Most track jackets fail not because of the fabric but because of what the manufacturer chose to do with it. Poor stitching, colours that look different under any light other than a product shot, zip pulls that feel hollow, and a fit that somehow manages to be both boxy and shapeless at once. Polyester gets a bad name it only partially deserves. Done well, it moves properly, holds colour better than most natural fibres, and sits flat in a way that looks considered rather than lazy.

What we were looking for here were jackets where someone clearly made real decisions: about the weight of the fabric, the structure of the collar, the taper through the body, the hardware. The kind of details that separate a jacket you reach for repeatedly from one that lives at the back of a chair. These cost a little more than the obvious alternatives. They are also the ones that still look good six months in.