The Week's Challenge - Jacket with Jeans

I've always looked on suit jackets as being inextricably linked to skirts and proper trousers.   Seems that's very old-school as over the years, this type of jacket worn with jeans has become quite the thing.  But it was something I didn't feel comfortable with so I didn't try it. 
I was way behind the game with the ladies' trouser suit thing (I bought my first in the late 90s!) and I see jeans and jackets as being part of the Smart Casual concept which I have never been able to quite "get" (more on that another time!).
Smart jacket goes with a skirt or trousers, anorak/quilted jacket with jeans.  End of.  Slut af.  Fin de.  And that has been where my little head has remained.

Now, I have lots of suit jackets gathering dust since retiring so this past week I have been challenging myself to enter the world of jeans and jackets to see how it feels. 

I pulled a few suit jackets from the archive and this is what I experimented with.  Pretty normal stuff for most but a BIG step for me, I can tell you.

Here's what I came up with (you will have seen some outfits during the week).

M&S navy wool jacket (part of skirt suit), Woolovers navy longline V-neck,  jersey print scarf.

Marina Rinaldi fur cuff jacket (part of skirt suit), Next leopard print tunic, Per Una ("PU") black jeggings.

and worn with Woolovers brown cashmere/merino long-line cardi

M&S grey mix wool jacket (part of skirt & trouser suit), grey jeggings and Next print blouse

and worn with a Woolovers cashmere/merino grey frill cardi.

Artigiano brown virgin wool mix jacket (part of trouser suit),  Next print tunic & PU black jeggings

Peacock fake leather waterfall jacket, Next pink print blouse & PU jeggings, pink pash

and with Woolovers grey cashmere/merino cardi

Of course, the best made plans of mice and men and all that meant that this lady's plans went somewhat awry when at the weekend her cold kicked in and well, it was goodbye to the jackets - all she wanted was to be cocooned in something very warm!

 

Oh-so-cosy Windsmoor neutral lambswool cardi, with Artigiano satin-trim modal top and PU black jeggings.  Essential accessories not quite in this photo are the box of tissues and the lemsip box!

And now for this week's numbers.  Looks like my compilation was made up of 5 jackets (lots, but jackets were the focus), 4 cardis (1 unplanned as the cocoon was added when the cold kicked in), 5 tops (again 1 unplanned as before), 3 bottoms and 3 scarves.  Rather a lot, peut mieux faire, but it was jacket week and that just eats into the numbers.

How did it feel?  Well, I had thought I would feel quite manly dressed this way but I didn't.  I actually felt comfortable, quite feminine and, well, it felt quite liberating.  The added bonus was that with jacket pockets I didn't have to carry a handbag, an accesory I have mostly ditched over these retirement years. 

The men got it so right when they came up with the jacket as their go-to "uniform" - I just need to start sewing inside pockets into these jackets and Bob er din onkel!

Does this mean I am cracking the Smart Casual code?  I leave that one to you.

You know, I am learning quite a lot from taking these photos, most of it not good, but putting myself pictorially out there means that I can no longer hide from myself! 

Knowing that I will be taking a photographic record makes me think about what I'm going to wear.

And spending 5-10 minutes putting together my capsule for the week saves so much daily brainwork.  The net result has got to mean that I have more time for Sudoku, cross code and crossword puzzles so it's a win-win!

A bientot.