Mens Yellow and Black Varsity Bomber Jacket

A varsity jacket is a waist length bomber with a body and sleeves in contrasting materials, ribbed knit at the collar, cuffs and hem, and a snap front instead of a zip. This one is yellow and black, cut regular, in sizes XXS to 3XL.

Varsity jackets are cut differently and people size them wrong

A varsity is not a leather jacket with knit trims. It is built to be worn over a hoodie or a heavy sweatshirt, which means the body is cut wider and the armhole is dropped lower than on a bomber. That is deliberate. The consequence is that a varsity in your usual size will feel roomy over a tee, and people often send it back thinking it runs large. It does not run large, it runs correctly for what it is. If you genuinely only ever wear it over a thin layer, go down a size and it will sit like a bomber.

The snap front matters more than it looks

Varsity jackets use press studs rather than a zip and that is not nostalgia. A snap front lets the jacket hang open without the two front panels swinging independently the way an unzipped jacket does, and it means you can close the bottom two and leave the top open, which is how most people actually wear them. Check the studs before you buy any varsity. A cheap snap has a shallow socket and will pop open when you sit down or reach across. It is a small component that ruins the garment.

Living with yellow

Yellow is a hard colour to wear and there is no point pretending otherwise. It works when it is the only bright thing in the outfit and it fails when it is competing. Black or charcoal underneath, dark denim or black trousers, plain footwear. The jacket is doing all the work. If you want to soften it, a grey hoodie under it takes the edge off without muddying the contrast.

Season

This is a three season jacket. The knit trims keep wind out at the openings but there is no insulation in the body, so on its own it stops working somewhere around five degrees. Over a hoodie it will carry you through most of a mild winter, which is what the roomy cut is for.

Care

Follow the sewn in label, which depends on the body and sleeve materials. In general, spot clean rather than washing, and never put a jacket with ribbed knit trims through a dryer. Heat is what kills the elastic in the knit, and once the cuffs have gone slack the jacket is finished regardless of how good the rest of it looks.

Specification table

Garment measurements by size. Measured flat, in inches. These cells stay empty until you send production figures. Publishing a measurement that is wrong causes returns, so I have not guessed.