The Impossible Dream?: My Ideal Blazer - Contender 02

For this series of posts, I have been sharing with you potential contenders for my blazer.  Yesterday, I showed you a high-fashion blazer by Ann Demeulemeester.  Today, and for the next two posts, I will highlight for you jackets from the more youthful brand of the house of Dolce & Gabbana, D&G.

Contender # 02 - D&G's Cotton Blazer

Although from the front it looks like any other blazer, it stands apart in several ways.  First, it is 100% cotton.  It is light enough to be able to use during summer months.  Second, it has unique proportions and stylings.  The blazer has a short fit, unlike most jackets of its kind.  The sleeves are longer than the bottom of the sports coat itself.  Third, it is surprisingly multipurpose.  The sleeves actually have zippers.  

The sleeves can be removed to convert the sports coat into a waistcoat (vest)!  It is a 2-for-1 deal!

However, this blazer failed to meet two very important criteria!  First, this item is not available in D&G boutiques.  The Dolce & Gabbana corporation is set up in such a way that the items available on the website are exclusively available on the site and not in the stores.  With that, again, it is difficult to see how well this blazer will fit me and if it is worth the $800 ticket.  Second, and more important, it is NOT in black!

Oh well... It has appeal, but not enough to win me over...

The Impossible Dream?: My Ideal Blazer - Contender 01

In my previous post, I talked about what I was looking for in a stylish go-to blazer.  After several weeks of extensive searching, several coats have come close to being purchased, but each had their own flaws that made me say, "Not just yet!"  Here is the first of the bunch!

Contender # 01 - Ann Demeulemeester's Reinforced Stretch Cotton Jacket

When I first posted this on my Facebook wall, one of my friends noted that this jacket was just my style. And she was right.

This jacket meets several of the criteria that my ideal blazer should have.  First, it is made of a mostly cotton blend with elastane for stretch.  Considering the price, the composition of the material was okay enough to justify the $1,292 price tag.  Second, it fits my non-traditional aesthetic.  It has the double-breasted look made unique and stylish with the Napoleonic details on the front with the asymmetric buttons.  The details add edginess to what would have otherwise been just a boring structured and conservative look.  More importantly, it met the deal-breaking criterion of being in black.

However, it failed to meet a very important criterion:  It is not available to be fit in stores, at least in California!  This jacket is available only through a European online retailer.  One of the problems with shopping for blazers online is the fit.  While it may look good on the model as shown on the website, it might not fit on me.  If only this blazer were available in Los Angeles, this would still be a serious contender.

But we shall see.  I might re-consider if this blazer gets a significant price reduction from the end-of-season sale the website usually undergoes.  I refuse to pay full price for something that I might not be able to wear because of sizing issues.  Thoughts?

The Impossible Dream?: My Ideal Blazer

Contrary to the words of high-end Italian designer Domenico Dolce of the eponymous label Dolce & Gabbana, "It's simple: Everyone should have a black blazer," I never had an interest to add the closet staple to my own wardrobe.  Personally, I have never felt the need to use one.  However, ever since I started working my two new positions as a part-time instructor at a community college and a retail sales associate, I relented.  Now, I have been looking to add a stylish go-to black blazer/sports coat to my wardrobe.  

Ever since I have had a style evolution, not once have I given a time of day to the blazer.  However, after reading fashion magazines and seeing different runway stylings, it has become evident that they really are versatile wardrobe must-haves.  Sports coats can be dressed up by wearing dress-pants, button-down shirt, and a tie for a business-casual look.  Blazers can also be dressed down by pairing it with denim.  Essentially, one blazer can be styled with other pieces in many different ways.  

And so began the quest to find my ideal blazer!  I had four main criteria:

1. It had to fit my "Conservative with an Edge" style aesthetic.  Translation: Conservative enough to be worn in an office setting, but with details that make it non-traditional and unique.
2. The blazer MUST be available in store for a fitting.
3. The composition of the material MUST be directly proportional to the price.
4. It MUST be in black.

If I had to create an inspiration board for my ideal blazer, it would be a hybrid of the following looks:

My ideal piece would be a tailored, double-breasted blazer like this Neil Barrett super skinny double-breasted jacket (image screencapped from the Neil Barrett online boutique).:

It would have the (rarely seen in menswear blazer) short fit of this Dolce & Gabbana satin and wool voile women's blazer (image screen capped from the Dolce & Gabbana online boutique).:

The blazer would ideally have zippers and asymmetric details more commonly found in leather motorcycle jackets like this biker jacket in python nubuck suede by Gucci (image screencapped from the online Gucci boutique).

As I began my online window-shopping, it slowly started to dawn on me that my ideal blazer might not even exist.  There were several pieces that caught my attention, but all had flaws that were making me reluctant to purchase them.  Over the next couple of blog posts, I'll share with you what blazers nearly came close to being purchased!  Stay tuned!

The Exotics of the House of Gucci

After a busy work schedule and working almost seven days a week, I have not been able to find time to update this blog.  However, what I did not realize was that I have constantly been posting on Facebook about my fashion wishlist.  Essentially, my Facebook wall became a mini-blog.  Now with that, I'm going to share with you my thoughts, rants and raves that I share on my social networks.  To start, I will talk about the posh luxuriousness of the House of Gucci!

Today, I visited the Gucci Boutique at South Coast Plaza for a little bit of retail therapy.  Though I did not purchase anything spectacularly grand or, for that matter, pricey, I was able to have a little fun eyeing the menswear, and, in particular, the ready-to-wear made of exotic leather.

Of all the high-end fashion houses that I have been exposed to, Gucci is one of the brands that revel in and offer a variety of items crafted with the luxuriousness of alligator, crocodile, eel, and ostrich leather, the plushness of mink fur, and the raciness of the python and snakeskin leather!  In addition to accessories made of the aforementioned materials, the leather jackets are also made of these unusual materials.

Even though I had no intentions of purchasing ready-to-wear jackets made of exotic skins (functionality, budget, and the important creepiness factor factored considerably in that decision), I figured I might as well see what they were like to have on.  

The first item I tried was this washed leather jacket made of pure ostrich leather worth $11,300.

 

If you look carefully at the jacket, you will see "bumps".  Those characteristic bumps are due to the large feathers of the ostrich.  It felt like I was touching goosebumps.  Wearing it felt like I was wearing any other leather jacket, except what I had on me was worth just as much as a car, a car that would get more mileage than this jacket would if ever I owned it.

When models are hired to wear outfits, it is the models job to not show how terrified they are if they are disturbed by the material of the outfit or what creature they have to pose with.  Although I have a phobia of snakes, I compartmentalized my fear and donned the following:

This is a $12,200 safari jacket made of python skin!  Although, again, it felt like any other leather jacket I've tried, the thought of having a dead snake on me made me feel slimy.  I cringed to my bone.

Despite it all, it was still fun to play model, albeit for ten minutes!