Valstar and Ring Jacket's Blousons

Valstar and Ring Jacket’s Blousons

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to buy a Valstarino at a significant discount, but kept waffling on whether I should take it. The Valstarino is a classic Italian blouson-styled jacket. It’s manufactured by Valstar, a 100 year old Milanese company that got its start in raincoats. Not too long after the company’s inception, however, Valstar evolved and expanded into general outerwear, and came up with its most classic piece, the Valstarino, in 1935. The jacket was perhaps most popular in the 1970s, but it’s still highly sought after in Italy and Japan by classic men’s style enthusiasts.

The jacket comes in a variety of colors and materials - suede leathers, wools, cottons. CHCM this season even has a reversible wool version, which puts two coats into one. There are side-entry pocket and the collar is thick and ribbed, so it stands up a bit on its own. It’s a very casual jacket, but carries a lot of panache, in my opinion.

In the end, I passed on the opportunity. I was a bit unsure of the fit, and since I couldn’t return it, I was a bit wary of committing to the purchase. In the back of my head, however, I somewhat think I might regret this in the spring. The Valstarino looks like the perfect spring jacket.

Below are some photos of the Valstarino, along with images of Ring Jacket’s A-1 blouson, which is currently being sold at The Armoury. I like the pockets on the Valstarino better, but damn if that Ring Jacket collar doesn’t look great.