The Essential View: Most maisons de luxe offer their own interpretations of the denim jacket. Brunello Cucinelli, Celine, LOEWE, and Louis Vuitton each offer their own take on the icon. But perhaps the best move is to go back to the source: Levi’s. Most of their denim jackets aren’t upscale, and they don’t need to be. But when Levi’s makes an elevated version of their own invention, it offers something the maisons can’t: the history of the denim jacket itself.
This article hasn’t turned out the way I thought it would when I started writing it.
My original idea was to write a survey of elevated denim jackets for men and women from luxury houses. And most maisons de luxe offer denim jackets, in versions that range from luxury that’s quiet to luxury that very much announces itself. A few examples:
Brunello Cucinelli Men’s Lightweight Old Denim Four-pocket Jacket, $2,900 / 2 200 €
Celine Women’s Trucker Jacket in Cotton Denim, $1,950 / 1 390 €
LOEWE Women’s Workwear Jacket in Denim, $1,950 / 1 500 €
Louis Vuitton Men’s Monogram Denim Workwear Jacket, $3,300 / 2 600 €
As it happens, I own and regularly wear a denim jacket myself, from Levi’s. What I wanted to do here was provide more elevated options. But the more I looked at them, the more I found myself thinking that perhaps the best option was go to back to the source.
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova.
Most of Levi’s’ denim jackets are basic, and that’s not a bad thing. I wear their standard Trucker Jacket, and if I think about the price versus how much use I get out of it, the ratio is off the charts.
Levi’s Men’s Trucker Jacket in Colusa Medium Wash, $90 / 130 €
But Levi’s also makes elevated versions of their denim jackets for both women and men:
Levi’s Women’s Type II Trucker Jacket in Royal Wave Made of Japan Medium Wash, $325 (no EU price available)
Levi’s Men’s 1953 Type II Trucker Jacket in Flippen Medium Wash, $425 / 440 €
Those are made from elevated fabrics: Japanese denim for the women’s, organic cotton selvedge denim for the men’s. The women’s is from their Blue Tab collection and is made in Japan. The men’s is from Levi’s Vintage Clothing. And both have the history of being based on the 1953 Type II trucker jacket.
The bottom line
There are plenty of luxury denim jackets out there, and each maison has its own take. Brunello Cucinelli makes it softer and subtler. Celine makes it younger and more Parisian. LOEWE adds leather and graphic identity. Louis Vuitton makes it a Monogram canvas.
But if your goal is to wear a denim jacket, plain and simple, perhaps the better choice is Levi’s. Their basic offerings get the job done, but you can spend more for elevated models like the Type II. They’re made from premium materials such as Japanese and selvedge denim, but just as importantly, they have history behind them—and all at a price that’s a fraction of that of their luxury cousins.
