Jacket Trends That Are Totally Outdated In 2022

This could be the year — the year you won't have to grab the heads of a thick group of hangers and slide them to the right (or to the left if you're left-handed). You'll be able to see every jacket you own, and clearly, as soon as you open your closet because this could be the year you finally get rid of every outdated jacket you own.

It's understandable that you may want to hold onto them. After all, you don't wear your jackets all year long. And Chatelaine says that a good piece should last at least three to five years. You may not care as much if the style isn't cutting-edge as long as the jacket stands the test of time, at least until this year. Even the fashion experts seem to be wary of certain jacket styles. You can almost hear them muttering, "Good riddance already." You might, too.

The "alarm clock" is ringing on cropped leather jackets, says the Brunette from Wall Street. They always did have a slightly unfinished look, even on tall, slender types who could shrug off the inevitable double-takes with ease.

Just don't confuse cropped leather jackets with bombers, which are most assuredly still a fashion force in 2022 (and probably beyond). It may help that bombers are meant to fall to your waistline, give or take (via Thread).

Why be selective and pick off vinyl jackets, and vinyl jackets alone, as being outdated in 2022? alot suggests adding latex to the goodbye heap, too. As they memorably put it, "vinyl and latex aren't what clothes should be made out of," anyway. 

The shine factor seems to be one matter of objection. But so does the logic of wearing a vinyl jacket on a mild fall day. The problem seems to be that vinyl jackets can make you sweat on mild days and fail to keep you warm enough on really cold days. Plus, that sheen ...

You've got to hand it to people who can pull off a puffer jacket. They've got something that most people don't have, though you may be confounded by what that quality is.

Jo-Lynne Shane may be tired of trying to figure it out, though she admits that the style is looking "a little tired," too. It's hard to be mature enough to avoid making bubbling noises when you see a puffer jacket — so similar is it to the look of a life preserver. As for the jacket itself, you may need to preserve it for a season or two before it returns to style.

It's probably wise not to ask too many questions about how big down jackets came into vogue in the first place (and by "big," we mean huge-big — so big that girls and women appeared to be swimming in them). At some point, many women followed the fashion tenet of "bigger is better," Bright Side says. This seemed to be enough motivation for many women to add a down jacket to their closet.

But this motivator appears to be falling flat — being replaced with the sleeker styles that seem to be taking the place of down jackets.

Cape jackets are those somewhat sophisticated, always elegant jackets that gracefully expose the arms in all the right places. Only certain people can carry them off in such a way that they can be positively mesmerizing — sweeping this way, swishing that, and ending up in glorious folds that make you wonder how long the cape took to sew to such perfection. There's usually a lot going on with a cape, which Macy's encourages its customers to think of as a topper. 

Cape jackets still have followers, but even Harper's Bazaar points out that they're not for everyone. Unless you have your heart set on pulling off this look, leave it in the closet for now.

Of all the jackets that appear to have overstayed their welcome, perhaps windbreakers are the biggest offender. They're disappearing fast, alot says. More than a vinyl jacket, think about what type of weather conditions would encourage you to reach for a windbreaker. And does it really need to be windy outdoors, too?

Windbreakers always did seem to be the invention of overly conscientious moms who didn't want to send their children to school without a coat but didn't want to weigh down their children with too much heft, either. Adults may ditch them with glee.

You may wish you had a dollar for every time you emerged from your room in a leopard-print outfit and asked, "Does this look a little ... aggressive?" Leopard prints have long flooded women with doubt. On one hand, you know the print goes in and out of style, Jo-Lynne Shane says. You just tend to lose track of which side of the pendulum you happen to be on at the moment.

If you're still lovin' your leopard print jacket, consider swapping it for a zebra or tiger print instead. Paradoxically, these prints seem to have longer staying power.

It's almost too easy to poke fun at embellished jackets, but if they look good, why would you want to? A tastefully decorated jacket can be the find of a lifetime at an art and craft show and worn with pride with boot-cut denim jeans and a white tee, alot says. ("Pride" because it may generate more compliments and questions than all of your wardrobe pieces combined.)

The problem is that an artistically finished embellished jacket is a rarity; many just look tacky. Since they're giving all embellished jackets a bad name, it's probably time to retire them until the quality improves across the genre.