Not Too Hot or Too Cold—8 Spring Jackets Made for Transitional Temps

It’s official: We’re in the full swing of spring. Although it’s an exciting time, adjusting our wardrobes to the new season can feel like a full-time job. We often have to dedicate energy to cleaning our closets, shopping for new staples, or weeding out the trends that won’t be here for the long haul. That’s without even considering how much time we’ll likely spend standing in front of our closets, trying to determine what to wear for transitional temperatures. In short, shifting our style into a new season can be time-consuming. But if there’s one thing that can save you some effort, it’s investing in a trendy jacket for spring.

Buying a chic coat is the quickest way to make your closet more functional and fashion-forward. Pragmatically speaking, jackets are nonnegotiable when dressing for spring days when the weather fluctuates between hot and cold. But outerwear also allows you to embrace the season’s biggest trends without overhauling your entire wardrobe or going on a shopping haul. Basically, it’s one of the best things you can buy for spring. However, if you’re unsure of which types of jackets are worth your time, you’ll want to keep reading, as we’re sharing the best jackets for spring. By scouring the spring 2024 runways, we were able to identify the eight biggest spring jacket trends that will surely be everywhere in no time. Let’s get into it.

It’s not exactly the most surprising thing to see trench coats return during spring. Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away from the fact that this jacket took over the S/S 24 runway collections in a way that was too prominent to ignore. We saw trenches come in every form imaginable—from styles with convertible elements at Burberry to iterations with funnel necklines at Saint Laurent. The variety of trenches across spring shows served as a reminder that this jacket’s ability to transform season after season slightly is why it remains timeless.

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In case you missed our previous reporting, let us catch you up: Capes are making their comeback. It seems that designers have used draping to make classic coat silhouettes feel a bit more cutting-edge in spring collections. For example, trench coats had built-in capes around the shoulders at Jil Sander’s and Dior’s spring runway shows. Similarly, at Bottega Veneta’s spring show, a leather trench felt far more luxurious because it featured a built-in scarf that wrapped around the shoulders in a cape-like fashion. Even the more “traditional” iterations of this type of jacket that veered into the poncho territory (see Ferragamo’s spring show) felt exciting simply because we haven’t seen them for so long. The return of capes into the fashion chat is a compelling way for us to make our own comeback arch—even if that means wearing them as we step back into the world.

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You know the adage, “April showers bring May flowers”? Well, that seemed to be at the top of designers’ minds, as one jacket caught wind (excuse the pun) more than the others: windbreakers. While we always see some technical rain jackets return each spring, it felt rare to see them styled less for functional reasons and purely for fashion. It was all about creating a visual contrast, which was evident in how this androgynous jacket was styled with more “feminine-coded” items on the runway. For example, at Proenza Schouler, a black blouson anorak was layered over a semi-sheer black dress. Similarly, at Tory Burch’s spring show, a sporty slate-gray rain jacket was given a contemporary spin, styled with a draped white minidress, quirky earrings, and rimless blue sunglasses. Even when other brands leaned a bit preppy in how they styled these jackets (see Gucci’s and Victoria Beckham’s collections), overall, each windbreaker managed to evoke a sense of wonder.

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If you’ve followed trends for the last few seasons, you’re likely already aware that bomber jackets were big a few seasons back. Their popularity paved the way for a slightly different (but similar) silhouette to ballon: blouson jackets. While both jackets feature a waist-length, loose silhouette with a front zipper and a gathered waist, the defining difference comes down to the blouson jacket’s fold-over collar and lightweight fabrications. That subtle differentiation makes the style a sublime choice for spring, as the lightweight cotton and nylon versions work for transitional weather. But it also doesn’t hurt that we’ve seen so many variations of this coat in recent collections that adapt the shape by playing with textiles and color shades—e.g., refer to the burgundy-red blouson jacket at Miu Miu or the pistachio-green leather version at Tod’s—thereby providing us with a bounty of ways to embrace blouson jackets.

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Sunny spring days can inspire anyone to embrace vibrant shades, even those who live in neutral colors year-round. Coming around to the concept of expanding our closet’s color palette takes time, but if there’s one thing that can convince you to do so, it’s what we’re dubbing the “crayon box” jacket trend. Unlike other outerwear trends that centered specific silhouettes, this trend was all about embracing leather coats that come in vibrant colors. For some, that meant adapting the classic trench by making it more colorful—e.g., at the Scandinavian brand Gestuz’s spring show, the style came in a stunning canary-yellow shade. Similarly, at Fendi and Ferragamo, crinkled leather trench coats came in the season’s most coveted colors, including dark green and baby blue. Then, there was Gucci’s collection, which made blouson jackets even bolder by fashioning them with rich oxblood red leather. No matter the shade or style, each collection showed that colorful leather coats will paint the town (and potentially your closet) this spring.

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While spring traditionally marks the time when critters in the animal kingdom come out of hibernation, it could be argued the same goes for humans. Sure, we may not spend months cocooning like a caterpillar, but you better believe that we’re ready to spread our metaphorical wings once temperatures rise. Although leaving the comfort of our homes is exciting, choosing the right coat for the occasion can feel daunting—enter cocoon-sleeve jackets. Across spring collections, we saw designers embrace outerwear silhouettes that felt like they were “cocooning” the models because they featured oversize sleeves that created a round shape. Most notably, the trend came in the form of a butter-yellow leather trench coat at Jacquemus, a polished white peacoat at Versace, and a pistachio satin pullover at Carven. There was even a more abstract take on the sleeves in spring presentations, such as the chunky knitted coat that hugged the hands to the body at Loewe. Although each designer took a different approach, each look embodied that essence of emerging into the world and being born anew.

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We’ve seen one trend slowly seep into style: satin jackets. As previously reported, we first saw this trend lightly drizzled throughout last fall’s shows. But satin coats didn’t fully flood the runways fully until this spring’s collections showed—they were present everywhere from Tory Burch to Carolina Herrera. While many brands are vastly different in terms of their sartorial perspectives, it seems the unifying element of this trend was how shiny silk and satin textiles were used as a way to make classic outerwear silhouettes sleeker. A prime example of this was Altuzarra’s spring show, which featured Peter Pan jackets made from crinkled satin in pale pink, slate gray, and bright orange. Another example was Givenchy’s spring collection, which featured multiple trench coat looks with a shiny silk material in butter yellow, lilac, cobalt blue, and black. Each brand seemed to lean into the textiles’ liquid-like appearance as a way to effortlessly elevate even the simplest jacket silhouettes.

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Are you still looking for a trend that can fully captivate your senses? Look no further than what we’re calling the “touch me” trend. Arguably the most theatrical trend to emerge on the spring runways, these jackets weren’t necessarily limited to being a singular shape, shade, or material as much as they were all about embracing texture. That approach manifested differently across spring collections, as some designers chose to play with textiles—e.g., Odeeh’s and Diesel’s collections played with unraveling raw hems and distressing techniques to create coats with a coarse appearance—while others embraced embellishments to add depth. The latter was represented in several shows, including at 16Arlington, where a dark-gray coat was covered in iridescent sequins. Similarly, at Dries Van Noten, a trench coat from far away gave off the illusion of being printed but was actually, up close, covered in tiny sequins. Then, there was Tory Burch’s spring show, which took texture to the next level by showing a dove-gray coat covered in a crystal fishnet. Whether via embellishment or distressing, by playing with textures, designers created jackets that spoke to our most innate human desire: touch. After all, can a jacket be considered great if you don’t want to grab it immediately? Probably not.

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