The men's jacket guide: harrington to field jacket

The transitional jacket is the most worn piece of outerwear in any wardrobe. From March to May, and again from September to November, a coat is too much and a shirt too little - this is where the short jackets do their work. But a transitional jacket is not one particular jacket; it is a family of types, each with its own history and its own role. This guide walks through them so the choice becomes simple.

Harrington and bomber: the light classics

The harrington is the short, clean jacket with a plain front and a discreet collar. It began as a golf jacket and is today perhaps the most versatile casual jacket there is: it goes over both knitwear and a shirt, and it suits everything from chinos to jeans. The bomber is its close relative, with ribbing at the waist and cuffs and a slightly more relaxed expression. At House of Vinterberg, both are made to your measurements.

Beige HarringtonNavy HarringtonNavy bomberDark olive bomber

Flight jacket: where the bomber comes from

The flight jacket - also called a pilot jacket - is the aviator's jacket the bomber descends from. The silhouette is the same short body, but cut in merino wool it falls softer and calmer than the technical versions, and it can be worn with jeans as well as tailored trousers.

CamelBlackGrey Merino woolNavy flannel

Overshirt: the layer between shirt and jacket

The overshirt, or shirt jacket, is cut like a shirt but made in jacket weight. Worn open over a t-shirt or knitwear, or closed as a light jacket, it is the answer to all the days when a proper jacket is too much. In wool it works through autumn and winter; in cotton from spring to late summer.

Beige cottonNavy cottonOlive cottonGrey Merino wool

Field jacket: room for the whole day

The field jacket has its roots in military field wear, but in civilian form it is about function: four pockets, a slightly longer body and room for a layer underneath. It is the jacket for the man who is out most of the day.

Khaki greenNavyCamelDark brown

Gilet: the vest that extends the season

The gilet - the sleeveless mid layer most people simply call a vest - keeps the body warm without binding the arms. Worn over knitwear in the transitional months and under the coat once winter sets in, it is the most underrated piece in Scandinavian layering.

Navy quiltedCamel quiltedDark olive quiltedForest green panelled

Suede and hybrid: when the jacket needs character

The suede jacket brings a texture and depth woven jackets cannot imitate, and it gains patina beautifully over the years. The hybrid jacket borrows the cut of a blazer and the function of outerwear - the layer for office days without a coat.

Light brown suedeBeige suedeCamel hybridNavy hybrid

And when it turns cold: the overcoat

From November onwards, the overcoat takes over. Wool, and wool with cashmere, carries the cold better than any short jacket, and over a suit the coat is the only right answer. We have written a separate guide to men's overcoats that goes through the styles.

Camel wool and cashmereNavy woolCharcoal Merino woolDark brown double-breasted

How to choose

Start with how you live, not with the type. If you cycle, a long coat is in the way; if you are outdoors all day, the field jacket wins; if the jacket has to go over a blazer, it needs room in the shoulders. Every jacket we make is cut to your measurements, so length and shoulder are set by your wardrobe rather than a standard block. Book a visit to the Showroom at Skoubogade 2 in Copenhagen and we will go through the types on the body.