From the ’60s onwards, coaches — from NFL stars to little-league heroes — wore various styles of the lightweight nylon jacket, emblazoned with team logos. And today, countless brands are making updated versions of this classic style, and for good reason: utilitarian and good looking, the coach jacket’s simple design complements a multitude of different aesthetics.
What Is a Coach Jacket?
The jacket, which features a pointed collar and snap front, is a cornerstone of windproof outwear. Usually made from lightweight nylon, it can withstand whipping winds, light rain and, if you're lucky, the splash of celebratory Gatorade.
How to Style a Coach Jacket
Pair one with a button-down and chinos or your favorite tee and washed jeans for a light layer against a breezy day. Or, you can go full NFL coach: pair the sportswear staple with similarly soft, stretchy stuff. Try it overtop a polo, with sweatpants or track pants and your finest white sneakers.
Nike Retro Coach Jacket
Lean into the style's retro roots with Nike's aptly titled Retro Coach Jacket, which features Nike's big, orange original Swoosh on both the front right chest and across the back. It's otherwise all-black with contrasting buttons and two big slant pockets. It isn't nylon, though, but softer, tightly woven 100 percent cotton.
Fear of God Essentials 1977 Coaches Jacket
Fear of God's sportswear slant stems from designer/found Jerry Lorenzo's upbringing as the son of a professional baseball player (Jerry Manuel). Now, his high fashion brand makes a number of sport-friendly styles: flowing sweatpants, sneakers, a hell of a lot of hoodies, hats and, now, Coach Jackets, too. This one has cinched cuffs, an oversized collar and a standard nylon body.
Pro Club Standard Coach Jacket
Moonlighting as a tee-ball coach? Try this look on for size, but for less. Pro Club's super-simple Coach Jacket costs less than post-game soft serve, and it'll last quite a while, too. It's the ideal shape and size, and it comes with all of the traditional features: a drawstring hem, cinched cuffs, front snaps and a normal-sized collar.
Uniqlo Coach Jacket
Uniqlo is a good place to start when you know the style it is you want but don't like the price points you've seen thus far. Per usual, Uniqlo's colorful Coach Jacket is sold for much less than competitors' iterations, but the brand doesn't make sacrifices in order to do so.
Dickies Oakport Coaches Jacket
Dickies doesn't just do workwear, but it does use those pieces as a starting point. The Oakport Coaches Jacket looks a lot like the iconic Ike Jacket, for example, but it deviates in terms of both shape and finishing touches. It's slightly slouchier and the front features snap buttons, not a zipper. It's also made from nylon, not cotton.
Represent Owners Club Coach Jacket
Do you favor all-black outfits and fresh-out-of-the-box Air Force 1s? Translated: Is your style more streetwear than not? Fashion brand Represent has the right Coach Jacket for you. It's printed with the brand's logo on both the front and back, but the front hit is tolerably small. That being said, if you like how it looks, there are matching pants.
Gap Cotton-Fleece Coach Jacket
While nylon coach jackets abound, fleece ones are harder to find. They're less traditional, arguably even less practical — wind and rain will wreck them — but Gap does a good job of making one that looks good enough to ignore its technical inferiority.
Adicolor Classics Trefoil Coach Jacket
Not a Nike fan? Adidas does a classic Coach Jacket, too, albeit without the retro flair. It's a simple, black, nylon design with an Adidas logo on the chest and back, but it doesn't have cinched cuffs or a drawstring hem.
Reigning Champ Cord Coach Jacket
Corduroy is a versatile material, but you rarely see it applied to sportswear. This corded Coach Jacket from Canadian sportswear brand Reigning Champ changes that, though. Sure, it won't stand a chance on a rainy sideline, but the style crossed over plenty into the fashion sphere, and this is further proof.
