5 Reasons Why I Want To Be Buried In A Blazer

Quick. You're on a deserted island with only one article of clothing. What it is?
The one go-to staple of my wardrobe is...
My personal favorite professional article of clothing?

Blazer, blazer, BLAZER.

There are not enough words in the world for me to share my love for the blazer with. When I look at clothes, particularly secondhand clothing, I see their histories within the threads. Behind the seams. Embedded in the buttons and stitching. Someone loved that article of clothing once. Loved it till it was worn thin or washed so many times it shrunk and couldn't button anymore. But they still kept wearing it, unable to fully part just yet. So much occurred with that blouse, those jeans, that jacket! We all know that there comes a time to fold it up neatly and offer it up to Goodwill...but on the way out the door with a pile of clothes to give away, we quickly stuff that single piece under our beds instead of giving it away.

After all, parting is such sweet sorrow.
Those jeans made our ass look fabulous too. Can't give that up.

I went through my old clothes yesterday to decide which ones to give up and which ones to keep. A shift has been occurring in my wardrobe recently, as spurred on by a trip to the Ann Taylor LOFT on Friday. I take how I'm seen in the workplace seriously and some of my old Forever21 stand-bys have admittedly seen better days. The LOFT reminded me of just how much some of my wardrobe needed to be updated into the professional 20-something look. For example: the silver threaded and gray pencil skirt I held in my hand at the LOFT was an investment. It would take my current silver skirt with the foil flowers and kick it to the curb. The new skirt fit better and went from day to night perfectly. It was an update on a skirt I liked and would be much more impressive to wear with clients (and I've been meaning to phase that foil flower skirt out for awhile now but do you know how hard it is to find a decent pencil GRAY skirt in the 18-22 inch length range without spending a fortune or finding poorly sewn on buttons? It's like going on the quest for the One Ring.)

My sense of style is forever evolving, as it should with everyone. What we wore when we were 13 we probably wouldn't have worn at 16. Or how we dressed at 18 is probably a far cry from being in your 20's. Some people are blessed with innately keen great style from the get-go and may not experience this problem. Others, like me, spend a lot of time trying out different styles to get to the one that suits them the best. But no matter who you are, what race or clothing size or height, even with buckets of confidence or oodles of cash, the one question you always wonder aloud at home and in the store dressing room remains the same:

"How do I look?"

The one article of clothing that I've never had to wonder that question aloud with?

The blazer.

Blazers do crazy things to and for me. When wearing one, I feel strong and in charge. I know exactly how to handle and complete the project in front of me. I can lead a meeting in front of a crowd or give a presentation and know everyone is paying attention, front row and center. I can step up to a guy and not even have to say a word to get his attention- the rolled up sleeves have done that for me. When I see a guy wearing a blazer, my levels of respect for him go up dramatically. He could be the king of the douches, but I will remember him fondly for having a sharp set of threads. Kings of douches are often easily overshadowed by their beautiful blazers.

Or in mathematical terms: B.B. > K.O.D.

My mainstay blazer is a black silk one that I've had for almost a decade. I bought it in high school on sale at Dillards and have been wearing it ever since. The label is I.N. San Francisco- a nice foreshadowing to my future love for the city. I can't even read the size tag anymore, that's how worn thin it is. I love this blazer to death and try to incorporate it into every outfit I wear. Since its purchase, I've added a couple other blazers to my closet, but none of them have had the history that this one has.

We've been to the moon and back, this blazer and I, and not one item in my wardrobe knows me better (though my red trench coat comes in at a very close second place). Till death do we part, and here's 5 reasons why.

1) Looks Perfect with ALL Articles of Clothing

Jeans, shorts, skirts, tights, slips, dress trousers, leggings.

There is not one bottom it won't complement to take the look upscale or casual. Button the buttons if so desired- leaving them open looks fine just as well.

2) With Blazers, There Is No "The New Black"

I like them in black for classic purposes. Also in my millions of attempts to resurrect one of my favorite looks of all time- the le smoking tuxedo suit from Yves Saint Laurent that appeals highly to my minimalist sensibilities.

I also like ivory, teal, navy, dusty rose, and sequined over-the-top blazers. Black is great for commanding attention, but sometimes you just want a simple touch. A teal-colored blazer with a fun floral printed skirt, flats, and hair done up in maiden braids is ideal for a casual afternoon on the weekends with friends. Colored blazers can dress up a look as much as down and with black blazers, the same rule applies.

3) Like a Marionette With Strings

When I put on a blazer, I feel like a puppet with strings that have just been pulled on. The fit makes me sit a little straighter, makes me hold my head a little higher, draws attention to my neck and shoulders. It's hard to find a lot of jackets that can do this. With the exception of trenches, I don't know of any other outerwear that does this!

Also this is going to sound weird but I imagine that the blazer would make an open casket wake situation for me appear quite tidy and pulled-together.

I spent a lot of this long weekend watching repeats of Six Feet Under on HBO. Ain't no shame in thinkin' ahead.

4. You Can Really Go All Out With Accessories

This is really important, this reason right here. So many accessories are BFFs to the blazer. We're talking headbands, scarves, necklaces, pins, sunglasses, etc. One accessory if by minimalist, two if by statement. Not a lot of jackets allow for you to pair accessories by all types with them which is what makes the blazer infinitely incredible.

And finally, one of the best reasons possible, again no matter who you are...

5. There Will Never Be An Article of Clothing A Guy Wears More That You Will Immediately Want To Snatch From Him And Wear Forever

They do not call it the "boyfriend blazer" for nothing!

Love to you all,
Heather

The Fashion Plate

As promised, I'm going to start posting some of my articles from my column in our school newspaper on here. This is The Fashion Plate, the title of which is inspired by a nickname my 4th grade teacher was awfully fond of referring to me as.

It's meant to inform individuals about dressing well, as well as be humorous and, you know, NOT BORING TO READ. It's difficult enough to get college students to read the news so the least the writer can do is spice it up. From what I've been told and complimented on, this column is very well regarded at my school.

I'll let you guys check it out. Enjoy!



As I rode home with one my closest friends last night, our conversation slipped quickly into the world of fashion.

Like me, she was deeply concerned for the generation surrounding us, the one with the denim cut-off miniskirts, fur-lined Uggs and “Jersey Shore” Snooki hair-poofs becoming the norm.

“I feel like people aren’t dressing for themselves anymore,”she said. “I feel like they’re dressing to be trendy. I don’t want to be a part of that, and I like the clothes from eras like the 1940s, but I really don’t think I can pull off that look.”

A sense of quiet sadness filled me when she said this.
I know I’m not alone when I say I wish I had been born during a different decade or another century.

When I was in third grade, I was fascinated with the look of the early 1900s Victorian society.

My hero was Samantha Parkington of the “American Girl” series. I read all of her books and studied the fashion notes background section in the back of the novels. The starter kit included little white gloves, lace parasols, corsets and hoop skirts.

In grade school, we were told to make an outline of what we believed our future would be like. My future, I happily informed my teacher, would have me dressed in petticoats in my day to day life.

She tore my paper a part for writing that. It was impractical to dream of being Mary Lennox from “The Secret Garden” and unrealistic to expect that I could dress like that.



Though I was deeply crushed to read such a remark, it burned a fire inside of me. I would not be told if I could or could not wear something ever again. I’d take impracticality over ordinary any day of the week.

If forced to conform to ordinary (i.e. school uniforms), I would spin it so that my sense of self shined through.

I’ve been through a series of clothing phases ever since. My closet back home is a testament to this fact.

There was a period of time in which I didn’t dress for myself. Luckily, this period of time was one with Dooney & Bourke handbags and Le Tigre polo shirts, the way most of my high school looked on a casual uniform-less Friday.

This was before the time where dressing with leggings as a substitute for pants and Ed Hardy apparel became the unfortunate trend to don in public. This time was very much the same as now in the sense that I forgot about dressing for myself and got lost in the trend of being like everyone else.



I went back to finding myself, with some assistance along the way. I made collages of looks I liked and placed them on a bulletin board in my room. I paid attention to details and carefully noted what I looked for in a complete ensemble.

I also watched movies, listened to various songwriters and stared at photos to better figure out what I liked and the common theme behind these outfits.

Throughout this experience I’ve discovered if you want to look or dress in a certain way inspired by another era or a person, you need to do it. You can do it!

Naturally, you’ll get people who don’t want you to or like what you’re doing. If you happen to be reaching into the discount bin for an unflattering blouse just because it is on sale, I’d listen to them. Don’t do it.

If you see somebody wearing an interesting pair of shoes and think ‘I’d like to try that,’ but are surrounded by others who say that you can’t pull off such a look, defend yourself and try out that pair of shoes. The confidence you get wearing them is just as key as the fit.
There will always be someone who doesn’t agree with your chosen aesthetic. This is normal. However, you should never surround yourself with individuals who constantly critique how you dress or put down that style.

There will be haters to the left, but a true friend will accept you for who you are, no matter how you’re styled.



In a shortened version of the above mentioned paragraphs, this is what I told my friend in the car last night. She’s already a really fantastic dresser, in my opinion, but everyone deserves to be encouraged with what they want to wear and how they would like to dress.
Consider me your personal cheerleader in this sense. I may not know you personally, but I’ll support you in whatever clothing phase you choose. All except for the “Jersey Shore” stuff.

Just back away now, and no one gets hurt.

Love to you all,
Heather