In the fantasy draft of casual fall outerwear, the best varsity jackets for men are a perennial top pick. From their humble origins as Harvard University baseball sweaters in the 1860s, varsity jackets (a.k.a. letterman jackets or award jackets) have become one of the most iconic pieces of American sportswear, on par with Converse All-Stars and Yankees caps. With a simple, rugged design, a plethora of color options, and starring roles in some of the biggest cultural moments of the ’80s—from Thriller to Beverly Hills Cop to The Breakfast Club—it’s no wonder the varsity jacket has endured.
After making their way from collegiate sports in the 19th century to the pro leagues in the early 20th, varsity jackets evolved from knit sweaters and cardigans to their current form—wool body, leather sleeves, slash pockets and snaps—in the 1950s and 1960s when they were awarded to top-performing varsity athletes. In the decades that followed, thanks to the co-sign of hip-hop legends like Run DMC, the varsity jacket became an essential part of the streetwear canon, too.
Now, a full 40 years after Axel Foley first rocked his Detroit Lions letterman on the mean streets of Beverly Hills, the look remains as potent as ever. In addition to classic versions in cheerful team colors (with or without the signature letter) varsity jackets now come in more flavors than skittles. From ultra-authentic Japanese repros to a diverse array of high-fashion reinterpretations from 2024’s most creative designers, these are the genre’s current MVPs.
The Best Men’s Varsity Jackets, According to GQ
Best Varsity Jacket Overall: Golden Bear Portola Varsity Jacket
It may not draw the same tourist traffic as Hearst Castle or Cannery Row, but the Potrero Ave workshop where Golden Bear makes its authentic letterman jackets is equally deserving of a place among California’s historic sites. Here, in a building once adjacent to the San Francisco Seals baseball stadium, Golden Bear does things in much the same way it has for the better part of a century. Founded in 1922, Golden Bear started out making leather coats for San Francisco’s dockworkers before expanding into bomber jackets for pilots in WWII and varsity jackets in the postwar years. With its leather body, wool sleeves, striped cuffs and snap front, the Portola looks more or less the same as anything coming out of the Golden Bear workshop in decades past, which gives it historical significance and sartorial clout.
Best Budget Varsity Jacket: Stewart & Strauss Original Varsity Letterman Jacket
Whatever team you’re rooting for, this 40-year-old spiritwear specialist has the right letterman jacket to let your colors fly. In addition to an impressive range of sizes from XXS to 6XL, Stewart & Strauss offers its Original Varsity Jacket in more than 40 color combos ranging from somber black-on-black to jaunty purple and gold (go Lakers!) on offer at their Amazon store. In addition to a wool body, cowhide sleeves, and a vintage-style Mandarin collar, the jackets also feature a zip-out quilted lining that makes it easy to customize yours with a sew-on patch. If that doesn’t offer enough personalization, however, you can build your own varsity jacket from scratch in one of four silhouettes using the customization tool on Stewart & Strauss’s website.
Best All-American Varsity Jacket: American Trench Varsity Jacket
There are two prevailing schools of thought when it comes to varsity jackets: authentic old-school and modern re-interpretation. With a form-fitting silhouette that’s as mid-century American as sock-hops and drive-ins, and the unexpected combination of navy, brown and white, however, this American Trench example sits square in the middle. American Trench is known for making solid and stylish sweats, socks and tees in its Pennsylvania factory, but the Philly-based brand sought help from the specialists at Settlemier’s Jackets in Oregon for this one. The result, which is made in Portland from navy 24 oz. virgin melton wool and dark brown cowhide, promises a best-of-both-worlds look that’ll work just as well with your game-day jeans and tees as it does with your weekday Oxford shirts and chinos.
Best American (By Way of Japan) Varsity Jacket: Kapital Varsity Jacket
Like a great work of abstract art, the creations of Kapital’s mad scientist creative director Kiro Hirato (aka Mr. Blue) always leave abundant room for interpretation. Along with Indigenous American motifs and smiley faces, Kiro’s love of human skeletons has become a mainstay of Kapital collections in recent years, but the famously cryptic designer leaves us to make of it what we will. Is it his answer to the memento mori and vanitas paintings of the 17th century? A winking meditation on human mortality? A tribute to Thom Browne’s instantly classic 2018 skeleton dress? Alas, we may never know. What is certain, however, is that this boxy black and white letterman, complete with felt femurs, embroidered harps and a big capital I (or is it a Roman numeral 1?) on the chest embodies Kapital’s signature blend of American tradition and Japanese eccentricity that we’ve all come to know and love.
Best Designer Varsity Jacket: Celine Homme Teddy Varsity Jacket
Hedi Slimane took Celine Homme on a road trip through the American West this season, drawing inspiration from cowboys, mods, vampires and Hector Berlioz’s proto-psychedelic 1830 Symphonie Fantastique. The result is a collection that includes monochrome I-line suits, high-heeled Chelsea boots, somber black fedoras and this stunner of a varsity jacket in wool and calf leather. With a contrasting yoke, a set of arrow-tipped slash pockets, a point collar and a snap-front closure, it combines the country twang of a Western shirt with the all-American good looks of a classic letterman. To put it one way, it places two of the most potent archetypes of American masculinity in an androgynously sexy new context. To put it another, it’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll.
Best Vintage-Like Varsity Jacket: Dehen 1920 Varsity Jacket
This Portland, Oregon-based clothier has been making heavy-duty jackets and knitwear since 1920 and fortunately, based on the look of its current catalog, not much has changed since. That includes Dehen’s take on the varsity jacket, which has been among the company’s specialties since the 1950s when it handmade each one for the specific athlete who had earned the distinction of sporting a school’s letter on their chest. That makes Dehen’s varsity jacket among the most authentic you’ll find, with the quality of its 24-ounce Melton wool body, leather sleeves and worsted wool trim to prove it. One of more than half a dozen varsity jackets on offer from Dehen this season, the combo of royal blue wool and rust-colored leather feels unexpected and a little celebratory, which seems about right for a piece of outerwear created to crown hometown heroes.
More Varsity Jackets We Love
Abercrombie & Fitch Oracle Red Bull Racing Varsity Bomber Jacket
Wales Bonner Sky Varsity Jacket
Joe McCoy Wool Varsity Jacket
Levi’s Lightweight Colorblock Varsity Jacket
Polo Ralph Lauren Iconic Letterman Jacket
Mr P. Striped Suede Varsity Jacket
Supreme Veritas Varsity Jacket
