Fashion Focus: The Jacket Maker

(This article was written in exchange for a fee. All opinions are my own.)

As our minds start turning towards fall and cooler weather we start thinking about outerwear. We envision our warm, cozy, heavier weight shackets, our fluffy sherpa hoodies, and our longer, fluffy cardigans. Dreaming about brisk, walks amongst the changing leaves also prompts us to think about our cool weather coats. A leather jacket is a great piece for the transition from cool summer evenings, to those chilly fall mornings.

Every now and then I like to focus on a particular retailer I feel is worthy of promoting. I was approached by The Jacket Maker to write an article about their company featuring women’s leather bomber jackets. The Jacket Maker began with a group of friends who found themselves shopping for quality leather goods. In their search they found there were only two options: high priced luxury, or unsustainable fast fashion. They decided consumers needed another choice; a choice that provided high quality luxury leather goods without the steep overhead costs many retailers add to their pricing to meet their bottom line.

The Jacket Maker is an online retailer that deals directly with us, the consumer. They have been featured in articles by Maxim, and have had mentions from The Fashionisto, Thrive Global, Swagger, Trendhunter, askmen, Men’sHealth, and Gearmoose. They offer quality leather jackets, vests, shoes, bags, wallets and gift items in addition to non leather goods like puffer vests and trench coats, and even custom made sports jerseys. Their sizing ranges from XXS (00) to 3XL (24) in women’s; or for an addition $50 you can have your jacket made to measure.

Image taken from The Jacket Maker website.

Unlike many leather goods companies, The Jacket Maker has a unique customization process that allows an individual to help design their own pieces using their own choice of colors, fabrics, logos, embroidery and more. With regards to this bespoke process their website states,

Despite operating as an e-commerce, as opposed to a physical store for traditional bespoke, we have not lost bespoke essence. For every custom order, we go through the decades old process of consultation, taking exact measurements, making unique patterns, offering widest fabric selection possible & giving limitless customization options. E-commerce enables us to offer bespoke services across the globe and make it accessible for all.
— The Jacket Maker - Website

For a more personal look at the customization process check out Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style. Jodie and I have been following each other for years, so when I realized she had an up close look at The Jacket Maker I knew I wanted to include her article, Leather Jacket Outfit Ideas from Casual to Dressy.

The bomber jacket, or flight jacket was originally designed to be worn by pilots in WWI to keep them warm in the unheated cockpits of their airplanes. These jackets typically had high, wrap around collars, zippered closures with wind flaps for added insulation, and tight fitting waists and wrists to keep out the cold air. Over the decades these short coats have evolved to include lettermen jackets and light weight bomber types made of fabrics like silk and nylon.

The women’s leather bomber jacket selection is a great place to look for these shorter pieces in a variety of textures, styles and colors. Here are a few of my favorites, along with an outfit idea for each. After all, the perfect jacket is the cherry on top of all of our outfits.

Stella G-1 Brown Leather Bomber Jacket

Image taken from The Jacket Maker website.

The Stella G-1 is what I often think of as a typical bomber style. The banded wrists and hem, with the full zipper, large patch pockets and removable sherpa collar give this piece interesting texture contributing to its versatility to wear with any outfit from casual to dress. Stella has a quilted polyester lining.

Outfit Idea: This would easily be my go to with jeans, ankle boots, and a warm flannel shirt.

Fiona Green Hooded Shearling Leather Jacket

Image taken from The Jacket Maker website.

I love this green flight jacket. It is fully lined with the warm sherpa, and has beautiful detailed stitching, full metal zipper, four outside pockets, two inside pockets, buckle closures on the stand up collar, waist adjustment straps, and a removable hood.

Outfit Idea: I would focus on tall, possibly lace up boots in dark brown, or black, paired with warm leggings, and a light weight oversized tunic.

Reida Maroon Leather Bomber Jacket

Image taken from The Jacket Maker website.

If you are looking for something that shows off as a bit more sleek and dressy, then this would be my choice. The Reida is simple and understated, but that doesn’t detract from her beauty. I love the sheen of this reddish brown piece. She has two set-in slash pockets, ribbed cuffs, hem, and Varsity collar, a full metal zipper and a quilted viscose lining.

Outfit Idea: Dress it up with a twirly, fall print knee length dress, or dress it down with distressed jeans, a long sleeve graphic tee, and wedge heeled ankle boots.

Bliss Brown Suede Bomber Jacket

Image take from The Jacket Maker website.

If you like a little more texture on your jacket this suede piece is very classy. Similar to the Reida with two set-in slash pockets, a full metal zipper, and ribbed cuffs, hem and Varsity collar, this jacket also has a wind flap under the zipper to keep out the chilly fall breezes.

Outfit Idea: I would pair this luxurious looking jacket with a long neutral colored satin skirt, kitten heels, and a soft pullover sweater in a pale blue or champagne pink.

Savant Black Hybrid Varsity Jacket

Image take from The Jacket Maker website.

This hybrid Varsity jacket has leather sleeves, a synthetic wool body, and a quilted polyester lining. Similar to the Reida and the Bliss the Savant has ribbed cuffs, hem and Varsity collar. The unique difference on this piece besides the two tone affect is the shiny silver snaps.

Outfit Idea: Throw this casual piece on with jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt for a night at the high school football game.

Donna Blake White Leather Bomber Jacket

What piqued my interest about this one is definitely the unexpected color pattern. The Dip & Dye finish makes this jacket the perfect statement piece.

Outfit Idea: I would pair this statement piece with an all black outfit including a tee, tulle skirt, black tights and combat boots for a fun date night look.

Pricing on these pieces can be found on their website or you can click on the picture or the link provided to go straight to the jacket. Leather jackets are not cheap, but The Jacket Maker provides quality, well made jackets at a quarter of the cost of luxury fashion prices. A good leather jacket is an investment that will last for years.

I hope you will check out The Jacket Maker to see more of their available women’s leather bomber jacket styles, or if you are looking for a well made leather jackets, coats, blazers and bags for men and women.

Shopping Our Closets: Linen

Today’s outfit revolves around a few pieces I found in my closet that are over 50% linen. Linen is a go to for summer outfits due to it’s ability to keep the wearer cool and comfortable. I see many bloggers and Instagram gals wearing linen on the regular all throughout the summer. Many retailers carry these light weight pieces starting in the spring. You can see numerous pretty tops, pants, and skirts at Chico’s, JC Penney, Coldwater Creek, Old Navy and more.

Linen as a fabric is made from the inner stem fibers of the flax plant. In its pure form it is breathable, durable, dries easily, and is perfect for hot climates. The only bad side of pure linen is that it is rather stiff and wrinkles quite easily.

My two pieces featured today are a linen blend. My pants are linen and rayon, and my vest is linen and cotton. The pants are not as cool as a linen cotton blend, but they are flowy and that allows for better air circulation. As you can see, they still get a little wrinkly, and that is part of what makes me less enamored with linen than others might be.

These pants were a Christopher & Banks purchase from a few years ago. I liked that the stripes were vertical, keeping the eye moving down rather than fixating on my wider hips. These had front patch pockets, and a wider elastic waist. They are very comfy and so easy to pull on and off.

My vest is the other linen blend piece. This is a thrifted Maurice’s piece. I love vests and I have a small stash of lighter weight ones that I like to pull out for layering and texture when it is warm. The eyelet on this piece is really what drew me to it. I love clothing with texture and eyelet is one that we see a lot of in the warmer months.

I ended up using a simple, thrifted tank top underneath. While I could have chosen any color, I decided to go with white, to keep the top part of my body more monochrome, helping the blue stripes in the pants to stand out.

I also went for neutral accessories in my pendant necklace, my bracelet, and my lace up sandals. I like the way the neutral looks with this color combo giving the whole outfit a very summery feel.

I could have chosen a neutral colored handbag, but went for a lighter blue to add a bit more understated color to the look.

What do you think of this outfit? Do have linen pieces in your closet? Do you like linen and wear it often in the summer? I love to have your feedback so feel free to leave a comment or two.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. I decided to show you an array of linen/linen blend pieces. Even if you only have one or two in your closet, they do come in handy for these warm days of summer. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great day!

Outfit Inspiration: July 4th Holiday

Today’s outfit was inspired by the July 4th holiday. The idea to dress in red, white, and blue for patriotic holidays has been around for a while and is no doubt inspired by the colors of our nation’s flag. The great thing about this color combination is you can go as full on to the true colors as you want, or you can move into different shades and still get a patriotic feel.

For this outfit, I started with a thrifted, gingham, asymmetrical hem skirt. This is a fun piece with it’s unique hem and side button up detail. There was no label in this piece, so not clue where it came from originally.

The color is not a true, bright red, but rather more of a maroon or cranberry.

Since the skirt was red and white, I could have done blue as a top, but I decided to go with a Time & Tru white basic tee from Walmart, and my Christopher and Banks denim vest. Nothing says 4th of July like denim. Here’s a few denim vests from Target.

To keep the look fresh I chose a thrifted, white shoulder bag, that I also use as a cross body bag. This is a brand called Bueno. You can find numerous Bueno bags on ThredUp and Etsy. JC Penny sells a brand called Bueno of California, but I couldn’t find any info on whether these were the same company or not.

I added a few cute pieces of jewelry in red tones to pull in a little extra of the bright color.

I pulled out an old pair of Ked’s sneakers, as they were white and blue. I wish I could wear sandals more, but my veins make me self conscious, so I do wear compression knee highs almost all the time. However, for all of you who still have those beautiful legs, or for those who don’t care, wear the sandals!!

So what are you going to wear for the 4th of July? What do you think of this outfit? Is your Independence Day outfit going to include denim? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Happy 4th of July!