The slim fit denim jacket had its moment and that moment has passed. What replaced it is not the boxy oversized version that reads more costume than clothing, but a regular fit that actually has room in the shoulders and across the chest without sacrificing any of the structure that makes a denim jacket worth wearing in the first place. That is a harder balance to find than it sounds.

We have been looking specifically at jackets that sit cleanly over a heavyweight sweatshirt or a chunky knit, because that is when fit really matters. Too tight and you lose the layering entirely. Too loose and it becomes shapeless by lunchtime. The details count too. Proper indigo that fades with wear, chest pockets that lie flat, and a hem length that works untucked over trousers without looking like a costume from a different decade.

These are the ones that pass every test we put them through.