Prepare Yourself for April Showers with a Stylish Women's Waterproof Jacket

We’ve all been caught out by an April shower. You know ‘the wetter than expected dog walk or arriving at work with an unanticipated wet-look’. It happens. Maybe you forgot your brolly or your other waterproof jacket just isn’t suitable as workwear. Either way, the team at ACAI wanted to find a solution to that very predicament. 

What if there was a stylish women’s waterproof jacket that you could wear for everyday outings, as well as adventures, that could adapt to your preferred style whilst performing the waterproof duties you’d expect? 

The Multiway Waterproof Jacket

We gave it this name because it can be worn in multiple styles for a multitude of activities. It was designed to be able to do this because we appreciate that each of you have your own lifestyles and individuality, and ways of expressing it. 

Improving the aesthetic and overall style of women’s outdoorwear is at the heart of ACAI. There’s more on that here. And you can learn more about our women’s waterproof jacket & its lightweight fit from our recent articles. However, for now, we’re just going to focus on style. 

So, from top to bottom, we’re going to take you through the careful considerations we made about each and every aspect of the Multiway Waterproof Jacket. 

What’s Good in the Hood?

Believe it or not, there are waterproof jackets that come without hoods. We think we know why. Hoods can get in the way and flap around, unwanted. They can also sometimes detract from what is a stylish jacket. 

So, rather than leave a practical element like a hood off our jacket, we made it detachable. And made sure the inside pocket of the jacket was spacious enough to host it. But that’s not all. We made the hood into a vessel, so you can pack the jacket into it and carry it with you or stow it away in your backpack. 

The hood detaches and reattaches via the auto lock zip function. We thought a secure hood would make for a more watertight and windproof hood. But we didn’t want the sleekness of the jacket to be interrupted by a zip, so we introduced a flap to cover it for fabric continuity. 

Other comfort features include draw cords for adjustments. Tighten it around your face and protect yourself from the incoming rain and wind or keep it loose for a more relaxed fit. We made the toggles large and rubberised for easy grip and non-slip adjustment when wearing gloves. 

You’ll notice the hood is roomy. This was a decision made based on the understanding of different hairstyles and hats. There’s nothing worse than a hood that won’t lift over your bun or bobble hat.

Is that Herringbone?

Having studied the hood, you may have noticed the stylish herringbone weave of the fabric. Traditionally, a herringbone is seen on suits or jackets but a twill weave can be used for just about anything. We wanted to use it to give our jacket texture and elegance.Then we applied the PU membrane and gave it superior waterproof power.

A Cool Colour

If you know ACAI, you’ll know how fluorescent colours are not really to our taste. Instead, we keep it simple by choosing colours that can work with your wardrobe throughout the seasons. By choosing this cool bluey grey, it offers versatility. It works as part of a summer outfit with leggings or in the winter with skinny jeans. It’s also pretty neutral, so you can contrast or match the colours of your other garments against it. 

Collar & Cuffs

When the collar is folded down, (particularly when the hood is detached), the overall aesthetic of the jacket becomes more casual wear than outdoorwear. Stand it up and you’ll receive wraparound protection from the wind and rain, so you can stay snug. The storm flap also contributes here, fastening into place with an ACAI branded button. 

The cuffs have been designed so that they can roll all the way back up to the elbow and strapped into place, for a cooler experience (both in appearance & temperature). We didn’t want the cuffs to be too tight either, because we wanted there to be adequate room for wearing gloves.

Buttons, Studs & Branded Bits

Not only are the inclusion of press studs, buttons and toggles to improve the usability of the jacket but to enhance the overall aesthetic too. At various touch points on the Multiway, we wanted to involve stylish little nods to the brand. So that’s what we did.

Notice the ACAI mountain sunrise crest subtly stitched below the front-left pocket, the rubberised zip grips emblazoned with the brand name as well as on the stitched lapel on the rear. 

Two Way Zip

Having a two-way zip is better than having a one-way zip (obviously). It gives you the option to style your look, as well as more manoeuvrability. Plus, if your storm flap is up and buttoned, rather than dismantle it from the top, you’ve got quick access below. The large zip-pull is also intentional for extra grab! 

Pockets Aplenty

When you’re out and about or on the move, you need plenty of options, when it comes to pockets. Pockets come in handy for storing your stuff or keeping your hands warm. So we made them big enough to do both. Plus, we gave you a few options so there’s no collisions, scuffs or scratches on any of your goods. 

On the exterior of the jacket, we placed two front pockets with a studded flap cover whilst on the inside there’s a spacious zip pocket for keeping your map dry. 

Inverted Pleat

The inverted pleat gives the rear of the jacket additional shape and style. It has a practical element too, of course. Not only does it allow airflow but the smart tailoring generates more movement and prevents bunching when wearing a backpack or baby carrier. 

Multiple Styles & Uses

There’s intention behind the oversized appearance of the jacket - we wanted it to have a relaxed look and to be flattering of individual women’s shapes. We call it voluminous. Another thing we made sure of was that it was just long enough to cover your bum! 

It’s a sleek and stylish waterproof jacket which on drier days can ruche up at the hem and go without a hood for a smart commuter look, or, alternatively, you can layer up underneath and make the most of the relaxed look whilst out on a hike.