A Harrington jacket is a lightweight waist-length jacket, made of cotton, polyester, wool or suede — usually with a tartan or check-patterned lining.
The first Harrington-style jackets were made by British clothing company Baracuta in the 1930s. As of 2008, the company still makes the same model, the G9. Elvis Presley popularized the Baracuta G9 when he wore it in his 1958 movie King creole. This style of jacket earned the nickname Harrington because it was worn by the character Rodney Harrington (played by Ryan O'Neal) in the 1960s prime time soap opera Peyton Place.
Similar to the 1950 United States lvy League look, the jacket became fashionable in the United Kingdom in the 1960s among mods and skinheads. They again became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s with skinhead and mod revivalists, as well as with scooterboys. Within those subcultures, Harringtons are often worn with Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts. In addition to Baracuta, companies that have made Harrington jackets include: Fred Perry, Merc London,Ben Sherman, Lonsdale and Warrior Clothing.
In 2007, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its brand, Baracuta released three special edition G9 jackets with quotes by Presley, Steve McQueen and Frank Sinatra — all of them frequent wearers of the Harrington — printed on the lining.
