Fall Is Coming—5 Jacket Trends the In-the-Know Crowd Is Already Adopting

Once temperatures drop, it becomes blatantly obvious that some of our beloved warm-weather staples are simply no longer an option. For some, coming to terms with having to pack away their sandals, linen sets, and poplin dresses can be, well, quite sad. But I'd argue that there's at least one thing you can look forward to when shifting from summer to the fall: jackets. Maybe it's just me, but there's nothing more magical (and maybe even life-affirming) than outerwear. Sure, we may all love our summer basics, but statement outerwear? It's something else entirely. Jackets have the ability to not only make other staples functional for fluctuating temperatures, but they can literally make the outfit. When it comes to dressing for the colder months of the year, the item you can always count on has been outerwear, period.

Therefore, when we begin to feel those colder fall breezes, it's imperative to begin curating an arsenal of light jackets. However, if you're unsure of what types of jackets are worth investing in for the fall, don't fret. In an effort to figure out the best jackets for fall, I spent hours combing through street-style imagery, the new arrivals section, and fall/winter 2024 runway collections. Luckily for you, I'm not the type to gatekeep my findings. Ahead, you'll find a breakdown of 5 fall jacket trends with examples of the trend on the runway and in real life, along with shopping recommendations. These fall jacket trends may not solve all your seasonal woes, but they'll surely give you something to look forward to wearing.

1. Funnel Neck Trenches

As previously reported, fall runway collections featured a ton of jackets with funnel necklines—simply refer to Burberry, Ferragamo, and Brandon Maxwell's shows. While this jacket's high neckline is what's made the trend stand out this season, it's not the only reason.

In the past few weeks, we've already seen the style set wearing this silhouette primarily in the form of trench coats, which makes sense considering that the bolder neckline gives the timelessness of the trench a trend-forward twist. With so many examples of this jacket trend on and off the runway, it's safe to say that funnel neck trenches will fully take over this fall.

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2. Chore Coats

Whether you call them chore coats or barn jackets, this outerwear style is back in the chat. Across various fall runway collections, designers paid homage to the rich history of the workwear jacket by showing all the different ways it could be reworked. We saw designers adapt the outerwear by playing with textile textures, contrasting collars, and different patterns and colors—reference Prada or Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini's shows.

But what's made it even more of a compelling trend is how quickly the style set has taken to make it work for their wardrobes. Whether styling it with jeans and a t-shirt or a tailored skirt and knee-high boots, the fashion crowd has proven that this jacket can be the workhorse of any fall wardrobe.

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3. Light Capes

When it comes to fall outerwear, most don't want their outerwear to be purely for the fashion but functional, too. Luckily, fall collections provided us with a jacket trend that can do both: capes. Although this trend might seem less pragmatic, collections such as Chloé, Eudon Choi, and Jil Sander proved otherwise by showing the innate versatility of this trend.

Not only can you find capes now in every cut and color imaginable, but they can also be styled in so many ways that it's no surprise the style set has caught onto how chic capes can be for fall. Whether you style this light jacket in a way that leans boho-inspired or go for a more minimal approach, it's sure to strike the perfect balance between being functional and fashionable.

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4. Cropped Leather Jackets

I'll admit that the concept of leather outerwear for fall isn't exactly groundbreaking. Nevertheless, I'd be shucking my duties as a fashion editor if I didn't acknowledge how prevalent cropped leather jackets were throughout F/W 24 collections. From Khaite to Coach, designers took this classic fall coat and gave it a cooler spin by embracing boxier shapes, minimal collars, and trending colors.

By making small tweaks to this signature jacket silhouette, designers have given the fashion crowd a new way to embrace this style, which they've already done, by the way. It's hard to scroll through social media without seeing some form of a cropped leather jacket, it's clearly the staple of choice among the fashion crowd for fall.

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5. Hourglass Blazer

Oh, blazers. It might sound a bit cliché to include this classic staple in this roundup, but I'm going to need you to hear out my case. Across fall collections, we didn't just see any old boxy blazers sent down the runway, but versions of this jacket with a tailored shape. Being that this time of year is largely associated with light outerwear, it was quite refreshing to see collections such as Bottega Veneta, Carven, and Bally champion hourglass blazers.

Frankly, I know I'm not the only one who feels that way about this jacket trend, as we've already seen the fashion set styling tailored blazers with their skirts, jeans, and dresses. With autumn slowly creeping up, we can't think of a better time than now to embrace an era filled with many jackets—or at least a few hourglass blazers. It might not be the boldest trend for fall, but you better believe it's reached us at the right moment.

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