I don’t know about you, but recently my entire TikTok fyp has been filled with people repurposing vintage workwear. Notoriously, the biggest trend for 2022 fashion has been the rise in cargo pants. However, with the cooler months finally catching up to us, it’s time to bring out those winter jackets once again and this season it’s all about the Cahartt jackets.
Carhartt History:
Since the time of steam, steel & locomotives, Caharrt has produced quality & accessible workwear. Dating back to 1899, Hamilton Carhartt created overalls from the 2 sewing machines in his loft, turning the Cahartt name into a long-lasting dynasty for vintage apparel. Although, it was not always smooth-sailing for the brand ; early design failures left him to heavily focus on market-research. Primary studies from railroad workers suggested improvements on his original samples. These adaptations meant that the clothes met the workers true needs & set the bar for Cahartt’s future lines- leading us up to today's ever growing demand for thrifted clothing.
5 ways to style Cahartt jackets:
Brown is now such a winter staple in my closet, that I could not put a brown Cahartt jacket in this list. Surprisingly easier to style than black, brown is a little softer and therefore lets you play around with lighter tones. For instance, I suggest to pair it with a cream hoodie underneath as the bomber style jacket doesn’t have a hood - making it the perfect opportunity to warm up with a cozy jumper. Going perfectly alongside this, some stone cargos would bring all the neutral tones together. Why not spice it up with some accessories? Personally, I would opt for a baseball cap and of course to complete the look with some fresh white sneakers. This outfit is the perfect winter day-time outfit, keeping you comfortable, warm and very easily accessible to recreate with any similar vintage pieces.
Worn by all, this unisex outfit holds no stereotypical genders. Meaning that it is perfect if you want to match with your partner. And if it wasn’t on Insta then did it really happen? Share your matching posts over on Ig and tag our user @thrifted_com & @thrifted_women to show us your friendship or couple goals. We love to see your outfit recreations and maybe get some style tips from you.
For a warmer autumnal day (preferably not for peak winter) a Cahartt gilet loosely hung over a plain white, oversized T-shirt always hits. Tucked into a black mini skirt, this can be worn either with white ankle socks & a classic pair of loafers or for the cooler morning a staple pair of knee-high boots. And who says sunglasses are only for summer? If you want to look like THAT girl turning up to your lectures, put on some vintage black sunnies to complete the look - no one’s going to know you only woke up 10 minutes ago.
Style icons such as Olivia Niel and Emma Chamberlain use this outfit base as their autumn/winter staple, repeating this same outfit base, but alternating colour palettes. The perfect thing about this look, is that all these pieces are wardrobe classics and therefore can be repeated over & over with new looks so that your never seen outfit repeating (but we won’t tell anyone if you do) & still being sustainable in fashion.
Double denim is EVERYWHERE at the moment & I don’t know about you, but I am obsessed. So why not repurpose your vintage workwear, into a chic & dressy day look. Matched with some boot-cut flared jeans & even add a long sleeve white top to step back into Y2K.
The Y2K revival is iconic to the fashion world. Just like clockwork, every 20 years or so, trends will recycle themselves and this is no exception. The most notable trends that have resurfaced are the low rise jeans (if you’re brave enough for that), baby-doll tee’s & baggy trousers.
The icon that started the entire trend off. These brown hooded jackets have been selling out EVERYWHERE ever since Kanye West was snapped rocking one by paparazzi. The entirety of my Tiktok fyp has been filled up with people showing videos of how to style similar jackets to his or recreating the look. Personally, I believe you can’t go wrong chucking it over a graphic vintage jumper/hoodie. The Cahartt jacket is really apparent in the ensemble and brilliantly frames the sweatshirt with its bulkier fit. Partnering this, we highly recommend trying a white knitted beanie & of course some colorful retro trainers. The look is only then complete alongside any preloved denim ; which style would you choose?
At the moment straight-leg style jeans have been soaring in popularity, as seen all over the 2022 street-style trends according to Elle. Baggy jeans have made a real comeback ever since the decline in skinny jeans. The looser fit rose at the beginning of quarantine in the recent lockdown. At this time, the fashion scene turned over to comfort after relaxing in our own homes, and evidently the cultural reset has not reverted back to skin-tight pants since. Fortunately for us, this new wave of trouser fitting is hearing back these vintage inspired looks. And we are totally here for a 70’s, 80’s and 90’s revival.
Last but not least we have a pre-loved classic. The acid-wash trend regularly dips in & out of style, however we have recently noticed many influencers wearing this tone, making it apparent that it’s here to stay. It makes for a great pre-worn piece in any vintage wardrobe as the acid-wash tone already appears “worn in”. Disguising its previous owner & appearing to look distressed anyway.
We’ve took inspo from @lvrd_grant and recommend accompanying it with a knitwear piece. But why play it safe with a typical neutral jumper? Dull knitwear is out this season, as everybody (and their nan) are adventuring into colourful knitwear. Whilst speaking of current trends, this whole look would only be finished when tucked into a pair of black Dickies trousers. This blast from a past, has resurfaced and if you’re not lucky enough to get them handed down from your parents, then sourcing them vintage is going to be your best-friend.
But Who’s Wearing Cahartt:
Although Cahartt was initially designed for railroad workers & similar jobs at the time, in the likes of 2022 fashion, the streetwear brand is viewed very differently with the rise in vintage apparel. Retro workwear has always had ultra masculine & bulky designs to fit the necessary requirements for the workers. Cahartt especially didn’t hold back with the oversized & relaxed fits- creating a spike in popularity during the 90’s hip-hop era. Baggy clothing, especially jeans had reached an all time peak and with this most rappers & other artists repped Cahartt in their music videos at the time. However, recently with the return of street-style, Cahartt’s oversized clothing is back in popular demand. With the likes of rapper Kanye West regularly featuring Cahartt’s brand in videos or being captures by paparazzi wearing their clothes on a day-to-day basis. In addition to Asap Rocky, adopting the brand as his favourite, naturally pieces have been recognised in the media - growing popularity in fashion culture as key streetwear staples. High profile celebrities such as Brooklyn Beckham, Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber are religious wearers of the brand, again pushing popularity for not only vintage workwear, buy Cahartt in particular.
Carhartt Jackets taking over Tik Tok:
And just in case that wasn’t enough inspiration for you, we’re finishing off this post by sharing an insight into our top 3 fav Tik Tok styling videos of the Cahartt jackets.
@joshjjo i love a good thrift find #mensstreetstyle ♬ original sound - Hayu
Written By Georgia Sharples