The safari look that can last a lifetime
WHAT a shame it’s too late to rename the safari jacket. The words ‘safari’ and ‘ jacket’ instantly put you in mind of the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, Prince Charles standing in the shadow of Uluru looking sad and Roger Moore.
The latter was never out of a safari suit, whether playing 007, The Saint, or Lord Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders!. Those were the days.
What we should be picturing, of course, are leggy women in thigh boots and big sunglasses wearing the Yves Saint Laurent safari jacket in the Seventies; Lauren Hutton in a short- sleeved version; or Kate Moss out and about in West London on a warm day.
What we call a safari jacket is — largely, thanks to Saint Laurent’s appropriation of the military style — cool, khaki, relaxed tailoring that happens to be both extremely versatile and flattering.
It’s the jacket you sling on over a polo-neck now, or a crisp shirt later; that you wear with trousers or a skirt or denim; and that can be glamorous, or one up from a denim jacket.
You’re not wearing it in the Outback, you’re wearing it all the time, from March onwards, and — apart from a blazer — it’s the only jacket you’ll need. ALSO,
this is the jacket that keeps on giving, year after year, which you can rarely say about anything in fashion. It’s something you will have in your wardrobe for ever because it never really falls out of favour and the style never changes.
It’s a belted, four patchpocket, cotton jacket with or without lapels — and it’s usually khaki, or khaki drill ( the light sandy- brown colour), navy or stone.
The traditional safari jacket has pleated pockets and epaulettes, but those details are optional now, and it can have a drawstring waist — though we would probably draw the line at that as it takes away from its slick Seventies image.
I have a safari jacket, bought from Comptoir des Cotonniers several years ago — just the right soft shade of khaki with horn buttons and discreet epaulettes — which I’ve worn every year since. (The brand makes great travelling jackets, too). I’m planning to get it out as soon as the weather warms up (navy polo-neck underneath, bootcut flares, Zara ginger suede ankle boots), but that doesn’t mean I won’t be on the lookout for another one.
The safari jacket on the Fendi Spring catwalk (blue with white top-stitching) has whetted my appetite for something fancier (though not as fancy as the brocade safari jackets on the 2020 Prada resort catwalk); & Other Stories does a good-looking one in rust suede (£299, stories.
com). Tempting. As a rule, though, if you want to make life easy, the straightforward, plain cotton safari jacket is the only way to go. There are dark colours around
— which you may get more wear out of — including a slate one from & Other Stories (£129) and a navy one from Boden (£110, boden.co.uk).
A good, longer-line jacket in stone is a fresh take on the classic (£282, Apparis at moda
operandi.com), albeit not so practical — the great thing about khaki is it doesn’t show the dirt.
The right safari jacket should be long enough to cover your bottom, with a D-ring belt, which is easier than a buckle. (With a buckle belt, you are better off just knotting it or you can look a bit trussed up.)
Celine does a lightweight denim safari jacket for £790 ( celine.com). If that’s a bit steep for you, Simply Be has something remarkably similar for £40 ( simplybe.co.uk).
A safari jacket in denim is a good alternative to khaki or stone, or that’s what I thought last year, when I bought one from & Other Stories.
In the end, the only time I wore it was on the day of purchase, when my husband, after much squinting and sighing, said: ‘Sorry, but all I’m getting is Wild Geese.’ That’s Roger Moore again, for those of you who don’t know, and not the look any of us is aiming for.
I say stick with khaki, or navy at a pinch.