5 Ways to Add Vintage Style to a Denim Jacket

Completely unadorned, as naked as the day it left the sewing machine, a denim jacket is a classic. There’s no need to add a single bell or whistle. But a denim jacket is also a blank canvas, a place to add accessories to match your mood. Since we are always in a vintage mood, we’ve got ideas to add vintage style to a denim jacket.

1 Put a Spell on it

Initial letter pins are good by themselves, but use 3 or 4 to spell a word of the day on your denim jacket.

Smaller letters will fit across one side of the front or down the side of a sleeve. Larger letters may need to go across the shoulders in the back, which can be particularly nice if your jacket has a placket to serve as the baseline.

2 Cross with a Guard

A sweater guard is typically used to keep a cardigan from falling off your shoulders when you’re wearing it as a capelet. But it can go a long way adding vintage style to a denim jacket stretched across the opening in the front.

3 Pin on a corsage

Vintage corsages made with millinery flowers were popular in the 1950s. Add a corsage to bring out your jacket’s softer side.

4 Rock some button covers

Button covers were super popular in the 1980s. They snap on and off over regular buttons and were commonly jeweled to add the look of luxury. Add vintage style to a denim jacket that the cast of nighttime vintage soap opera Dynasty would envy.

5 Add a patch

The back of a denim jacket is an excellent place to start a collection of vintage patches. You might even award yourself some vintage Girl or Boy Scout merit badges if you have scouting in your past.

This is the tip of the iceberg of ways to add vintage style to a denim jacket. What’s your favorite add-on to make your jacket fit your mood?