Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! In today's video, I'm going to talk about quilted
jackets. I'll talk about different styles, materials, history and what you have to look
out for when you buy one.
During fall and spring, one of the most popular garments is the trench coat and we talked
about it a few weeks back but if you want something that is shorter and lighter in weight,
you definitely have to check out the quilted jacket. What exactly is quilt? Quilting means
that you have two layers of fabric that are held together by rows of stitches just like
you can see here. It's kind of a diamond pattern and sometimes you have a third material between
the layers which is called the padding material. Oftentimes, it can be down like a down jacket
or polyester or wool or basically, any other kind of filling. Quilting became really popular
in the 17th century but basically, it has been around since the middle ages. Oftentimes,
it was used as an under armor to make it more comfortable for knights to wear it but more
importantly, was also really desirable because it was lightweight and insulating at the same
time. A quilted jacket today has the same characteristics; it's lightweight, it is really
insulating and it is waterproof when it's rained on. Technically, the advantage and
insulating properties of quilted jackets come from the trapped air chambers in between the
quilting and that really helps to make you feel warmer and insulate you better while
you don't add any weight. I've just been on a trip for three and a half months and the
quilted jacket was one of my best investments simply because you can wear it at all times,
it wasn't heavy when we packed it on the plane and I really loved it. So, who invented the
quilted jacket as we know it today? It was actually an American by the name of Steve
Guylas and he was in the military and together with this wife Edna, he moved to UK and he
was inspired by horse blankets to keep horses warm and so he created a jacket. First, it
was actually a shooting jacket, it was rather simple, was all made of polyester and polyamide
and was cut very boxy but when he went to his club and showed it, his friends liked
it and so he thought about it and said, I'm going to reduce this jacket on a larger scale.
Initially, it came in only two colors, in pale olive green and navy. So, if you want
a very classic quilted jacket, these are the first colors you should look at, Navy and
pale green. Steve started his company and named the company Husky because he loved Husky
dogs which wasn't really related to the jackets but that's what it came to be. Over time,
he added more colors, he added the corduroy collar, that you can see here and here. It
has two angled patch pockets and as you can see here, the reason they're patch pockets
is simply because it was easier to manufacture, you just slap it on the outside rather than
cutting something and adding from the inside but this feature has just remained until today
and it's oftentimes very practical to have big pockets when you're hunting, fishing or
when you do any other outdoor activity. It's also great if you just have a tablet, your
keys or anything else that you need to carry around like a passport when you travel.
Make sure you sign up to our YouTube channel, also make sure to sign up to our free email
newsletter and I'll throw in an ebook and that way, you will learn all about the different
aspects of shoes, clothing and fine living that we cover on the Gentleman's Gazette.
Let's talk about the original Husky jacket, the one you could see here is not an original
jacket but it has basically the same features. First of all, it was made of nylon with a
hundred percent polyester. If you know, you know that I usually don't like this kind of
artificial fibers but that's what he started out with between the 60s and the 70s, it was
just popular and that's what he had so that's the original and the one I'm wearing right
now is also made out of artificial fibers and it's normal for these kinds of jackets.
So, don't shy away because of the material composition. basically, it is a single breasted
jacket, as you can see here. With five snap buttons which are very sturdy, you can open
them, close them and you also have the same snap buttons on the back where we have two
at the vent. Sometimes, you also see snap buttons at the sleeve but they're usually
not there. It just helps to keep the sleeve very narrow to prevent any wind from coming
in. Basically, these are all the hallmarks of the original jacket. Now, when it comes
to sizing, usually, they're cut a little roomier, a little boxier and Italian made jackets tend
to be a little slimmer than English made jackets so always keep that in mind and try to figure
out the measurements of your jacket rather than the standard sizing, otherwise, you may
get a cut that's a little less flattering or less roomy, depending on what your preference
is. The goal is to have a decently fitting jacket that is slightly shorter than the peacoat
but longer than a jacket so you can wear it over your tweed sportcoat or even a suit coat
if you have to but generally, it's more of a country garment and therefore it's great
for everything casual, tweedy, rough wools and that kind of stuff. As I mentioned before,
to start with, colors of pale green olive and navy are great but you can also get them
in blue, in red, sometimes even orange. Personally, I like brown very much because it's easy to
combine and a great fall/spring color. The one you can see here is actually made of tweed,
which is rather unusual and that's the reason why I really like it. So, houndstooth with
tweed as a quilted jacket is not something you find very easily but I think the look
is great, it's not as showerproof as the polyester and polyamide versions but frankly, it has
never let me down and I really enjoy wearing it. So now you may wonder, what kind of quilted
jacket should you buy and of course, you would want to go with the original jacket but unfortunately,
the Husky company was sold to an Italian company so it's no longer the original thing. You'll
find various jackets from hundreds of manufacturer's all over the world. Traditional ones are oftentimes
the ones you find in England and there are several brands, there are some from Italy,
which have a more modern fit. You'll also find them in the US and if you head over to
our guide about quilted jackets, I talk in detail about different brands, different preferences,
some for hunters, some for drivers, for everyday use and I'm sure you'll find exactly the quilted
jacket you like. Just click here and head over to see the full spectrum of quilted jackets
that we recommend. The jacket I'm wearing here right now is from Barbour and they have
a range of jackets and so I would head over there and check it out. The one that you can
see here made of wool is from another British company called Lavenham. I like them both
very much, this one is very unique because it has the green corduroy trim and the houndstooth
tweed. The Barbour I'm wearing right now is very easy to find everywhere. Price wise,
you can actually find them new starting at a hundred dollars. For more features, better
materials, you spend about 250 - 300 of course, that also depends on the brand you have but
if you're on a budget, you can try to find them on eBay or second hand starting at maybe
20, 25 -30 dollars. Overall, great value for what you get. Over time, sometimes the quilting
may come off but frankly, that does not really matter, it just gives your garment character
and if it looks frumpy or anything, you'll just get a new one.