became the sweater you can see around campuses in America. And colleges were proudly promoting their elite athletes with their school initials.

Both woolen garments were highly loved in collegiate places throughout the first half of the 20th century. And by the 1950s, the varsity or letterman jacket had become a fashion staple, even in off-campus situations. The jacket became famous because of several icons of the era, including James Dean and Elvis Presley.