Suede trucker jackets borrow the denim jacket pattern and improve on it. Button front, shirt collar, two chest pockets with flaps, a hem cropped at the hip and tab adjusters at the waist. Short, square and easy to put on over almost anything.What makes this the most-worn jacket in a lot of wardrobes is weight. It sits in the gap between a shirt and a coat: light enough to keep on indoors, structured enough to read as outerwear outside. If you want one layer that covers spring and autumn rather than just winter, start here rather than with something heavier.The tabs at the side seams pull the hem in by roughly an inch each, which on a cropped jacket is the difference between boxy and fitted. Suede marks more readily than smooth leather and spots in rain until it dries; a suede brush brings the nap back.Because these are cropped, chest and shoulder matter more than length. Email your shoulder measurement to info@cordwainleather.com for one recommended size.

A jacket and an overshirt in one pattern

The trucker borrows the denim jacket pattern and improves on it in suede. Button placket, shirt collar, twin chest pockets under button flaps, cropped at the hip, tab adjusters at the waist. Buttoned up it is a jacket. Worn open over a t-shirt it behaves like an overshirt. That double duty is why it ends up being the most-worn thing in a lot of wardrobes.

The shirt collar is what separates it from a bomber. It lies flat under a coat and does not fight a scarf, which a ribbed collar always will.

Shirt jacket, shacket, overshirt, trucker

Four names circling the same idea, and the differences are real but small.

  • Trucker — the denim-derived pattern specifically: chest pockets with flaps, waist tabs, cropped square at the hip.
  • Shirt jacket — any jacket cut on shirt proportions with a shirt collar and button front. A trucker is one kind.
  • Shacket — the same garment, usually cut looser and longer, often in wool rather than suede.
  • Overshirt — describes how it is worn rather than how it is cut: a shirt heavy enough to be outerwear.

On women's sizing: this shape is cut in men's sizes here, XS to 3XL. The suede shirt jacket is one of the most-searched women's silhouettes and it is not yet in the women's range. Several customers size down into the men's cut and it works, because the trucker is square rather than shaped. Email info@cordwainleather.com before ordering and we will go through the measurements rather than have you guess.

The colors

  • Brown — the safest first choice. Works with denim, gray and black, and hides marks best.
  • Olive — the traditional outdoors color, and good with indigo.
  • Red — a deep brick, closer to rust than to scarlet.
  • Blue — mid denim-blue suede, which looks unexpectedly good against black.

Fit

Cut close, designed to sit over a shirt rather than a sweater. If you want to layer a knit underneath, size up. Sizes XS to 3XL.

Shipping, duties and returns

Free worldwide shipping, 4 to 9 business days. Duties settled before dispatch wherever the carrier supports Delivered Duty Paid to the destination. 30 days to return.

Questions

Can a suede trucker be worn as a shirt jacket?

That is what the button front and shirt collar are for. Open over a tee it is an overshirt; buttoned it is a jacket.

Is suede too hot to wear indoors?

Unlined suede is light enough to keep on in a cool room, which is the advantage of this shape over a lined leather jacket.

Does the waist stretch out?

Suede softens with wear, but the tab adjusters take up any give, so it holds its shape at the hem.

Which color should I buy first?

Brown. It goes with the most and shows the least.