Menswear Guide: Wax Cotton Outerwear- The Basics
Let’s take a minute to glance at wax cotton outerwear and what you should consider when looking to buy.
To be clear from the outset, I am affiliated with some of the brands listed below but hold no skin in the game for whether you buy from them or not. I have simply accumulated years of experience through restoring these wonderful jackets.
I am going to start with the basics and the three ‘styles/cuts’ of jackets that we simply see the most. Hopefully, you’ll also take away a few tips on how best to wear them too. I must add here that there is no science and you can actually where however you like and the opinions below are based on my personal style/taste.
It goes without saying but I will say it anyway, search on Vinted/eBay/Depop for any of the styles below as you could save a significant amount of money.
At a baseline level, most people consider waxed jackets to come in two shapes, the ‘green farmer’ style and the ‘black motorcycle’ style, so I’m going to use them two as a jump off point.
The Best All Rounder: The Barbour Beaufort
This is the jacket that most people picture when thinking of a classic Barbour. There are similar variations such as the Bedale (running shorter) and the Ashby (a slightly more refined cut) but for me, the Beaufort is the go to.
Best worn slightly big, it is the perfect outer-piece to cover the multitude of layers that sit beneath.
The beauty of the Beaufort is that it can literally be worn with anything. It looks great draped over tailoring, smartens up a casual jeans/wool jumper combo and even works thrown over a hoody for the morning coffee run. This style is a must have for any wax jacket connoisseur’s wardrobe.
Wear with:
Button down shirt, sweater, wool trousers, derby shoes
Wool jumper, selvedge jeans, dealer boots
Hoodie, joggers, new balance
Alternatives:
Private White VC x Permanent Style Wax Walker
The Motorcycle Jacket
The Belstaff Trialmaster is a truly iconic design with many iterations throughout the years. Starting life as a fit for purpose motorcycle jacket, it is now more a high fashion item over function.
Less versatile than a classic Beaufort but can be worn to soften tailoring and also looks great over wools and denims.
The belt can be polarising with many people fastening behind the jacket or simply removing all together. My personal preference is the Fieldmaster which has an internal drawcord at the waist to offer a similar fit without being split in half by the belt.
More often seen on the terraces these days but the classic pieces are still pride of place amongst those that know.
Wear with:
Thick cream roll neck, mid blue jeans, walking boots
White t-shirt, grey cardigan, black trousers, black loafers
Grey sweatshirt, white jeans, black boots
Alternatives:
The Outdoorsman
The vintage versions of Filson’s Tin Cloth jacket are roughly the same price as they are new which says all you need to know about the quality of these amazing pieces.
This is a lined version but they are often unlined and sit over as many layers as you can manage. Made to be outdoors and to take whatever punishment you can throw at it, they start life as stiff as a board before developing a truly stunning, individual character.
Best worn with red wing (battered) boots, thick socks and 100% wool overshirt (ideally buffalo check) but not so good with smarter styles.
Wear with:
Flannel shirt, light blue 501s, red wing boots
Hoodie, fatigue pants, rugged boots
Alternatives:
In the next article of this series, we will take a look at Parkas and Smocks.
Thanks for reading.