Baracuta’s classic Harrington jacket is one of those clothing items you’ve seen so many times before and you’re surely familiar with the silhouette, but you never knew the technical name for it. Known in the early days as a “blouson jacket,” Americans, Englishmen, rockers and rebels have all worn the casual jacket for decades, imbuing it with a vibe that’s both prep and punk.
Founded in 1937 in Manchester, England, by brothers John and Isaac Miller, Baracuta has long led the charge toward cool, masculine designs. Their signature G9 Harrington jacket was originally meant to be appropriate for golf, hence the “G.”
One year later, in 1938, a chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat, a Highland Scottish group, granted the brand access to its memorable red tartan fabric, letting Baracuta line all of its garments with the plaid. This collaboration raised the standards for what a casual jacket could mean at a time when blazers and sports coats were the crux of dressing down.
Then, in the 1960s, actor Ryan O’Neal played a character named Rodney Harrington on television’s prime-time soap opera Peyton Place. He regularly wore the G9 jacket, and the nickname Harrington forever stuck with the style.
The iconic jacket appears throughout vintage pop culture—on Steve McQueen when he graced the cover of Time magazine, on Elvis Presley in many of his films and on James Dean in many on-set photos.
Presidents also adopted the style: John F. Kennedy reportedly wore his whenever he went sailing, and Bill Clinton donned his while golfing. The repetition of men in positions of power wearing the style cemented its longevity in the history of men’s fashion.
Today, Baracuta and its G9 jacket are still going strong. It’s available at Baracuta’s brick-and-mortar locations, on their website and through top retailers. Keep scrolling to see history’s golden style leaders rocking the G9 Harrington jacket from Baracuta.
