When I Buy the Farm, Bury Me in This Barn Jacket
GQ RecommendsAlex Mill’s boxy, '50s-inspired coat offers a time-honored jolt of outdoorsy competence.By Leon HedgepethJanuary 9, 2025Images Courtesy of Omar Atwan; Collage by Brittany LogginsSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.I can say with just a touch more bass in my voice that the barn jacket is the outerwear piece of 2025. Ever since a 25-year-old Sid Mashburn—yes, that Sid Mashburn—designed J.Crew’s in the 1980s, the style has been an increasingly popular, if inoffensive, all-American staple. But this season, something shifted. From Prada and Loewe’s runway shows to L.L.Bean’s 100th anniversary relaunch, the jacket is everywhere. This is a good, overdue thing: Originally designed for farmers and ranchers, the barn jacket is a practical, durable layer that also communicates your folksy, capable nature to everyone you stroll past.The one I’ve been rocking all season long? Alex Mill’s frontier jacket.Images Courtesy Omar AtwanImages Courtesy Omar AtwanAlready beloved for its perfectly hemmed chinos, denim jackets, and summer's hottest linen suit, Alex Mill has knocked it out of the park with this outerwear piece, too. It’s got versions in camo and denim, but I opted for the less expected, washed-out black—basically the punk rock of barn jacket colors, easy to pair with jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt, lending a little more edge to a style that, let’s face it, could use it.Although the barn coat first appeared in the early 20th century, Alex Mill’s designers took inspiration from 1950s versions, complete with heavy-duty cotton canvas construction, adjustable cuffs, and a plaid flannel half-lining that's got your back when the temps drop. Let’s not forget the signature corduroy collar and the pocket situation—five in total—because if there’s one thing Alex Mill gets, it’s functional storage. (Its chore coats are practically storage units in jacket form.)Alex MillFrontier Jacket In Canvas$225 Alex MillThe fit? Boxy. I wear a size small, and it took a minute to adjust, but now I love it. The extra room makes layering a breeze, but the neat structure means I don’t ever look like the puffed-up Michelin Man. The cotton canvas is substantial enough to fend off winter chills and even snow, and shout-out to the corozo buttons—the color perfectly matches the jacket, and considering I’m wearing it about four days a week, durability-wise they’re holding up like champs.Whether or not Alex Mill has taken over your closet, too, the quality of this particular jacket combined with its approachable price point is hard to ignore. I may not be a farmer or rancher (unless wrangling vintage Levi’s counts), but I’m looking forward to wearing this coat long enough to develop a coveted patina nevertheless. Here’s hoping it tells as good a story as the farmers it was originally made for, because this barn coat and I are in it for the long haul.Images Courtesy Omar AtwanImages Courtesy Omar Atwan
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
I can say with just a touch more bass in my voice that the barn jacket is the outerwear piece of 2025. Ever since a 25-year-old Sid Mashburn—yes, that Sid Mashburn—designed J.Crew’s in the 1980s, the style has been an increasingly popular, if inoffensive, all-American staple. But this season, something shifted. From Prada and Loewe’s runway shows to L.L.Bean’s 100th anniversary relaunch, the jacket is everywhere. This is a good, overdue thing: Originally designed for farmers and ranchers, the barn jacket is a practical, durable layer that also communicates your folksy, capable nature to everyone you stroll past.
The one I’ve been rocking all season long? Alex Mill’s frontier jacket.
Already beloved for its perfectly hemmed chinos, denim jackets, and summer's hottest linen suit, Alex Mill has knocked it out of the park with this outerwear piece, too. It’s got versions in camo and denim, but I opted for the less expected, washed-out black—basically the punk rock of barn jacket colors, easy to pair with jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt, lending a little more edge to a style that, let’s face it, could use it.
Although the barn coat first appeared in the early 20th century, Alex Mill’s designers took inspiration from 1950s versions, complete with heavy-duty cotton canvas construction, adjustable cuffs, and a plaid flannel half-lining that's got your back when the temps drop. Let’s not forget the signature corduroy collar and the pocket situation—five in total—because if there’s one thing Alex Mill gets, it’s functional storage. (Its chore coats are practically storage units in jacket form.)
The fit? Boxy. I wear a size small, and it took a minute to adjust, but now I love it. The extra room makes layering a breeze, but the neat structure means I don’t ever look like the puffed-up Michelin Man. The cotton canvas is substantial enough to fend off winter chills and even snow, and shout-out to the corozo buttons—the color perfectly matches the jacket, and considering I’m wearing it about four days a week, durability-wise they’re holding up like champs.
Whether or not Alex Mill has taken over your closet, too, the quality of this particular jacket combined with its approachable price point is hard to ignore. I may not be a farmer or rancher (unless wrangling vintage Levi’s counts), but I’m looking forward to wearing this coat long enough to develop a coveted patina nevertheless. Here’s hoping it tells as good a story as the farmers it was originally made for, because this barn coat and I are in it for the long haul.
