Jonny Pierce wearing SaintLaurent Teddy Jacket

I discovered The Drums by chance, some years ago, while I was reading an article where designer/photographer Hedi Slimane was praising these Brooklyn guys as one of his favorite bands ever. Since I have always thought that the Parisian designer had a very good ear for music, and a real talent for transposing his fondness for indie rock and indie pop music into his vibing collections for Dior Homme, I run checking their songs.

Miguel   wearing Saint Laurent Teddy Jacket

Not to mention it, as soon as I heard the hypnotic hook of “Me and the Moon”, I instantly became a huge fan of The Drums. In particular, I remember that I was spending a month in Miami when I purchased their self-titled debut album in 2010. I deem that sharing my time between the careless and party friendly atmosphere of Miami Beach, where I used to hang out, and the more down to earth reality of Miami Downtown, where I had my accomodation, made me appreciate even more the bittersweet mix between the overwhelming Beach Boys inspired beats of tracks like “Let’s Go Surfing” and the Morrissey influenced cinic and melancholic lyrics of songs like “Best Friend”.

  SaintLaurent Teddy Jacket

 Musicians wearing Saint Laurent Teddy Jacket

However, at that time, I would have never guessed that music would have had, once again, such a deep impact on fashion. In fact, few years later, this band would have been the main inspiration for one of the most successful menswear items of 2013. Let me explain to you what I mean. Some days ago I found myself checking Hedi Slimane’s rock diary archives and I accidentally bumped into some shootings of The Drums that he took between 2009 and 2011 in LA. In one of them, dated April 2010, Jonny Pierce, the blonde haired lead singer of the band, is wearing a black vintage baseball jacket whose design, including some details such as the leather trims over the shoulders and the front pockets, really looks like the prototype that inspired the famous and ubiquitous Saint Laurent “Teddy Jacket”.

Justin Bieber-Saint Laurent  Teddy Jacket

 

John Legend wearing SaintLaurent Teddy Jacket

This black and white wool-blend varsity jacket not only went sold out at the speed of light all over the world from The Webster to Colette, but also became the most successful menswear garment of 2013 fall-winter season. From Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys to John Legend, from Miguel to A$AP Rocky, from Justin Bieber to One Direction, no one could resist its sharp design. As we all know, imitation is the best form of flattery. In fact, many other fashion labels revisited this item in their own ways, have a look here: In case you missed the “Teddy Jacket”, don’t worry because Saint Laurent has already prepared the summer version which will be in stores soon!

Alex Turner - Saintlaurent The Drums menswear

The Drums -  Saint Laurent Teddy Jacket