Kuidas jakk ühendas printsess Diana, Michael Jacksoni ja Drake'i

No matter what anyone says, the overseas country has continued to sow the fruits of its culture all over the world over the years. Yes, we’re talking about America. Specifically the culture of students. Hollywood movies have fixed in our minds the image of a classic student with a mandatory attribute of his appearance – a multicolored jacket with the logos of the educational institution.

Today, the jacket has migrated from college campuses to the shelves of fashionable stores. Big brands are using this cut for their major collaborations and individual capsules. But what’s interesting is another thing: how did it happen that the insignia and pride of American students became so popular all over the world? Together with an image maker, let’s try to figure it out.

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Such a jacket is suitable for a person active, bright, sporty and a little infantile, because the letterman jacket is about nostalgia of former university times.

So that there is no confusion

To begin with, let’s define the correct name of the product. Thanks to the coach of the Harvard baseball team on the uniform jerseys of the best players began to stitch the capital letter of the university, and then they turned into jackets. That’s where the names come from: Letterman, varsity jacket, varsity jacket, baseball jacket, and varsity jacket.

Daria: Letterman jacket is an element of preppy style and baseball theme. It is very characteristic, it is easy to build a stylish image around it, complementing even the most basic things.

If you look in detail

Immediately it becomes clear that, despite the variety of names, in fact, the appearance of the jacket has not changed for decades. It is still a short contrasting jacket made of dense wool, with leather sleeves, a loose cut and on buttons-buttons. The main feature is a number or letter on the chest on the left, and it is necessarily made of terry material and large size.

It’s history

It all started in 1865. The letter “H” (Harvard – editor’s märkus ) – was a badge of honor, by which it became clear that a person has achieved success in the university baseball team. At first it was sewn on the jerseys that were given to all members of the team, but only the best players could keep them.

The rest had to return the uniforms to the coach at the end of the season. Harvard was followed by other schools and then other sports.

Some time later, following the baseball players, the Harvard University soccer team embroidered the letter “H” on their uniforms. Those players who took part in particularly important games, including those against Yale and Princeton, were allowed to keep their jerseys. Thus, an unspoken Letterman club was organized.

Because other players wanted to be a part of it, they had to practice harder. Everyone dreamed of walking around campus in a letterman jersey. Over time, the letter was reduced in size and moved from the center to the left side of the jersey, and additional “merits” were embroidered on the sleeves.

Daria: This element looks expensive and status, because a jacket with a letter in the university time was still worth earning. For this reason, in a modern closet it is perfectly combined with other luxury items: expensive jewelry, watches and bags with monograms of luxury brands.

Transition to the modern look

In 1930, there is a big change in tradition. Sweaters were replaced by jackets, which did not change much in appearance from that moment – wool base, leather sleeves, buttons and letters. Additional insignia was stitched over the letters on the chest and sometimes on the back. The meaning was that athletes needed a warmer uniform for playing on cold days. At this time another name for the jacket appeared – Varsity Jacket.

The tradition gained momentum and spread to all Ivy League universities – the most prestigious educational institutions in America: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Brown, University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College. Gradually, the Varsity jacket made its way into the closet of every athlete in the United States.

Letterman – Varsity fashion

Over time, athletic university jackets became popular outside of educational institutions. The trend began to gradually make its way into the pop culture of today. By the 1980s, you didn’t have to be a member of a sports team to wear one.

A major contribution to the popularity of the clothing item came from the legendary brand Stussy, in 1987. The company began manufacturing Varsity in jersey and leather. The Homeboy Jackets, for example, were made in bright colors and combined with a streetwear aesthetic. This move came to symbolize the transition from student uniforms to street wear.

The jackets became an integral element of fashion trends in America and in Europe. One of the peaks of recognition can be considered Michael Jackson’s music video for the song Thriller, where he appeared in a red university jacket with gold sleeves and a large letter “M” embroidered on it.

Letterman was also spotted in Princess Diana’s closet. In 1991, she appeared in public wearing a silver and green Philadelphia Eagles team jacket. It was a gift from Jack Edelstein, former Philadelphia club statistics manager and friend of Grace Kelly.

According to Edelstein, at Kelly’s funeral, Diane talked to him about American soccer and asked about his team’s colors, which happened to be her favorite. Upon his return to the United States, Edelstein ordered a jacket specifically for Princess Diana.

Today in Russia, these jackets are simply and succinctly called bomber.

What to wear a bomber with? 3 tips from a stylist:

• With jeans and sneakers. The most simple and clear mix, in which the preppy style makes friends with everyday relaxed things: baggy jeans, soft sneakers. Such an image may well be suitable for casual walks around the city and meetings with friends;
• With a cap. To complement the relaxed image with sneakers and jeans, you can take a cap, which will support the sporty mood of the image and add a bit of structure to the image;
• Play with color. Often letterman jackets combine several colors (university colors). For a harmonious image, these colors can be supported by the color of the sneakers, bag, glasses, so that the whole outfit blends together. Yellow jacket sleeves and purple sneakers as an example.

To date, the university jacket has not lost its relevance, the letterman is popular all over the world. Among the many fans of this element of clothing can be distinguished such stars as Kanye West, Drake, Justin Bieber and Jay-Z.