Winter Beachwear, PNW Edition: Shearling Jackets
Wearing my mother’s vintage shearling jacket at the Oregon coast, 12.28.20.
It would appear as though I haven’t said everything I wanted to say about outerwear in my last article. Suppose I’m not yet through discussing (very one-sidedly) all there is to discuss about this topic. I’ll be honest though, we’ve barely made a dent in the subject, but I’ll slowly ease us further on with palatable, engaging, and insightful chunks of discourse. I promise! I do hope, however, I need not convince you so desperately. After all, you’ve presumably arrived here because of your like-minded interest and on your own volition (unless your name is Callum and you’re my boyfriend and you’re here because I’ve forced you to voluntarily proofread as a show of your love and support).
From what I’ve seen, shearling jackets manage to harness some of the most beautiful combination of tones I have ever seen. My personal favorites are the ones with a dark chestnut brown, deep espresso, golden honey, or burnt orange caramel fudge body and a mocha brown or vanilla buttercream frosting collar and lining (can you tell I’m writing this while on my period?). The contrasts from these combinations are crisp, but complementary, and these jackets display such a pleasant textural geometry about their design from the artful mix of suede and wool.
Gorgeous dark brown, buttery smooth suede and vanilla shearling turned up cuffs, shot flat lay, 12.29.20.
If you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do, you’ve probably been drawn to the coast numerous times, and so are quite familiar with how beautiful, but cold the beaches are during the wintertime. I’m actually a big fan of the coast during this time of year—I like the slower pace and quieter atmosphere of the seaside towns, and prefer casually strolling through the vast and vacant stretches of beach, or finding a special cove and planting myself upon a piece of driftwood, sitting there completely still, all bundled up, gazing out in a mesmerized fashion at the hypnotic, dancing waves for hours on end, reveling in the utter bliss of Nature’s white noise. The older I get, the more I appreciate the gloom. I think this is almost to be expected of a poet ;) and for someone as emotional as me.
This imagery is all very fresh in my mind from our trip to the beach the other day, thanks to my dad’s spontaneity. I outfitted myself with a vintage shearling coat that my mother gave to me recently and that, as you can probably tell from this article, has become an immediate staple in my wardrobe. It felt like it was made for winter at the beach—everything about it said it was home; it just looked right and it felt right. That is unless you’re my dad and lovingly think I overdress for every occasion (how v cute). It’s heavy and warm, which I realize now I think I really like due to it being akin to a weighted blanket. Who doesn’t want their anxiety assuaged by the comforting sensation of being firmly held in a constant hug or cuddle? What I’m taking away from this is that science is backing the idea that my mental health would greatly benefit from a nice shearling jacket. Well, I’m on board with this logic, aren’t you? So how do we obtain and where do we fill these kinds of prescriptions? Are we hopeful enough to believe insurance will cover at least some of the cost? Imagine.
If you’re interested in grabbing yourself a jacket of this kind, I would highly encourage shopping secondhand. I was fortunate enough to have my mother impart such a special piece of her wardrobe to me, but if I hadn’t found myself in this lucky circumstance, I would have definitely turned to the wonderful preloved market—so many gems out there.
I recently discovered ARJÉ, a New York-based brand that specializes in shearling products. I’ve drooled many a late nights scrolling through their website pages admiring their craftsmanship and designs. Now, for their items you would of course be paying retail pricing. They are well beyond the perimeter of my budget (and then some), even if I squint really hard. Even so, I’ve already identified a target jacket for myself, as well as one that I would like to be able to someday gift to my boyfriend for all his editing and previewing efforts ;)
Forever dreaming.