To me, not much says hardcore pride like a great varsity jacket. I also came across one that Moshua would approve of, hence this post. Now if you are like me, you are a cheap bastard. Dolling out $300+ for a jacket just isn’t in your budget. You’d rather buy 200 20oz bottles of Coke Zero, or a shit ton of candy. That’s how I roll.
Here’s what you do. Look up vintage varsity jackets on ebay. The jackets last a lifetime so even buying a used one would be ok. Gives it character too. There are a few things you are looking for.
1. NO embroidered backs. Get out of here with embroidered backs. It’s all about chenille lettering. Plus, removing embroidery sucks and forever changes the jacket. You can’t even cover those spots. So no embroidery on the back.
2. That’s it. No embroidery. Almost everything else can be covered up or dealt with.
Take this jacket for example. No embroidery ANYWHERE, and just a giant “W” on the front. That “W” can easily be removed and replaced with an “X.” Or maybe you are a big War Hungry fan. Or With Honor. Cheap pick up.
This is the one with Moshua’s name all over it. Check that back batch! Lettering can be removed easily and covered with something appropriate. Chest embroidery can go, same with the sleeve patch. Easy. And for $50? No brainer.
Perhaps your pockets are a little deeper. May I suggest this unconventional jacket? This is for those USHC Pride dudes. Top notch.
Windbreakers are also unconventional jackets. i dont like the way that a varsity jacket fits, so ive often been partial to windbreakers
its important finding a good jacket … the best type are ones with wool body / leather sleeves.. But one of the most important parts of a varsity is the collar, lettermans and baseball jackets usually have a striped elastic collar … while regular ones have a folded down one. that should be something else to look for :)
unfortunate a lot of vegan people can’t get down with some of these jackets.
This is true.
Please note. I didn’t mention hooded varsity jackets. Those things are … weird.
how do you remove letters off of them? im thinking about getting one of these but idk how to take the stitches out.
Seam ripper or leave it to the professionals. As long as the embroidery is small, it can easily be removed AND covered. Anytime you embroider something, it’ll leave an impression in the fabric. That’s why you need to JUST SAY NO to embroidery.
just picked up that middle one for 20$
if i just put the x patch over the embroidery will it work?
I love mine buyt dont wear it very often.
I was able to find Vegan varsity jackets for a friend and I for cheap, got em done earlier this year. Best vibe (along with windbreakers).
usually on jackets like this they do applique (fabric shape) and then zig zag stitch around it. These stitches are pretty easy to take out and since the jackets are usually a melton wool (thick) you can just rub the fabric together and the stitch holes will disappear because the fabric is napped (fuzzy). The names in satin stitches like that “Jason” one can be taken out but they are pretty hard to get out if you’ve never done it. Always start ripping from the back of the fabric. If it’s on leather the holes will always be there so you have to cover it.
The only thing about taking some of this stuff out is that if the stitching n stuff has been on there for awhile, it will be darker underneath than the rest of the jacket. If you cover it you can’t even notice it really though.
I do stuff like this all the time at my job.
Mine has the striped elastic collar, hooded ones just sound weird but I wear mine in winter with a hoody underneath.
Vegan straight edge types can get down with mine as it has fake leather sleeves but doesn’t look fake, I picked it up on E-bay from some japanese seller for £30.
If you want to get applique lettering on your jacket you should look for companies that specialize in promotional products for apparel. These places usually do embroidery, screen printing shirts, stuff like that.
You can get letters done in fabric that’s kind of shiny called poly twill or you can get felt as well. I think two colour always looks the best.
I’m not sure how many ppl do chenille anymore. Apparently it’s getting popular again. I’ve heard that it’s pricey though. You maybe lucky enough to live near a place that does it. It is pretty vintage but it looks awesome.
I’m not super sure how much it would cost to get like a full back done in letters. it depends on the place and their resources and because it’s one jacket it will def cost a bit more. You should be able to get a quote from the place you are going to though.
Go for it. It always looks super good and it will last forever.
Hope this helps!
^ ^ this is why we LOVE our readers! Thanks Hali!
Don Bosco = NJ Catholic school sports powerhouse, in casse anyone was wondering.
i love this hail character.
and brett, its a catholic school?
-____-
dammit.
well its good those patches will be coming off.
don bosco jacket=shit.
got it in today and its not black (like the description said) its burgandy.
and the leather sleeves are in awful condition.
fuck.
BURGUNDY!?!? WTF? Email the seller immediately! That’s unforgivable.
Yo, so just checking, if you can get hold of a plain varsity jacket you do all the business end and put the stuff on? Or know somewhere that does?
If you are a crafty fucker, you could do all the work yourself. Otherwise you can take the jacket to a tailor. You may have to do the legwork to track down your own letters though. Warning, lettering isn’t super cheap.