Waxing Philosophical

The waxed-cotton jacket is made to shield you from the elements. But there's so much more to it than that.

- BY JONATHAN EVANS

IN MENSWEAR, A GOOD STORY GOES A long way—and waxed cotton has a damn good story. In the 1500s, sailors realized that sailcloth caught the wind better when wet. But laden with water, it was too heavy. So they applied grease and fish oil to boost performance while keeping weight down. When sails wore out, they cut capes from them to wear on board. Boom: the earliest known ancestor of the waxed jackets we know today, with an origin tale steeped in nautical adventure, human ingenuity, and good old grit. Not bad, right?