Shirt jacket

Shirt jacket

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It’s chilly out, but not really cold enough to throw on a jacket?  What to do, oh, what to do?  Ah-ha!  The shirt jacket; a perfect way to keep warm without all the heat.

Though shirt jackets are seen everywhere, the idea was once a novelty.  The shirt-jac, as it was called, started showing up on store shelves in the 1940s as the answer to the autumn and spring-time warmth woes.  Like the lumberjack shirt, many that were available were on the industrial side, made for those who needed the light shirts for all the heavy work they were doing.  It was in the 1970s that the shirt jacket really took off.  Suddenly, the light look was available in a variety of fabrics, such as double-knit polyester, denim, corduroy and just about anything else available to manufacturers.  Heck, if you think about it, even leather jackets were looking like shirts with flap pockets.  Suede was a popular choice in the shirt jacket industry, most often with knit arms.  Funky!

The shirt jacket is a truly versatile piece of clothing.  Comfy and warm, it could be worn on its own or over turtlenecks and wide-collared shirts.  It could be worn with just about any kind of bottom and back then in the 70s, one was sure to see the shirt jacket over a pair of flares.  Mix and match your materials, or keep it simple and same; it didn’t matter, the shirt jacket looked good with it all!

Shirt jackets soon became a family favorite thanks to its stylishness and durability.  The shirt jacket comes in a wide variety of colors, patterns and stitching, to boot!  It can be buttoned up, snapped up, or even zipped.  Cuffs were common, as were other details, such as lapels, pockets and other great ways to hide found items under tables.  Thinking of which, the shirt jacket is a great way to get the kids dressed up for the first time, minus the stuffy fuss of a full jacket.  Plus, the strength and durability practically ensured as few tears and stains as possible, since rolling around on the floor and crawling around on tables was practically inevitable. 

Fashion