Margaret Howell MHL Worker Jacket

The worker jacket is the origin of most of what people now call outerwear. A square body, a button front, patch pockets, and enough room to move in it, made from whatever cloth was toughest and cheapest, which for most of the twentieth century meant drill. Drill is a warp-faced twill, meaning more warp yarns show on the face than weft, which produces a diagonal surface and puts the strength of the cloth where it is needed. Denim is a drill. So is the cotton in a French work jacket and the cotton in a set of overalls. What distinguishes a good one from a costume is whether the maker understood why any of it is shaped the way it is, and in indigo the answer shows itself over time, because indigo sits on the outside of the yarn rather than penetrating it and wears away first at the places the garment is actually used: the pocket mouths, the cuff, the elbow, and the front edge. A worker jacket in indigo drill is therefore a garment that keeps a record of being worn, which is the only real argument for buying one rather than a jacket that stays the same.

Why we selected it

If you were going to own one thing from this line, this is the one that explains the rest of it. Every other piece in the line is a version of the thinking in this jacket applied to something else.

MHL by Margaret Howell is the working half of the house, deliberately built coarser than the main line, with heavier thread, bar-tacked stress points, twin-needle seams, and corozo buttons. This jacket is the plainest statement of that.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton drill, made in Portugal. Worker jacket cut. Color: Indigo.

Fit notes

Square through the body, cut with room to work in, and it goes over a knit without pulling at the button. Lettered sizing running small through medium. Drill is stiff when new and stays stiff longer than a plain cotton because of the density of the weave; it takes a season to break in and is a better garment afterwards.

Styling

Over the MHL Simple T-Shirt for the plainest version. Over the MHL S/S Flat Pocket Shirt with the collar out. With the MHL Painters Trouser, which is the whole idea worn twice, or against wool trousers if you would rather it were not.

Care

Wash cool and infrequently, and dry away from direct heat. Indigo will transfer onto pale cloth in the early wearings, particularly at a bag strap or a seat belt, and that settles down. Wash it alone the first few times. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The MHL Cropped Bomber Jacket is boiled wool, felted until it can be cut without fraying, and the MHL Flap Pocket Blazer is a wool cloth with cotton spun into it, cut relaxed. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell, main line and MHL alike, is listed together.