June 30, 2017

My Summer Four Jacket Wardrobe

I shot these pictures on the hottest day of the year – YAY!

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Today is our final day in NYC – boo! – and as I sit in my hotel room writing this post and wondering if Lily will ever finish packing her suitcase, it seems a bit bizarre to write about this subject matter as the temperature looks set to rise to almost 32℃ in the city. However I am told that the weather in the U.K has been pants for the past week and so a guide to warm clothing perhaps seems like suitable reading material right now. The thinking behind this post came a couple of weeks ago as I cleared out my spring wardrobe and turned it into my summer one; and with the weather at home being somewhat temperamental I always make sure I have a couple of layering pieces to see me through chilly days and cooler evenings. I realised that I have four that I keep in my wardrobe for not only the summer, but also the adjoining seasons. Say hello to my capsule coat collection…

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LEATHER JACKET

This one is a classic and is actually one of the longest standing pieces in my wardrobe. When I first bought it, just after & Other Stories had first come to the U.K, it was hands down the priciest thing that I’d ever purchased for my wardrobe, but it was a good’un as all these years later and I still look forward to dusting it off for the warmer months. The thing I love about a leather jacket is that they’re the ultimate dress-up/dress-down piece. Sometimes I wear it with jeans and a t-shirt during the day and other times I pair it with a dress or a sleek shirt and trouser number for an evening out. It goes with everything and although this one took me ages to find (I love the gold detail and the fact that it doesn’t have too many embellishments on it), it was worth the hunt. Unfortunately it’s long gone, although this one is the current design that they have in.

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BLAZER

For occasions when a leather jacket feels a little too informal, that’s when I crack the blazer out. It’s also great for those times when you want to channel your inner Lauren Conrad from her ‘The Hills’ days. I used to feel like my style wasn’t smart enough to rock a blazer and felt a bit like I was always prepared for a job interview whenever I wore one, but now I love that they give a nice powerful, yet subtle formal-injection into any outfit. Again I went on a bit of a hunt for this one, but in the end found the AYR Coup Blazer to be the perfect fit. It’s slim, but slightly long-line and the detailed, collarless neckline makes it feel kinda fancy and not like the corduroy number that I used to rock in my Avril Lavigne-loving days at Sixth Form.

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DENIM JACKET

I had the complete opposite problem with denim jackets in that I didn’t feel like I was cool enough for one. There’s something about them that’s always a bit young and I have vivid memories of the one I had when I was a ’90’s kid and felt like Melissa John Hart from ‘Clarissa Explains It All’ whenever I wore it. I’ve had this particular one, which is the Levi’s Ex-Boyfriend Trucker Jacket since last summer, when I was kindly gifted one with my name on (I’m such a sucker for anything with my name on – see I’m still a ’90’s kid at heart!). Now I think it’s something that I’ll have in my wardrobe for yonks. It’s a little bit distressed, baggy in all the right places and the wash of it makes it look like something that I’ve already had for years. When you find the one that fits you right, it all clicks into place and you’re more than cool enough to rock the denim jacket. I tend to wear mine as my ‘throw-on’ jacket whether I’m running errands or doing relaxed things at the weekend that I just want to feel comfortable for.

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TRENCH COAT

If you’re going to grab one genre of jacket, then this is what I’d suggest. Whereas the others tend to work with specific outfits or on particular occasions; a thin-fabriced trench coat goes with everything. I got this & Other Stories Trench Coat back in the spring and it’s worked for me in so many different ways. I just beef it up with layers underneath and a scarf on top if it’s cold, or wear it with just a camisole underneath if it’s hot but I just need something to take the edge off in the evenings. It’s bloody great and I just feel so darn chic whenever I wear it. Also the colour makes a nice change from the usual blacks and denims that dominate the rest of my coat capsule. Lauren Conrad in the The Hills, eat your heart out.