So I also expected not to like it. Don't care for shoulder pads, double breasted......
I was pleasantly surprised, it looks very nice on you. Fits beautifully. Love to see it with your camerons. You may have a winner here.

Okay Shannon, I'm going to be ruthless, because I need that kind of honesty from you and others on my thrift store finds.,,,Golden Rule and all.

I think it looks dated. It fits you, it flatters, it is quality (oh, believe me I know how attractive that can be!) it's a good color but I fear it is not as stylish as the other jackets in your closet. Since you don't need it (correct me if I'm wrong), I vote re-thrift or consign.

PS. Brutal Honesty brought to you by:
Some recent bad thrift store purchases of my own, which cannot be returned.

Like others here, I expected not to like it, but I do. Good shoulder pads are a wonderful invention for many women and I have seen some jackets and coats with exaggerated shoulder lines in the last couple of years. (Shoulder pads in t-shirts and sweaters--no no no, please not again.) I like the shoulders here--I think they do balance your figure. I'm also seeing some cocoon shaped coats being shown and I do hope they don't become the fashion norm. Been there, done that--too stiff and structured for our modern lives.

Double-breasted--I expected a disaster and was surprised to see how well you wear this. The main problem I have with most double-breasted things is that they usually don't hang right unless buttoned up. This one looks fine open. I don't particularly like it with this dress and look forward to see what else you come up with.

When it comes to fabric I am very much a touchy feely person. The fabric doesn't come across well in photos like this. I love luxurious, draped, good quality fabrics. If this were a stiff fabric I'd say don't keep it, but since you say it is definitely quality, it would be worth keeping and working with it.

Hmm, okay another brutal honesty comment - It feels dated to me when I see it here. I also don't love the straight line it seems to creates - which is why it looks boxy to my eye. I also don't think it's in it's best light with this dress. So, if you plan to wear it with similar plain dresses I'd vote to pass it on. With jeans or other bottoms it could look quite a bit different.

I'd love to see it styled with something less conservative, Shannon. As I mentioned above, I do think the fit is stellar and now that you explained the button issue, I think you should just wear it open for now. I do think that with this dress it is looking very "corporate" and conservative, and not very much like you. But try it with jeans, or a tube skirt, and show us.

I don't think this looks dated. I think it looks quite nice. But then I never understand what people mean when they say "dated" - often I think those looks are classics.

I have been absolutely FASCINATED by your responses ladies. I love threads like this because I learn so much.

I agree that the pairing with this dress is "blah" and too corporate for me - well, really for anyone.

I also totally understand that shoulder pads and double breasted are very definite likes or dislikes.

In roving around Pinterest the other night and a few store websites, I am seeing some jackets with this type of boxier shape and with shoulder pads. Is it possible that something that last year would have seemed dated is now not?

I'm also wondering if something that could be seen as dated but is worn in a modern way (i.e. with more edgy or trendy pieces), can that item then become modern in its own right?

And IK raises an excellent point - when does something transcend being "dated" to become "classic"?

ETA: I'm curious why the navy blazer would be considered dated when my 1960's shoulder-padded polka dot jacket isn't? (see pic below). Is it because I wear the vintage jacket in a deliberate way? And if so, can't that also be done with the navy blazer? Just musing...I'm not taking offense to any of the dated comments above - I completely understand where they are coming from and thank you for your honest opinions - I'm just trying to understand is all

The polka dot one is dated but in very deliberate and fun way. More retro than boardroom. And it has a curvy bottom hem and a feminine vibe. I love that one on you.

Reminds me of a conservative version of your Amber Sun double breasted blazer. I think this one fits you well, shoulder pads and all. How do you feel in it?

I don't see dated, especially not in the pics with the scrunched sleeves. And I imagine that you will come up with some brilliant pairings with this jacket that will showcase your usual brilliant style. I wonder if some people are seeing dated because of the pairing with the black sheath; which doesn't have your usual pizzazz. Oh, and for us sloped shoulder ladies, bring on the shoulder pads!!

I think the jacket looks really good on you. I'm not good at dated unless it's really, really obvious, so I'm no help with that question. I look forward to seeing how you style it (I assumed the black sheath was just something simple to show off the jacket and not how you would wear it normally).

It may be how you are showing it styled, but it reads so 80's corporate to me (Working Girl comes to mind) and I do not equate that with your style. If you like this look (and maybe it can work for certain occasions) then I don't mind the shoulder pads and think it fits nicely and is flattering. I know Rena Rowan (although hadn't realized it was Canadian) and have always enjoyed the quality.

I find double breasted boxy blazers to not have a secret life where they look cool with BF jeans etc... like BF blazers can. Maybe I'm biased having lived through the original era of this style.

I love the navy jacket on you. But, I'd like know how else you plan on styling it.

Sorry I didn't respond earlier Shannon - in the back view I see some bunching of the fabric just above the waist. That made me think the jacket needed tapering in a little - either at the sides of the back seam