Winter casual: Army jacket, ankle boots & vintage Coach

I wore this outfit a while back while visiting the Harpoon brewery (and downing delicious clam chowder afterwards). I love skinny jeans and ankle boots on the weekends, but often face the issue of not having casual enough outerwear to pair up top. My H&M; red peacoat has been worn to near-shreds, so I’ve been eying more short jacket options.

While browsing Gap late last year, I came across a military jacket in sz L that looked like it ran small. The sales associate confirmed that it was a “shrunken fit” style. I really liked the sturdy canvas material, the generous collar, and the traditional design, thus promptly ordered an XS from another store with shipping costs and all. When it arrived, the fit was noticeably big (too long and wide throughout, waistline also too low) but I was sure the 100% cotton would shrink in the dryer. Turns out, it didn’t shrink one bit. I wasn’t eager to blog about this jacket or my overzealousness to throw it into the wash, but have ended up wearing it fairly often despite the fit.

Some of you may remember my review of a slightly similar ASOS option (now over 50% off, and US shoppers can get an extra 15% off w/ code USLONGWEEKEND) which I returned. Although that one definitely fit better, I wanted a higher collar and more rugged canvas material like that of the Gap jacket. Neither are perfect, so I’d love to eventually find a better-fitting replacement (Gap kids, please come out with one again ; ).

This Coach court bag is one of my favorite finds last season. I got to catch up with Ali of BonMe food truck, and immediately noticed her purse. The leather looked of great quality, the style was functional & versatile, and the size suited her 5’ tall frame well. I was even more excited when she mentioned that it was around $40 from eBay. It comes a variety of colors, but I browsed patiently until I found one in navy to meet a longtime wardrobe void. In an upcoming post, I hope to share more about Coach’s older leather bag styles plus a review of this specific one.
I realize I keep promising requested posts (fixing the rotating skirt, shopping for Hermes belts, Spanx review) that don’t materialize. Progress has been hindered by work lately, so I really appreciate your patience!