Khaki coded: field jackets for him and her

Pinterest named "Khaki Coded" as one of its fashion trends for 2026: clothes borrowed from utility and adventure wear. The search numbers behind it are specific. Searches for a brown linen shirt rose 100 percent, for field jacket outfits for men 65 percent, and for utility shirts 45 percent.1 On the runway the same idea runs under another name. Fashion Brick Road calls it elevated utility, workwear and casual staples reimagined as high fashion, and points to Givenchy.2

What a field jacket is

A field jacket is the military cousin of the barn jacket: hip-length, with four front pockets, a stand or shirt collar and often a drawstring at the waist. It was made to carry things and to survive weather. In the city it does the same job as a blazer, holding keys, phone and cards, but it forgives rain and a crowded tram.

Why it works for everyone

Field jackets were cut for men, which is why they look so good on women. Worn by a woman, a straight, slightly roomy field jacket over a slim knit and a skirt is one of the best contrasts in fashion: tough and soft at once. Worn by a man, it is simply the most useful jacket he can own between September and November.

Tough jacket, soft layers underneath. It works on everyone.

The colours

Khaki is not one colour but a family: sand, olive, bark, moss, forest. TheDoubleF's colour report for this autumn names olive and earthy greens as key tones and suggests them with chocolate brown or cream.3 That is the formula: olive or bark outside, cream or brown inside.

How to wear it

• For him: over an oversized crew in faded khaki, with dark jeans and brown suede boots. Tonal, relaxed, done.
• For her: over a knit turtleneck in kaki and a long skirt, with flat boots. The skirt is what lifts it.
• For the office: over a white shirt and tailored trousers, worn instead of a blazer on a Friday.

What to avoid

Too many pockets at once. A field jacket with cargo trousers, a utility vest and a tactical backpack is a uniform. Pick one utility piece and let the rest be ordinary clothes.

Our picks

Toteme's country jackets are the cleanest version on the market right now: the classic shape in bark, forest and desert. Nanushka's waxed Zonta jacket with faux shearling brings the colour Pinterest is tracking, a yellowed khaki. For the layers, Colorful Standard's organic oversized crew in faded khaki costs €70 and Rouje's KALI jumper in plain khaki €195.