Anatomy of an Outfit with a Jacket I Tried to Get Rid Of

 

Have you seen that app that people use on Instagram pictures called Boomerang? It takes a short clip you’ve recorded and makes your image go forward and then come back again. Well, I have a story to tell you about my boomerang 100% cotton, lightweight gray jacket. It went away nearly a year ago to a consignment store because I decided … I don’t know what I decided! Because I’m actually having a What Was I Thinking? moment right now. Did I think it didn’t fit properly? Was I deciding that it didn’t suit my lifestyle? Did I think I didn’t have the right bottoms for it?

I must have been thinking one of those things because I dropped it off at SAX consignment store in San Anselmo last year and thought someone would snap it up, get some wear out of it, and I’d get some money in my pocket. Except, a couple of months later, it still hadn’t sold and it came back to me. The return happened toward the end of the summer season. I ended up packing it away with my other summer clothes once I transitioned my wardrobe into fall. I decided I’d deal with it the following year.

And here we are, the following year, and I’m facing it once again.

 

When I started pulling out my summer clothes a few weeks ago, I pulled out this jacket originally purchased at Cotélac. It had the SAX hang tag still attached.

Wow, thinking back I probably purchased it five years ago at their boutique on Fillmore St. in SF. I remember loving all the detail it had. And it’s hard to find lightweight jackets to wear in the summer. This one was practical, functional and really, it seemed so me. It was fairly expensive but gee, I’d get so much wear out of it!

Right. I didn’t.

 

 

Facing the same jacket once again

I decided to give it another chance. I tried it on and it fit me just great. Was I liking it better because I’ve dropped a few pounds since last year? Maybe. But something still wasn’t right about it. There was something about the sleeves that seemed to drag it down. They were full-length. I decided to turn them under to see what it would look like if the sleeves ended just above my wrist. Oh, that was so much better!

That week I took it to Alterations to Go in the Bon Air Shopping Center in Greenbrae and Snow did the alteration. I was determined to give it my best shot.

 

Putting it together into an outfit

Putting it together was actually quite easy. Because it has a tailored look I decided to put a white shirt underneath it, a Hugo Boss one I found at SAX. It has great detail on it (hard to see in the pics). There’s stitching down the front on both sides of the placket that hides the buttons. The effect gives it a feminine-tuxedo-shirt look but without the actual tucks of a tuxedo shirt. It was very happy to be paired with the jacket. I rolled the sleeves up on the shirt so my wrists were bare. I added my white Tag Heuer watch.

 

 

Accessorizing the gray newly-improved jacket

I added two favorite necklaces. The one inside the shirt collar is a bee necklace. And hanging lower is a heart necklace. Bees and hearts; what’s not to love?

With those two tailored clothing pieces, I decided to go for an Oxford shoe. This Rosa Mosa lace-up shoe has interesting design on the front end and I love the white detailing in the laces and the soles. The jeans are my tried and true AG ankle jeans.

I didn’t want my outfit to look too tailored so I had to add a fun handbag.

Voila, polka dots stepped right up, begging for an assignment. These black and white polka dots are on an iPad case with a black tassel. It looks like a handbag to me!

 

The result?

I’m so glad to have my boomerang jacket. It’s so darn comfortable and a perfect weight for the Bay Area. Adjusting the sleeve length made it so much more flattering. I think I’ll find a sleeveless white collared blouse, maybe a linen one, to wear under the jacket when it’s really hot.

Do you have any boomerang pieces that are waiting to be utilized? Do you have any jackets that would benefit from changing the sleeve length?

You know me; I want to know! Please share!