Part I:
I made one of my major purchases for 2014 already, the Barbour Dept. B Commander Jacket. I’ve been looking for this for a few months now. This is a slim fitting casual jacket, which should be good to wear for rainy and mildly cold weather.

Background: Barbour is an British company known for sturdy traditional waxed cotton jackets that stand up to rain and years of use. Most Barbour jackets are very roomy and made for layering, but lately they have been introducing some slimmer models. This particular jacket model is new for 2013. It is based on a very limited run of a Barbour x Tokihito Yoshida collaboration Beacon Heritage jacket, which is famous for being used in the Skyfall movie. It quickly sold out, then the similar-looking Dept B Commander jacket was made after the movie came out. It differs from the original model in that there is no attached hood and there is no storm flap inside the front jacket. It comes in the traditional olive color, but also there is a new color available now in navy.

Material: The exterior is made of 6 oz Sylkoil, which is their formula of thornproof waxed cotton, and trimmed in leather at the collar and sleeves. The interior lining is made of 100% cotton and trimmed with 100% wool. There are patches at the shoulders, and elbows/forearms. The material actually feels waxy to the touch. Overall, it is medium weight. I would say good for 40-60 degrees, and maybe lower with more layering.

Construction: The quality looks good. The buttons are nice, although there are a few hanging threads at the button holes. There are two large front bellowed pockets and one small left chest pocket. Two inner breast pockets. One large pouch in the back with zippers at both ends. However, no hand warming pockets. There are small hole vents at the armpits and bottom of the large front pockets. The collar can be closed up with an attached triangular piece of leather/waxed cotton at the neck, but I will generally leave the collar open.

Next, I will discuss the fit and my overall impressions.
I made one of my major purchases for 2014 already, the Barbour Dept. B Commander Jacket. I’ve been looking for this for a few months now. This is a slim fitting casual jacket, which should be good to wear for rainy and mildly cold weather.

Background: Barbour is an British company known for sturdy traditional waxed cotton jackets that stand up to rain and years of use. Most Barbour jackets are very roomy and made for layering, but lately they have been introducing some slimmer models. This particular jacket model is new for 2013. It is based on a very limited run of a Barbour x Tokihito Yoshida collaboration Beacon Heritage jacket, which is famous for being used in the Skyfall movie. It quickly sold out, then the similar-looking Dept B Commander jacket was made after the movie came out. It differs from the original model in that there is no attached hood and there is no storm flap inside the front jacket. It comes in the traditional olive color, but also there is a new color available now in navy.

Material: The exterior is made of 6 oz Sylkoil, which is their formula of thornproof waxed cotton, and trimmed in leather at the collar and sleeves. The interior lining is made of 100% cotton and trimmed with 100% wool. There are patches at the shoulders, and elbows/forearms. The material actually feels waxy to the touch. Overall, it is medium weight. I would say good for 40-60 degrees, and maybe lower with more layering.

Construction: The quality looks good. The buttons are nice, although there are a few hanging threads at the button holes. There are two large front bellowed pockets and one small left chest pocket. Two inner breast pockets. One large pouch in the back with zippers at both ends. However, no hand warming pockets. There are small hole vents at the armpits and bottom of the large front pockets. The collar can be closed up with an attached triangular piece of leather/waxed cotton at the neck, but I will generally leave the collar open.

Next, I will discuss the fit and my overall impressions.
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