The best way to wear a spring jacket is two at a time
What to wear when getting dressed is less fun than it used to be
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It seems to me that fashion is in an awkward period of reset that is making clothes less exciting because this period is promoting a general quietude, with few new ideas producing the kind of seismic shifts that give birth to millions of different style identities, which I think we got used to experiencing very frequently over the first decade of the 2010’s.
Long term, this lull will probably yield a positive outcome — we’ve been conditioned to genuinely believe that it is tenable for designers to generate and distribute new creative ideas as often as like, every week, and that has led to a ton of burnout for the makers and an unrealistically insatiable appetite for the consumers/audience. So this feels more like a course correction before creative pregnancies can start up again.
There are still, of course, interesting things happening in tiny independent corners all over the increasingly decentralized internet and beyond, but on balance, it’s hard to tell where fashion is going. Maybe this is because for so long, fashion has been best interpreted as a litmus test for where the culture is going and increasingly, that too seems unclear. But we do still want to get dressed — that experience has not exactly deteriorated even if it has muted, and one thing I’ve been taking pleasure in lately is reconfiguring old outfits.
Maybe it’s like the personal style equivalent of visiting vintage archives, gleaning inspiration from a spring Prada 1996 look, but within the context of one’s own trove — idk.
I always hate getting dressed this time of year — it’s like the sun starts shining brighter and that makes me want to break out of my dark sweaters and pants, but it’s still so cold — like, cold to the bone, so I’m left mostly confused about how to reconcile what I want to wear with what I need to wear (as in, what will serve the utilitarian purpose that clothes are meant to serve).
For the past 3 weeks, my best trick has been to layer jackets over each other — usually some version of a cotton parka or lightweight but weather-resistant trench coat or jean jacket, over something collarless, with buttons, and generally (though not always) more delicate.
This accomplishes three objectives, which are almost always on my mind when I am getting dressed.
The first: novelty. A new trend for the season that reinvigorates old clothes and can easily be spun into a million different pairings. Like maybe today it’s the black jacket under trench or multi-color under the parka but I reverse those tomorrow, or swap out the trench for a jean jacket.
The second: technical practicality. Like warmth. Two layers of jackets are better than one! And if you’re done w sweaters or don’t want to wear your winter coat, this is a good layering trick to stay warm, too. Also, it rains and often without warning, so having handy a trench coat or hooded-something works to your general benefit.
The third: personal style. Which basically combines the first two objectives. It’s like, how do I wear something that reflects the technical and emotional needs of my appearance for the day? Well, if it’s raining, technically I need a raincoat, so, check! And if I’d like to challenge myself to uncover a new way to wear a classic spring jacket, that gets accomplished too. It’s a more detailed way of getting to the answer of the question: How do I get dressed and make whatever I’m wearing my own?
A few tips if you’re going to try it:
1. Diversify collars. If wearing something hooded, a regular wing collar works underneath. If wearing a wing collar (like the right image), something collarless or v-line is better.
2. Diversify materials. I once read an interview with Gabriela Hearst where she explained why she basically hid the exotic interior of this shoe in the weaving on the outside — to emphasize the value of luxury as a sort of private indulgence. I liked that perspective, particularly in an era of overt branding. The idea translates well to the concept of covering a more delicate jacket (these jackets are tweed, but maybe something silk or sequined or brocade will work for you), with something utilitarian like an anorak or trench or jean jacket.
Here are some tweed jacket recs 4 you starting with Etsy picks — a vintage green number for $45, black and silver tweed for $54, one with more structure for $97, this one in plain white with gold buttons for $117. From the valley of new, this is darling for $545 and I love this Carolina Herrera sequined zebra thing from The Real Real, for $297.
You already know all about trench coats from this post. As far as jean jackets: this is a good shape and I like this parka from Madewell for $140.
3. Keep your bottoms relatively streamlined. You’re wearing a lot of fabric up top, so keep your bottoms straightforward. Straight-leg jeans are great (no need to be skinny, but not a-line either — adds to the volume), a plain mini skirt or straight midi would work. Leggings, bike shorts, undies. You name it.
Then do whatever you need to with shoes — loafers, fisherman sandals, tennis sneakers? I have been wearing the above Birkenstock-style sandals (from Manolo Blahnik pre-collab) for the past few weeks with socks and white jeans. You can recreate w any number of flat slides. Satin, sequined, metallic, wtvr.
In sum, recently old clothes are still The Thing, huh.
Signing off,
Leandra