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everyday jacket, every day. your suggestions?

minimalist

Veteran

What are my options for a jacket to wear every day?

I have few clothes, probably the right number but still the wrong items, and am making very slow progress with shopping. What's getting to me is that the swag hoodie I wear every. single. day. really isn't my style. Replacing it with a decent "third piece" would be a huge, huge step forward.

And yes, I'll wear the new piece pretty much every day. I'm envious of people who have so much stability in their outside-challenge-flow and so much creative bandwidth available that they need variety in their wardrobes. But that luxury won't be mine for a long while.

I'm open to anything from gear to fitted-ish utility jacket to a classic blazer. Price isn't an issue because PPW. Needs to be black or very dark grey.

Armani fits well through shoulders and chest, but their current blazers/jackets fall too far below hip for my long torso and short legs.

bf says to raid his fabric stash, find a sewing instructor for twice-weekly sessions over three months, and don't listen to people who say to start with simple useless projects. Maybe (he's right about almost everything else) but I'd need to be very sure the style is right before investing that kind of time. That means trying on RTW anyway.

Shopping

18 replies

Latest reply was from minimalist

Liz

Veteran

Swag hoodie to Armani would be quite a leap! : )

My first thought is to go for a ponte knit blazer or a knit moto. You still get the comfort of a hoodie with a little structure added in.

Wait, I'm assuming you mean for indoor wear? If you need an outdoor jacket, then my suggestions won't work.

Any chance you'd go wild and buy two, rather than wearing the same item every.single.day?

Helena

Veteran

Not sure what climate you are buying for, but what about a trench? Is it meant for outerwear or a topper to wear all day?

ramya

Veteran

Ummm I am not a consumer of high end item. I am more an H&M price range consumer. My goto item the last few months have been my fabric motos. A camo color cropped one and black one. Before that it was my jean jacket. I do not have many blazers. I usually wear them for fancy ocassion. Date night big meeting etc.that said my lifestyle is very casual. So I guess it has to do much with your style and your lifestyle.

catgirl

Veteran

Are you talking about an indoor jacket? A black blazer in your favorite most flattering style seems like the most diverse item. But diverse and interesting don't always mean the same...

kkards

Veteran

Indoor or outdoor? If outdoor, what climate? If indoor, does it need to be washable?

minimalist

Veteran

Liz, I'm comfortable with a range. Or at least, at the extreme ends of a range. Used to live in Armani and similar suits. Smart casual is a middle ground in which I never found "my" style. Eventually, sure, 3 jackets would be fine. But they need to be right, and I'm not in a hurry. Your suggestion of ponte blazer sounds good.

Torontogirl, where I live, one piece works for indoor and outdoor. I got wild and picked up a BR trench for $15 at a thrift store; it works well over long-sleeve t's when I'm outdoors, but I wouldn't wear it inside all the time. It only rarely rains for real, and the trench is even less water-resistant than the old hoodie is.

Ramya, a $700 blazer I'd wear 200 times/year for several years probably comes to lower PPW than many H&M items do in larger wardrobes. I like to mix items from different price points, so high-end blazer could be pretty casual. My lifestyle is all over the place, in a liberal city that's not exactly fashion central, and I have packable dressy stuff for occasions and places that require it.

AG, I don't need interesting. Just excellent quality that fits.

kkards, dry clean is ok.

Having undergarments, hair, waxing, mani/pedi etc in line, I feel pretty fab and probably don't care enough about what the total package looks like from afar. Updating specs soon, working on fitness. Would like to be better prepared for mid-range situations, though.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Well...how do you want to look and feel? What are your style aspirations? What bottoms do you most regularly wear? Are you planning a change in those as well, or just the topper? What's your most flattering neutral?

Gigi

Veteran

I was browsing on Zara tonight and saw this:

http://www.zara.com/us/en/new-.....95563.html

I don't know what your style is, Amy K, so I don't know if this appeals to you or not. I certainly won't be offended if you dislike it! :^) It is a very simple jacket and would go with pretty much everything. But I have been told that the quality at Zara is hit or miss.

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Grey Rainbow

I'd go with one of Theory's black blazers. In a 3 season stretch wool, lined. They have a terrific range so I'd try a few to see what suits best -- shorter open front like the Lanai, shorter button front like the Gabe... I have a couple of longer (28") black woven in a riding style and a more drapey style. Then I'd add a knit in an interesting but subdued cut. I like Eileen Fisher for knit jackets. I have a black ponte double breasted fitted jacket with shirt tail-ish hem in rear, wewr it so often I duplicated it in grey. There's one on eBay right now. Also a merino wool, tightly knit angle front with leather trim slit pockets. For me these all work with everything from suit trousers to harem pants, pencil skirts to midi, and every possible jeans.

elpgal

Veteran

Not knowing anything about your goals or style, the two I would choose are the Gibson riding jacket and a utility jacket in a washed black.

Suhasi

I love the way you feel fab about yourself already by working on important things like fitness and hair and stuff.

ramya

Veteran

I apologise amy if I came across as questioning your price point. I just meant that I have no suggestions for higher price point items .

April

Veteran

AK -- if I were building piece by piece with great deliberation, I would be wary of adding one high-end jacket with a plan to wear it so often, for two reasons.

One, someone here said something that I thought as very wise on a thread about getting what you pay for. I can't remember who it was, but she said that a $300 handbag could generally be counted on to be ten times better than a $30 handbag, but that a $3000 handbag was unlikely to be a hundred times better.

I think that's true of clothing as well. It seems like with jackets, above the $300 - $400 range, the added cost is probably not reflecting much of a concomitant increase in quality.

Two, if I had so few pieces that I'd be wearing the jacket 200 times per year for several years, I would live in a state of fear that something would happen to it: a rip that couldn't be fixed, a stain from someone's uncapped Sharpie; or -- heaven forbid -- a dry cleaner error.

So my advice would be that, in spite of the basic wisdom of buying less and buying better, in this case it would actually be better to buy two $350 jackets than one $700 jacket.

gryffin

Veteran

Amy K - I think you need to really choose the look you are going for. A fantastic black blazer is the most useful item I can think of. But then you have to decide what style? Do you wear mostly pants for skirts, dresses? All? The single most versatile jacket I have is my HL tux jacket. It works will all of the able and does casual or dress equally well. I also love a great boyfriend blazer but it sounds like you're looking for a shorter length. Also a leather sleeve blazer or mixed media kind of crosses blazer with jacket. I also have the HL sweatshirt jacket that Angie wrote about and if you want a stylish knock around jacket, less formal that's great. (sorry I'm on a HL kick Also you could get a light leather jacket. Another great piece moto or other styling. Depends how you want to look and that's a big decision. good luck!

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rachylou

Veteran

My first question is what do you spend most of your time doing? I mean, for example, are you Metroburb and doing offices, restaurants, and terrarium shops? Are you suburbs and doing office parks, Macaroni Grill, and The Mall? Skyline and doing high-rises, lounges, and Downtown?

unfrumped

Veteran

I'm thinking blazer style in a seasonless wool, but you have to pick your style--what's your ideal jacket length--do you like long and lean, shorter and curvier, plain no-frills or details like peplum or something.
Ideally go to upscale mall with major dept stores and some designer boutiques and try on a bunch. I could not find "My" jacket in Theory but agree it has several different styles. Or Michael Kors, AK, Tahari, Akris Punto or any number of makers.

I love safari jackets but you'd want a hard-wearing one, again perhaps in a wool, not cotton, and for indoor would need a more scaled-down or fitted style.

If motos fit your figure type, there are tons of different fabrics now, but I tend to think of them as less versatile.

I think the $$ issue is not so much that you have to spend the very top bucks, but that you may have the ability, if you find "your" jacket, the one that you DO want to wear every day, in your size, in your price range, to just buy it off the rack and not hope it's still there on sale one day.

Sal

Veteran

I am in NZ but if I had to choose just one jacket I would go for either a casual blazer, or a waterfall type jacket or knit. A quality fabric that is cut well. In terms of colour probably your best neutral (camel, navy, black, brown or maybe white or cream)....

minimalist

Veteran

Suz, love your questions.
>>> Well...how do you want to look and feel?
Rested! Honestly, right now the best thing for my appearance and mood would be good sleep on a regular basis. But I need to wear clothes, too.
>>> What are your style aspirations?
Hmm, style vs. wardrobe. Wardrobe: 10 items that are *me* and work together pretty well. Style: minimalist-quality-comfortable.
>>> What bottoms do you most regularly wear?
Flat-front black chinos.
>>> Are you planning a change in those as well
Eventually. They're a placeholder until I find flat-front lined trousers.
>>> What's your most flattering neutral?
Charcoal grey.

Gigi, thanks! sleek, simple, classic. IIRC, Zara probably won't fit me right now. Nor Grey Rainbow's Theory suggestions, but I welcome the style suggestions.

Grey Rainbow, I'll check Eileen Fisher; I think there's a local store.

Elpgal, I'll check out the riding jacket. A utility jacket in washed black, in a nice fabric, sounds super-versatile right now, and was one of bf's suggestions for an unstructured sewing project. As If I Had Time To Learn.

Suhasi, thanks for the boost!

Ramya, it's all good! And reality-checks are helpful, from any angle. Like April's post!

April, you're right. I mention Armani because they're the one brand I know of that consistently fits *and* makes jackets big enough for my current size.

Gryffin, that's the rub! What look *am* I going for? Partly, I just miss wearing jackets; they pull an outfit together so well. HL = ?

Rachylou. Ah, Rachy. You've driven the probe into the heart of my challenge. Reality: urban. From gritty to cushy. I take the bus a lot, often through areas where it's simply safer to blend in. At my primary job, I'm underemployed by choice. Bf's lifestyle is showier, but he thinks my freebox streetwear is a sign of confidence, and finds that attractive. Smirk. Sure, honey. So far, I've been spared social-partner duty, but it's to the point where I'm just being selfish by not showing up for him in that way. A lot of weight this ONE jacket is carrying.

Unfrumped, I agree about the lightweight wool. Preferably lined in silk, if I may take a page out of bf's book. He has a few dark wools in his stash, and said to check for lint & kittyfur magnetism before committing to having a jacket made or learning to sew. I presume the lint&shedding factor holds true for RTW jackets as well.

Sigh. Thank you all for your insights and input!