WIW - Tweed & jacket project - YouLookFab Forum

Angie's post on tweed jackets was quite timely for me, as I had this jacket in my jacket project lineup. I got this almost 5 years ago in NYC when I was there for my first YLF meetup, but I bought this while out shopping by myself, after all the YLF festivities. I think it's the only Theory piece I ever paid full price for.

I've always had a soft spot for tweed but the cuts typically found in tweed jackets can sometimes be a bit too conservative for my taste. I was really taken by the mixed media (leather and tweed) aspect of this and the moto styling.

I struggled a little bit with this styling, and it may be a bit stumpifying. I think the cuffed BF jeans might be the culprit but I really wanted to play with the juxtaposition of the polished jacket with the casual denim and the moto boots.

Button-front shirts with this jacket were particularly difficult - I tried a couple and remembered why my Equipment shirts are problematic (more on that in another post), and the button front collars just would not sit nicely with this jacket, so I abandoned that whole idea in favor of this color blocked Aiko top from a couple of years ago. The white band across the hips might not be optimal, but I'm trying to content myself with JFE, since I wanted to bring a bit of lighter color into this outfit rather than default to black.

Does this hit the JFE note? It's very comfortable, which I need today as I'm going to be doing a lot of framing work and running around installing an exhibition.

I also thought the new Fordite ring works pretty well with this, so I'm debuting it today!

Suggestions and opinions welcome.

PS. Gah, my hair looks awful. Can't wait to get to the salon next week.

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9 years ago

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Never mind JFE, I find this look very flattering and you have made the tweed very contemporary.

abc

Ditto what RoseandJoan said. I love the cuffed jeans and boots with this. I'm sure it's what you intended, to me it roughens and toughens up the tweed (even though it's nowhere near as sweet/prim as a chanel tweed jacket, if you know what I mean).

And please don't worry about the top and your hips. You look great.

rachylou

Looking great!

UmmLila (Lisa)

I have a very similar sort of moto style jacket that I love and struggle with. It's also a leather and tweed mix, but the tweed is black with some teal, more of a boucle.

I always end up doing the column of color under it, with a black collarless top and black jeans. That looks good but always dressy. Casualizing has been the issue.

Yours has a nice mix of colors, so a bright underneath could also work well. I like the boots, but maybe would have gone with non-cuffed jeans.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Killer

What a goegeous piece. Love seeing you put your jewellery into stylish action as it really does a good job of making masculine outfits look prettier. (YES. I'm very into the Pretty). What do you think, Janet?

Was it that long ago since we first met? Happy days.

El Cee

Terrific look! I do not see stumpifying at all. The look is, in fact, very flattering on you. I agree with abc that the "tougher" moto boots and cuffed jeans are an interesting juxtaposition with the more refined jacket, which sounds exactly like what you were trying to achieve here. By the way, the jacket fabric is quite beautiful. Lovely colors. (Thanks for the close up.)

Anonymous

Looks vey LA cool! Rock on...

Janet

Thanks, all! My first choice was to wear this jacket over a turquoise turtleneck, but it's too warm today for that. But it's also very rainy and nasty, so a good day for rugged boots.

Linder51, I like that LA cool remark -- fun!

I'm glad I was successful in casualizing the tweed jacket. That's what I envisioned, in a way, when I first bought it, but back then my default was to pair everything with a black shirt and bootcut jeans. This exercise today was a bit of a challenge to move me away from old dressing habits that may have been more conventionally flattering but somehow lack the extra bit of edge I usually seek.

Angie, interesting observation regarding jewelry and the "pretty" factor. Yes, I believe you're right. I don't consciously use jewelry that way, but I do choose it to achieve a certain balance in my outfits or add a little *something* when needed.

I think this could be a whole post of its own, but you got me thinking about "pretty" and where it stands in my style. I don't aim for "pretty" so to speak, but I don't bristle at the word the way some women do. When I think of my wardrobe, I don't especially think of items as pretty, although I am quick to gravitate to pretty colors and pretty prints in my closet, and also when I am out shopping. In fact, I like the juxtaposition of a pretty color or print with an edgy or tough style or cut (perhaps why the blue moto jacket is such a signature piece for me -- masculine/tough style and a pretty color).

I don't think of myself as a "pretty" person although maybe there are some things about my appearance and my style that can be perceived as "pretty." But when I use "pretty" applied to myself, I'm not talking about beauty but more of femininity. Hmm, perhaps I think of "feminine" and "pretty" as very closely linked concepts. I rarely actively seek to add "pretty" to my style because I feel like my longish (and wavy much of the time) hair, big eyes, and womanly (I don't love that word but it fits) body definitely impart a lot of femininity into anything I wear, no matter how masculine the style may be.

Interesting food for thought.

Jenn

Now that's a great tweed jacket!

Caro in Oz

YLF Janet - I love the combo of colours in the tweed. IKWYM about femininity/womanliness being there whatever you wear, I feel the same way.

Vicki

Love your tweed inspiration, Janet, and you rock it in a beautifully casual way, which is wonderful.

Bonnie

This outfit works really well and I like the top with the white band. Love your beautiful jacket and that ring is perfect.

Erikajl

Active Member

My first reaction to seeing you in this outfit, was, "wow, now that's how to layer." Love the entire look. Great jacket!

Mochi

Oh, Janet. Thank you for letting me vicariously live out my style fantasies through you. I love your take on the tweed mixed-media jacket. I also have issues with its potential to look a little dowdy (on me, anyway), and you've completely avoided those issues.

Just because your ensemble brought to mind an inspiration look I flipped out over a few years ago, I am attaching some pics here. Not that you need help, but I really love the way all the pieces were styled. Loved would be an understatement. The look is kind of boho but I am crazy over all the separate pieces, and the entire thing. (It's from a Linea Pelle lookbook for Fall 2013.)

Also as an aside, you articulated what I was thinking about with my own desires for more femininity in my style going forward. It's about balance and some softness, not about looking "prettier", though I don't mind that either. Would it be okay to quote you in my follow-up post? Thanks!

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I'm glad that resonated with you, Nancy! Of course, feel free to use my post however you like.

Those inspiration pics are very cool. More maximal than my style, but they give me ideas.

Eliza

Love it and the ring, well, it's perfect. I have the same dilemma with tweed. It can read too conservative or busy for me. That jacket works for you beautifully. Good shopping!

I like your assessment of Pretty, Janet. You have integrated it well into your style your way. And good job NOT bristling at the word. It's hard for me to understand why people would.

SarahTheWhite

I love this! You look so wonderful in the whole outfit and I am SO happy that you bought the ring!!

Deborah

Janet I find this outfit sits in the extremely flattering and attractive category. If the top was longer then yes the leg line would be shortened and the end result not so pleasing to the eye, but I feel you have perfected the proportions here. I also find tweed jackets tend to play on the conservative side and often don't work for me, but this one is modern and definitely has a cool factor to it. I love it on you and I think your styling is 'spot on'.

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