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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Wardrobe Rehab - The Jacket

So in the last couple of weeks I have been mulling over the Wardrobe Rehab series I did a while ago - where I put a serious amount of time and effort into overhauling my wardrobe before I left London. But recently I have been feeling the same way about my wardrobe that I felt before - totally uninspired standing in front of my cupboard in the morning. The horror! So last weekend I did a bit more of a cull, and I think I will continue to cull for the next couple of weeks.

I went through my jackets a few days ago and culled anything that I don't wear. In reality I am almost never going to wear heavy jackets in Hong Kong (other than sneaky trips to Shanghai) so I have put them away, and made a pile of things to sell consisting of jackets that I don't think I am going to wear again. Above is a pic of the things I have left in the jacket section of my wardrobe. As I was doing the cull I thought about what the most important things were to keep, and I came up with a few rules for essential jackets. Key jackets I kept?
  • The Black Blazer - an absolute essential. Should fit you like a glove and look great with pencil skirts for work and tight dark denim jeans and heels for Friday drinks.
  • The Statement Jacket - Mine is a vintage black beaded jacket I nabbed from a jumble in north london (I was part of the furniture at that place for a while). It is perfect for throwing over a simple outfit. Go for a super textured one in a beaded or sequin style.
  • The Camel Trench - A bit of a cliche perhaps but this comes in handy all the time, mine is hip length so not the classic style but looks amazing with trousers or jeans and flats.
  • The Leather - This goes without saying really. The leather jacket should be a staple in everyone's wardrobe. I have a beautiful faded tan one from Zara and an extremely supple bomber style from Whistles (both gifts from the bf). Spend as much as you can afford on this item, and choose a simple and classic style - you'll have it in your wardrobe forever.
  • The Khaki Hooded Jacket - Slightly military inspired, this jacket lends a little bit of edginess to a ladylike outfit and is perfect thrown over my weekend go-to outfit - uniqlo jeans, nautical breton top and black ballet flats. Luckily I bought a very light cotton one that will transition nicely into HK spring.
  • The other blazers - Red, White and Blue. These ones get a whole lot of wear. Buy a few well fitting blazers in different colours. Well cut jackets never go out.
Stay tuned for my wardrobe rehab posts on trousers, skirts and dresses. All in the name of 'buy less buy better'. Here's to the perfect wardrobe.

Jackets from left to right: Vintage round neck denim jacket, handmade Navy Blazer, Zara black blazer, Zara tan leather jacket, Whistles Leather Bomber Jacket, Vintage beaded statement jacket, Zara camel trench, Zara red short trench, white vintage blazer, H & M khaki hooded jacket.