Style
Love Your Men’s Denim Jacket: Care and Selection Tips for the Modern Gent.
Men’s denim jackets. We wear denim clothes—usually jeans—every day, but what do we know about them, really? For example, do you know what denim is made of? Well, for those of us reading this and saying “Nope, not a clue!“, denim is made of cotton—more specifically, a sturdy weave of cotton. Unlike other patterns of cotton, denim features an iconic, diagonal ribbing.
And (as, of course, we know already), though denim comes in many colours, the denim that’s most popular is that of the blue varieties. Blue denim, in particular, is known for its fading properties because of the process of dying the denim weave with indigo. Indigo, as you might imagine, is blue dye. Although once derived from a number of tropical plants, indigo is also produced synthetically these days.
5 Tips to Care for Men’s Denim Jackets
Okay, I know what you’re thinking now; enough with the history lesson already….geez! You’re probably really wondering how you can match that awesome new men’s denim jacket you bought with the rest of your outfit. And we will get to that, soon (promise!)—but first, we should talk about simple things you can do to care for your new jacket.
Although it might not always seem like it, denim can often be difficult to maintain; stains will not always come off, and it can be torn with relative ease. For example, if your legs are chafing as you are walking, that can easily create a hole between your legs – true story!
So, how can we avoid problems like these? Check these 5 tips out below:
1. Wash your men’s denim jacket by hand.
Consider washing your jeans by hand, in cold water that’s had a little detergent added to it. After you’ve cleaned it thoroughly, wait an hour, then repeat the process. When that process is done, you can leave your jacket out so it can dry on its own (more on that a bit later). Hand washing is a better choice than washing inside a machine because it creates less pressure on your jacket. Rather than being jerked violently back and forth, your jacket will be soaked in water and massaged in your hand. (Completely unrelated observation here, but if my jacket can get a massage but I can’t, does that mean it’s cooler than me?)
2. If you can’t wash your denim by hand, wash it properly in the machine.
Before you pop your jacket into the washing machine, be sure to turn it inside out. This will help prevent the colour from fading and will not have as much of an effect on the dye. Plus, it’ll help you keep your jacket nice and clean, particularly around the armpit area. Also, if you can, button the jacket so that you can add reinforcement to the garment—which will reduce its wild thrashing inside the machine.
Once the jacket is inside the machine, wash your jacket with a gentle, short cycle and in cold water. If you let your men’s denim jacket stay in the washing machine for much longer than that, the jacket will get tossed around in the wash quite a lot. To put it bluntly, the end result will be that it ends up resembling the loser in a boxing tournament. The short, gentle washing cycle you ought to use will instead be easy on the jacket, and will not create any more wear than is necessary. The cold water is ideal because it prevents the dye in your jacket from bleeding away or leeching out; it will, in other words, ensure that the jacket retains its original colour.
3. But wash it by itself.
As should be apparent by now, denim is not always as durable as it might initially appear. It’s actually pretty sensitive. For this reason, you ought to wash your jacket either on its own, or with other pieces of denim. This is also a good idea because your jacket likely has rivets and zippers, which cannot be cleaned appropriately if your jacket is busy flopping around with other stuff inside your washing machine.
4. When drying your jacket, lay it flat on a smooth surface.
You shouldn’t hang denim garments up when you want them to dry—and you especially shouldn’t put them in the dryer. Hangers are so rigid that they’ll create indentations in the shoulder areas of your jacket. As for the dryer, it will constrict the denim of your jacket, which will make it harder to shape it back the way it was before. So, when you put your men’s denim jacket out to dry, lay it on a warm towel. If it gets stiff because it’s all wet, you should tumble it on low heat in the wash. This will have the effect of softening your jacket after it’s been properly dried.
5. In the event of small stains, spot clean your jacket.
This is a preferable alternative to tossing your jacket in the sink or the washing machine; simply cleaning the affected areas doesn’t create any pressure on your jacket. To do this, flip your jacket inside out and soap up a cloth. Wipe down the stained area from the inside of the jacket; the stain should dissipate. If it doesn’t, dip an old toothbrush in soap or detergent and brush it down.
6 Tips on What to Look for When Choosing Denim Jackets
All right, so we know how to care for our jackets now. But another question remains—how do we know which jacket to buy in the first place? What factors should we take into account? Here are 6 tips to help you decide.
1. Take colour into account.
Not every shade of blue (or any colour, for that matter) is right for every man. One thing to remember is that, the darker a jacket is, the fancier and more elegant it will look. On the contrary, faded denim is a much more casual look. Also, dark jackets can make your upper half look smaller, so keep that in mind. Finally, if you’re matching two denim pieces together, make sure that they’re not the same shade of blue. <—–THIS IS IMPORTANT!
2. Ensure that the jacket is cropped properly.
A good denim jacket for men will be cropped above your hip, or even farther above. Jeans that go past your hip tend to look old-fashioned and (dare we say it) “frumpy.” And when it comes to clothes, “old-fashioned” is generally not the kind of look you should be aiming for. Unless that’s your thing, in which case you should ignore this particular tip. 🙂
3. Is the jacket durable?
Remember, denim jackets aren’t just there to look pretty—you also want them to last throughout the years. Ideally, the fabric of your men’s denim jacket ought to be solid enough so that it does not show the signs of wear and tear after only a few months of use. It should feel so comfortable that you can slip it on and off and never feel restrained by its cut. As you start to break it in, you should eventually be able to feel the jacket moulding to the shape of your body, adjusting to the way you walk and run. A great denim jacket will feel so amazing that you can wear it all day and still remain comfy (and also warm).
4. Is the jacket right for different kinds of weather?
The ideal jacket will have some stretch to ensure that you can wear it with different layers in colder weather. You don’t want to wear a jacket that constricts your chest if you opt to wear a sweater under it. If your jacket has buttons, make sure that they, too, won’t be too tight if you’re wearing thicker clothes underneath. Whether or not it will be warm enough is something else you need to be aware of, particularly if you live in a chillier region.
5. Are you buying quality?
Like most other pieces of clothing, the quality of men’s denim jackets can vary SIGNIFICANTLY depending on where the jacket is purchased from and the quality of the material used in its manufacturing. It’s always a good idea to purchase your pieces from reputable spots. You don’t want to go spending your hard earned money on a new item only to find the quality is below average (read Tip 3 above). If you’re looking to buy a new jacket, check this place out. It’s a great place to find good jackets at reasonable prices without compromising on quality. Just be sure to read the reviews on each product page and you’ll be on your way to buying a solid jacket in no time. 🙂
6. Will the style last throughout the years?
The best denim jackets are those which have a timeless, classic style. Other jackets—those which capitalize on temporary trends—will start to feel dated before long. And there’s nothing more embarrassing than buying an expensive, trendy jacket, only to find that it looks ridiculous the following year. Remember: classic styles will never look out of place, and they’ll never make you say, “What is this?” If you find yourself thinking anything like this about a jacket you’re interested in, then it’s probably not the right jacket for you.
So, now that we know a little more about the men’s denim jacket—and the process the goes into making them—the question remains. How will you wear your new jacket? What kind of amazing style ideas do you want to create with it?
