Austin Butler’s Vintage Carhartt Jacket Is God-Tier Fall Outerwear

You may already be aware that Austin Butler loves Carhartt. He’s a big fan of the workwear brand’s hoodies, cargos, and, yes, its very famous work jackets. How do we know? Well, because he told us so.

Speaking to GQ in 2022, Butler name-checked the brand’s classic Detroit work jacket as an item that he couldn’t live without. “I’ve got these in a number of different colors…It’s such an essential piece for me,” he said. “They keep you warm, I like the canvas feel to it, and then as they get worn in they just feel better and better.” But yesterday, the actor was spotted in a different kind of Carhartt Detroit—one you probably won’t find anywhere else.

While leaving the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the Caught Stealing star stepped onto the busy streets of West Hollywood wearing a vintage Carhartt J97. Originally introduced in the ’90s, this blanket-lined piece was the blueprint for the modern Detroit jacket and quickly became the benchmark for all-American workwear: cropped in the body, tough as nails, and built from the label’s signature 12-ounce duck canvas designed to take a proper beating.

Butler’s jacket features beefy brass hardware, a contrasting collar, adjustable waist tabs, and a handy chest pocket. The modern Detroit still nods to it, but the J97 came from a bygone era when Carhartt workwear was made in the USA and built for actual, y’know, work.

Plus, his version was clearly pre-worn and pre-loved, with fraying sleeves, rips, and holes that tell their own story. And you just can’t wear a grail like that with just any ol’ boots—he paired it with some vintage Red Wing lace-ups.

This isn’t the vintage Carhartt you can pick up at any old thrift store or overpriced online reseller. This cut is deep, rare, and further proof that Butler’s thrift plug is better than yours.

A version of this story originally appeared in British GQ.