A sleeveless jacket or tunic, typically made of leather, worn over the doublet—a garment of medieval origin that became a symbol of Tudor masculinity and survives today in the biker vest and the puffer gilet.
The jerkin was a staple of sixteenth-century men’s clothing, worn over the doublet and under the gown or cloak. It was typically made of leather (buckskin, doeskin) or heavy wool, cut close to the body, and fastened at the front with lacing or buttons. The sleeveless construction allowed freedom of movement for the arms, making the jerkin popular for hunting, riding, and military wear.
In the Tudor court, the jerkin was the outer layer of a carefully orchestrated system of clothing—shirt, doublet, jerkin, gown—each layer visible at the edges, each contributing to a composition of volumes and textures. Portraits of Elizabethan courtiers show jerkins elaborately decorated with pinking (cut decorative slits), embroidery, and silver buttons.
The jerkin declined as an independent garment in the seventeenth century but re-emerged in the twentieth as the waistcoat, the sweater vest, and the gilet. In each form, it has retained the jerkin’s defining characteristic: a sleeveless layer that provides warmth and structure to the torso while leaving the arms free. The modern puffer vest—worn by hikers, photographers, and fashion editors alike—is a direct descendant of the jerkin’s original logic.
