Unbelievably, even though I have written about so many jackets in the past — suede, leather, belted, cropped — I am going to tell you now about another friend to join them in the coat closet. This one might seem same-same but I promise that Marguerite is different. And I will tell you a story to illustrate.
When my second daughter Louisa was young, she loved, loved, loved Barbies. All the girls played with them, but Louisa was the only one of the five who truly relished them. She would beg me for a new one every time we got near the toy aisle at Target. I would sometimes say, Louisa, come on, you have so many, why do you need a new one? Her response was always the same. “This one is DIFFERENT.”
She would have this sly little smile, and you could see her imagining the talk play that would ensue with the newest member of the little girls’ club she was assembling in her room (they lived in an overflowing plastic bin under her bed). Is “talk play” the right term for this kind of activity? I used the internet to answer my own question and it turns out the developmental term is ‘pretend play,’ which “uses fantasy, make-believe scenarios, and role-playing to let children act out real-life situations, practice empathy, and boost creativity.” That is a very generous way to characterize the dressing up and chattering that happened on Louisa’s bedroom floor, but I will take it! There was a lot of empathy being practiced in there!
I will always remember a night one summer, when we stopped to spend the night at my parents’ house on the way to the beach. I sent Sid out to their backyard to play with the girls, who had brought a small edit of their Barbie collection on our road trip. After about thirty minutes with them and the dolls, he came back inside: “You mean, that’s all you do with them? Just talk?”
It was like he had uncovered the secret to women. Yes, Sid. That is pretty much it.
That was a side story, but what I am getting at is that sometimes just a little different is all you need.
Louisa loved Barbie dolls, and for her, many were not too many. I love leather and suede jackets. For me, many are not too many.
The brunette Barbie is different from the other brunette Barbie, and that is just enough of a reason to have both. One is for this, the other is for that. Laura is bold. Linda, her friend, may be shy. It was for Louisa to create her own little world.
The suede safari jacket that I wear over and over again is wonderful, and it is getting even better with age and wear. I own both brown and navy in this silhouette and I truly wear them nearly every time I travel. Even in the summer. It may be hot outside, but it is always freezing in the airport. Suede for me is a year-round fabric, and I feel international and sophisticated in it. But just like the same-but-different Barbie, the Marguerite suede shape is just different enough that I need it too. It is simple, understated, pared down, and could go with nearly everything. I have owned it for a week and it already has!
In the 80s, when I was in my early twenties, I had probably two coats. A winter coat (a Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat, which I am still sick that I gave away… it was SO historical!) and a Levi’s jean jacket. If it was winter, I was wearing the sleeping bag coat. For the other three seasons, I had the jean jacket. Moderate temperature required a coat; moderate confidence required something cool. (Man, life was really simple!)
You could think of the Marguerite in suede as a more elevated, sophisticated jean jacket. It is a piece for when you don’t need real weight or warmth, but you can also think of it as an accessory for all the other times… a quick hit of style. The interest here is the Tyrolean-style collar — a Stehkragen! — which looks very “European” to my eye. Of course there are stand-up collars in every culture (Nehru in Mumbai, Kaunda suits in Zanzibar), but just like Louisa and her “imaginative play,” I am channeling the Alps.
A few years back there was a WSJ article on “the rich man’s jacket.” Evidently, those stand-up-collar-loving men are channeling the Alps as well. Swiss bank accounts, luxury ski vacations come to mind. Fashion is both reality and fantasy. That is what still makes it fun for me, and maybe that is what has always drawn me to it.
Sid worked at Ralph Lauren years ago, and he was always commenting on the costume party that each day felt like in the office. At least in the design department, employees were always trying to outdress each other and show off their creativity. This was especially true for Ralph himself. Monday he might be wearing jodhpurs, the next day a pinstripe banker’s suit, and maybe on Friday he would show up as a cowboy in his own jean jacket. He inspired an entire company of imaginative dressers, and you really needed to step up your game the minute HR called to tell you congratulations, here’s your start date. I love that word of INSPIRE. It is so hopeful and optimistic.
Wearing your clothes should be a joy. For me it is always, but especially with a piece like this that feels just different enough. Whether it is a Barbie or a suede jacket, we can all use some imaginative play in our lives.
