I love a transitional fashion piece, an item that can span seasons from the hottest of months to the chilliest of days. And the shacket, part overshirt, part jacket, is just one of those in-between season items you'll wonder how you ever lived without.
Before your mind is filled with khaki shackets or plaid shackets from the 90s, the casual piece has been reinvented for 2024 to come in all a wide range of designs, colours and textures. These days, you'll find as many women's shackets in pleasingly neutral shades like cream, white or black as you will animal print, cord finishes and fluffy, borg textures. In other words, its a versatile piece that transcends trends and remains a staple in many of our wardrobes - mine included. If its a check shacket you want, there's plenty of those too.
Not quite as bulky or warm as a spring jacket, but more substantial than your average shirt, it's the perfect layering piece perfect for throwing on over jeans and a tee, a floral dress or your loungewear. And spoiler, it's lightweight enough to fit under a slightly heavier spring coat too - I wear one on the school run over a varsity sweatshirt, to take the edge of a not so sunny spring day. Because let's face it, we're not quite in those heady days of scorching summer, or even warm spring, just yet.
How I chose the best shackets
Style: From neutral, classic shackets to floral, animal print and textured, I've included a range of styles of shackets.
Price: Luckily, shackets are, generally, quite affordable and this edit includes shackets all under £100.
New in: These aren't your old stock of shackets, this list includes the new in shackets that have just hit the high street
Shop the best shackets for women
1/12
New Look Cotton Pocket Front Cropped Shacket
New Look Shacket
Sizes: 6-14
Colours: Stone, black and khaki
Delivery: Free delivery on orders over £50
Returns: Within 28 days of purchase
Cropped and cream, New Look's shacket is a bestseller with shoppers calling it "lightweight and lovely" and "versatile".
The cropped length makes it a piece that layers well over dresses in the summer, or even as a pool cover-up.
2/12
M&S Quilted Shacket
Marks & Spencer Shacket
Sizes: 6-24
Colours: Denim blue
Delivery: Free on orders over £50
Returns: Free within 30 days of purchase
Love the style of a quilted jacket? Make this M&S quilted shacket your next spring jacket, with diamond-quilting and made from soft cotton denim.
It's an M&S bestseller already, despite just dropping on site - snap one up quick.
3/12
H&M Oversized Khaki Shacket
H&M Shacket
Sizes: S - L
Colours: Khaki green
Shipping: Free delivery with a £20 spend
Returns: Within 30 days of purchase
Khaki green shackets are classic, with the easy to wear shade leaning into the easy to wear style of one. H&M's khaki shacket is nicely oversized, so can be worn over light tops and layers, and has a cosy feel with its soft to the touch fabric.
4/12
Oasis Knit Back Pocket Detail Overshirt Jacket
Oasis Shacket
Sizes available: UK 6 - 18
Shipping: £3.95 Standard Delivery or free for orders over £150
Returns: Free within 28 days
I love Oasis' belted shacket (the belt can be removed), as it looks luxurious but is under £35. Grey is often overlooked for cream or white, but I think it's a great shade for spring as it pairs well with white, beige and khaki.
5/12
Boohoo Utility Pocket Shacket
Boohoo Shacket
Sizes: 8-16
Colours: Camel and sage green
Shipping: From £3.99 for standard delivery
Returns: Free within 28 days of purchase
Boohoo's tapped into the trench coat trend by creating a trench coat and shacket hybrid. With pockets and a belt, it's more lightweight than a cropped trench with its shacket-light material.
As well as camel, there's a sage green version.
6/12
ASOS Cotton Twill Black Shacket
ASOS Shacket
Sizes: 4-18
Colours: Black
Delivery: Free on orders over £50
Returns: Free within 30 days of purchase
ASOS has plenty of shackets in stock, and I chose this black shacket for how easy it'll be to wear throughout spring and summer, replacing a denim jacket as something even lighter in weight and breezy in fabric.
7/12
River Island Embroidered Floral Utility Shacket
River Island Shacket
Sizes: UK 6 - 16
Shipping: Free delivery with a £40 spend
Returns: Within 28 days
If you want to pretty up a shacket, River Island has the answer with its utility shacket, complete with embroidered floral print. Cute! It's a flattering fit too, with a drawstring waist to emphasise curves.
8/12
Burgs Dawlish Checked Wool Blend Shacket
John Lewis Shacket
Sizes available: UK 8 - 14
Shipping: Free click and collect or free on orders over £50
Returns: Free within 28 days
A check, or plaid, shacket is about as traditional a shacket as they come, and this John Lewis shacket is a spring-neutral check in pinky tones and beige. It's a wool blend, so will be warmer than a cotton or twill shacket, too.
9/12
Amazon Waffle Shacket
Amazon Shacket
Sizes: S - XXL
Colours: 21 to choose from, including pink, purple and black plus check and plaid
Delivery: Free with Amazon Prime
Returns: Free within 30 days of purchase
Try Amazon's waffle shacket if you want a bright overshirt, as there's 21 colours to choose from. I love the texture of the shirt, very reminiscent of one stylist Angie Smith wears throughout summer.
10/12
Topshop Grey Denim Shacket
Topshop Shacket
Sizes available: UK 4 - 18
Colours available: Grey
Shipping: Free
Returns: Free within 30 days
I love this Topshop shacket in denim, as an alternative to blue. It looks a little more structured than a cotton one, but is a great backdrop to the casual grey wash. The beauty of this shacket is that it can be worn with any colour jean, or trouser.
11/12
V by Very Textured Black Shacket
V by Very Shacket
Sizes available: UK 8 - 16
Colours available: Black
Shipping: Free standard delivery with Click & Collect on orders £30 or more
Returns: Within 28 days
This textured shacket is trending on Very, and already sold out in some sizes with shoppers calling it "soft", "comfortable" and "easy to wear."
12/12
Simply Be Leopard Shacket
Simply Be Shacket
Sizes available: UK 18 - 32
Shipping: £4.50 for standard delivery
Returns: Within 28 days
Leopard print is back for 2024 (not that it ever went away for some of us!) and I love Simply Be's use of the print on this shacket - it livens up the wardrobe staple, and leopard and denim are a match made in heaven. Add a Breton stripe top underneath and you're hitting all the fashion goals.
Celebrities wearing shackets
It's not unusual to see an off-duty celebrity outfit include a shacket, with plaid for J-Lo, black for Kendall Jenner and a check embellished combo for Ashley Roberts.
They're not alone; Kate Moss' khaki shacket is the stuff of legends, while Lily Collins caused a sellout of a brown Mango shacket that she wore on a shopping trip a few years back.
How to wear a shacket
There really are no hard and fast rules when it comes to wearing one. Think of it as a cousin to your denim jacket, just as versatile if not more so - shackets look particularly stylish with leather or straight leg jeans, but you can use one as a lightweight wear anywhere jacket over a dress, a casual outfit or something smarter too.
I love the look of layering a shacket over a thin roll neck, or belting it and wearing with a spring skirt. And they're just as useful in a bright pattern as they are a neutral, like khaki or grey.
