Happy November, readers! By now, the weather has finally stopped having an identity crisis and reverted to that crisp, rainless, and slightly windy outdoors that we all know and love (especially for layering!) this time of year. While it’s the perfect opportunity to break out your new (or vintage) leather bomber or biker jacket, it’s also ideal for testing new, trendy fall staples that may be outside of your comfort zone. For me, this specifically meant my new satin souvenir jacket.
As someone whose style usually follows the rockstar aesthetic of Hedi Slimane or Harry Styles (albeit more affordable), the souvenir jacket is a trend I’ve long contemplated following. Brands ranging from Forever 21 to Louis Vuitton have been quick to encapsulate the style as a fall essential this year, but I’ve still been hesitant to make the purchase. For one, these jackets are usually brightly-colored and flashy, making them difficult to style with anything other than basics (and a far cry from my monochromatic wardrobe). Each jacket also has specific embroidery and color schemes, and it’s hard to find one design and palette that I feel showcases my style and works with the rest of my wardrobe. Additionally, these jackets are majorly trendy; I never usually purchase pieces that will only be worn for two or three months and  then deemed “out,” usually choosing to buy ones that I can easily mix-and-match throughout the year and spruce up with accessories. However, as fashion is all about taking risks, I decided to go out on a limb and get one. To my surprise, I’ve been majorly pleased with the results.
The green souvenir jacket I bought was from Urban Outfitters, and while it was slightly more expensive than most clothes I buy (this was before it went on sale), it’s been worth every penny. The skull embroidery fits perfectly into the edgier part of my wardrobe, and the flower and small letters near it give it the type of small details that I love in most pieces. It combines green, a color I usually don’t wear (but that actually looks great with my skin tone), with red without looking like a holiday ad. I paired it with a basic black T-shirt and blue jeans, but added a gold shard pendant necklace to make the front part of the outfit less bland. I also chose to wear tan boots (another basic staple) because they fit in with my basics and had small buckled straps, which added more details to the look. The sunglasses were only chosen because it was a particularly sunny day for late fall, but I think they add extra detail to the outfit and coordinate well with the T-shirt. This outfit shows my style because it fits in with my softer rock aesthetic, while also being on-trend and making good use of basics and detailed pieces. It’s definitely one I’ll repeat this season and in the future.
