What is a Monkey Jacket & How to Wear One
The monkey jacket's spent sixty years playing second fiddle to the Harrington, and that's a bit daft when you put the two side by side. Ask anyone what a mod wore on his scooter in 1966, and you'll hear "Harrington" every time.
Fair enough, they were everywhere. But the monkey jacket was on those same scooters.
What's a Monkey Jacket, Then?
Short, boxy, zip straight up the front, and cut to stop dead at your waist. That's your monkey jacket. You've got ribbed knit at the cuffs and hem, and a ribbed band collar where a Harrington would give you a turn-up.
Around the front, you'll find two slash pockets. Inside, there's an easy-access pocket that, back in the day, held the smokes. The fabric's usually a cotton blend, light as anything, either unlined or barely lined at all.
That tells you what the jacket's for. It was never meant to be a winter coat. It's a layer for spring, for autumn, and for those evenings when the British weather can't make up its mind. Some shops call it a bowling jacket. Others go with the mod bomber.
Where the Monkey Jacket Origin Story Really Starts
Here's the bit most people don't know. The name's a good hundred years older than the mods. A monkey jacket was what sailors wore in the 1800s. Short, close-fitting, cut without tails, so nothing snagged on the rigging when a lad went up the mast.
As for why it got called that, the popular version points at the organ grinder's monkey and his little tail-less jacket. Whether that's gospel or just a good yarn, it's stuck for two centuries. The sailors themselves had a blunter name for it: Bum-freezer.
The jacket that arrived on Carnaby Street sailed over from America, out of the Ivy League campuses and the bowling alleys, where a short zip jacket with knitted trim was nothing more exciting than ordinary sportswear.
Then British teenagers clocked it in the early 60s and made it their own.
Mods went for it because it looked dapper on a scooter. Skinheads picked it up a few years later for much the same reason.
Monkey Jacket vs Harrington: Which One's Your Go-To?
Both are short. Both zip. That's about where it stops.
Your Harrington has been in production since 1937, christened in the mid-60s by John Simons after a character from Peyton Place. It's got a pointed collar you can turn up when it's blowing, an umbrella yoke across the back to shift the rain, slanted flap pockets, and that Fraser tartan lining everyone recognises.
The monkey jacket gives you none of that. No collar worth the name, no rain defence, no lining to flash at anyone. What it's got instead is colour, and loads of it. The tipping on a monkey jacket does more visual work than anything on a Harrington, which is exactly why it photographs well (and exactly why the purists never took it seriously).
How to Wear a Monkey Jacket
The zip determines the whole thing. Done up to the throat, you're in mod territory. Half open over a polo, it turns casual and easy. Left hanging wide with the ribbing loose at the hem, it goes scruffy in a way the cut doesn't want, so pick one of the first two.
Underneath, keep it tucked and keep it retro: a button-down shirt with a decent collar roll is classic. What'll ruin it is a hoodie.
Trousers want to be flat and straight: Sta-Prest, two-tone tonic, or plain straight-leg denim with a turn-up on the bottom. The jacket's already short and square, so anything baggy below the belt throws off your proportions. A high rise helps enormously here. Go low, and you'll leave a gap between the hem and the waistband that nobody wants to look at.
Footwear’s where you set the register. Loafers or Chelsea boots smarten up the whole outfit. Monkey boots or a pair of Docs drag it towards the terraces, which is a proper look if that's your thing. Clean canvas trainers do a job in summer, though they'll knock the outfit down a peg, so keep them away from your tonic.
On fit, short is the entire point. The hem should be at your waistband or just above it, with the ribbing gripping rather than straining. If the body's covering your belt, you've bought an MA-1 bomber by mistake. Sleeves should finish at the wrist bone, with the cuff lying flat, never bunched halfway up your forearm.
Colour's the last one. If you're buying your first one, navy or black will go with everything you already own. Sky blue and stone are for people who've already done the sensible colours.
Final Thoughts on the Monkey Jacket
Sixty years of British subculture, a naval name older than that, and a shape that's barely changed since the scooters were new. Get the length right, get the zip right, and it'll do more for an outfit than half the coats in your wardrobe.
Have a look through Relco's monkey jackets and pick the colourway that suits your clobber.