The History of the Varsity Jacket, From Harvard to Hip-Hop – The Wall Street Journal

FESTOONED WITH patches, the varsity jacket has, for decades, announced its wearers as members of a team. But the nature of that team has changed over time. Elite male athletes at Ivy League schools wore early versions in the 1920s, said Deirdre Clemente, a fashion historian and the author of Dress Casual: How College Students Redefined American Style. The wool jacketsa love child of English rowing blazers and letterman sweatershad snap buttons, leather sleeves and patches and pins denoting your college and team. They conferred status and swagger and said Im a big man on campus quicker than a privileged glare.

Fifties and 60s high-school jocks turned varsities into emblems of youth culture, but the 80s brought a twist: Michael Jackson donned a red-and-gold one in his Thriller video, and hip-hop stars like Run-DMC wore versions of the arguably elitist jackets with bravado and a wink. These musicians instilled squeaky collegiate style with cool.

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The History of the Varsity Jacket, From Harvard to Hip-Hop - The Wall Street Journal