What to wear right now – just don’t call it a shacket!
Photos: Claire Pepper
Anyone living in the UK for the last four years has had enough of one hybrid word, in particular… Anyway, let’s not dwell on that when we have Covid, sweat and tiers to contend with. Another word that’s slipped seamlessly into our vocabulary is shacket (a hybrid of shirt and jacket). Call me curmudgeonly but I much prefer to ignore this lazy fashion lingo and make a point of referring to garments by their correct names. There’s nowt wrong with overshirt, lumberjack coat or donkey jacket. The kind of words that remind me of growing up in the north (not that there were any lumberjacks in Blackpool but we did have a few donkeys). The kind of jackets Marlon Brando wore in On the Waterfront. And yes, this garment is a contender…
There is a beauty in utility and something comforting about layering up in sturdy workwear pieces and stompy shoes. In this gentlewomanly, utiltarian garb I feel ready for action. Whether that’s navigating the local supermarket or dodging pedestrians with no spatial awareness, on the London streets. The Kin donkey jacket (and I am delighted that John Lewis has called it by that name), is my cover-up du jour. Having lots of pockets makes it a superb modern-day aid to personal organisation; plenty of room for the face mask and hand sanitiser. And it’s great for slipping on over my old coated, black jeans, lockdown jumpsuit or joggers. The boxy cut makes it big enough to layer over a chunky knit or, indeed, another jacket. For a quick trip up north to see my mum before Lockdown 2.0, I wore the checked overshirt with the upcycled camo bomber and the double jacket scenario worked a treat.
This is the final outfit in my John Lewis Instagram collaboration and when we were taking the photograph in the street, a woman stopped to tell me how much she liked my jacket. She’s got good taste…
More overshirts for overwinter:
*Please note: That’s Not My Age uses affiliate links to gain a small commission on items purchased through the site
The Kin shoes are available HERE and ‘balloon’ trousers HERE.
Discussion (20 Comments)
What a coincidence. I must look at Roger Robinson’s work. And I’m flattered that you were reading TNMA before your poetry class! Thanks, Carole.
maudie says:
Covid, sweat and tiers! – so funny (if only it were). Yes, ‘shacket’ does seem a particularly daft word. I am all for layers as the weather gets colder but find lumberjack checks hard to wear. I am on the lookout for a plain version of this. The boxy shape of yours is gorgeous and I LOVE LOVE the shoes. They are not DM’s? Where did you find those? Hope your mum and well and Covid-coping.
The shoes are from Kin at John Lewis, Maudie. Link at the bottom of the feature. And thank you for asking about mum.
Jax says:
I’ve always liked the look of the plaid shacket on my husband — I’ve even found some good vintage ones. So I’m more than happy that this trend has come over to the ladies’ side as well.
Maggie Alderson says:
Ah, donkey jackets… part of the streetscape of my childhood, it was so odd the way they gradually disappeared, along with the mines, foundries etc they used to come from, on the backs of the workers. It gave me such a pang when I saw them in Billy Elliot.
Mrs Tonia says:
Like the boxy plaid jacket, donkey or otherwise photographed here on you Alyson. I have some plaid shirts which I tend tonlayer over long sleeved t-shirts or heat tech tops. Must dig them out to try this season. Thanks for continuing everyday wear inspiration, WFH or not.
On another note, glad to learn you managed to have family reunions “up north” before tier three in Lancashire and tier two came into being. We clearly need to prepare now across the board for lockdown 2.0Karen L Grohs says:
I wore a green and black Pendleton “shirt jacket” of my dad’s as a jacket all through high school, until it wore out. I’m seriously considering a ’49er’ jacket now.
Patrish says:
For a bit of proportional jazzing up, and for fear of the ‘lumberjack’ look on my 5’11” frame, I’d pop the collar, roll the cuffs back and wear it with a tight black turtle neck and narrow black pants or flared jeans. Boots.
I wore a fabulous Pendleton car coat from the 50s that originally belonged to my mom all thru high school. It looked quite shabby and threadbare but I loved it anyway. It went missing from my closet one day and I could never find it again. I suspect my mom threw it out, although she would never admit it. I’m thinking it’s about time I found a new one.
Sierra says:
Your post reminded me of a pair of jeans I wore in 1970 as s teenager living in South Africa. I those days you couldn’t buy “washed out”/patched/ripped jeans in those days. I worked hard to get those jeans looking stone washed!! They disappeared in the same fashion as your jacket. Although I remember packing them for the return journey to the UK, nobody admitted knowing where they had disappeared to on the journey
My son bought a shacket just the other day. After his 60 something mum told him what they were
Pip says:
Years ago the plane we were on had to do an emergency landing at Birmingham when we were heading to Amsterdam for the weekend. Getting off the plane were all subdued and shaky but I suddenly had an attack of the giggles. Why? Well – one of the ground staff had written on the plastic panel across the back of his donkey jacket “Morbid Bystander” it seemed very apt and classic Brummie humour. I had to explain the meaning to a Danish businessman but it was lost in translation…..
Sarah Ford says:
A really great combination.
Are all these pieces true to size please? I find Kin sizing a bit variable, so it’s a bit difficult to purchase online.
Many thanks.Hi Sarah, Agree about the Kin sizing, some items are massive. I went down a size for the trousers but the jacket is my usual size. Hope that helps.
Carolyn Triance says:
These work better for me if there are low pockets, not just pockets at chest level. I have bought the cream one above from & Other Stories and although it is good quality, a nice colour to lift darker wintry outfits, I do miss being able to slip my hands in pockets.
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This is so strange – I’m at a poetry workshop this evening and was just looking at Roger Robinson’s ‘A Portable Paradise’ – a brilliant collection that won the 2019 T S Eliot Prize… In his poem ‘And if I speak of Paradise’ there is a reference to ‘shirt jacs’, not something I was familiar with. I looked it up and shirt jacs are shackets! (which I hadn’t heard of either). Literally two minutes before looking at your post. But it’s nothing to do with fashion, or style, sorry. I quite like the shacket on you Alyson – but I think I’d find the cuffs awkward and it would look too bulky on me.