hello joy
A few weeks ago, I ordered this coat from the The Real Real. I started browsing on the site a few months ago when I was seeking outerwear with a bit of fun, as I was getting bored with my practical but dull black puffer jacket. I envisioned some sort of light, quilted cotton number, but didn't want anything that made me feel like I was larping in a Doen catalogue.
I was pleased to find this Caron Callahan jacket and though it is longer than what I would have preferred, I am content to enjoy it for what it is before contemplating some professional alteration to the length.
Plaids and checks sometimes feel a bit twee, but the clean lines and contrast navy piping of this coat makes the jacket feel more modern. It's a nice way of punching up my usual array of denim and neutrals. It went surprisingly well with my non-neutrals too, like these gingham pants.
I didn't want a classic beige, navy or grey coat (in fact I have a navy peacoat, too heavy for Melbourne winters). I wanted something that took me out of the everyday, while firmly practical for everyday wear.
I have been thinking about this urge for a touch of whim in my everyday dress. Recently, while contemplating linen curtains, I sidetracked into browsing NotPerfectLinen, and fell in love with their new Goda skirt. A typical choice for me would navy, black, or white, but something about the graceful sweep of the skirt made me yearn for bolder hues: a lustrous emerald green, an electric cornflower blue, a blaze of burnt orange. I'm thinking about it.
Perhaps it was the pandemic and the weeks of lockdowns and years of social distancing measures. During the last two years, I developed a love for prints in the house. I bought colourful hand towels from Baggu with smiley faces and daisy prints. I bought cloth napkins (also from Baggu) with their signature riotous prints, all of them different. I wanted (but resisted) a bright blue sheet pan from Great Jones. I wanted to invite joy into my life when I had nowhere to go.
My new coat reminds me there are places to go, people to see, and to have fun (or at least find meaning) doing it. Amid the horror show that is the world, I appreciate this little jolt.
What sartorial/material joys have you found recently?
Comments
With all the really rapid body changes from pregnancy, I'm finding there's not a lot of joy to be derived from things I wear recently. Though the Heinui Cora dresses with their exaggerated oversized nature are really suitable, and the bright blue, very loud print on the cotton one in particular never fails to bring some joy when I wear it (quite regularly because little else fits well!).
Fwiw my tip for a colourful NPL skirt would be to order a matching top to give yourself the option of wearing both together (mimicking the look of a dress) as well as the usual mixing and matching with the rest of your wardrobe. A boxy cropped top would look good with this skirt and NPL will readily take instructions to crop any of their existing designs.
Yeah no plans to alter the coat at the moment, but the length does annoy me because I am not used to having all that fabric around, haha
Archana: Yes, sometimes basics are too basic!
Xin: Congrats again on your pregnancy! From what my friends tell me, the last few months leading to the delivery will feel like forever...but hang in there! The physical changes do sound intimidating and I can imagine not wanting to go out at all just because I don't want to think about what to wear.
MC Bontemps: I love the idea of finding jewellery that bring a special touch on a daily basis, bonus if they have sentimental value too! Good tip on the NPL skirt, will most likely do that if I place an order.