h&m dragon tattoo collection leather jacket & hoodie, uniqlo tee, seven jeans (similar here), barneys co-op flats, esdesigns necklace
the dragon tattoo leather jacket is probably the best and one of the only impulse purchases i've made all year. that, and my christmas gift for myself.
the ever chic and salander-esque queen of leather jackets...who else? the gorgeous and lovely Freja.
i'll admit, i am also a bit paranoid that i will wear through my beloved yaya leather jacket if i keep wearing it the way i do...it's already had to be aired out after several run-ins with halloween body pant and various smokey bars and clubs in SH. as unnecessarily decadent as it sounds, my new trish summerville x H&M leather jacket will serve as a back-up. because, you know, when you have absolute wardrobe favorites, sometimes you need a back-up just in case. it's also got thicker leather, so it's quite a bit warmer as well.
which brings me to what i will rhetorically call The Biker Question.
one of lin's recent posts on clothing and self-expression got me thinking about this. i mean, i certainly don't own a motorcycle and my somewhat risk-averse nature prevents me from riding one anytime soon. contrast this with a lovely friend of mine and former college roommate who is not at all interested in fashion, but who happily arrived to sunday brunch in downtown NYC last year on her brand new harley. she rides it around the city across the queensborough bridge and everything. needless to say, my other friend and i were super impressed and amazed by her genuine, bad-ass fearlessness. so on the one hand you have my friend the biker (who, of course, has a fully functional leather motorcycling jacket), and then at the other end you have me, the biker-jacket-obsessed...style blogger.
it really gets to the crux of why we dress the way we do. i find the dichotomy in my case rather amusing, but of course i'm not going to give up amazing leather accessories and jackets just because i'm not in a punk rock band or biker club.
what do you think? is there any item of clothing that reflects such a dichotomy for you? or a special wardrobe piece that unleashes some sort of irrational, backup-hoarding impulse? ;-)
The detailing is impressive on that jacket. We don’t “need” half the stuff we buy, so why not buy and wear something you love. I have a love for military style and I’m not going to join the army anytime soon.
ReplyDelete-ps. Do you know where the 1st Freja picture is from?
That jacket looks amazing on you! I agree, it is very Freja-esque :)
ReplyDeleteThe dragon tattoo collection was apparently only sold in two stores in Norway, and with both of them being in Oslo I didn't get that chance to try any of it. Oh well, there will always be nice stuff to spend money on I suppose.
I also read (and enjoyed!) lin's post - the discussion in the comments is equally interesting. For me it is not as mostly a question of trying to find the middle ground between my inner goth kid and my inner fluffy-cardigan-wearing grandma. Not too boring, yet not too heavy on the kohl ;)
Your last post alerted me to the Summerville collection and I went to H&M today and bought 4 new pieces! Thankfully where I live, the film that inspired the collection is not popular at all, so even a week after the release of the collection and only one H&M carrying it, all the pieces that I liked were still available in my size. I must say the quality of this collection for most of the pieces is fantastic for H&M. I bought the same hoodie you have in black and gray and surprised to see that they were 100% cotton without polyester or other cheap synthetic material mixed in. I also got the track pants in gray and the Balmain-esque american flag distressed t-shirt, all 100% cotton. I saw your wonderful leather jacket but I'm not a leather jacket girl so I didn't bother trying it on.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there was only one knit in the collection, which I'm glad I didn't like because knits are my weakness. I can't get enough of them even though I can only wear them 3 months of the year. I suppose my love of winter wear in general is my dichotomy - I live in a country where winter only lasts for 3 months but yet I own 5 coats and 14 knits and bunch of other wintery layer pieces. Summer is nearly 6 months long and I own less t-shirts than sweaters. At the same time, moving to a country where winters with longer winters is completely out of the question!
Love the jacket! And yes, I do duplicates in my wardrobe all the time. Just think how much of a hole there would be if your one item needed to be cleaned/wore out/was lost? Hence the duplicates!
ReplyDeleteminima/maxima
@Prêt à Porter P so true! i think everyone has that one thing that they can't resist adding to their collection. that's part of the fun of it all :)
ReplyDeletei pulled the first Freja photo from a random blog, no idea on the source :P
@Maja Piraja ha! love your two inspirations!
ReplyDeleteit does look like the collection was really limited edition :( only the flagship here in SH had it. i'm thinking of making another stop over to maybe get one or two of the tees...
@Wendy that's so awesome! i'm so glad you loved the collection. i almost let the capsule collection pass over my radar, glad i went on a last minute whim to see it last week! i hate icky synthetic blend items too. i think they pulled this collection off really well. :)
ReplyDeletei know what you mean about favorites that aren't the most practical. i like that there are elements of rodarte's cobwebby knits in the cardigan. i am a huge fall/winter fan too, so my wardrobe is lopsided that way as well!
@Petrichore ha, good point! what are some of your duplicates?
ReplyDeleteI've always liked motorcycle jackets but I can't bring myself to wear one because
ReplyDeletea) I know they retain no connotations of this, but they were originally worn by Nazis
and
2) I am just not that kind of person. I'm neither tough, nor rebellious, nor mysterious, or any of those kinds of things,least of all a motorcyclist, so I'd feel silly in a motorcycle jacket. I can't get past it.
I am oversensitive to the connotations of clothes. Every time I see anything related to Salander, I think of horrible violent rape, domestic abuse, incest, and all the other nasty things in those books! I know I'm ridiculous. yes, i can get all that from a pair of sweat pants.
Your post about dressing authentically as regards who you really are and how you live your life has been an issue for me since I was a kid. It's one of the reasons I think fashion bears a lot of thought. My first class consciousness sparked when I was looking through the pages of Vogue.
looks great! they sold out here so i resorted to ebay...can i ask about the sizing of the leather jacket? seems the stuff runs small....
ReplyDeleteNot that I need another leather jacket, but I have got to check this one out! I wonder if the NYC stores are sold out yet... hoping not! Thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous thanks for taking the time to post your honest thoughts on the matter!
ReplyDeletei can completely understand where you're coming from.
as for me, i look at the signature elements of Lisbeth Salander's look as a form of urban armor that represents in many ways her resilience and struggles to rise above horrific abuse.
i think the fun of fashion is that you have the freedom to bring in fantasy and play into how you present yourself to the world. i'm not sure about the connection of leather biker jackets to Nazis, though.
at the end of the day, sartorial references are fluid signifiers. personally, i try to have fun and experiment with my style in a way to balance out who i am and who i want to be! :)
@weshoyot i'm wearing the size EUR 36. the smallest size was the 34. the leather jacket does run small.
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic on you, I love leather jackets as well but they don't seem to love me back....Every time I have tried one didn't fit well...keep on trying though. Regarding clothing connotations, I don't like to wear things that scream something, I have my style and I try to be faithful to it, but I don't think because you like leather jackets you have to ride a motorbike...there are so many styles right now and most of them are not made to be wore while driving...
ReplyDelete@miss sophie
ReplyDeletecan i ask what size you normally wear? i just got the 36/6
thanks so much! your blog is great *following* ^_^
I love the jacket on you!! I don't have a leather jacket, I had a suede motorcycle jacket, but it didn't work out for me. I don't know why, it just never looked right. I'm always tempted to get multiples when it comes to something I really love, like the Dicker boots, jeans or a great tee.
ReplyDeleteI totally identify with the biker thing. I obsess with the Balenciaga jacket and the Rick Owens leather jacket, but I don't live like Patti Smith---and feel like I can't pull off the biker look. but recently my sister gave me a black leather jacket with hoodie on it (i think the hoody makes it more school boy and less badass) so i'm trying a bit of the biker look myself.
ReplyDeleteThe H&M one is looking quite darn good on you!
A well written and thoughtful post (I also read Lin's which I love! I wish I thought of that topic too!).
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on this is that although I own a leather moto vest from H&M and I don't have a motorcycle, I think the idea of wearing a leather biker jacket as a non-biker is two-fold:
1. To take the symbolic value of the item and juxtapose it in your outfit (aka layering) to create a new dialogue between the relationship of your clothes.
2. To express an emotion or view on my self that may not necessarily be a literal interpretation of the featured garment. The garment is meant to bring out that mood but not necessarily represent me as a specific subcultural style.
Hope that makes sense.. hahaha
The jacket is beautiful! And no, you can never have too many leather jackets. Never. And the sleeves on this one makes it so different from others!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas! You got yourself a fantastic gift.
@lunaday you're totally right of course :)
ReplyDeletei think you'll find the right leather jacket for you someday. there are so many styles now and designers who do a different spin on it every season!
@weshoyot i'm usually a 0-2/XS/EUR 34. i hope your jacket is just right! :)
ReplyDelete@Garderoben hmm, who designed the suede leather jacket? yeah, of course it's a bit decadent to get more than one leather jacket. but i know all of them will get tons of wear, so i'm not feeling too guilty... ;)
ReplyDelete@nanashi thanks! i think the sleeves are a little bigger than i'm used to, but it's perfect for layering the hoodie or another layer underneath, so that's useful and much warmer than my Yaya one.
ReplyDeletehehe. oh, thats such a nice and thoughtful gift from your sis! who makes yours? would love to see you wear it on your blog :D
@Sam thanks Sam! :) yeah, i agree with you on both points. i'm all for wearing fantasy pieces and making it a part of my everyday life. i think i'll be slowly adding more fantastic statement pieces to my wardrobe from now on!
ReplyDelete@Aesthetic Alterations thanks dear! haha, i love your moral support on the issue. i actually thought of your brief dalliance with the burberry prorsum jacket when i saw this one on the rack. it's definitely a substantial leather jacket but not too heavy to wear :)
ReplyDeletemerry christmas to you too! enjoy the holidays in paris!! "
thanks so much for your help on the sizing. i also wanted to comment on your blog, as i love the conversation you brought up in regards to 'biker-obsessiveness' and personal style.
ReplyDeletepersonally, i am rather interested in the chatter this collection has brought up. there are several blog posts out there saying the collection is bringing negative attention to 'rape victims' and sexualizing a character in the wrong light.
i recently read an article about the movie and the character. the writer made an interesting point, in that the lisbeth character is a sexual being, who is in charge of her sexuality with others (with the exception of the rape case). once again, i find the media coming down on this case in particular, harsher than normal and if the genders were reversed, i'd hardly think anyone would have issues with creating a clothing line off a male character. sad, but it's still true even in 2011.
I honestly dont think that a collection based on the work of a hollywood costume designer is negative at all. and I actually find it refreshing to have a real european goth type collection out. i also find it refreshing that a costume designer can find a creative lucrative outlet to be commercial as well. it's kinda an art that goes hidden behind a curtain...the only time they're ever given recognition is at the oscars, or maybe, just maybe on a directors commentary. but unless your into fashion, not many people realize the work and dedication and study that goes into doing set design and costumes...
girls have been popularizing leather jackets in fashion for the last decade. the last 5 years have been especially trendy...bring back punk and grunge looks and infusing them with the newer emo and goth trends.
for me personally, i get cold. wool jackets just dont wear the same as leather. also, like those who collect and wear high end denim, i like the fact i can break in a leather garment and make it my own. i enjoy the distressing process, it's something organic and beautiful.
now in regards to the look it creates and the stigma it has associated with it: when women wear leather, they used to be either punk rock, groupies or lesbians. it was a long held stigma that leather was in one way or another tied into sexuality. i find it very interesting that it has actually become so mainstream these days, although i have to say not many actually pull it off casually and effectively. there are a lot of posers, sad to say...but then again, they're probably not the ones to write a short essay in response to leather jacket love...
i personally like the harder edge look, the fact that it's women embracing something that used to be soley a male, counter culture icon. james dean comes to mind....effortlessly cool, rebellious...i think the ability for women to be able to wear a leather jacket like the guys really reflects the fact that we too want the same things sometimes, the same stand-off-ishness, the same cool, the same mystery and the same shell.
for me, the leather jacket is practical, keeps me warm, wears forever, and is a classic in black, a staple. theoretically, it's a shell, a layer of protection, a way to be sexual, cool, but not exploiting the body. it's a bit of a hard concept to put down in words, the leather jacket means so much more than just the price tag or the brand...but i too have a huge fascination with them and quite a collection.
my dragon tattoo one should show up tomorrow, i resorted to ebay...but it seriously looks gorgeous from the pictures...i couldn't help it.
thanks for the interesting post!
@weshoyot thanks so much for taking time and writing such a thoughtful and generous comment! :D
ReplyDeleteit is really fascinating how an iconic item of clothing can transform and evolve so much over the years. i'm remembering Madonna's leather jacket in 'Desperately Seeking Susan' and how that was and still is such an inspiration today. i read the same articles i think you're referencing, as well as some of the more harshly sniping ones from Jezebel and some Brit tabloids, and i think the short shrift is really uncalled for.
i completely agree with you that the leather jacket is a classic in black, and a layer of protection. my jackets really add that extra special something...don't think i could live without them!
The suede leather jacket was designed by Whyred, a Swedish brand.It was really nice, but not for me:)!
ReplyDeleteYou. Look. Fantastic. That's why the jacket is good, all iconography aside:).
ReplyDeleteI tried to think of dichotomies in my wardrobe, but had a hard time thinking of anything (a Danish fishermen sweater excluded). I guess the most symbolic item to me would be geek glasses - I have a pair myself, but I'd be utterly lost without them. My eyesight is awful. I know quite a lot of girls who wear them for fun, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's a little silly, at first sight (pun not intended). At least your leather jacket is functional in some way. It doesn't only attribute to your outfit, it keeps you warm as well. On the other hand, I wear plenty of things that aren't functional (hats, broches, bracelets). So why should accessorizing with glasses be any different?