The Jacket

For the past month the weather has flirted with extreme warmth. Days worthy of shorts have popped up between weekends ruined by end times-like rain. But now we've settled into a more pleasant pattern. I am loathe to say this for fear of jinxing myself, but I believe we have seen the last of winter. So with that, the heavier coats of the previous season are slowly finding their way back into my closet.

Near the end of college, when I was taking my first steps in removing my closet of its frumpy elements, I bought a jacket. It is a military green with, if you really look for it, a hint of blue. There is a waist-defining belt. Epaulets with buttons sit on the shoulders. More pockets than I could ever use line the front. It combines a masculine inspiration with a feminine cut. And even five years later, I wear it constantly.

The Jacket's place among my favorites has more to do with its utility than anything else. There was no love at first sight, like there was with some of the others. Instead there was the way it went with everything from the many pairs of jeans that litter my closet to the numerous cocktail dresses that I've accumulated from years of school-related formals and semi-formals. It adds sharpness to my casual pieces and toughens the flirtier aspects of my wardrobe. I wore it a week ago with a white, pinstriped full skirt with box pleats. I wore it on Saturday with pegged jeans. I pair it with colorful scarves and my many headbands and sparkling bracelets.

On one of its recent outings, someone mentioned how much he liked it. How it reminded him of things he'd seen in magazines and in stores. I told him that it wasn't new. That it was almost five years old now. That I liked that it was back in style, but that that wasn't my reason for wearing it. That I didn't plan on buying a new one.