Jacket Week Day 4: Outdoor Casual

Yay! We've almost made it through jacket week. And we're on my favourite day, the casual/fun outdoor jackets. I have to confess, I own a mother lode of jackets. They are totally my favourite way to make an otherwise totally normal outfit of say, jeans and a white t, totally cute. So I have the back corner of my closet completely reserved for jackets. Which is yet another reason I don't like summer. I can't wait for fall, so I can delve in and start bringing them out. Of course, I'm pregnant so none of them will button, but it'll have to do.

Anyhow, when looking for jackets to just throw on, really look at fit and detail. They're going to go a loooong way. I have a few favourite kinds. I love a leather biker jacket, military jackets, and of course the age-old jean jacket. I own each (Although I have my eye on a new leather jacket that I am slowly talking my husband into buying me.)

Oookay, let's start with a denim jacket. Everyone has one, right? Of course, not everyone has a good one. I remember the first denim jacket I owned was purchased by my dad sometime in high school, and I wore it with the sleeves rolled up all through grade 10. With jeans. Shudder. See? I didn't always know fashion. That didn't kick in until I turned 16 and discovered dating. So, you can thank my grade 11 secret boyfriend for this website today.

ANYWAYS, the problem is, there are good denim jackets, and then there are really, really bad denim jackets that are reminiscent of Degrassi High and Depeche Mode, etc, etc. Observe.

Sigh. I am underwhelmed. This is a bad denim jacket. Why? Check the shape. It's square. Are you a square? I really, really hope not because that would be really, really unfortunate. This jacket will look bulky and awkward.

(Old Navy, of course) Hopefully you can see the difference. If you still want an old school denim jacket, this is the way to go. It has a longer silhouette, and see the actual denim it's made out of? It's thinner, meaning it will lay closer on your body. Adorable. BUT, if I can talk you into trying something different altogether, how about this?

YAY! A denim blazer instead! I promise you, this is going to be so much more flattering than the old school jacket. It has all the great characteristics of a blazer that we talked about earlier this week, but with the versatility of denim. I love this so much more.

Now, a note about denim jackets. DO NOT WEAR THEM WITH JEANS. Every so often I come across an article in my Glamour that says that you can. You cannot. I don't care what shade or what shape, you WILL end up looking like a cowboy. Unless that is your goal, in which case be my guest.

Alright. My next fave is the military style jacket. I love these because although not new, they feel fresher than a regular blazer, and look crazy cute with some jeans and (*cough* over the jeans *cough*) boots. K SO I LIKE BOOTS OVER JEANS!!! DEAL WITH IT.

Love this one from Shop.com. Its slightly asymmetrical, and it's details are so cute. And the piping? Love.

Another Shop.com find. This is pretty true to the military genre. The double breasted buttons and wide collar are exactly right. Not to mention the color is pretty adorable for summer or spring. I own this almost exactly in army green and it is SWEET.

Lastly, leather jackets. DROOL. Leather jackets are pretty much the anti-mom jean. K, yeah, you expect to see a mom with one of those plain collared leather jackets from like, Chadwick's (I'm not knocking it, I am just saying I don't hear Chadwick's and think EDGY!!!) paired with her chunky ankle boots feeling all hip. But it's a farce! If you're going to do leather, do leather, k? Respect the cow.

Scuba collar, booyah! Love this, it's a tailored version of a biker jacket. It's a nice baby step to looking like a Harley mama. And it kicks a normal leather jackets butt. Can I also explain to you how much I love a scuba/ motorcycle collar. Its the way a leather jacket should be. None of this plain jane nonsense.

One more step, this cropped motorcycle jacket. Pair it with a blousier, more feminine top and you have this wicked hard/soft thing going on that is totally gorgeous. This one is from Bebe and oh how covet. I will be looking for this come fall weather.

Anyhow, HAVE FUN with this stuff. A jacket is an awesome way to change up a look. You don't ACTUALLY have to be a biker to wear leather, nor be in the military to pull of the army green. Play around with it and then find your signature go-to look for days when you don't want to look like the edgiest thing you deal with is a butter knife.