Hello again all my lovely Paris '99ers!
So besides celebrating our 2nd birthday this week we are also celebrating the wonder that is/are (?) jackets!
You all know I love, LOVE, a jacket, I actually have about 52 of my own, and that number is always growing, obsess much!
It's also no surprise that throughout the two years of the salon, I dare say that my most collected garment category is most likely jackets; blazers, bombers, bikers, slim, boxy, round shouldered, pointy shoulder, seamed around the bust (throwback to an amazing YSL Tom Ford I had once, will post soon) double breasted, single breasted, triple breasted, well not yet, but one day I'm sure!
Here are 4, well, 3 jackets and one coat that I couldn't resist showing you, each one different to the next in its design and detail, but all worthy of attention and of course a good home!
Enjoy, voila!
This Dries Van Noten pure silk, just too big to be a dobby yet just too small to be a jacquard, though I guess a dobby is a mini jacquard. This is purely technical textile talk, for you tex-heads out there haha.
Anyway, you could almost see this pattern as a being on a tie but slightly blown up. They are little thatched crosses which are on grain, but of course like all patterns come off the grain on the curves, and that's where it gets interesting.
The fabric is not exactly crispy, it's more flaky, don't be perturbed or put off by this description, it feels rather lovely, and the lining is a luxurious twill weave. Silk is soft, and warm, and this jacket, though perfect for spring, can be layered with a few fine woollen knits underneath and a thicker coat on top, and on arrival becomes the centrepiece!
The thing that does it for me is Dries always does something to slightly subvert his designs. Minus the black grosgrain band this would jacket would be a little trapeze a little box; but the position of the ribbon actually distorts the proportions. It shrinks the jacket inwards, almost as if you are hunching over as though there is a backpack on your shoulders. Good old Dries, nothing is ever just 'pretty' with him, and I love it!
PS, any jacket that has working cuff buttons is excellent in my books! hahahaha :)
Moschino, the joker of fashion. AIDS, The Fashion System, Hippies, the Circus, the Wild West, every theme covered in a tongue in cheek manner, yet with the highest quality finishings and attention to detail, Italian after all si!
This jacket is particularly great, it's so surprising! The front is simple cut blazer, with a little hint of what's happening at the back. The neat row of contrast white top stitching. And Boom!, turn around, or if viewed from the back, the same thing; stark white with a fine trail of black. Guess, what, it's a bit Corporate Cruella, a bit high strung tight bun librarian with a little sense of humour. She's black, she's white, Pierrot, chess board, I'm now stream of consciousnessing, and I'll stop.
Workable cuff buttons of course! in an almost resin carved heart shape; also a recurring happening with Moschino, because fashion is love! LOVE!
So here is the sneaky coat, forgive me. Calvin Klein, the king of restrained sexiness in his clothes, and almost raw sexiness in his campaigns, Brooke, Kate, Travis, Lara et all. Boobs and teeth, but always in black and white, erotic, not slutty. Excellent.
What I love about this otherwise long line, man style coat, well first of all its a long line man style coat :P, and secondly, is the full leather facing which could have easily stopped at the edge of the lapel, but continues all the way down. It give an amazing anchor to the coat, lengthens the line, elongates the figure, and contrasts with the potentially meh brown wool as a shiny, sharp, modern insert. Funnily enough it feminised the coat completely, let me know if you agree, and come and try it on to see! xx
Finally, and not because of the position of his name in the alphabet, we finish with the majestic Yohji Yamamoto. He who popularised the rip-torn, oversized, black is black is black look so synonymous with art gallery owners and architects since the 1980's; yours truly wears it too, I guess Paris '99 is some sort of an interactive gallery, yes, haha.
Where many feel that fashion is about highlighting, flattering and perhaps 'thinning out' the wearer, I love that the Japanese approach is more about the garment and its relationship around the body, rather than what I described at the beginning of this sentence/paragraph. (Enter) ;)
With this in mind, observe below. Instead of lengthening the legs by being cut cropped around the waist, this jacket actually lowers the hemline and pretty much spreads out around the hips, with what I've decided are kind of, amphibian, fin like bursts of volume. This reminds of me a penguin, all torso no legs, and I think its amazing. If it fit me across the shoulders I would probably wear it myself! Detail is the key; look at the 'shoe lace' edging that is so perfectly sewn around the little vents at the cuffs, with just the hint of white thrown in for good measure. And only one side of the lapel is given the same treatment, the subtle asymmetry is just imperfectly perfect. I also love how the lower down snap fasten means that the bust line is left just that little bit exposed, so if you want to sex it up in this jacket, just wear a bra, or nothing at all!
Favourite piece from all the ones from today, what think you?
xx
