High school jocks have always worn them off the baseball pitch to signal their sporting prowess.
But following C4's hit series Glee and the success of the band The Baseballs, even fitness phobes are wearing varsity colours. The letterman, or baseball jacket, has had a style overhaul.
Futuristic photographer David LaChapelle wore a black silk one in London last week, and Lady Gaga, ever a trendsetter, teamed a studded Monster varsity jacket with fishnet tights, proof you don't have to throw on track pants to pull off the look.
Traditionally, an American baseball jacket is a combination of boiled wool and leather, with a number denoting the wearer's high school or player initials. But since Louis Vuitton had them made up in silk — for £1,500, no less — in the A/W 09 collection, high street brands are selling them diamanté-studded, with electric shades and chequered patterns, to girls and guys alike.
There's David Beckham's Adidas Originals Stadium Jacket at £400, while Topshop's ladies' £40 version is selling faster than Glee DVDs and, since January, Topman has shifted 4,500, also at £40 a throw.
ASOS.com and Urban Outfitters predict that the baseball will replace last season's "boyfriend" jacket. Lee Grace of Urban Outfitters menswear, where the Carhartt baseball jacket sold out in just a few weeks, says: "We're having great reactions to these. The preppy trend is key for S/S 10 and can be adapted in the everyday wardrobe."
An eBay search for "baseball jacket" comes up with more matches than you can count. Ebay's are mainly vintage, averaging £21, but as the site's spokeswoman, Julie Hutton-Potts, comments: "eBay is a great barometer for what's hot. Last month we saw a 92 per cent rise in baseball jacket sales — so not only are people watching Glee but it looks like they're getting style inspiration from the cult show too."
Charlotte Lee, 23, from west London, has just bought her first baseball jacket from River Island. "I love the preppy style and wear it with skinny jeans and moccasins. Mine pulls in at the waist, making it quite feminine." And if you don't fancy a drawstring waist, up-and-coming designer Haikki Salonen created a padded shoulder baseball jacket for her A/W10 Fashion East collection.
This summer you don't have to be a natural athlete to bring back those high school glory days.
