safari suit history

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A Brief History of the Safari Jacket

There’s a well known image of Ernest Hemingway on safari with his fourth and final wife, Mary, in 1954: Seemingly adjusting his trousers, “Papa” is dressed in a fedora, tinted sunglasses, riding boots, and, of course…the requisite safari jacket.

While today the safari jacket is worn with a dab of panache by the more stylish civilians among us, its origins do indeed lie in Africa — or, more specifically, in the story of the British in Africa. During the Second Boer War from 1899-1902, British troops stationed on the continent wore khaki-colored uniforms made of cotton drill.

The uniform tops, which were thigh-length, featured four box-pleated, button-down utility pockets; a belt; and epaulets for rank and insignia — the precursor of the safari jacket. In the early 20th century, these were adopted by intrepid civilians touring Africa on safari — perhaps none so famous as ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, who spent a year in east and central Africa in 1909-1910. Roosevelt had purchased the clothing, designed by Ben Willis, at Abercrombie & Fitch .

Theodore Roosevelt (left of the American flag) during his African expedition in 1909  - notice the safari jackets and suits (Image by Smithsonian Magazine )

Hemingway would follow in 1933, dressed in a khaki “bush jacket” he commissioned from a business established in 1928 — Willis & Geiger Outfitters, founded by the aforementioned Willis and his partner William Geiger. In addition to his hunting adventures, the larger-than-life author gathered inspiration for his short stories such as The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber and The Snows of Kilimanjaro , both considered masterpieces of short fiction. 

By the time of the African campaign in the early stages of the Second World War, both British and German troops — not to mention many fashionable Italians — were wearing a variation of this garment. With its utilitarian design, functional pockets, and robust materials, it’s little surprise that it continued to be put to hard-wearing use in the field during the largest conflict in human history. (A close look at the American M1943 jacket will also reveal similar features.)

Beginning in the 1940s, the safari jacket found itself the sartorial star of several films while draped across the shoulder of various Hollywood stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. wore one in Safari in 1940, while Gregory Peck threw one on as the protagonist of the film adaptation of The Snows of Kilimanjaro in 1952; finally, Clark Gable wore one in Mogambo in 1953.

Roger Moore looking dapper in a white safari jacket in 'The Man with the Golden Gun' - (Image by BAMF Style )  

For some time, the safari jacket took a back seat to other garments in the sartorial zeitgeist — that is, until 1967, the year that Yves Saint Laurent offered a gabardine version in his Paris boutique, setting off a firestorm of safari jacket-themed clothing that would define 1970s style. (The trend was helped along by Roger Moore, who famously wore a white safari jacket in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974 — as well as in three other Bond films.) 

Then-Prince, now-King Charles III in a light blue safari shirt  - (Image by Cosmopolitan )

Adopted by everyone from star director Francis Ford Coppola to (then-)Prince Charles throughout the 1970 and 1980s, the jacket once again largely disappeared in the 1990s and 2000s, seemingly relegated to the dustbin of sartorial history.  However, it saw a revival beginning in the 2010s, with labels and retailers fashioning them out of everything from cotton drill to linen to corduroy. While certain companies refer to them as “field jackets” rather than “safari jackets,” the throughlines — the wide collar, the four pockets, the belt (or half-belt), the epaulets — are always present in some combination. 

From its military origins to its adoption by civilians adventuring in Africa to its current luxurious form popular amongst the fashion set, the safari jacket is a garment whose utilitarian and handsome design has managed to endure — in one form or another — for well over a century. Though it tends to fall in and out of favor over the years, indicators are strong that its handsome, masculine appeal will see it gracing runways and appearing in closets for many years to come. 

Some of Our Favorite Safari Jackets

Spier & mackay light brown tweed field jacket ($298).

Light Brown Tweed - Field Jacket - (Image by Spier & Mackay )

Looking for a handsome yet reasonably affordable take on the safari jacket? Start with Canadian brand Spier & Mackay. Their 100% wool Field Jacket in tweed from Abraham Moon features a handy, interior drawstring for shape and definition. 

Sid Mashburn Military Jacket ($350)

Military Jacket  Khaki Lightweight Canvas - Sid Mashburn

Constructed from  lightweight Portuguese canvas and available in various colors, this military-style jacket does away with the epaulettes but retains the four useful pockets — plus, it adds a back pocket typically used for game, but that can just as easily be used for, well, anything else.

Private White V.C. Linen Field Jacket 2.0 ($425)

The Linen Field Jacket 2.0 - (Image by Private White VC )

The appeal of this beautiful safari jacket is its linen construction and fine detailing: British company Private White V.C. fashioned it from stone-washed Irish linen, giving it a light but robust feel that makes it perfect for warm weather.

The Armoury by Ascot Chang Wool Herringbone Safari Jacket II ($850)

  Wool Herringbone  Safari Jacket II - (Image by The Armoury )

Constructed from an Italian wool herringbone, this handsome number from The Armoury hits all the right notes: With its wide collar; enlarged, gusseted waist pockets; and dual back pleats for improved freedom of movement, it’s an excellent take on a classic — in the right color, too.

Caroline Andrew Field Jacket (~$1,259)

Field Jacket (Khaki Corduroy) - (Image by Caroline Andrew )

Looking for a high-end, slightly left-of-center take on the safari jacket theme? Try the Field Jacket from London-based tailor Caroline Andrew. Available in several fabrics, the corduroy iteration is particularly fetching, and looks excellent dressed up or down in a colder setting.

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A Brief History of Safari Style

The quintessential safari look that started 150 years ago in colonial Kenya still prevails.

• First seen in the late nineteenth century, the jacket—crisp drill cotton with pockets, buttons, epaulets, belt—is part of the British military uniform in the tropics.
• Adopted as de rigueur by men of privilege like Teddy Roosevelt, Robert Baden-Powell, and Denys Finch Hatton, who endorse the cult of the heroic outdoorsman and set off to explore and to hunt big game in the colonies.
• Ernest Hemingway, the ur–adventurous manly man, embraces the safari jacket, as does Hollywood, which puts it on movie stars from Clark Gable to Grace Kelly to Johnny Weissmuller.
• Yves Saint Laurent designs safari jackets for his collection. Veruschka wears one in Vogue: a _succès fou. _

1990—present

• The safari jacket is ubiquitous high and low and around the world.

• The pith helmet, which became popular with European militaries in the tropics, is adopted by civilians at the end of the nineteenth century.

• Among hunters on safari, a rakish felt Borsalino becomes the go-to topper.

• The Tilley hat—floppy and lame looking but crushable—fends off bugs, protects against sun, and is vented to release heat.

• Big game hunters in Kenya from Teddy Roosevelt to Ernest Hemingway prefer English double-barreled rifles such as those manufactured by Holland & Holland and Westley Richards.

• Avid wildlife photographers arm themselves with 300mm to 500mm lenses to capture the yawn of a cheetah or flight of a bird.

• Shutterbugs pack a point-and-shoot with a 10x zoom that connects wirelessly to their smartphone.

A brief history of the safari jacket — and the best to button up…

Belted, buttoned and buckled, the iconic patch-pocketed style is over a century old. here’s how it came to be….

Words: Jonathan Wells

Attention adventurers! It’s time to unfurl your maps, broaden your horizons and delve into the darkest, wildest corners of your wardrobe. Because — beyond your everyday shirts and behind your workaday blazers — you’ll find that rarest of buckled, belted beasts; the safari jacket.

It’s an odd, hybrid creature – a jacket born out of necessity during the Second Boer War. Back then, at the turn of the 20th Century, as troops of the British Empire were battling the Boer Republics in Southern Africa, soldiers needed a uniform that could beat the heat . Cut from affordable ‘cotton drill’ fabric and coloured with cheap khaki dye, the resulting look was adopted across the continent — sweeping Africa from the Sahara to the Serengeti.

Once the armies left Africa, the style stayed put — and became the unofficial uniform of bushmen for decades to come. Featuring bellowed pockets, a revere collar, shoulder epaulettes and a belted waist, its function became fashionable and, by the 1930s, western tourists and travellers began buttoning up the style in droves.

Enchanted by African nature and culture, wealthy Europeans and Americans (including Ernest Hemingway , pictured above) began buckling up the best; shelling out on safari jackets to ensure they looked the pioneering part when jetting off to Africa.

Hemingway himself created a bespoke ‘bush jacket’ in 1936 with expeditionary outfitters Willis & Geiger — a brand that also dressed Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and Sir Edmund Hillary. And, a whole year before the famed author commissioned his creation, the term ‘safari suit’ was added to The Oxford English Dictionary, after featuring in an American newspaper.

By 1939, stateside lifestyle retailer Abercrombie & Fitch began selling safari jackets wholesale — successfully advertising the style to customers who lived far from the garment’s natural, original habitat.

By the 1950s, Hollywood had cottoned on to the slick safari style — and Clark Gable brought the jacket to the big screen in adventure-romance Mogambo . It was a costume choice that kicked off a slew of cinematic safari jackets, including Charlton Heston in The Omega Man , Stewart Granger in King Solomon’s Mines and — perhaps most famously and flamboyantly, Roger Moore during his tenure as James Bond.

By the 1983 — the year Octopussy was released, in which Moore buttoned up two separate safari jackets — the style had become so popular that Prince Charles even wore a short-sleeved, sand-coloured safari suit when he visited Ayers Rock during a tour of Australia.

The following decades saw the style fall from favour, descending into dress-up and cliché. From the early 1990s to the mid-2010s, you’d either see a safari shirt paired with a pith helmet — or you’d see no safari shirt at all. Thankfully, during the last few years, these shirts have returned; belts, buckles and all. So, whether you’re after the practical pockets, the stylish spread collar or the statement belt, these are the best safari jackets to buy today…

Hemingsworth ‘Hemingway’ Khaki Safari Jacket

Once you’ve finished browsing the Hemingsworth collection on Gentleman’s Journal Shop , why not take a look at this handsome jacket? Named for the famed author who popularised the style, it takes its one-piece collar and side split hem from the brand’s ‘Cabana’ shirt, and the sliding buckle, half-back belt from the ‘Clipper’ swim shorts.

Hemingsworth Khaki Safari Jacket

Orlebar brown ‘bond’ safari jacket.

In a superspy-approved shade of sage green, this faithful recreation of 007’s military-style jacket from The Man With The Golden Gun is a must-have for any fans of the franchise . Complete with epaulette detailing and imitation mother-of-pearl buttons, it’s cut from fabrics including cotton and lightweight linen for a breathable, Bond-approved bit of summerwear.

Hackett Corduroy Safari Jacket

A slightly heavier option, this corduroy spin on the safari style will see you through summer — and on into autumn. From Hackett, this jacket sticks to the tried-and-tested pattern; incorporating an unlined construction and bellowed patch pockets. Available in either regular or long versions, it’s the perfect, softly-ridged way to bring the vintage style back to life.

Suitsupply Houndstooth Belted Safari Jacket

Another heavier jacket — and another to feature a belt — this houndstooth design from Suitsupply is stitched from a soft, rich wool-cashmere blend from Italy, and is cut to the brand’s suitably subtropical ‘Sahara’ pattern. It forgoes any shoulder padding for a more comfortable, casual look, has four black buttons and a quartet of box-pleat patch pockets.

Budd Linen Button Cuff Safari Shirt

For something a little sleeker, look to Budd Shirtmakers. Styled on the heritage British brand’s collaboration with journalist Simon Crompton, this safari shirt has hidden its buttons behind a neat placket and details its pocket flaps with rakish points. Finished with Corozo nut buttons and slimly tailored from linen by Harrison’s of Edinburgh, it’s a homespun, effortlessly elegant option.

Budd Shirts Linen Button Cuff Safari Shirt

Private white v.c. ‘safari’ brushed cotton-twill jacket.

The often-wet wilds of Manchester’s city streets may be a far cry from the sun-baked Serengeti — but Private White V.C. has stitched the spirit of a classic ‘Sahariana’ jacket into this cotton-twill jacket. Detailed with epaulettes, a surplus of handy pockets and brushed in an earthy olive tone, it may be without a belt, but the British brand has furthered the expeditionary feel of the jacket with mottled horn buttons.

Turnbull & Asser ‘Christo’ Jacket

Taking direct inspiration from the vintage travel clothes worn by Prince Charles, royal-warranted Turnbull & Asser has done a majestic job in making this linen-cotton safari jacket. Brought to life in Britain, it features arch-cut flap pockets, brown contrast buttons and a boxy silhouette.

Gant Belted Safari Blazer

For a final flourish, Gant has gone back to belts. The American-Swedish style brand has crafted a traditional take on the safari jacket; using lightweight linen, an unlined construction and classic utilitarian details to offer up the breeziest of summer looks. If you’re looking for a classic jacket — well-made and historically accurate — this is the one for you.

Want more summer style? Luca Faloni’s latest campaign takes to Lecce’s stone-hued streets…

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