Comfy, alpha and a little bit French: the return of the Little Boxy Jacket
The classics are the classics for a reason, and the Little Boxy Jacket is a classic. You know the one I mean. A soft, round-necked jacket that falls in a straight line, lopped off neatly without hugging the waist. The shoulder line is natural, no significant padding. Sleeves are slim and straight. It is loose enough to have a little swing, but it doesn’t flop or trail. This is the jacket equivalent of a classic bob haircut: chic, effortless polish, vaguely French.
The LBJ never really goes away, but in 2025 it is going to be everywhere. Coco Chanel put this shape on the map a century ago. Chanel is in the spotlight this year, with a new designer in Matthieu Blazy, and when fashion is talking about Chanel, then the LBJ is naturally front of mind. You don’t need me to tell you that Chanel is the gold standard here. A real Chanel, whether vintage or new, will cost about the same as a secondhand car. It will hold its value much better than a car, and I would argue it could be as useful as one, but I get that not everyone would see it that way – and given the price this is a purely academic argument, really. Anyway, this look has trickled down to every price point. The spiritual home of the LBJ will always be Chanel, but it is now as native to the high street as a Starbucks latte.
The genius of the LBJ is that it is a jacket you can keep on all day. I love tailored blazers, and tuxedo jackets for evening, but the minute I get where I’m going, my instinct is to take them off. If I’m going to sit at my desk and work, or sit at a table and eat, then without thinking about it I remove my jacket, because wearing it makes me feel as if I’ve still got my coat on. And no matter how smart your jacket is, it isn’t adding anything to your look if it is hanging on the coat rack. Because an LBJ is unstructured, and short enough to sit in without sitting on, it feels natural and comfortable to keep it on all day.
The spiritual home of the LBJ will always be Chanel, but it is now as native to the high street as a Starbucks latte
How to pick the right one? Keep it simple. Because there are so many versions of this style available, designers and retailers will often add extra detailing in an attempt to catch your eye. On a recent high street scouting trip I saw an LBJ with puffed shoulders, another with an asymmetric hem, and a barn-jacket-meets-LBJ hybrid in tweed with a cord collar. Hard pass to all of the above. First, look for the right fabric. You want softness, but not limpness, so anywhere between a nubbly tweed and a dense woven wool will work – nothing stiffer, and nothing too light. Second, discard any with a V-neck. A round neckline is the alpha version here, so stick with that.
Our next important decision is whether we want a collar or not. A tweedy fabric looks great collarless for a pure, clean line. If the material is a little softer, a simple neat collar can be useful to add a little oomph – you want jacket energy, not cardi energy. If you aren’t sure, think about what you will wear it with. If you wear a lot of collared blouses and shirts, then a collarless jacket is the best option, to keep the neckline from looking messy. If you are more likely to be wearing the jacket over a T-shirt or a shift dress, then a collar works well.
Are you with me so far? Good. Now let’s talk buttons and pockets. This is where you do want detail, to make this look sing. Fancy buttons are really good here: think conker-sized pearls, or military-parade brass. If there are buttons trimming the cuffs and the pockets also, so much the better. Coco Chanel gave most of her jackets four pockets so that she could use one for cigarettes, one for lipstick, one for coins and one for scissors, without any one pocket being overstuffed and spoiling the line. Mademoiselle did make some questionable judgement calls, however – not least in her politics – and I would suggest that pockets at breast level can look a bit matronly if you have any boobs to speak of, so bear in mind that you might be better with just two pockets. The classics are the classics for a reason, but there’s always room to learn from past mistakes, right?
Model: Bella at Milk. Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson using Charlotte Mensah and Karma Ayurveda. Jacket, £99, John Lewis. Polo shirt, £140, Reiss. Skirt, £25.99, Zara
