An Underrated Winter Jacket, Straight From My Grandpa’s Closet
A vintage Marilyn-approved alternative to the puffer that you can find on eBay for $30.
The time has come for the changing of the guards coats when we reach into the depths of our closets to excavate our warmest defenses.
Thin trenches and denim jackets that can’t withhold freezing rain and petals of snow breathe a sigh of relief to be dismissed from their posts until next year. My puffer jacket is rubbing its sleeves together as we speak, smugly taunting a cropped number that never makes it past spring, but the coat I’m reaching for most in the winter isn’t the puffer — it’s this one I stole from my grandpa’s closet.
When my grandpa died, my family gave me nearly free reign on his and my grandma’s closet that hadn’t been cleaned out for at least 30 years (being generous there). They know how much I love vintage clothing, and they knew I’d also be the only family member interested in digging through piles of disintegrating sweaters that reeked of moth balls — lucky me!
I took home a bounty of treasure from the two of them: my grandpa’s ‘70s Levi’s denim jacket that he sewed a zipper into for easier wear (he loved sewing zippers into things); “M” jewelry accompanied by handwritten notes that my grandpa had gifted my grandma (as the only grandchild with the same initial as our grandma, it was like I won the lottery); wool cardigans so old they were actually worn by my great-grandmother, truly the itchiest things I have ever felt in my life but I will never ever get rid of them; and by far, my most worn item of clothing as soon as I feel the chill of winter approaching, a vintage St. John’s Bay army green quilted flight jacket.
The quilted flight jacket is the older cousin of the barn jacket — slightly wiser, better prepared, and has known your grandpa a few years longer. Flight jackets were originally designed to keep WWI pilots warm in open-air cockpits with a quilted or fur lining in the interior, a high collar (often shearling) to protect the neck, and cinched waist and wrists to prevent heat from escaping.
I consider it the perfect catch-all winter coat for my open-air walks to pick up Chinese takeout. (And similarly, while men used to go to war in cardigans, which you can read about from
, I usually wear mine to breakfast dates and museum wanders.)
Quilted interior makes the jacket extra thick and impervious to frigid air. It’s as warm as any of my medium weight puffers. A high collar keeps my chest from being exposed to the elements and adds an extra layer of protection under a scarf. Amid a sea of blanket coats threatening to hide me away in my most ass-hugging jeans, the cinched waist is not only practical for warmth but flattering too.
Some may even say a flight jacket can be sexy, as demonstrated by Marilyn Monroe on her 1954 visit to American troops stationed in Korea.
Now, in a post open-air cockpit world, the term “flight jacket” is often interchangeable with the term “bomber jacket”. Though at one point there was a military distinction between the two, us civilians don’t require that level of intel for day-to-day life.
Bomber style jackets most often have very low collars, which knocks a few points off the warmth score, but the vintage bomber I own — a quilted wool and leather version — is warm enough for some winter nights. Our modern idea of a bomber jacket usually leans toward the baseball style.
Perhaps the most important and underrated function of a winter coat is how throw-on-able it is — and throw-on-able a flight jacket is indeed. I never end up reaching for coats that require any fuss in the winter because I’m too damn cold to be bothered. My grandpa’s flight jacket is the perfect oversized fit for this requirement, big enough to layer on top of even my thickest winter sweaters that render so many other jackets completely unwearable.
There’s quite a bit of fabric variety available too. I love the casual canvas look of mine, which is also decent at repelling snow and light rain, but there are a plethora of options online in leather, suede, sturdy workwear canvas, wool, and corduroy. You can find similar jackets filled with down, too, for a sled day or trip to the slopes.
This holiday season, I’m thankful for practical grandfathers and quilted fabric. It’s only early December and I’ve already worn this jacket more times than I can count. Perhaps it’s time to hunt down another color to add to my winter repertoire…?
If you hate reaching for a puffer as much as I do — or if you want to look just like Marilyn — I have a lovely selection of secondhand picks in the $15-$115 range for paid subscribers ₊˚⊹♡ ⛇☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.