The Linen D-43 Field Jacket

The D-43 arrives in a rich, slubby linen for the Spring / Summer season.

Since launching the D-43 jacket last winter as a studied combination of archival militaria and waxed country attire, it has very much become part of the Drake’s DNA. As such, it seemed only right to carry this style through to the summer months, with an iteration cut from a rich, slubby linen.

While the field jacket may be more commonly associated with inclement conditions, garments of this kind existing for the milder weather certainly has precedent. U.S. military ‘BDU’ attire, as well as the ‘OG-107’ that preceded it in the Vietnam era, both incorporated lightweight cotton field jackets, made necessary by the warmer climates of the countries soldiers were stationed in.

However, a linen field jacket is a rarer thing. Where you might expect to find a ripstop or a cotton twill, linen instead provides a level of texture and personality that very much elevates the rugged, utilitarian silhouette. Retaining the same pattern as its winter-weight counterpart, the D-43 is a picture of practicality, hewing as closely as possible to the functional design of the original M-43, albeit subtly improved.  

Wear yours over soft tailoring, or with denim and a polo on those cool summer evenings.