Students express their opinions about shackets

Megan Berg

The most popular patterns of shackets that are found in stores are plaid and aztec. Slowly though, plain colors are becoming more popular as well. The true distinction between these plain colored shackets and jackets are the buttons down the front.

The plaid pattern has been around in the fashion world for ages used for shirts, skirts, and everything in between. This pattern has now taken a new form in the fashion world called a shacket. 

According to the urban dictionary, a ‘shacket’ is a mixture of the words shirt and jacket. Shackets have long sleeves like a jacket, the thickness of a jacket, but instead of a zipper like a jacket it has buttons like a shirt. 

The most popular type of shacket is the ones with the plaid pattern, but this fall and winter a new aztec pattern has also become popular. With the popularity of this new word arising, Seward County Community College students were asked if they knew and what they thought about this new trend. 

The term shacket is actually a made-up word mixed together from the words shirt and jacket. “I have one, but I didn’t know it was called that,” says Sinahy Hernandez, a pre dentistry major. (Megan Berg)

Sinahy Hernandez, a pre dentistry major, said she has heard of the word shacket. The word shacket makes her think of a big jacket. She was surprised to hear what it actually meant, and figured out she owns one herself. 

Karime Rios, an undecided major from Hooker, Oklahoma, immediately knew what a shacket was when asked. She said she’s seen many of her friends wear them in many different ways.  “I feel like shackets can be used for almost anything- western, fall, street.” 

Shackets are a mixed hybrid type of clothing as Karime Rios, an undecided major from Hooker, Oklahoma, describes. “It’s like a thick flannel. It looks like a flannel but different material.” (Megan Berg)

Rios said personally she’d style a shacket dressed up with jeans, a tee, and some booties. Hernadez agreed with her saying she’d also do a cropped tee with some black jeans but with air forces instead. 

Shackets can be versatile in styles from sneakers to booties to cowgirl boots. Alexis Rodriguez, a nursing major from Perryton, Texas, said she sees her friends wear shackets with cowgirl boots. 

“They remind me of fall definitely, also western as my friends wear it. I see someone wearing it to a rodeo,” said Rodriguez. 

With the popularity of shackets rising, many women’s clothing stores are stocking their racks. Stores in Liberal such as Glik’s and Buckle have a wide variety of colors, patterns, and sizes. (Megan Berg)

Shackets can be expensive though. While the clothing is sold at cheaper stores like Walmart, higher-end, small boutiques have their price tags set at 100 dollars or higher. Is this trend really worth that much money?

Salina Byrd, an early education major from Liberal, doesn’t think so. When asked if she would ever buy a shacket for that much, her eyes went wide, and she laughed quickly saying no. 

“I have better things to spend my money on. Like jackets that don’t cost that much. Any jacket could do that job too. I am no fashionista. If it fits, it works,” Byrd said.

Both Rios and Hernandez disagree with Byrd though. Hernandez said if the shacket is really cute then it could be worth the money. Quality and cuteness are two factors for Rios when she is deciding how much money to spend on a shacket. 

Rodriguez said she’d take the cheaper route for herself but would buy one for a family or friend if they wanted one. 

“They’re cute. I think to each their own, if people want to wear them.” Rodriguez commented. 

Even though this strange word wasn’t known, the trend itself was immediately recognizable by the students. In the end though, all four girls agreed that shackets are a really cute trend and don’t think it should be trashed anytime soon.