Now the group I wear most. Barn, field and chore jackets are workwear that grew up, and they are far more forgiving than suede. The chore jacket is thought to have started in nineteenth-century France as an indigo work jacket with a loose fit and wide tool pockets, called bleu de travail, according to the BBC. It then traveled to the US, where it was worn for labor like railroad work. Wide pockets and a roomy cut are still the whole point.

The cleanest versions here are the two Polo Ralph Lauren Cotton Utility Jackets, which are the ones I would wear with a white shirt and straight jeans. The Splendid Leighton Cotton Blend Utility Style Jacket and the BLANKNYC Cotton Linen Utility Jacket are lighter and easier, the kind of thing you tie around your waist when the afternoon turns. Linen wrinkles, and I think that is part of the charm.

The collared barn coats are where the texture is. The BLANKNYC Corduroy Collar Barn Jacket and the Plaid Cord Collar Barn Jacket both give you that soft ridged collar, and the PAIGE Caleb Corduroy Trim Jacket does the same thing more quietly. The Avec Les Filles Reversible Scarf Barn Jacket is a clever one, because you get two looks and a scarf in a single piece. The AQUA Cropped Barn Jacket and the AQUA Bonded Barn Jacket are shorter and cleaner, which works well over a dress or high-waisted trousers.

Then there is wax. The Barbour Arlene Waxed Jacket is waxed cotton, and that is the old sailor idea in a modern shape. Alex Mill's Chiltern Street barn jacket is the other waxed cotton one here, and the Toteme country jacket is the polished one. Barbour recommends re-waxing a waxed cotton jacket annually, depending on wear and use, so think of it as a jacket you look after rather than one you wear and forget. Waxed cotton also develops creases and a worn-in sheen, which I like.

Four more belong here. FRANÇOISE's black Sutton jacket is belted cotton with field pockets, GWYN's cream Cate jacket is a neat little chore coat, the DL1961 x Olympia of Greece barn jacket cinches at the waist, and Carolina Herrera's embroidered cotton jacket is a field jacket with flowers up the sleeves.

The lighter, unlined barn jackets are the ones I grab first in September. ASTR's Hope has a corduroy collar with embroidery, Still Here's barn jacket is a pale vintage blue, and Faherty's Sunwashed Canvas Barn Jacket is olive canvas.

To style any of these, keep the rest of the outfit simple. A striped tee, a slip skirt and loafers, or a fine knit and wide trousers, will do it. Try the sleeves with a chunky sweater under them before you decide, because a roomy coat that fits over a knit is the one you will actually wear.

The last group is the layering group: quilted jackets and one denim classic. Quilting has a clear start date. Gentleman's Gazette says the quilted jacket as we know it today was invented in 1965 by Steve Guylas and his wife Edna. Barbour, for its part, says the Liddesdale diamond-quilted jacket was introduced in 1994 and was originally designed for equestrian use. So the shape is older than it feels, and it has always been about moving easily.

Barbour dominates this grid, and it is easy to see why. The Kilnwick, the Annandale and the Flyweight Cavalry Quilted Jackets are the ones to know, and the Beadnell Polarquilt and the Cavalry Polarquilt Jackets are the others. They are slim enough to wear under a coat or on their own, and that is how I use them: over a shirt with jeans and boots, or with a skirt and a loafer. The AQUA Quilted Barn Jacket and the Polo Ralph Lauren Quilted Barn Jacket cross a quilted body with a barn coat collar, which gives you a bit more structure.

Then the denim. The denim maker's own history says the Type I was on the market from 1905 to 1953 with one riveted front pocket and two pleats. The Type III first appeared in its October 1961 catalog, designed by Jack Lucier, with a tapered fit and no pleats. In 1967 it became Lot 70505 to match the 505 jean and was eventually dubbed the Trucker. The Cotton 90's Trucker Jacket is that shape, and it is the simplest answer to what to wear with almost everything.

What I would skip: a quilted jacket that is too snug in the shoulders, because you will not be able to layer a sweater under it and the diamonds will pull across your back. Also skip wearing a trucker jacket buttoned to the top with matching denim below, unless you really want the full set. Leave it open and let the contrast do the work.

The MA-1 flight jacket was developed for American military pilots in the 1950s, in nylon with knit cuffs and a knit collar, and it has been off duty ever since. A short, warm jacket that stops at the waist is still the easiest thing to throw over jeans.

ALAÏA's padded bomber is the sharpest version here, short and rounded with a clean front. Miu Miu's tech-fabric blouson is lined in shearling, so it is warmer than it looks, and Róhe's beige blouson has a suede collar that softens it. Moncler Grenoble's Valdivian faux fur ski jacket is the one for real cold, and it looks just as good after the slopes.

Tip: a bomber should end at your waist, so try it with your highest-rise trousers. What I would skip: a bomber that is long in the body, which loses the shape that makes it a bomber.

Thomas Burberry invented gabardine in 1879, and the trench coat cut from it was worn by British officers in the First World War, which is where the belt and the shoulder straps come from. A short trench and a tailored wool jacket are the dressier end of fall, the ones you wear to dinner rather than on a walk.

GWYN's brown Nina trench jacket is the short version, belted and easy over jeans. Oscar de la Renta's pink double-face wool jacket is draped across the front and needs nothing else, Givenchy's grey wool-blend peplum jacket is pure tailoring, and Balmain's black wool serge pilot jacket is belted at the waist.

Tip: with tailored wool, check that the shoulder seam sits on your shoulder bone, because that is the one thing a tailor cannot easily fix. What I would skip: a peplum jacket over a full skirt, which adds volume in two places at once.

Here is how I would choose. Start with the outfits you wear most, not the jacket you admire most. If your week is jeans and knits, the barn and chore coats are the easy pick. If you dress up more often than you dress down, take suede. If you are always on the move, go for quilting or denim.

Then do three tests in the fitting room. Raise your arms, hug yourself, and sit down. If the jacket moves with you in all three, keep it. Check that the pockets sit where your hands naturally fall, and that the sleeves clear your wrist bone with a sweater underneath.

Finally, plan the care before you buy. Protector spray and a brush for suede, a re-wax once a year for waxed cotton, and a quick brush-down for corduroy collars. A jacket you look after will get better with age, and that is the kind I want in my closet. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Barn Jacket Edit and How to Wear a Barn Jacket This Fall.