23 May 2009

Spring (jacket) Fever


Recently, I found myself in need of a good lightweight jacket for Spring. Something workable and smart, but comfortable and easy to deal with...in other words, not a sports coat. Though I may be a staunch devotee of the old second-hand store, I'm not above the occasional new purchase, provided it's on sale of course. Recently, I turned this up on the L.L.Bean website:



Pull over windbreaker, light weight, folds into it's own pocket, a nice handy thing to keep in the car, $19.99. Not bad, but when worn with a baseball cap it does tend to send a rather "third base coach" vibe.

Then a few days later this:Pullover windbreaker, a bit heavier, in the sort of yellow that only exists on the New England coast, $7 at the thrift,
possibly 1990's L.L. Bean. I seem to remember that label with the mountain scene on all those monogrammed backpacks everybody had back when I was in high school. I wore it today with khakis and navy blue sneakers...if only I had the damn sailboat to go with it.


Then today, this:I'd recently been wanting a jacket like this. I was lusting after a proper Baracuta G9 'Harrington', but at $265, that's a bit far out of reach, and more than a pinch unreasonable even if I had that kind of scratch. This one, for $5.99, will more than suffice as a substitute.From Gant, back when they were cool the first time around. True, it doesn't have the cool plaid lining of a proper Barcuta, but I do think that stripe around the collar is rather sharp. This one needs some Levi's 501's, tan dessert boots, a convertible and one of those weird skinny cigars that were so popular in the 1970's.


With my part time job at an end, and my full time status at home with the kids back in effect, I look to be spending a lot of time at playgrounds and parks, not the dressiest places in the world. These ought to help me stay casual and comfortable without resorting to the "what do you want, I'm watching the kids" style of sweatpants and baseball jerseys seen on too many dads today. (snark, snark, snark...)










5 comments:

FIXED BAYONET METAL SOLDIERS said...

The Harrington is good. The other jackets suck big time.Just bought a 280 dollar Gant overjacket in a kind of plastic material..well I didn't buy it my bird did.Its meant top be worn over a normal sports jacket although it looks like a sports jkt.

Barima said...

Indeed, show those dads what's up. I like the G9 Harrington and think it's one of the best choices for spring that could be made. Wear it in good health and make sure those 501s are bootcut for the ultimate Francophile vibe

B

Anonymous said...

That second coat really makes me miss New England. Jealous of all three, especially the later two. The internet needs more blogs like AAW.

Young Fogey said...

Show up those lazy slob dads! I do.

In fact, the other day, I was out with the kids (4 yrs & 3 wks), and I was complimented on my outfit. My interlocutor wondered where I got it, and I replied...

fedora: my Pacific Northwest hometown
sports coat: locally
shirt: Japan (Uniqlo)
pants: NYC (also Uniqlo)
sunglasses: Australia

(not mentioned: belt: hometown; underwear & socks: Japan; shoes: LL Bean)

He was impressed by "cosmopolitan" wardrobe; I considered it a natural consequence of having lived and traveled here and there.

Oh, and I love the non-Baracuta--the stripes are cool.

James (UK) said...

Great jackets, all those.

Over here in the UK, I've been struggling to find something light enough to wear when it's sunny, but yet warm enough to combat the cold blasts of air we are still getting. Being a skinny so-and-so, I feel it more than my fellow fat, tattooed, shorts and t-shirt wearing brethren, when walking around the Town Centre.

Anyway, I'm making do with a fleece-thing I got from a branch of "Coles", when I was over in the 'States a while back.

I love the thing! ;-)

I stumbled across your blog whilst looking for a reference to the practice of "putting the knee" in (great title for it) via "Are You Being Served?" on Wikipedia, which I wanted for this post.

I'll be adding you to my regular reads now, too. ;-)