The chore jacket is workwear's great survivor: a square-cut, button-front jacket with generous patch pockets, designed in nineteenth-century France for labourers, rail workers and farmers who needed a tough layer that could carry tools and take a beating. A century and a half later the shape is unchanged and the appeal is the same, room to move, pockets that hold things, and a plainness that goes with everything. This guide covers where the chore jacket comes from, what to look for in a good one, and how Gloverall builds the two in its range.
From French workwear to British wardrobe
The original was the French "bleu de travail": a jacket cut from hard-wearing cotton drill or moleskin, dyed the deep blue that gave French workwear its name. It had no lining, no padding and no pretension; the fit was roomy because it was worn over other clothes, and the three or four patch pockets were sized for the working day. Its move into everyday wardrobes followed the same path as the peacoat and the parka: photographers, artists and gardeners adopted it first, and the jacket's honesty did the rest. Today it sits in the same corner of the wardrobe as an unstructured blazer, smarter than a casual jacket, easier than tailoring.
What to look for in a chore jacket
The cloth. The jacket is the fabric: there is no lining or structure to hide behind. Dense cotton is the classic route and softens with age; a wool cloth moves the jacket into cooler weather and a smarter register.
The pockets. Patch pockets, sewn on rather than let in, are the signature. They should be big enough to be useful; a chore jacket with token pockets is a blazer in disguise.
The fit. Cut for layering: a jumper should fit underneath without strain, and the hem should sit at the hip. Some wear it neat, almost as a blazer; others size up and treat it as an overshirt. Both are legitimate, the jacket predates the idea of a defined fit.
The Gloverall chore jackets
Men's Walter Chore Jacket
The Men's Walter Chore Jacket takes the workwear silhouette into wool: an 80 percent wool cloth at a substantial 850 grams per linear metre, unlined in the traditional way, with a plain face and a tonal check on the reverse that shows at the collar and cuffs. The weight gives it real warmth for an unpadded jacket, and the wool moves it towards the smarter end of the chore jacket's range: it will sit over a roll-neck in place of a blazer without looking like it is trying to be one.
Women's Kennedy Chore Jacket
The Women's Kennedy Chore Jacket stays closer to the original: 100 percent cotton, unlined, cut with the easy square shape the style was born with. It is the three-season workhorse, over a striped tee in spring, over a fine knit in autumn, and it earns character with wear the way only plain cotton does.
How to wear one
The chore jacket's trick is that it makes simple clothes look considered. Over a white tee or Breton stripe with jeans, it is the classic. Over a roll-neck with tailored trousers, it stands in for a blazer. The one rule worth keeping: let the jacket be the workwear piece in the outfit, and keep the rest clean.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a chore jacket and a blazer?
Construction. A blazer is tailored, with shaping, lining and structured shoulders; a chore jacket is a flat, unlined, square-cut working garment with patch pockets. The chore jacket is the easier of the two to wear casually and the more forgiving to layer under.
Are chore jackets warm enough for winter?
A cotton chore jacket is a spring and autumn layer. A wool one, like the Walter at 850 grams per linear metre, extends well into winter over proper knitwear, though on the coldest days it belongs under a coat rather than instead of one.
Should a chore jacket be oversized?
Roomy, not oversized. The style was designed to be worn over other clothes, so take the fit that lets a jumper sit underneath without pulling. If you want the overshirt look, one size up is usually enough.
