A post about the 1970s coats Generation X girls wore in the, well, 1970s.

1970s coats were the best!

It’s cold here in the city
It always seems that way
And I’ve been thinking about you almost every day…

From John Denver’s, I’m Sorry, 1975

Girls in Colorful 1970s Coats with Fur-Trimmed Hoods

Girls ride in the back seat of a car in the late 1970s. It appears they are headed to a slumber party. The above picture shows one girl carrying a sleeping bag and another carrying a round suitcase. I loved those round suitcases! Also, I bet at least one girl in this picture is named Jennifer.

These pictures remind me of a little-known song called Jennifer’s Jacket by the alternative rock power trio band the Presidents of the United States of America. The band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1993, and stayed together until 2016.

Jennifer’s Jacket

And she’s got safety pins and string holding it together
She can only wear her jacket in warm weather
Although the sleeves need to be shortened
The fact that the arms are falling off isn’t important

Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket,
Is falling apart
Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket,
Is falling apart

The lining in her coat is rotten
And it seems that the zipper has been completely forgotten
She had a dollar ten for a slice in the pocket of the right
But the pocket had a hole and she looked for the change all night

Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket,
Is falling apart
Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket,
Is falling apart

This is a list of malformations
But it would cost one hundred dollars for alterations
We all know that the pressed leather is in
But you can’t keep warm in the winter in December
In the city when it’s 32 degrees below zero
With a safety pin!

Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket, Jennifer’s jacket,
Is falling apart…Falling apart at the seams!

My 1970s Coat

The pictures also remind me of my own 1970s coat, which drew inspiration from the hippie Afghan coats of the era. It was made out of a short, thick brown pile and I felt like a grizzly bear when I wore it. Falling mid-calf, it was trimmed with bushy tan fur. The year was 1976 and we were living in Colorado where the winters were cold.

At the time, I attended Giberson Elementary, which was about a 10-minute walk from our house on London Lane. In the morning, it was cold enough for a coat, but by the time school let out, it was a real drag to wear that coat on the walk home. Instead of carrying it and my satchel, I put the hood on my head and let the coat just dangle. It’s what all the kids did. Ha! All down London Lane, blue sky, winter sun, and a sea of coats dangling from Gen-X heads.

In case you missed this post from 2018, check out this picture of a kid in a 1970s coat covered in Silly String. I love this picture so much. It’s like all the Gen-X goodness one can handle in a single photo.

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