Red is the hardest color to get right in a varsity jacket and also the one most worth getting right. Too cheap and the whole thing reads like a costume. Too oversized and you look like you borrowed it from someone bigger and never gave it back. The varsity jacket as a category has been done badly so many times that a lot of men have written it off entirely, which we think is a mistake. When the weight is right, when the wool body and leather sleeves are proportioned properly, and when the fit actually respects your shoulders, it becomes one of those rare casual pieces that works as hard as anything else in your wardrobe. We’ve been looking specifically at red versions because that color, done well, brings an energy to even the most straightforward outfit of jeans and a white tee. These are the ones that hold up past the first wear.