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I’ll argue that spring is probably the only good season to dress for. During winter, you’re usually too wrapped up in layers or your one gigantic puffer coat. And during summer? It’s fun and cute until it’s not (a.k.a. too hot to even think about your outfit). But spring? It’s perfect. Most days, you can wear your shorts and skirts and all you need to top it all off and fend off the afternoon breeze is a light jacket.
Since we’re always tracking the trends, we polled the Cut’s editorial team, including market editor Cortne Bonilla, and rounded up the types of jackets you need to consider wearing this spring.
SO Which Spring Jackets You Should ADD To Your Cart?
➼ Lightweight trench coats
➼ Distressed-leather jackets
➼ Gorpcore jackets
➼ Sporty track jackets
➼ Racking jackets
Lightweight Trench Coats
We know you also saw those pictures of Taylor Russell with Harry Styles looking effortless in a classic trench coat. While hers was probably Loewe, there are lots of styles to shop elsewhere. Trenches were featured heavily at Coach’s fall-winter 2024 show in a number of colors and materials, including leather. Our style director, Jess Willis, also swears by this transitional piece.
Market editor Cortne Bonilla’s go-to trench comes from By Malene Birger. It’s a lightweight cotton twill with a few sleek details like an extra-wide sleeve and a more modern collar.
Made from a functional, water-resistant nylon fabric, this best seller from Abercrombie & Fitch is worth the hype and all the five-star reviews thanks to its classic silhouette.
If you want a solid under-$100 option, this trench from the Drop is available in a handful of colors, including a spring-appropriate pastel yellow. Reviewers love the slightly oversize shape, but if you want it more fitted, size down.
Vests are also trending, and if you don’t want to choose between the two, this convertible cotton option makes it easy: The sleeves are removable, so you can go for either look.
Distressed-Leather Jackets
Leather jackets are far from a trend, but each season brings on a newer iteration of the textile. This time around: distressed and oversize. Think leather bombers that look like one-of-a-kind vintage finds or boxy, structured jackets that look as if they’ve been washed with sandpaper. What looks old is new again. Credit this to Miu Miu, whose boxy, faded leather jacket sent the TikTok girls into a frenzy.
Spend a little more for something that will last a while. This leather jacket from Free People comes in eight different colors, so you can opt for classic black or something as bold as bright pink.
Few things in life are perfect, but this jacket just might be. With its distressed look and super-boxy, cropped fit, you can layer it over button-downs and sweaters without its feeling (and looking) too bulky.
This oversize faux-leather bomber is more than ideal for layering or adding a bit of edge to some of your spring outfits. The best part? Believe it or not, it’s machine washable. Just read the instructions carefully.
If you’re not fully onboard with the distressed look, this jacket with contrasting piping is a good option. It’s like the distressed leather jacket’s older cousin.
Gorpcore Jackets
Again, Miu Miu is at the forefront of the trend. Yes, gorpcore is back. Maybe it’s the sudden and overwhelming influx of “quiet luxury,” but many jackets on the runway were surprisingly understated and pretty practical. Save for Miu Miu’s silk jackets, Hermès showed utilitarian neutrals you could probably wear camping (if you had thousands of dollars to spare), and at Sandy Liang, cotton chino twill was the fabric of choice. We love a practical fashion moment.
Leave the form and function to Uniqlo. The brand that’s best at affordable basics has collaborated with former Chloé creative director Clare Waight Keller for a collection of relaxed but sophisticated basics. This lightweight cotton-twill jacket has us swooning with its extra pockets and drawstring that cinches the waist.
Sure, a cropped jacket is still pretty practical when you factor in the oversize pockets and thick cotton-chino fabric.
Sporty Track Jackets
Athleisure has fully integrated into our wardrobes. We’re still very much dressing up sweatpants and wearing jerseys as shirts. It’s only a matter of time until jersey dresses make a return, too! The look you can get into now? Track jackets. And you probably already own one. The sporty silhouette is fashion’s favorite thing to reimagine. While you can’t go wrong with the classic, we’ve picked a few fun versions.
There really is no more iconic tracksuit than Adidas’s. Thanks to style stars like Missy Elliott, it’s very easy to wear this without looking like you have to make it to the basketball court and the club in one night.
Heavy on the leisure, this fitted jacket is definitely not made for the gym. With a two-way zipper, it’s perfect for showing a little skin.
Wales Bonner has perfected the track jacket with its reworked Adidas collection. Drawing inspiration from the 1970s, this knit-and-mesh jacket is fitted without being too tight and pairs well with your Sambas.
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Racing jackets
Has the interest in Formula 1 racing sparked a fashion trend? Even if you’re not into motorsports, you have to admit the jackets add a cool factor to any outfit. Spotted on Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and, most recently, Drake, racing jackets are fairly easy to thrift and even easier to find.
This is the epitome of a racer jacket. You have lots of color, a boxier fit for layering, and a mock neck you can zip all the way up on colder days.
Label free but still very flashy. This Lioness faux-leather jacket is ideal if you like brighter colors and sexier silhouettes.
If you want something slightly more neutral but still pretty cool, this jacket has all the bells and whistles of a racer jacket sans the bright colors.
