I bought a cotton jacket last winter (off-season) and shared a picture of it with you in December.
Some of you expressed doubts.
Others said nothing.
Perhaps you couldn’t quite imagine how it was going to look on the model?
I will readily admit that this jacket is a little bizarre, but it’s good to wear something a little bizarre to the office occasionally. How dull it would be if we all wore a perfectly correct dress every day.
This is why Michelle Obama wins the head-to-head with Carla Bruni. Every once in a while, Mrs. Obama wears something bizarre that is not 100% flattering. And we just appreciate her terrific style and love her all the more for doing it. (To be fair to Carla Bruni, she was laboring under the handicap of being a former model with a past; she probably felt like she couldn’t deviate, sartorially, from the straight and narrow as the wife of a world leader.)
I had thought I would wear this jacket with a white blouse — and then my favorite red top flitted across my mind.
Here are the key features:
- sleeves that look like lobster claws
- intense smocking at the waist
- beautiful red-orange trim.
And perhaps the best part of all: these oversized, enameled, fire engine red snaps.
A detail like this shows that the manufacturer really cares about the craft.
These snaps are too fantastic to keep hidden from public view.
The gloomy side of my personality is already mourning the day when the thread will lose its elasticity and the smocking will expand. But dry-cleaning should help hold that day off a while.
Do notice the seams and pleating that give the sleeves their wonderful shape.
N.B.: We are having a little trouble with our email function, which is why you haven’t been getting email notifications from The Directrice lately. We will fix it sooner or later.
Jacket: Pianurastudio from YOOX (still available!); Top: Marc by Marc Jacobs; Jeans: Lucky Brand; Shoes: French Sole New York; Watch: Michele Urban
I love it! And the blouse is perfect. Don’t you love when something you already own works so well with something new? This is why every now and then I “play in my closet” and try to make new combos. My husband thinks I’m silly.
It is extremely satisfying to combine old and new things, Julia — and a great way to start a new season!
I’m so bored with traditionally flattering silhouettes. It’s so refreshing to see of bit of variety, it adds something fresh to the visual landscape. The jacket is zesty, I’m a fan. 🙂
I like that you picked straight legged instead of skinny jeans with this.
The smocking is perfect with the sleeves. Where the sleeves poof out the smocking hugs, so you don’t end up looking extra wide across the waist.
That’s exactly right, Ginger — the volume in the sleeves is cancelled out by the narrow waist. (I really do prefer straight-legged jeans.)
The smocking is deeelish! Great jacket! I did not doubt you, but I was expecting something a little more space-y from the previous photo… not sure why. It’s very accessible!
I agree with you — the snaps need to be seen! Love the combination!
J’adore the Directrice but that jacket needs to be tied in chains and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. But apparently that’s just me!
Desh — We can’t tie all of our problems in chains and sink them to the bottom of the ocean. Think of how crowded the ocean floor would be. I think a less extreme remedy would do here and if I shared your opinion I would suggest cutting this up for cleaning rags . . . but I love the little jacket. So we must agree to disagree!
Jacket is a winner. Love it. And great observation about Michelle.
That much smocking probably shouldn’t work and yet it does. Love the red details.
I admit to having been an other who said nothing when first showed it to us in December. While my reaction was not quite as visceral as Desh’s, it did remind me of a car mechanic’s jumper. But I now agree that it looks lovely on you. Dear Directrice, here is my question for you. How do you do it? How is it that you can look at items on Yoox and see the possibilities? I have built a wardrobe of basics and would now like to add some statement pieces like this jacket — well maybe not quite like this jacket — but I get easily overwhelmed on Yoox.
I’m going to amend my question. It’s not how to navigate websites like Yoox – you have already told us how to do that – the question is how do you look at a flat 2 dimensional photo and see the possibilities? Were you looking for something in particular when you found this jacket?
This is a good question. At the time, I was just looking for a tan/khaki safari type jacket and stumbled across this one. I ordered it because I liked the red trim and mandarin collar and I know that I generally look good in things with fitted waists. I thought that the smocking and sleeves would have to be seen in person to be evaluated. When I look at a photo, I tick off the primary attributes first — color, silhouette, material, utility — and then evaluate more specific questions about design and construction: is the collar a flattering design for me; is the trim/detail excessive; do I love the pattern; are the sleeves too bulky; could it be altered if it’s too big? If there are a few things that I really like about the garment, I’ll give it a try. As long as shipping is free or less than $10, I am willing to take a chance on the unknowns. If nothing else, doing so gives me information for future reference — like, “Safari Lobster is a good look for me!”
May have refrained from comment previously, I think I appreciate the originality of the jacket and like the blouse under it.