Men’s Jacket Linings | Should Jackets Be Lined Or Unlined?

A rarely discussed point when buying a suit, sport jacket, or blazer is the issue of the jacket lining.

You see – most men don't even realize they have an option.

But you do – especially when buying custom or at a higher end menswear store.

This leads to the question – which type of jacket is better – Lined or Unlined?

Because both unlined and lined jackets have their benefits – the answer isn't clear cut.

In fact – the question above is in my opinion the wrong one to ask.  Instead the question should be:

Which jacket style – lined or unlined – is best for your individual needs?

In this article I'll be discussing the pros and cons of jacket linings – because a man should always know what his options are.

Jacket linings come in a wide variety of materials and styles, ranging from a full lining of brightly-colored silk to a completely unlined jacket.

First, a few menswear definitions: 

The “lining” of the jacket should not be confused with the “canvas.”

The canvas is a layer of material attached to the inside of a jacket to give it shape, while the lining is a thinner layer of cloth that lies between the wearer's body and the canvas and jacket interior.

Some jackets are unlined. In this case, the inside will be finished in the same material as the outside.

Since a lining hides some seams, an unlined jacket typically requires more professional finishing, which increases the cost.

Half-lined jackets usually have lining across the upper half of the back and down the sides of the jacket, but not on the lower part of the back.

Quarter-lined or butterfly jackets are similar to a half-lining, but with the lining removed from the sides of the jacket. Only a small panel across the back and the sleeves are lined.

Skeleton lining means what it sounds like — as little lining as possible, usually only a small covering in the upper back to protect the suit canvas.

Advantages of a Jacket Lining:

Durability

A lined jacket has more weight to it. The extra layer of cloth helps tug the garment firmly down on your shoulders, making it fall smoothly from top to bottom.

Lining also provides protection for the inside of the jacket. Not only does it help absorb any sweat you might generate (reducing the need for frequent dry cleaning), it also provides another layer of cloth to stretch when your body moves. This reduces the amount of tugging on the actual suit material, extending its lifespan.

Certain pocket styles are sewn into the lining, particularly interior breast pockets (sometimes called “eyeglass pockets”). Unlined jackets lack these pockets, and usually need the somewhat informal patch-style pockets on the outside.

Lined jackets are usually less expensive than unlined because they require less interior finishing. Linings can also be replaced reasonably easily if they wear out, whereas a worn jacket interior means it's time for a new jacket.

Lined jackets help keep the jacket a bit warmer

Having a lined jacket for at least three of the seasons is not bad. I mean, it works out perfectly and it's going to allow the jacket to maintain and to keep your warmth in.

It's also more common, so therefore, it's going to be generally less expensive. It's just more machines, more factories that are making jackets like this, so you're going to have a wider variety.

It's going to be something that – yeah, there's just more of them out there, so therefore the price is – you're going to be able to find better deals.

It allows you to cover up shotty work

Sometimes you can have a great jacket on the outside and it'll fit well.

On the inside, if we were to cut it open, it's not going to look great. So by having a lining inside the jacket, you're never going to see that shotty work on the inside. Some people may say that's a disadvantage. It depends.

If you never know what's there or the jacket feels or looks great, I'm going to say go for it. Sometimes tailors get a little bit lazy on the inside and they don't make it look perfect.

That's perfectly fine as long as on the outside you feel great and it works and it functions.

Adjustments

A lined jacket is going to have a lot more room usually. It depends on the company or the manufacturer.

Some manufacturers are really skimping on the amount of material they leave in there, and I'll show you guys an unlined jacket, how much, and where they usually pull the material for the adjustment like in the back or on the sides, so usually lined jackets have a bit more material in there because they can leave it and no one's going to see it.

Types of Lined Jackets

• Half-lined –  the big difference with the half-lined is it's going to go about halfway down the back. You'll normally see this on something like a seersucker suit, so you walk in and most seersucker suits are going to be half-lined.Walk into a nice place like Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart, these places are going to carry seersucker. That jacket is normally going to be half-lined and that's exactly where the lining goes, about halfway down the back and the front is fully lined as well, so that's not truly half-lined, but that's what we call it.
• Quarter-lined – this is how I make most of my jackets. Just to let you know, for a client, I'm not going to make his first jacket unlined, the reason being is the adjustment issue I was talking about because if I need to adjust the jacket, I want to have room to do it. I want to be able to get in on the insides and perhaps make a mess if we need to make some major adjustments. I can't do that with an unlined jacket because an unlined jacket basically is showing the world what is on the inside of the jacket.

Because the inside of an unlined jacket is exposed, and that's one of the reasons that these are typically more expensive, is that the tailor has to not only make the outside the whole thing that everyone sees look great, but he also has to work on the inside the jacket, so it's like doing a double job. It's a lot of excess work.

You have to have lining in certain areas. You can actually use the outside material on the inside as well, but with a jacket, we're always going to still cover up the shoulder pads.

I used patch pockets on this jacket, but if I used welt pockets, which basically go into the material, that's another reason you need to have a lining on the front so that they cover up all the work on the pockets.

Advantages of an Unlined Jacket

Despite the advantages of a lining, many men swear by unlined or skeleton linings. A primary reason for buying an unlined jacket in summer or hot-weather wear: unlined jackets are simply lighter and more breathable. Quarter-lining can be a good compromise for men who want a bit of added durability and the option of interior pockets.

Loose-weave fabrics like seersucker, hopsack, and many linens are more difficult to fit a lining for. The lining needs to be able to tighten and go slack whenever the jacket does, and a typical lining won't have the same amount of tension in it as these looser weaves.

Getting it fitted right is a challenge even for a skilled tailor.  An improperly-fitted lining will make the jacket bunch and wrinkle, ruining its drape. Unlined jackets have a softer and more natural shape that many men prefer for their casual styles.

Skeleton jacket –  this is actually probably one of my favorite jackets. This is the jacket with the breast pocket on the right hand side, so we can look at the inside here.  The lining, the amount I used on here is very minimum, so the back again is totally unlined.

I would have to say that this weave is not as porous as the hopsack, but it's still a very lightweight, tropical wool, so air can move through this pretty easily, but this jacket I really just wanted it. I was traveling down south.

I wanted something that was a bit more formal, on the other hand, would be breathable, wouldn't be very hot. I did talk about durability. There are a few little tears basically where things have been cut and that's where having a lined jacket. 

If you wear your jacket every single day, and it gets pretty cool where you're at you're probably going to want to go with a lined jacket simply because it's going to require less maintenance, less minor repairs.

You can actually have a lined jacket and have the entire lining replaced. Yes, it's going to be a little bit more expensive, but it's a lot less expensive than having an entire jacket built. The problem with the unlined jacket is if I tear anything in the back area, I basically tear through the jacket and that's a much more costly fix. 

There isn't a right or wrong choice when going with lined or unlined jackets. It really depends on your need, so determine what that is and make a good decision for yourself.

Typical Jacket Lining Fabrics

Most jackets are lined with acetate fabrics. Bemberg is probably the most well-known material, and one of the most dependable. An alternative synthetic is the Ermazine brand, made from viscose.

Silk is sometimes used to make suit linings, particularly brightly-colored and decorative ones, but it is much hotter than synthetics and bunches easily. Most tailors will only make silk-lined jackets on request, and may try to discourage customers from them.

Cotton linings are cheap but uncomfortable, and should be avoided.

Conclusion: When to Line and When Not to Line

Linings add weight and durability to a jacket. However, they also stiffen the drape and hold in more heat.

Suits/jackets that should be lined:

• Business suits in light, delicate wool
• “Three-season” or winter suits
• Cotton sports jackets (they usually benefit from the added stiffness)
• Very frequently-worn jackets

Suits/jackets that should be unlined:

• Lightweight summer jackets
• Loose-weave fabrics like seersucker
• Casual jackets with a deliberately soft shape (stiffens them up too much)

Of course, you can often find a middle ground with partial linings, such as a skeleton lining to protect the canvas of a linen summer suit without adding too much extra weight to it.

Just remember that less lining usually drives the cost up, since it requires more complete finishing on all the interior seams.