In the current decade?
I did. Many times.
I wore it to dozens of work meetings. It’s not even vintage yet I thought it was stylish.
I used to wear a bright pink long-sleeved t-shirt underneath it. To pick up the threads of pink running throughout the fabric. Or a bright cyan one.
How subtle.
I tried it on today for the the first time since about the fall of 2004, when I wore the jacket almost every week. I thought it might go well with a yellow t-shirt I had on.
Guess where it looked like I was heading?
To a used car lot. And/or the circus. And/or a late 70s, early 80s retro party. And/or to O’Neil’s Pub to begin my shift as Lady Leprechaun.
I don’t know why I held on to this for almost five years. I’m usually so good about pruning out old, out-of-style clothes.
Maybe I thought I might need it one St. Patrick’s Day. Or that the guy who once asked me where I got it so he could tell his wife to go get one, too? I must have thought he was sincere. (I’m so easily duped; he worked for me at the time.)
So, this is my good-bye to the green jacket. It’s added a spot of color to the blacks, browns, and grays in my closet.
The time has come for me and my inner high school sophomore to part ways. I’ll try not to be ashamed that it took so long for me to let you go.
POSTSCRIPT: Maybe I should have taken a straw poll before I decided that the jacket was hideous. Is it as bad as it seems to me?
-Related to post Death Of A Short Green Sweater.
yb, if I were as tiny as you, I would send you the postage, etc. to ship me this jacket! I think it is lovely! D
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ROFL. OMG. My poor stomach. LOL. I just had to comment on this as it caught my eye, and it was a much needed break. I’ve been busy for so long now. I miss having these wonderful chats through your and QM’s posts… I’ll try to do it more often.
Anyway, I can’t stop laughing. I’d say you were going retro, too.
Thanks for the laugh. I have a couple of things in my closet that needs to be discard or recycled into something… I’d say they’re hideous because I can’t imagine wearing them now.
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I think I would call it “vintage”, and wear it proudly! D
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LOL. 8)
I don’t know. It’s the green color. It’s so….loud. I love green, but do you remember in the late 1960s when brightly colored polyester suits for men were in style? I think (this is really stretching my memory) that my dad had a pretty bright blue one….not navy blue, but more like a deep sky blue. And that was when they were wearing chops for sideburns. And sometimes white shoes.
Jim tells me his dad had a bright red suit, which he wore with white shoes, and Jim was at that age where he was so embarrassed.
This jacket kind of makes me feel like that. It’s just so darned green, like kelly and lime green, and then there are these green sparkle threads running all through it. I don’t know. You gotta feel comfortable in the vintage stuff you wear.
I wish I had more chutzpah when it came to some clothing, diddy. BTW, do you have any wild pieces that just to wear ’em takes b*lls? (And/or a terrible fashion sense?) 8)
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If my ass were a size 2 or smaller, I’d TOTALLY wear that jacket, because it’s CUTE. My ass is NOT a size 2 or smaller, though, so I’m afraid that that tiny little jacket would accentuate that fact.
Very cute, though.
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I think you nailed it J. The jacket is so short, and it needs tiny buns to go with it. My ass is a size 6, and it’s expanding to a size 8. Well, it can’t make up its mind. But in the mean time, I’ve grown fond of tunics.
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I get the attraction. Really. Probably would have worn this for longer than it’s shelf life too 🙂
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yb, you can bet I do! I own a Paul Harris Designs wool jacket that I picked up at a thrift store about 10 years ago. Longer than your jacket. Won’t give it up ever! (I know it will come back in style, fingers crossed). I love it, though I haven’t worn it in years. I am also in to a bright orange active wear jacket that J used to laugh about! No one could miss it! He always joked that he felt comfortable crossing a busy street with me!
I can so wear lime green, too bad your not my size. 🙂
Well, I mean, too bad for me, of course. I have a larger, though flatter ass. Damn gravity! D
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If you didn’t include the pic of you IN the jacket, I would have said TURF it, immediately… now I’m not so sure… it’s cute in a kitsch sort of way…
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Perhaps a little on the garish side (especially if worn with cyan!) but it’s certainly cheerful, and looks good in the photo of you wearing it. Whatever you decide I certainly don’t think you should be ashamed of keeping it.
I do think it would be a shame to lose all the bright colour in your wardrobe though… black and grey are safe, but a bit dull. Have you read “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple?” I’d say it’s never too early to start practicing a colourful bit of difference! (I don’t have a green jacket, but I do have a purple suede one!)
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Wait! I can’t tell by your avatar if you have green eyes or not.
That would make a difference.
“Lady Leprechaun” Ha!
I would wear it over a long black evening gown with lace up boots so I’m probably not the person to ask.
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Nope, I don’t have green eyes. Just brown.
I have a black evening gown and lace up boots. Hmm, I could try that some occasion and see how it looks.
I haven’t read that book, lirone, but I do want more color in my wardrobe.
If you’re drawn to purple, this from QM’s post Squaring The Circle — July Mandalas (Chakras & Colors) [LINK]:
VIOLET — 7th CHAKRA – crowns the top of the head: the 1000-petaled lotus, transcending separate existence, living in the moment, connecting with the Universe, belief that you are more than your physical body.
Here’s green:
GREEN — 4th CHAKRA – near the heart: attachment to parents, ability to nurture yourself and others, ability to form intimate relationships, the many ways we love.
And I love green. But the fabric and the length and all that…well, I’ll probably hang on to it just a bit longer and see if I can’t make it work with something. (Black evening gown, lace-up boots, for example.)
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diddy, I’ve seen some very striking bright orange, almost rust, jackets. I know a woman with dark hair, olive skin, dark eyes, who used to wear one and she always looked so gorgeous in it.
Lime green looks good on my sister. She has black hair. Nice combination.
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I like that jacket. I really do. I wear bright colors a lot, especially crazy socks. The texture seems wonderful, malleable, but with heft to the threads. I’d probably change the buttons to a flat shape, maybe fake bone or something. It looks good on you. You’re slender. But at the same time, there’s a little lady roaming the thrift store right now who would probably get a big kick out of finding this treasure. Not me, I’m all the way in Georgia.
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The buttons could use a change, for sure. And I was thinking—of course, I won’t do this, but the thought did pop into my head—that I could a ruffle, maybe denim, to lengthen the jacket. Ha. But truthfully, I wish I were talented with a sewing machine. Or use the fabric to make a little green hat. 😉
I love socks and underwear, and I like different kinds. Right now I’m terribly sock-poor. I can’t find any of the partners to my socks, and I don’t have enough to last me a week. I’m so bad about buying socks, bras, and panties. I wait until I’m desperate before I shop.
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ybonesy, I actually like this jacket. It looks good on you, too. Of course, I have the advantage of knowing what you look like and can fill in the rest of the photograph. 8) I showed the photo to Liz, too, over morning coffee, and she liked it. She said it might be something you’d wear to an art event with what LeaKelley mentioned, a long black evening gown with lace up boots. That would be the ticket! Adventurous.
I think lirone has a good point, too, about color. I’m leaning toward more color these days, in almost everything. Brighter colors. And I know “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple” and the Red Hat Club. Bright colors can look striking on women, and maybe some brighter colors mixed with blacks or a black background to temper. I like that look.
I’ve read a lot about how the older people get, the more they like to see more color. When I was at MCAD, all the younger art students wore black, all black. Black jeans, T-shirts, boots. I don’t know if that’s still true about the students there. I also had a prof that wore only black. And still does. It’s part of the identity she’s formed around her art and being an artist. Black is a mixture of every color.
I do like black, too. But I usually mix it with a solid red or bright blue. When you consider vintage clothes, there’s always the question, vintage to what age group? I’d feel strange going back and wearing the 70’s bell bottoms and army jackets I wore in my late teens, yet they’ve already resurfaced a couple of times since then as vintage and look great on a younger generation.
I learned a lesson years back when I lost a bunch of weight and tried to go back and fit into my older jeans I had saved “until I lost weight.” They were in perfect shape, worth a little cash as vintage clothes. When I could finally fit into them, my body had aged and changed and did not look good in those clothes anymore. Some teenager shopping at Ragstock that year made a killing when I donated those clothes!
BTW, I’m sock and underwear poor right now. I need to go buy a fresh new stock of them. Otherwise, I end up doing laundry (or with Liz doing laundry) much, much more than I like! There’s nothing more maddening than only finding one sock and no mate.
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Yeah, I know I’ve finally reached that age where some clothing does look inappropriate to my age. It just hits me as, Ugh, I’m trying to look young.
And then sometimes I can wear something really trendy. This weekend I bought pants—I was recycling about four pair so often that I felt like I was wearing them out faster than I should—and both cases were bell bottoms. I bought one pair a size bigger (size eight) than my usual body-hugging look, and they’re really cute. I wear them low with a wide belt and a t-shirt tucked in and a cute sweater jacket. And somewhat wedgie shoes so my legs look long. I love ’em. I’ll probably do a post on them in five years. What was I thinking??
Speaking of army jackets, I’d love a tailored one, but longish. That would be a cute look. And speaking of color, I was craving a red shirt yesterday. I think that was why I tried on the green jacket. I wanted color, didn’t have what I wanted to I tried other colors. I really need to get a red long-sleeve t-shirt. I have a red blouse, but I want something casual. I really like red and don’t wear it enough.
Do you take many risks with clothes, QM? Like wear something that you’re not so sure looks good and in fact may look horrid, but you go for it anyway?
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WWWHHHOOOAAAAA Nellie!
And I’m not sure I’ve ever been able to say that other than horseback riding! It took so long for me to stop laughing…I know better than to scroll up again while I’m drinking my coffee. “O’Neil’s Pub to begin my shift as Lady Leprechaun”. Good stuff!
yb, I just cleaned out my closet…and I can honestly say…you win girl! I don’t know what you actually look like but I’m imagining those swirly curly dark locks of yours with this zippy plaid number…and it puts a big ass grin on my face.
😉 H
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…I’m imagining those swirly curly dark locks of yours with this zippy plaid number…
How ’bout Rhoda from Mary Tyler Moore. HA!!
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I love it. Try it with a white t and jeans and big boots like Doc Martens……..and yes, you are teeny.
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I think you’re right, Jo, about the white t-shirt. (Why did I wear pink and cyan!?!) Although, I don’t know. If it were blue perhaps, but kelly green is just a bit much for me.
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I can see you wearing this, yb. You think the color is garish? Maybe festive. Happy. Twirly. I don’t know… Do you still twirl in your clothes?
If you are not 100% comfortable in it, even if you have a teensy question mark, then go with your gut and give it to someone else who will fall in love with the look. You’ll always be second guessing yourself.
I think it’s great, though I admit I wouldn’t wear it. Though maybe if I were a size 2. (Ha!!! A size 2. LOL!)
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Once upon a time, many years ago, I spent a weekend in Regina Saskathcewan, for their festival of nations. 24 different ethnic venues, with their art, food & music.
so, I happened to be wearing a bright kelly green blazer when we went to where the Irish were. They loved what I was wearing so much that they gave me a pin, declaring me an “honorary Irish lass,” and free beer! What fun we had!
When I was active in theatre, I had lots of black T-shirts & pants, because that was what we had to wear when changing scenery between acts. I still wear black often, but now that I’m an “old gray mare,” I try to wear more color. I say, wear what you feel good in!
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i think it’s cute in an ugly sort of way. yes, that’s possible. ha. the picture of you wearing it with that tee shirt that looks yellow or green looks really nice though. i say keep it if you like it.
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I also like the jacket, and I loved reading the comments on this.
You made new treasures out of the old one.
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🙂 That’s true, isn’t it?
Your comment, amuirin, made me read through all the comments again. They were fun. lissa’s reminded me that something can be cute in an ugly sort of way—Sony the Pug is exactly like that. We say she’s so ugly she’s cute.
Hey, isn’t St. Patrick’s Day coming up? Maybe I’ll do what oliverowl did and go wear my green jacket with the Irish. They’ll love me. Give me green beer to drink. 8)
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Bo, I haven’t done enough twirling of late. Maybe because I don’t wear enough wide skirts.
I used to have this habit as a kid of grabbing the bottom of my dress and pulling it up over my chest and shoulders so that my underwear and belly and everything else was showing. I don’t why it felt so warm to use the bottom of the dress as a sort of shawl or sweater. Glad I don’t do that anymore. 8)
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[…] Can You Believe I Wore This Jacket? […]
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