It Looks Pretty & Soft

Source

Has anyone had the opportunity to try on or even feel this jacket from Miss Selfridge? I'm quite interested in getting it and using it as an Autumn jacket as Autumn starts in March for us. I don't necessarily want the upkeep and expense of leather so i've been considering opting for a PU version. This one does look pretty and i love the 'gathering' detail on the waist at the back. I'm assuming this detail is going to help it mold better on the body?

I only have memories of their jeans from the time i spent in England years ago but i'm quite unsure of their jacket. I'd really appreciate if someone could help me out on this. I don't want to find myself in a situation where i would need to return the jacket and have to bear the postal costs so if anyone has felt or even tried this on, please let me know. On the other hand, if you've owned a PU jacket from Miss Selfridge, please feel free to share as well

How Can I Make Something Similar?

from net-a-porter.com

I'm sure it's fairly obvious that i have no intentions whatsoever on actually purchasing this Balmain jacket. Now that we've cleared that up, i would like to know any creative ideas you guys might have so i can have a jacket that looks like this. Remember how i've been looking for my holy grail jacket that is trans-seasonal? Well, this jacket already fits the bid for something that i would want to own. So any ideas on how i can achieve this including the best materials, accessories etc is very much welcome :)

Leather Balmania

from ASOS.com

Seems to me like shoulders will be here for quite some time and for those of you that are looking for a brand new leather jacket, can i tempt you with this? It's the Supertrash leather extended shoulder biker jacket...wow, what a long name. It is currently retailing for 250 pounds and you can purchase it here...

Still Searching...

image from Tradekorea.com

I'm still searching for my holy grail jacket after almost a year spent looking for something that would be trans-seasonal. I personally hate having too many jackets because i know i never really get round to wearing them and i'm also known for not wearing most of my purchases when i first get them. For me, 2 or 3 jackets is plenty enough. One of them should be very dressy just in case an opportunity knocks on my door and it's freezing outside; the other should easily be able to see me through autumn and winter with only the need to layer in winter and the last one should be great for spring and summer. But the most important thing for all of my jackets is that they should be very versatile. If you've been reading for a while then you might be aware that i've been wanting to breathe in new life to my wardrobe but as a perpetual procrastinator, that hasn't really happened yet. Not only am i lazy about it, i haven't really found anything that i've fallen in love with. So here's to hoping that the magazines for April up till July will publish something that is jaw dropping and financially sensible to me so i can purchase it. But worst comes to worst, i'll do exactly what i did last winter - just wear cardis and long sleeves :)

Dye Job

By now you all know that the world has been plagued by the Balmania disease of 'shoulders'! I for one hate buying into trends because i never dress trendy and for me it's not really a good investment because they always go out of trend for a while. But the shoulder trend seems to be lasting longer than expected and a part of me is annoyed about it because i don't want to buy a jacket with shoulders but there always seems to be some sort of annoying temptation lurking in the corners awaiting me. It started with the military jacket at Dotti that has some gold beads and pipping on the shoulder and now River Island also has something to tempt me. Unfortunately i can't attach an image of the jacket but for those who are interested, type this in the search box and you should find it: 584774. I like to think that the shoulders aren't as obvious as other Balmania inspired jackets but everytime i think of this particular one from River Island, all i can think of is dyeing it another colour before wearing it. Definitely not black though, because i have a black blazer already. I'm not really a fan of white or cream items because i'm very clumsy and paranoid and i have no interest in shelling big bucks for a professional clean. All the 'dry clean' i owned in the past, i either hand washed them or used the gentle cycle in the wash and they always came out fine.

Image via Fifi.com.au

ASOS Boucle Option...

...i bet you're liking me now huh? So after doing a little digging, i found this alternative Boucle Jacket from ASOS to the one i posted yesterday. It's much much cheaper than the Patrizia Pepe one as it is only £60. I agree it doesn't look as Chanely and it comes across more like Tweed and something you'd expect from Vivienne Westwood. But hey, dont complain cause it's still a cute jacket. Enjoy...
Image from ASOS.com

Boucle Jacket...

...Uncle Karl is going to be very upset when he sees this jacket because it looks like something straight off the racks at Chanel. Allow me to introduce you to this Patrizia Pepe Boucle Jacket currently sold at ASOS currently going for £235. This is your chance to have something parisian looking and chic, i know i'm not going to be buying it cause i'm trying to save some money but maybe you might...
Image from ASOS.com

Jacket On Sale...

...This beautiful Alice Palmer Sharp Shoulder Knitted Jacket is currently on sale at ASOS for £105 from £150. For those of you who have a wad of cash to spare and are in love with the current Balmania of shoulder-padded jackets, here's your chance to buy into the trend. The best thing i love about this jacket is the fact that it's knitted and fitted for a real chic look.
Image from ASOS.com

I Feel Like...

...Mademoiselle Coco just looking at this Knitted Crochet Tinsel Jacket from Topshop. You know that if Mademoiselle Coco was still alive she'd definitely approve of it and if Karl Lagerfield decided not to be a snob he'd also say that it looked very chic and 'Chanely'. This cute little jacket is machine washable and would set you back a mere £70 which is chump change for something that looks so chic and parisian. Do you think Audrey Hepburn would be happy to wear this?
Image from Topshop.com

More Jackets But In Leather...

Let me start by apologising for the picture quality. Both jackets are by Unique and can be purchased online from Topshop. The leather jacket on the left is hooded with a piped detail stitching and stretch panels on the arms which are a bit difficult to see from the picture. It'll set you back about £250 and you can purchase it here. The second one, which i prefer, reminds me of a jacket one of the Olsen twins once wore and i'm going to guess its Ashley. This one follows the shoulder pad trend and has jersey panels on the arms. You can purchase it here for £175. What drew my attention to these jackets are the copper/gold coloured zips that they have. I'm not too sure that i like the colour of the zip but it does look like something that might grow on me slowly.
Images via Topshop.com

It's All About Power Shoulders...

What do you guys think of the power shoulder trend started by Balmain? I've been on the fence for a while because i'm not really a huge fan of trends; but then as we know in fashion everything gets recycled. If the shoulder trend is still in full effect in March next year, i might consider getting a cheapie from ASOS or Topshop just to give it a try as that would be Autumn in Australia. The jacket above is the ASOS power shoulder blazer and it retails for £65. The fact that it's got only one button isn't really working for me because it doesn't seem to suck everything in. That's a key requirement for me when i buy jackets.
This Patrizia Pepe structured shoulder blazer does the job for me with the buttonw but it comes with a hefty price tag: £250. From the pictures, i don't really think it's worth it but you might think differently.

This Oasis power shoulder blazer achieves the look i love with just one button. It's fitted enough to suck you in whilst skimming over the lumps and the bumps. A bonus is that the price is much more reasonable at £70 and is an ok-ish price to pay for a trend setting ensemble.

I have saved the best for last. I must admit that out of all four, this is my favourite because the shoulders are different from the usual ones that i've seen around. For me, this means that it'll have more longevity even after the power shoulder trend dies because it doesn't have that obvious 'ball' look that the power shoulder jackets tend to sport. This Gestuz shoulder piece detail jacket would set you back £139.99 and i'm going to be adding this to my 'watchlist' for sale items on ASOS because by the time i'll need a jacket for winter here in Australia, it'll be Summer in UK. The price reminds me of 'psychological pricing' from one of my Economics classes. The idea is that marketers tend to add .98 or .99 to the retail price of items because it comes across as a cheaper alternative to something with a flat price like £140. Even though from a logical point of view the difference is only 0.01 or 0.02, your subconscious mind still thinks the one with .99 is a bargain. When i asked customers in the aisles of Tesco, UK about how this influences them, i have to say lots of people said it did influence their purchase options...

Never underestimate the power of the subconscious mind and economists...

Images via ASOS.com