eniko mihalik in harpers bazaar us march 2010 shot by peter lindberghyou know when you write about a collection and you name the 'hero piece'? the one that stood out, that everyone ooohed and aaahed about, the one that boutiques are scrambling to buy and it-girls are clawing their OPI you-don't-know-jacques lacquered nails to get to? Think Christopher Kane's one shouldered scalloped silk organza dress from ss09, or the absolute perfection of a Proenza Schouler PS1 bag in glorious suede. Well, for me, this New York trip, that hero piece has been a khaki Parka.
from the Gap.
Men's Gap.
Crazy right? This $80 jacket picked up off the rack at Men's Gap has become indispensable to me, i literally have not taken it off since i bought it just over a week ago. it went with me every day to fashion week (everyday, that's right, being a student traveller and all multiple coats were a no go) and yet managed to elicit many a harried inquiry as to its label (and saying 'the gap' was very triumphant indeed) as well as not 1, but 2 streetstyle photographs. It's been belted over my tye dye skirt, it's been loose and very 'out of africa' over my calf-length checked skirt, it's contrasted well with my sheer floral shirt and provided the perfect foil for my drapey cos top in a milky cream. When paired yesterday with my new Zara top which is the most alluring shade of palest plum, plumped up shoulder pad shoulders, draping across the v-neck and bodice and very, very celine SS10, it was incredbile. So incredible that when i went out that night at a swanky restaurant in the meatpacking district i managed to side-step the drinking age and have 3 delicious cocktails. what a glorious end to fashion week indeed!
The thing about me is that i tend to splurge on the little things (as the little things end up being within my price range). It's not really for lack of wanting to buy the big things - coats, skirts, swishy little assymetrical dresses - but even reduced they end up out of my price range. Usually what I can afford are shoes (flats, not heels), jewelry, small leather goods and the like. Often they create the contrast that I so love in fashion, the cheap and cheerful with chic and cher all at one. And, let's be honest here, if you spend more than $100 on a parka that kind of defeats the purpose of utility in the first place, right?
The thing about me is that i tend to splurge on the little things (as the little things end up being within my price range). It's not really for lack of wanting to buy the big things - coats, skirts, swishy little assymetrical dresses - but even reduced they end up out of my price range. Usually what I can afford are shoes (flats, not heels), jewelry, small leather goods and the like. Often they create the contrast that I so love in fashion, the cheap and cheerful with chic and cher all at one. And, let's be honest here, if you spend more than $100 on a parka that kind of defeats the purpose of utility in the first place, right?
What I love about this parka, really though, is that it isn't some kind of half-arsed women's version. This isn't a parka in a silky fabric, this isn't cut to fit a woman's body or highlight curves. This is a no-nonsense, tough khaki, multiple pockets MAN's jacket. I can just see someone super manly, like Shia Laboeuf or something, striding down new york streets (hand in hand with carey mulligan, hmph) and oozing testosterone. When i wear this jacket I can be a little rougher, the togetherness of the rest of my outfit can be off-set. This is a jacket to roll around in the snow in and to push the sleeves up to eat a plate of ribs. This is a jacket with enough pockets to shove everything in (and i mean everything, the other day i had phone, 2 cameras, notebook, pen, wallet, 2 lipsticks, mascara, keys, press pass/tickets, chocolate bar, map and then some!) so you don't need a bag. This is a jacket with a hood that folds up into its own little zip compartment. This is jacket where when you pop the collar you look natural, not idiotic.
I'm sick of my dainty peter pan collared jackets with their stiff fabrics and the whole host of well-cut coats I have in a subdued rainbow of pale colours.
It's time for a REAL jacket.
X
PS - pictures of said jacket, zara top, my new ring (!!) and various other goodies to be posted on my return. it's my second last day in new york, but im celebrating well, with dinner parties, wandering, and all with my best friend. see you soon!
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