Opinions on wearing Boys' Jackets vs Women's Jackets

One of my brothers and I have been having a debate over the past few years and I think it's time to get the opinions of the YLF forums. When it comes to outerwear, like my heavy winter coat, I've realized I tend to choose the boys' sz 18-20 (I think that's an XL or XXL) over the women's S-M. My reasoning is the styling and price. The children's tend to be a bit cheaper (~$30) and I don't always care for the women's styles, ie faux fur around the hood. The jackets I buy are, IMO, fairly gender neutral with current one being all red with a black stripe on each arm. For the record, I live a rather warm climate which means my winter coats is worn about 5-10 times a year. I figure at this rate it should last for good, long while. Below is a pic of the jacket.

My brother is horrified that I do this.

What do you think? Do you think I'm right or he is?

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12 years ago

Anonymous

I think it's fine, especially if only worn a few times a year. The boys' coat is probably more boxy than a woman's version, but that can be a plus if layering under it.

Kristin L

Veteran

Thanks Joy. And you're right. When it's cold enough to pull this out, I layer like crazy! My thin Southern blood can't handle cold.

Astrid

My last outdoor jacket was a unisex children's jacket and I thought it looked perfectly fine! It's too small now because I gained weight, but I didn't see the difference when it did fit me. I remember I got it secondhand (worn once and then returned) for a third of the price a similar woman's jacket would have been.

Niefern

Active Member

It seems to me that is a nice sports-style jacket and if it suits your needs, it is fine. The other day I went to a Kiddys Class store (Zara for kids) as I had to buy something for my son. I looked at the girls section just to see if there were nice things that *I* could wear, but the biggest size I found was 13-14 years, and it was too small for me while I know many 13-14 year olds that are bigger than me ...!

Sarah A

I think this is a great idea for an infrequently worn gear type item! I usually wear a more pea coat style jacket when I am looking for stylish warmth and a light layer of down for practicality like dog walking etc. Some of the women's tailored long down parkas without much embelishment can be had for a song (like $50!) off season. If you are considering replacement... (totally not necessary if you like what you have though!)

Glory

I agree it is totally fine for your needs. Outdoor ski wear is very unisex. Niefern I totally agree - my youngest daughter is 11 and hasnt been able to shop in girls wear for at least a year. I think many young girls do not fit those sizes.

Vildy

I wonder what his objection is. Is he not old enough to remember Unisex sizing?
Right now on a website I was looking at that makes denim "sweaters" (sweatshirts from
factory jeans fabric remnants) they only have unisex sizing
XS - small girl
S - regular girl
M - guy from brooklyn
L - guy with muscles
XL - large guy

I once attended a wedding reception in a thick charmeuse floor length, bib front, long sleeve nightgown. They used to give "tips" all the time in those years about being able
to shop in the nightgown dept. I needed a very covered up long dress for a religious
wedding, so this worked out for me at lower cost.

I just see a garment in its parts: sleeves, back, front, etc.

I wear some actual men's clothing items: I like the straightsidedness of men's jeans, pants. I have on now a grid pattern navy and grey vintage Bill Blass sweater for men.
Each square has a different dimensional textured knit in pattern, mostly a kind of tiny
birdseye thing. How is this different from the same thing in a woman's size? One of
my favorite pairs of shoes is a large boys/small mens refined oxford in mock croc patent.

Amy

(website)

I can't see anything wrong with that. In fact, it seems like a very smart thing to do, given the fact that you don't need a coat that often. If it was something you wore daily nine months out of the year, I would probably encourage you to make sure it met all of your style preferences, but for 5-10 days out of the year, if it's a little off, no biggie.

My son currently wears the same size shoe I do. I'm much more inclined to buy him fancy shoes right now, because when he grows out of them ten minutes from now, I'll have some wonderful hand-me-downs.

There really doesn't seem to be a great difference any more between mens and womens clothes in some respects. It's not like in some decades past when women were expected to wear skirts and dresses. Both men and women wear a lot of the same things now, like trousers, button downs, jeans and tennis shoes. Add to that the trends for "boyfriend" styles of particular items and concern over whether a piece is sold in the men's or boy's department and the women's or girl's department seems unimportant.

A quick edit - This has never caused a big family fight or anything. This is something he uses to pester me from time to time.

@Sarah A - Actually, I have a pea coat jacket as well! It doesn't seem as warm as the columbia and it's a bit dressier, so I don't wear it as often. Thanks for the info about how to get other jackets, though. I know at one point this one will go out, so it's alsways great to have a back-up plan.

@Vildy - His argument in the past has been that I am not a male child, so I shouldn't wear clothes made for male children. I don't wear a lot of men's clothing, so I'm not sure what the problem is about the jacket. He's younger than me and I'm only 28, so I don't remember much about unisex sizing.

well, you know, men use teasing/insulting as a sign of affection/bonding. What if you
grin and tease him back.

@Vildy - that's one of the reasons I asked all of you. I was hoping y'all could give me your opinions and I could say "But all of the stylish people say..."

rae

Meh. It's your priority as far as gear is concerned. Some will say, "Oh, it's going to last me years and years, so it had better make me look awesome in all those years of camping photos." Others will not give a hoot what they look like as long as they feel warm and cozy. You sound like you are in the middle and feel it is both serviceable and decent-looking. *shrug* If you want, you can tell him I wear little boys tees all the time and used to wear lots of boys' blazers in college.

rachylou

I'm with you. I have a friend who also does this and she is cute as a button. Not to mention warm and still with money in her pocket.

DonnaF

If you get the shoulder fit and sleeve length you want, go for it! I am off in too many dimensions to wear boys' sizes, but you can bet if I were ever to borrow clothing for skiing or the snow, I would try anything that would get me through!

Years ago, I tried a Lands End girls parka (I'm a Petite) and girls rain jacket. The fits were merely okay and not nearly as flattering as my petite size. Again, I think it is a function of my particular dimensions and fit preference for my clothing to indent at the waist and be roomier at the chest.

I may go back to trying the largest kid-sized shoes since they tend to be wider. . .

Suz

Quite a few of my gear items are girls or boys or unisex "youth." It if works, go for it!

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