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Jan 02, 2024

The Most Luxurious Denim Jacket You'll Ever Wear

SHOP $4,500 loropiana.com Welcome to The Investment. These are the pieces—a little pricier, a lot nicer, and entirely worth the money—that our editors love and respect. The picks with a story to tell

SHOP $4,500 loropiana.com

Welcome to The Investment. These are the pieces—a little pricier, a lot nicer, and entirely worth the money—that our editors love and respect. The picks with a story to tell and a real reason to exist. Looking to put your dollars in the right place? Here's how.

We could get into the denim trucker jacket's place in the modern wardrobe. We could dissect its history, expound upon its ongoing legacy, and dig into what, exactly, makes this particular garment resonate so powerfully with so many of us. But we're not going to do any of that, because we—meaning me, you, and pretty much the whole world—already know. We know it's a classic, just like we know that pretty much every guy can wear one and wear it well. But what I've just learned is that there's a higher form of this jacket. A platonic ideal of the denim trucker. It's made in Italy from an ultra-soft but sturdy blend of cashmere and denim. It's from the luxury experts Loro Piana. And if you're in the market for a truly top-tier take on a timeless wardrobe essential, it's bound to be your new go-to.

For decades, Loro Piana was known first and foremost as one of the very best fabric producers in the world. The brand's cashmere, especially, holds a well-deserved place in every luxury fan's heart. It's on a whole other level of plushness, softness, richness—the sort of stuff that you really have to touch to believe. To create the CashDenim that this jacket is made from, the Loro Piana team tapped Japanese denim experts to blend their beloved cashmere with cotton and weave it all together on vintage looms. The result is a truly unique fabric that balances all that cashmere softness with the ruggedness of traditional denim. Now, would I recommend beating the hell out of this jacket like you would with a pair of raw denim jeans? Not at all. But you can wear it without worry—and trust me, you're going to want to wear it. It's easy on the skin but sacrifices none of the elemental cool that's made the denim jacket such a stalwart of men's style. Plus, it's warmer than your average denim; if you've ever found yourself shivering on a brisk fall day in your trucker jacket, you know that a little extra insulation is a welcome proposition. Loro Piana recommends skipping a day between wears to preserve the fibers that make this jacket so special. It's good advice, and you should take it—but you might find yourself yearning for time to pass a little quicker on those days off.

SHOP $4,500 loropiana.com

Way back in the day, you needed to go somewhere else—a brand or a department store's in-house line—to get your hands on Loro Piana fabric. Thankfully, that's no longer the case. Granted, moving into ready-to-wear clothing isn't a new development, but ever since Loro Piana was acquired by LVMH, the company has doubled down on crafting high-end garments designed to appeal to folks who appreciate all that fabric-making history just as much as they appreciate an expertly cut piece of clothing. This jacket—it's named Neive, by the way—is an encapsulation of that ethos. It's a little fuller through the body and ends right at the hip, so it's perfectly suited to layering up and hanging loose. The contrast stitching is subtle, lending the look a bit of gravitas. And small touches like suede and plonge-leather trims—check out the top buttonhole, flap pockets, and even under the collar—make it feel even more refined. So, yeah, it's a trucker. But it's all grown up. And it'll look just as good in a decade or two as it does right now. Maybe even better.

SHOP $4,500 loropiana.com

If you're going to buy a "one denim jacket to rule them all" denim jacket, you better be damn sure you can get the most out of it. You want something that's just easily worn with a tee and sweatpants for a Saturday coffee run as it is with a knitted polo and proper trousers during the workweek. Loro Piana's take on the style will work for both situations and so many more. Throw it on with jeans for an unabashedly luxurious take on the Canadian tuxedo. Wear it with freaked-out, patchwork pants to channel your inner kooky farmers' market aunt. Try it with an oxford cloth button-down and chinos for a look that's just normal, except, well, not really. Not at all. A single exceptional piece—and let's be very clear, this is an exceptional piece—can be the lynchpin for a huge variety of outfits. It shows intention, but doesn't demand attention. Whether or not "stealth wealth" or "quiet luxury" will persist as trends isn't even the main consideration here. Instead, just ponder this: When you've got a jacket this good, do trends even matter? I'm pretty sure you already know the answer.

SHOP $4,500 loropiana.com

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