Veilance Quoin IS Jacket

The old adage says that comparison is the thief of joy. Whether it’s pining after your white whale, #oldveilance grails (Haedn OS yes please, Haedn LT no thanks) or trying to decipher the multitudes of Partition seasonal revisions (AR, LT, LT without a hood, etc), when it comes to Veilance, one cannot help but stack current offerings against prior iterations. The Quoin IS Jacket of the SS21 collection is the first piece to bear the Quoin name since SS16, after which the Quoin Jacket was discontinued. The new Quoin IS Jacket should be compared against its namesake but also its FW spiritual predecessor, the Mionn IS Overshirt, and, of course, be understood on its own gloriously minimal terms.

Pronunciation

Yeah, we don’t know either. Editor: It’s pronounced “coin”

Style/Use-Case

The Quoin IS Jacket isn’t a revolutionary design, just an extremely well executed Veilance interpretation of the classic coach’s jacket. The SS21 version trades the Prym snaps utilized on the previous Quoin Jacket for a Vislon zipper akin to the Coil zipper found on the Mionn IS Overshirt, and the result is a modernized, sleek revision of a classic menswear staple. Snap closures are arguably an essential part of the coach’s jacket, but we appreciate that Veilance is taking liberties with the garment in order to uphold its ultra-minimalist aesthetic.

Veilance.com markets the piece as being readily used in rainy climates, and while the DWR treatment has yet to be tested in a non-kitchen sink environment (passed with flying colours, thanks for asking), it would be unwise to venture into a downpour given the lack of hood or a true waterproof membrane. The Quoin IS Jacket would most certainly stand up to a quick late night run to your bodega, and you’d be no worse for wear darting from awning to awning to avoid light showers. Unfortunately for the Veilance marketing team, “Climate: Drizzling” doesn’t have quite the same marketing cachet.

The website goes on to market the Quoin IS Jacket as being an ideal piece for layering or for travel, and we’d agree in part. As described below, the lack of internal pockets belies the claim that the piece would be great for travel — with just the two zippered side pockets, there’s little room or structure to hold the proverbial book, sandwich, and passport. In the short while that I’ve owned the Jacket, I’ve found that I prefer using the pockets for warmth and weather protection than for storage. While zippered pockets make sense to quell the anxieties of paranoid travelers (read: me) about losing their AirPods or wallet, the zipper teeth can grate against your wrists.

What the Quoin IS Jacket lacks as a standalone piece for travel, it more than makes up for as a Veilance layering item. In fact, it might be the best item in the entire lineup to layer with. The 20 denier Polyester Mini Ripstop exterior face fabric glides through the sleeves of Gore-Tex jackets without difficulty, unlike the Terratex used on other Veilance mid-layers such as the revised Mionn IS Jacket. Unlike recent Veilance overshirt offerings (like the Mionn IS Overshirt and the Component Overshirt), which feature elongated hems and function best as standalones, the Quoin IS Jacket has a reduced length that is extremely complimentary to shells. It’s ironic, given the above comparison, that Veilance sequesters the Mionn IS Overshirt into the Tops category whereas the Quoin IS Jacket, a more readily layered piece, is part of the Jackets category. We see both pieces as jackets that have different aesthetics and use-cases.

When reviewing the Quoin IS Jacket, the most asked question was invariably “can you layer it under an Arris?” Worn together and fully zipped up, the hem of the Quoin IS Jacket falls slightly beneath the cropped Arris hem. While the straight hem of the Quoin does not necessarily synergize with the notched detailing of the Arris, aesthetically, the pieces work well together, particularly unzipped where the slight differences in length are not immediately apparent.

As far as Veilance insulators go (there are way too many of them, by the way), the Quoin IS is the perfect spring weight piece, when it’s just a bit too warm for a Mionn IS Jacket or Conduit LT Jacket. The Quoin IS Jacket could very well supplant both my trusty Isogon MX Jacket and Graph Cardigan as my go-to Veilance pieces that are easy to throw on and don’t look overly technical. It covers all of my use cases, which are somewhere on the spectrum of grocery shopping and sitting in front of a triple monitor set-up all day in an air conditioned room.

Materials and Features

The exterior panelling of the Quoin IS Jacket consists of 20 denier Polyester Mini Ripstop, and underarm panels made from dope dyed High Air Permeable Lining (Permeair) for thermal regulation. Veilance has been trending towards lower denier face fabrics over the last few seasons, and this season’s entire concept (“Zero Gravity System”) is built around the idea of using the lightest possible materials.

The new 20 denier Ripstop has a luxurious hand feel; it’s silky and immediately noticeable when next to skin, and I’ll admit that I’ve caught myself, more than once, basking in the touch of the Ripstop as my neck brushes against the back of the collar. The material is more fragile than previous Veilance shell fabrics, but still outperforms its urban use case. We’d argue that this material choice is suggestive of Veilance finding a solid footing in relationship to mainline Arc’teryx: as the more luxurious, polished counterpart to the Everyday line.

In the paneling beneath the armpits, there is no Coreloft or Ripstop, only the Permeair liner used throughout the interior of the jacket in order prevent the wearer from overheating. Many liners found in the Veilance line can be clammy next to skin, but not the Quoin. While the exposed Permeair liner brings up some durability concerns, the entire materials package of the Quoin makes for an extremely comfortable and versatile garment, as it functions excellently both indoors and outdoors. Blurring the distinction between outerwear and innerwear seems to be a focal point of recent Veilance design, and it’s harder to pull off well than one would assume.

The entire jacket, apart from the armpits, is filled with 25gsm Coreloft Insulation, including the collar! Veilance collars are known for not holding a very clean shape, and it’s a very odd choice to insulate them. Unfortunately, the insulation does very little to structure the collar (it won’t stay upright), but provides a little extra comfort. It’s generously cut, and makes for a handsome pairing with other collared pieces or even a hoodie. In fact, even when fully zipped, the collar accommodates a hoodie underneath with only the gentlest of pressure against the chest.

On the rest of the jacket, the 25gsm Coreloft insulation used in conjunction with the soft face fabric leads to an incredibly light and unstructured piece. Warmth is highly subjective, so we’ll forgo the temperature ranges. The Quoin screams early morning coffee runs and other urban use cases in transitional weather, it won’t be the piece you reach for when the snowstorm hits but makes for a great everyday casual wardrobe addition.

Veilance opted for a YKK Vislon zipper on the Quoin, as opposed to the Coil zipper (plus storm flap) found on the Mionn IS Overshirt. The Vislon zipper is a bit more difficult to operate than the Coil zipper, but offers more weather protection without the need for a storm flap. Veilance’s zipper choice makes sense to us in this case, as it functions well and nicely breaks up the lines of the jacket. Veilance designs usually toe the line of being too clean and minimal (read: boring), and a Coil zipper with a storm flap would render the Quoin a bit sterile. The Coil zipper/flap combination works well on the Mionn Overshirt since it functions best as a standalone piece, and the flapped zipper accentuates other elements of the design like the darting, pockets, and unique silhouette.

If you’re familiar with Veilance’s cuff systems, you’ll continue to be pleased with the Altitude Nylon stretch inserts placed in the cuffs to ensure a slightly tighter fit and a gentle caress of your wrists. The Quoin IS Jacket lacks the aggressive notched cuff found in the Isogon MX Jacket, but the notch would limit layering potential and compromise the ultra clean lines of the Quoin, so is not missed in the slightest.

The Quoin IS Jacket pocket layout feels quite sparse, with simple zippered side pockets without internal organizers or key pulls and furthermore, and no internal pocketing whatsoever. The zippered pockets can lead to minor discomfort when your hands are placed inside, and the lack of structure of the overall garment means that two hands are often required to operate the zippers. While some may bemoan the lack of internal pockets, it makes sense given the minimalist style of the Quoin and to avoid the jacket draping awkwardly due to overloaded pockets. By wearing a bag or a shell over the Quoin one can easily overcome its lack of storage, anyway.

Fit

Veilance labels the Quoin with “Standard” fit, and like nearly all AV styles it fits true to size. When sized properly, the wearer has ample room to layer over or under the piece without looking puffy/bulky. The sleeves on the Quoin IS Jacket are the proper length, so no worries about the elongated sleeves that Veilance styles are known to feature, which borrow patterning from Arc’Teryx climbing shells. The hem is generously cut, which allows for easy layering and suggests Veilance heeded community feedback about items like the Mionn IS Comp Hoody and Dyadic Comp Hoody.

If the wearer is insistent on a trim fit, cropped sleeves, and little layering flexibility, it might be possible to size down on the Quoin IS.

Conclusion

The Quoin IS Jacket is hardly an ambitious piece but it’s representative of what Veilance does best: take classic pieces and recreate them through the Veilance lens, with extremely thoughtful attention to detail. The Quoin IS Jacket won’t grab most consumers’ eyes as readily as the return of the Deploy LT Jacket or the flashy construction of the Demlo SL Pullover, but it has a niche as an extremely versatile, no-fuss minimalist jacket.