A Harrington jacket is a type of short, lightweight jacket, made of cotton, polyester, wool or suede — usually with a tartan or check-patterned lining. The first Harrington-style jackets were made by British clothing company Baracuta in the 1930s. As of 2007, the company still makes the same model, the G9. Elvis Presley popularized the Baracuta G9 when he wore it in his 1958 movie King Creole. This style of jacket earned the nickname Harrington because it was worn by the character Rodney Harrington (played by Ryan O'Neal) in the 1960s television program Peyton Place; John Simmons, who opened 'The Ivy Shop', Richmond, London, claims to have coined this description. Similar to the 1950s United States Ivy League look, the jacket became fashionable in the United Kingdom in the 1960s among mods and skinheads. They again became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s with skinhead and mod revivalists, as well as with scooterboys. Within those subcultures, Harringtons are often worn with Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts. In addition to Baracuta, companies that make Harrington jackets include Merc London, Lonsdale and Warrior Clothing. Due to the 70th birhday of Baracuta in 2007, the brand released three special edition G9s with quotes by Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, all of them frequent wearers of the Harrington jacket, printed on the lining.
Appearances in film and television
- Elvis Presley in King Creole (1958).
- Ryan O'Neal in the 1960s television program Peyton Place.
- Frank Sinatra in Assault on a Queen (1966)
- Jack Klugman in the 1970s television series, The Odd Couple.
- Brad Majors in the Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
- Christopher Reeve in Superman II (1980).
- Kevin McNally in the beginning of The Long Good Friday (1980).
- Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom (1983).
- Wayne Knight in the 1990s television series Seinfeld.
- Michael Moore in his documentary The Big One (1998).
- Thomas Turgoose in This Is England (2007).
