Style Study: The Jungle Jacket
The feather weight jacket that will bring new life to your summer wardrobe.
If you’re like me, you are fresh out of ideas of how to get through the summer heat. I’ve exhausted my go to summer uniforms which consists of some combination of vintage track shorts, big mens shirts, little white dresses, tiny tanks, and billowy cargo pants.
So I scrolled through my screenshots looking for inspiration.
I had this image of Serge Gainsbourg saved three times on my phone. I love his sun drenched military field shirt styled with nothing but a good tan underneath- it feels easy and effortless and unlike anything I’ve been wearing lately.
Inspired, I went to my closet looking for something to recreate the look. The closest thing I had was my vintage USMC chore coat (I got for a steal because the sleeves were chopped). The jacket was perfectly sun drenched, just like Serge’s, but it didn’t have enough drape to work as a shirt with nothing underneath- the fabric was too heavy. Instead I just wore it with a little rib tank, big belt (similar), and my favorite pair of featherweight white jeans.
I liked this look but I was hell bent on getting a jacket that could work shirtless just like the image of Serge. So this past weekend when I spotted a 1960s ripstop Jungle Jacket (the companion to the jungle fatigues I’ve been obsessed with) I knew I had to have it.
The fabric of these jackets were intentionally lightweight and breathable. They were built for the heat of the jungle which is where they get their name. It had just the right amount of drape that I was confident it was the right piece to pull off the jacket as shirt styling just like Serge.
So I took her home and immediately started playing with styling ideas.
Style Study
When I’m playing with how to style a new piece into my wardrobe it’s all about iteration for me. I’m not looking to create wildly different looks. I usually pick a base and play with color, silhouette, and texture to create tension.
Clean black contrasted against faded army green is one of my favorite styling combinations. There is immediate tension and there are so many ways to riff on it which is why it is the perfect base for this style study.
As a shirt. Realistically, the only occasion I’m really wearing a jacket without a top (a styling trick I come back to often) is when I’m going out for dinner or at the beach over a bikini. I’m not at the beach so I decided to style the jacket back to my favorite black summer weight trousers (similar), black leather tassel belt for texture, and my big cheetah print clutch (similar, similar) for an unexpected punch of pattern. All back to my barely there sandals that I’ve been wearing non stop this summer.
When I wear a jacket as a shirt often times I go completely braless to get a good plunging neckline. Here, I’m wearing my perfect little nude lace bralette you can barely see. The best part about this bra is you get the sexy lace detail with no uncomfortable underwire which is hard to find. Sometimes I like to wear black and intentionally let a little lace peak out because it’s cheeky. This is a styling trick I also do with my big mens shirts. A little white lace bra unintentionally peaking underneath a big shirt is my kind of sexy (this coming from the girl who finds turtlenecks the sexiest thing you can wear).
In order to get the jacket to sit open I cinch the waist in the back with a safety pin- a lazy stylist hack I shamelessly use on any of my boxy shirts or jacket that I want to have shape. The pinning at the waist helps create an intentional silhouette that feels effortless and also considered.
I pushed up the sleeves to show more skin and make the whole look feel lighter.
This felt like the perfect interpretation of the Serge image.
As a belt. I love a shirt tied around the waist. It’s an easy way to add an extra layer without actually having to wear it. Because this jacket is actually shirt weight it is lightweight enough to wear tied around this waist and easy enough to toss on over the shoulder if there’s a chill in the air at dinner.
The vintage army green tee (similar) is a slightly different color than the jacket- a small detail I like to call color layering. Wearing two different shades of the same color together adds subtle dimension. If this tee was the same color as the jacket it would feel more flat.
Lately, since it’s been boiling hot and the tee has been the outfit I’ve been pushing myself to reach for a colored tee instead of my usual favorite white tee (which now comes in black!). It’s a small switch up that suddenly breathes new life into your tried and true uniforms.
I rolled the sleeves up on the tee to make the entire silhouette feel more columny and long.
As a jacket. When I’m styling anything I’m always thinking about how I can create more tension. So when I look at an army jacket like this one that is rugged, faded, and distressed I think what would be the exact opposite of that- something dressy, shiny, and silky. So I pulled out my favorite vintage pleated satin Ralph Lauren palazzo pants (similar). The perfect opposite.
The pant silhouette is dramatic which also sits in perfection opposition to the jungle jacket’s straight silhouette. I buttoned the top button and lifted the short collar because there’s just something very chic about covering your neck.
I let my tassel belt hang long this time so it swooshes when I walk- a small detail that adds just the right amount of detail to this otherwise simple look.
When creating tension in a look sometimes it’s not even about the pieces you are wearing but where you intend on wearing them. Wearing an army jacket to dinner in the evening is entirely unexpected- there’s tension in the intension.
The Edit
Finding these jungle jackets are relatively easy to find on ebay or etsy and prices typically range from $70-$200 depending on the model and condition. They come in a range of military issue sizes from XS-XL with length variations from Short to Long.
No 1. Vintage Jungle Jacket, Sz XS, $110, No 2. Vintage Jungle Jacket, Sz S, $80, No 3. Vintage Jungle Jacket, Sz S, $120, No 4. Vintage Jungle Jacket, Sz M, $150, No 5. Vintage Jungle Jacket, Sz M, $150, No 6. Vintage Jungle Jacket, Sz L, $125
For Fit Reference: I’m wearing a size Small-Long. Specs measure: Cross Shoulder- 17.5”, Chest-20.5”, Length- 31.5”
What’s great about a jacket like this is it’s a 4 season jacket- wear it with nothing underneath in the summer pinned at the waist, layer it with a shirt come spring or fall, and a big chunky sweater in the winter.
One Last Thing: Three Little Luxuries
To me the greatest luxuries you can buy are the small little things that make your life better on a daily basis. So I wanted to end the letter with three small things that have been making my life better.
No. 1. Luxurious laundry- I didn’t know you could make your laundry feel luxurious until I tried Laundry Sauce. I’ve been washing my vintage hauls with the Australian sandalwood and it’s diving. 10/10 rec.
No 2. The luxury of not using hot tools- I’ve been swearing by the Roz Milk Serum for my perfect air dry waves. Recently I decided to splurge on the Shampoo and Conditioner too. Even if I forget to throw in the milk serum my hair air dries beautifully. I cannot believe I haven’t been using this my whole life. 10/10 rec. Now the only product I haven’t tried is the oil. I’m pretty much out of everything so I’m ordering the set- I will report back.
No 3. The luxury of a good fridge kit- Lastly, I’ve been pairing my morning cup of coffee with the True Botanical Chebula Eye Patches I store in the fridge so they are icy cold on delivery. These are the best eye patches I’ve tried yet and feel so good on. 10/10 rec. After I take my eye patches I give myself a Sofie Pavit Fridge Spritz and apply all my products. Midday I come back for a Stone Crop Hydrating Mist. Spritzes in the fridge feel deeply luxurious and have been getting me through these scorching hot days. 1000/10 rec.
I hope this posts inspires you to scroll through your phone for some inspiration, wear a jacket as a shirt, play dress up, and treat yourself to a small luxury.
My next post is going to be all about my single most important wardrobe staple in my closet I’ve yet to go over (spoiler alert it’s vintage). Consider upgrading to paid to access the full archive and future paid subscriber posts.
x
Tess
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I had been working for many years at Ralph Lauren before Michael Rider joined the team. One of Michael’s first orders of business was adding a style out at the earliest stage of the design process.
Everyone Needs A Cheeky Little White Dress
On my last two trips to Italy, I couldn’t help but pick up every pretty vintage Edwardian dress I saw on my trip. The intricate lace necklines and billowy washed cotton silhouettes were just too irresistibly beautiful to pass up.
Object of Obsession: The Jungle Fatigue
When most people see vintage military pieces they think of the men who wore them in battle. When I see vintage military pieces, I think of the women like my grandmother, who sewed them in factories.
How to buy the perfect vintage shirt.
My sister has a habit of raiding my closet for my vintage men’s shirts- a habit I encourage. I’m proudly and slowly converting her to be a lover of vintage. So you can imagine my despair when she casually mentioned she’d just stocked up on a bunch of shirts from a brand that shall remain nameless for $70 a pop.
Side note: I think he is wearing a 50s/60s womans OG-107! (Based on the darts originating from the pockets)
That first look, Tess, is what dreams are made of. There is ONE pair of the RL trousers you are wearing left. How did you find sizing?