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The first months of fall (read: now) prove a blessed time. The weather, yet to turn towards tundra-like conditions, is crisp and brisk, optimal for layering cozy knitwear or, better yet, crispy, rugged outwear. There are the fan-favorite trucker jackets we’ve long sworn by, along with fuzzy fleece zips that make an annual appearance. But this year, consider adding a new — okay, very old — style to your rotation. The best barn coats, are, after all, the coolest thing that you can wear for fall.
In This Article
- What Is a Barn Coat?
- Barn Coats vs Chore Coats
- Breaking Down the Barn Coat Trend
- The Best Barn Coats for Men This Fall
What Is a Barn Coat?
While it shares many similarities with other outerwear styles, the barn coat has its own distinct silhouette and characteristics that set it apart from other workwear layers. The style typically features some combination of curved drop pockets at the waist, chest pocket, a corduroy collar and cuffs, a cotton canvas shell and a boxy fit that hits the upper thigh. L.L.Bean is routinely cited as the creator of the modern barn coat — albeit dubbed the “field coat” — releasing a silo in 1924 designed specifically for farmers and workers dealing with serious physical labor and intense weather conditions.
While other workwear styles tend to land on the lighter side of outerwear, barn coats are often lined with flannel, wool or nylon, making them a preferable option as temperatures drop. Similarly, many barn coats are waxed or treated with a water-resistant finish, for further protection from environmental factors.
Barn Coat vs Chore Coat: Whats the Difference?
As previously mentioned, the barn coat and chore coat both share many similarities — a reliance on cotton canvas, boxy fit and tri-pocket design. Unlike a chore coat, however, barn coats are predominantly lined and feature a signature corduory collar and cuffs. They also tend to have a longer body and more robust outer than the typical chore coats.
Breaking Down the Barn Coat Trend
Barn coats remain a perennial staple of middle-Americana, but their adoption into the fashion milieu is a recent evolution. With runway trends and a TikTok blitz placing a premium on workwear outerwear, and the trucker and chore coats ran through, as it were, the barn coat, with its novel, slightly preppy silhouette, has provided a ripe rediscovery for designers.
We’ve seen the result borne out on runways and in seasonal collections alike this year: from Prada to Poshmark, the barn coat is back and bigger than ever. Modern models and avant-garde replicas have departed from the traditional formula, Frankensteining in hunting and military elements for new fashion-forward makes, and even cohort of original purveyors (L.L.Bean, J.Crew…any brand with initials in the name, really) have reached back into archives to capitalize on the current barn coat craze.
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- For the Everyday Guy: Orvis Classic Barn Coat, $169
- For the Catalog Enthusiast: J.Crew Limited-Edition 1983 Heritage Barn Jacket, $178
- For the Workwear Purist: L.L. Bean Original Cotton-Lined Field Coat, $169
- For the Luxury Laborer: Burberry Quilted Nylon Barn Jacket, $1,650
As experts in all things workwear and obsessives about all things preppy, the barn coat lands right in the middle of our preferred sartorial Venn diagram, and we haven’t taken that responsiblity lightly — over the past few months, we’ve spent dozens of hours testing a variety of barn coats from all the brands you’d expect. You can find our thoughts on jackets from Orvis, L.L. Bean and more compiled below. Here are the best barn coats that men can wear this fall.
The Best Barn Coats, According to Style Editors
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: S-XXL | Fit: True to size | Pockets: Five | Color Options: Three
Best For: Everyday guys, first-time barn coat-ers.
If we asked you to close your eyes and imagine the mean of all barn jackets, there’s a good chance you’d dream up something close to Orvis’ Classic Barn Coat. Equipped with all (and we mean all) of the traditional particulars — flannel lining, 7.8 cotton canvas shell, huge drop pockets, double-zip closure, corduroy collar, the list goes on — and available in all the classic workwear colors, it’s the ideal starter jacket for any guy interested in embracing his breadbasket roots.
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Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Fit: True to size | Pockets: Three | Color Options: Five
Best For: Crew catalog worshippers.
The J.Crew resurgence is something that will eventually be studied. A huge part of this recent turnaround has been the re-embrace of their retro catalog styles — including, of course, the OG 1983 Barn Jacket that continues to define a generation of New England workwear and make the rounds on menswear moodboards everywhere. This reissue is more or less the exact model that dropped 40-odd years ago (the one hanging in your dad’s closet) give or take a technical innovation or two.
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: S-3XL | Fit: Runs large | Pockets: Five | Color Options: Two
Best For: Workwear purists, bigger bois.
Legend cites L.L.Bean as the original force behind of the primordial barn coat, and nearly 100 years later, their most recent iteration has hardly changed. It’s a testament to both the quality of the Maine-based appareler and the enduring appeal of the style. In particular, the flannel-lined, long-cut heft of their Field Coat outperforms virtually every other style at the price point. It might not be the most flexible or even modern, but it is certainly a workhorse you’ll find yourself coming back to, time and time again. Even if you’re the potential vice president.
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Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: S-3XL | Fit: True to size | Pockets: Four | Color Options: One
Best For: Outerwear elitists, the aristocracy.
We’ll be the first to admit that this Quilted Nylon Barn Jacket from the chaps over at Barbour has more in common with Barbour styles than an all-American workhorse. We’ll also be the first to point out that this makes perfect sense: the original form of the barn coat is, after all, decidedly rugged, casual and made to handle agriculture-induced wear and tear, not suffer through skeet shooting. Still, this thoroughly British rendition is exceptional when you meet it where it’s at. With state-of-the-art nylon quitting and a water-resistant appliquéd B shield, it’s a thoroughly luxurious option for anyone trying to level up their wardrobe to “wintering in Saint Moritz” status.
More Barn Coats We Love
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: S-XXL | Fit: True to size | Pockets: Five | Color Options: Three
Alex Mill is exceptional at making clothes approachable. Take, for instance, their Frontier Jacket. While directly inspired by 1950s barn jackets and detailed with all the appropriate hallmarks like drop pockets, a washed cotton-canvas shell and plaid flannel half-lining, the coat feels more accessible for a modern wardrobe than some of the workwear-facing models.
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Fit: True to size | Pockets: Seven | Color Options: One
Leave it to Ralph to deliver truly vintage-looking barn coat. With a western-adjacent designed that’s been pulled straight out of the RL archives, this Polo jacket is made from a pre-washed cotton canvas and detailed with all the classic fixings (waxed leather trim, fine-wale cord) you expect of America’s brand.
Materials: 100% Organic Cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Fit: True to size | Pockets: Three | Color Options: Three
While nominally a barn jacket, this Everlane coat is more of a chore coat hybrid in actuality; it’s a touch lighter and designed with a much more modern silhouette than some of the other options on this list. For guys who want workwear-inspired detailing — a corduroy collar and patched reinforcements on the shoulders and elbows — without flannel-lined bulk or classic proportioning, look no further.
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Fit: Runs slightly small | Pockets: Five | Color Options: One
When Brooks Brothers say that their barn coat is sturdy, they mean it. Their rendition of the classic outerwear is, in a word, stiff; the cotton canvas imbues the layer with a backbone-like feel. For fans of pre-broken-in pieces, this may be a detraction — you have been forewarned — but for anyone who appreciates an extra-crispy heritage style that will shape to your body over months of wear, this is the only barn coat for you.
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Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: S-XXL | Fit: Runs slightly large | Pockets: Four | Color Options: OneS
Similar to a few of the previously mentioned styles, Wythe’s Canvas Barn Jacket is a bit of a departure from the classic L.L.Bean and J.Crew silos, but don’t let you distract you: the layer is still exceptional in its own right. Crafted in India from 100% pinpoint canvas cotton, the jacket takes inspiration from 1950s coveralls that workers wore on the job.
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