The 50's Jacket is the model TCB is best known for, and the one it has studied most closely. It follows a 1950s vintage Type II that TCB owns, examined down to the yarn count of every seam, with the shape adjusted for today: a slimmer chest, a longer body and tighter arms — a modern fit, but not so tight that it stops being a work jacket.

The denim is approx. 13.5oz, 100% Zimbabwe cotton, woven on a vintage loom rather than a computer-regulated one, so the thread thickness and tension vary naturally across the cloth. It fades the vintage way: white dots first, then the dots join into long vertical lines. The paper patch is made by hand, and around the time the fades come good it begins to tear, showing the dark blue underneath.

The sewing is where the reproduction goes deepest. The double stitching on the front pockets is done on a vintage two-needle machine, which leaves a small triangle where the two lines meet; the pocket flap is sewn in the same pass as the pocket, so the stitching runs unbroken from one to the other. The bar tacks match the original in width, thickness and placement, and all sewing thread is 100% cotton. On sizes above 40, the body is pieced at the side, as it was on the vintage jackets.

This version updates the last: the collar is 0.5 cm smaller; the cuffs and waistband are wider, matching the vintage exactly; shoulders gain 1 cm and the chest 2 cm; the body is 1.5 cm shorter and the sleeves 1 cm shorter; and the armhole opens by 3 cm around — small moves that make the jacket easier to wear without changing what it is. Designed and made in Kojima, Japan.

Fit Notes: The 50's Jacket has TCB's modern, trimmer fit — a slimmer chest, longer body and tighter arms than the vintage original. A size 42 measures 105 cm (41.3") in the chest, so it fits close, nearer to an American M than an L. We recommend taking your usual Japanese size for the intended fit, or sizing up one if you prefer room to layer a sweater underneath. Note that sizes above 40 have a pieced side seam (T-back), as on the vintage original. As always, we strongly recommend checking our size chart and comparing it with your best-fitting jacket to ensure the right fit.