The jacket probably originated with the late-medieval jerkin, a fitted or looser buttoned and belted thigh-length garment worn by working men. Short waist-length jackets without the cumbersome skirts or tails of formal coats became common occupational garments and were worn during the 1700s and early-1800s by some land workers, fishermen and all labourers needing freedom of movement. During the 1850s easy-fitting jackets and other semi-casual clothes entered regular menswear, reflecting the increase in leisure time, holidays and sports. By 1860 the thigh-length ‘lounging jacket’ was popular, a loose garment with useful outside pockets, often teamed with contrasting trousers. By the 1870s lounge jackets were becoming more tailored, often matching the trousers and now a component of the Victorian three-piece suit. Initially favoured by working men for ‘Sunday best’ and special occasions, over time the suit comprising jacket, waistcoat and trousers gained wider acceptance, offering businessmen and gentlemen a relatively informal weekend alternative to smarter dress coats.

From the mid-1800s onwards, men’s jackets were widely available ‘off-the-peg’, although gentlemen still used a bespoke tailor. Materials for suit jackets varied enormously, from lightweight summer linens to heavier, sombre cloth for city business and relaxed tweeds and checks for the country. Lounge and business suit jacket styles and their integral features such as lapels, breast and hip pockets shifted to follow fashion, displaying wide curved lapels in the late-1860s/1870s, then becoming suave and fitted during the 1880s and 1890s, before easing slightly in the early-1900s, then growing long and narrow in the 1910s. Various jackets also evolved for sporting pursuits, like the double-breasted reefer or yachting jacket and the Norfolk jacket, distinguished by its vertical stitched-down pleats and cloth belt: a favoured rural style, the Norfolk was teamed with knickerbockers for walking, shooting and cycling and was eventually adopted by late-Victorian and Edwardian schoolboys. Ever-versatile, jackets also retained their place in work wear, a comfortable ‘slop’ jacket of coarse linen or unbleached calico being popular with Victorian farm workers and craftsmen. Many outdoor jackets were fashionable in the 20th century, from Canadian-style lumber jackets, through military-inspired bomber jackets to weatherproof anoraks.

In the early-1800s, women sometimes wore a short jacket called a Spencer with their neo-classical gowns. Later, as female dress grew more functional, a ‘tailor-made’ jacket was adopted by the modern 1890s ‘New Woman.’ Worn over a blouse with a smart tailored skirt and stylish hat, this costume equated to the male suit and was suitable for work, outdoor activities and even more formal daytime occasions.