Now I know that this jacket isn't going to be everyone's cup of earl grey. I'm not even sure if it's my cup of tea either but there was something so very British about it that I just couldn't leave it behind. And at £8 from the British Heart Foundation shop for a Jaeger classic, it seemed the right thing to do. It instantly conjured up visions of well to do equestrian sorts in their sexy jodhpurs brandishing a whip (can I say that??).
Anyway, not being of the 'horsey' set myself, in purchasing it, I have given myself something of a challenge and that is what to pair it with. Not only is it a slightly off-piste choice for me but it is also cropped. And for someone that lacks height but more than makes up for it in the chest department, cropped isn't usually a flattering choice. It must have been a fleeting moment of madness. Another one.
Jeans, polo neck and smart riding boots are an obvious everyday choice but I thought I'd have a play around with some other ideas and so I came up with the mood board below.
I love the idea of a dark green velvet skirt. You can't quite see it but the lapels are a dark green velvet not black so I think that would be a lovely pairing. Beautiful for a Sunday afternoon riding side saddle through the woods. All I would need is a cascade of long red curls, an autumn haze as my backdrop and a handsome Mr Darcy clone to ride into sight. I digress...
The same day I bought this jacket, I also treated myself to a bit of a rarity. Vogue magazine. I normally pass it by on the new stands, moaning to myself at the ridiculous cost of a glossy pamphlet of luxurious adverts (Anna Wintour is probably readying her army as we speak). I have bought a few copies in my time, don't get me wrong. I remember when I bought my little flat, I fell for that oh so pretentious idea of 'coffee table' books and magazines and I was only too proud (sadly) to display it as if it were the epicentre of the room. I love it in principle. The beauty and splendour of all the designer pieces I shall never own. The way that the women all look like rare china dolls without so much as a tiny imperfection. The way that fashion isn't just about clothing, it transcends Art.
So this afternoon, I sat tea in hand, glossy pamphlet full of ads in the other. I read an article about Karl Lagerfeld, I lusted after a couple (of hundred) pieces, tearing up at the small print prices and as nice a distraction as it was it got me to thinking about the differences between the way I shop (second-hand junkie) and the way that some of the true Vogue readers probably shop. One page displayed a velvet camisole beautifully, a mere snip at £485. And there are no doubt people out there that would pay that. I say again - £485. To me, that's a trip away, almost a car (our current little runabout was £650 after our wolf-mobile died suddenly), a new cooker.....the list goes on. So does it make it ok that the more you earn, the more you can and should spend? Of course I have no right to say how people should spend their money. No right at all. It just never ceases to amaze me when I flick through magazines like this, that those prices glare out as if it's the norm but then I suppose it is aimed at the rich and famous among us. I often say to John that if we ever won the lottery, I would
still get just as much joy from rummaging around in charity shops and I don't think I would ever stop.
I know it sounds silly but it's that excitement of never quite knowing what amazing finds you will come across. What totally individual pieces you will be lucky enough to gaze upon that no-one else is likely to have.
And above all, every item donated to a charity shop holds a little bit of history. A little bit of love or romance, a story - good or bad that is now able to help a bevy of worthwhile causes.
So what of my little jacket above? Well we will create a new story together. And if I ever do get in a pair of jodhpurs.......it may even be a Jilly Cooper-esque story.
There's a naughty thought.
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