J.Crew didn’t invent the barn coat. Like an American folk song, its roots are tangled too deeply into undocumented history to find its precise origins.
J.Crew did, however, trademark the term Barn Jacket, and the New York outfitter is as synonymous with this particular type of outerwear as any of the other brands that have produced it for generations, like Filson, L.L.Bean and Orvis.
As the name suggests, the 1983 Heritage Barn Jacket was released in 1983. It was part of J.Crew’s original collection when the brand was a mail-order catalog called Popular Merchandise. It was eventually discontinued in the late 1990s.
After changing hands on the vintage market for decades, J.Crew wisely revived the official Barn Jacket in 2018. Along with the standard cotton canvas, the modern version has been produced in waxed cotton, linen and a complete Barbour upgrade.
J.Crew pulled another iteration from the archive with a Barn Jacket made from a 60% cotton and 40% nylon blend shell that improves weather resistance. It is also upgraded with a storm flap zipper front and a waist cinch.
Everything we know and love about the Barn Jacket — the corduroy-lined collar, overlapping front pockets, shoulder gussets and adjustable cuffs — is still there.
