Stylish Ways To Wear A Parka Jacket

parka jacket: a menswear stalwart that’s successfully stood the test of time since its humble military beginnings. No matter what Mother Nature has tried to throw at it over the years, the reliable parka jacket has continued to carry people through the freezing cold winter months and has become a fashion staple in its own right.

How to Wear a Parka Jacket

Parkas don’t have the same strict rules compared to something like a blazer, as the overall structure of the coat is less refined than most outerwear. Its relaxed shape has a practical reasoning behind it, allowing the wearer to layer up underneath it without looking overly bulky. Despite the extra room that parkas provide, the rest of your parka should still fit like any other coat or jacket.

This means whether you go for a long style parka, or keep it cropped to the hip, you shouldn’t be dealing with too much space when it’s zipped up. The length of the arms should also fall on or just above or below the wrist line, keeping you from looking like you’re wearing a kid’s design or a size up.

It’s also a good idea to keep the length of your parka in mind, as although they tend to come in longer sizes than a lot of other jackets, it’s still a design that shouldn’t ideally fall lower than your knees. It’ll just cut your body up and make you look top heavy, and no one wants to look like Vincent from Bojack Horseman.

What to Wear with a Parka

Although a parka doesn’t automatically seem like the most versatile of pieces, there are different ways you can dress it up and down to make it a little more personal to you. There are of course different styles you can choose from, from the long fishtail design to unconventional, slimline ones. On top of that, colour can make a huge difference to how an overall outfit can look, and a cool tone coloured parka will instantly look more subtle and clean than a bolder one.

Men’s Green Parka

Onto one of the more traditional colours for a parka jacket, and something that’s always a popular choice. The muted green tone gives off an almost warm vibe, and it’s easy to match with a range of colours, from cool blues to autumnal browns. A casual outfit that’s easy to throw on, and gives a warm, layered look, is to stick to the winter staples and pair up some good navy jeans with a lighter, thick denim shirt and some brown leather boots, layering a T-shirt underneath the denim shirt  for an extra boost of warmth.

This outfit will go with various parkas, but for a casual and comfortable twist choose a more traditional style parka with the fur lined hood. A padded design will obviously help to keep you warm, and will go with the less structured, laid back look, but a cleaner, more streamlined parka will still work with this casual outfit.

For a slightly smarter look that could work for a neat everyday look or a casual Friday at work, choose a longline parka jacket and match it with the most classic smart casual outfit possible ever – a white shirt and slim fit jeans. Because the shirt and jean combination is so versatile you don’t have to worry too much about any possible clashing, with the muted green helping to brighten the white of the shirt and create a clean contrast.

You can go for a typical Oxford shirt to keep things classic, or opt for an alternative design like a grandad collar shirt to add a subtle boost of interest. Make sure your jeans are slim fit to help create a clean, streamline finish, and to match with the longline look of the parka. Finish off with some brown suede boots to keep the colour scheme balanced, and you’re all set.

care

  • Coats don’t usually need a lot of washing, but make sure to not wash your parka more than twice a year to avoid it wearing down.
  • Turn your jacket inside out if you’re washing it in a machine.
  • To maintain the waterproof coating, choose a specialised detergent when washing it.
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