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'Deeply Unhip' Eight Ball Jackets Are Cool Again, Says 'Times'

By Rebecca Jennings
A cool person in an 8-ball jacket, the notorious subway slapper, Elaine's 8-ball jacket-wearing date on Seinfeld, and the 8-ball jacket, updated for Hypebeasts. Photos: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/style/a-90s-jacket-comes-back-into-fa
A cool person in an 8-ball jacket, the notorious subway slapper, Elaine's 8-ball jacket-wearing date on Seinfeld, and the 8-ball jacket, updated for Hypebeasts. Photos:

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Of all the questions we'd think to ask a magic eight ball, the last one would be whether or not those eight ball jackets from the 90's would ever make a comeback (if only because the answer would most certainly be a resounding "no"). So, you can imagine our surprise when the Times Styles section suggested that the choice coat of coke dealers, subway-slappers, and according to Seinfeld, the chronically unhip, has begun to reappear in the city's cool downtown vintage shops.

"Like a leathery cicada," the Times' Ben Detrick writes, "it makes its periodic return, bolstered by iconic simplicity and nefarious associations."

Though eight ball jackets are still relatively affordable on eBay (for now, anyway)—some are available for as little as $50—newer versions are being sold at Lower East Side stores like Procell, Nick & Son, and S&A Leathers for $250 to $300. "The retro kids love it," an S&A salesperson told the NYT.

Popularity with The Youngs, however, doesn't necessarily detract from the style's reputation: "An eight-ball jacket is like colorful skin on a poisonous snake," comedian Daniel Baker said, "It's nature's attempt at warning you that this person should be avoided."

· A '90s Jacket Comes Back Into Fashion [NYT]