The 10 Year Closet 002 | Springtime Banana Republic 🍃

A fitted field jacket and a botanical blouse

Welcome back to The 10 Year Closet, a series spotlighting the longest-lasting items in my closet (owned for at least 10 years) and what they’ve taught me about shopping and style. In this installment, I’m celebrating two trusty pieces from Banana Republic: a field jacket that has carried me through many a transitional season and a vibrant blouse that continues to bring joy. 

The deets: Cotton field jacket with a collar buckle and waist belt, and a flowy blouse with a plant pattern, both from Banana Republic and size 0P

Circa: 2014

How they became mine: These two came to me in the era of defaulting to BR as a new grad building up a work-friendly wardrobe. I still remember the moment I found the jacket in-store and the pleasant disbelief I felt upon realizing it was a perfect fit (ok the sleeves are technically a tad long but as someone whose hands are always cold I don’t mind 🤷🏻‍♀️). I believe it was around $225 with a hefty discount. Thank god BR always had those 40% off sales. I think that’s how I was able to make any sense of buying this jacket with my extremely entry-level fellowship salary at the time. Suffice to say the cost-per-wear on this thing is pretty good at this point ;) 

I don’t have a vivid memory of finding the plant shirt but I can imagine how it happened — the color and pattern must have popped off the shelves and called right out to me. It was probably also on sale. And I probably also had rewards to use. Decade-plus Gap credit card member over here¹!

Why they’re in my 10 Year Closet:

The navy field jacket is such a workhorse and truly perfect for the transitional seasons. It’s spring-friendly with lighter colors and thinner layers and fall-friendly with warmer hues and light sweaters. It’s casual by default but can feel dressier when properly zipped, buttoned up, and belted (though I will often just use the belt for convenience). 

Left: Worn over a tight-fitting short sleeve top. (2016) | Right: Worn over a light brown turtleneck sweater (2020). P.S. Those trumpet flowers I posed with in SF can be poisonous. P.P.S. Shout-out to my (also very old) Coach camera bag, one of my most used.

This was my first ever field jacket and it convinced me my closet will always have a place for a field jacket. I’ve kind of been thinking about getting a new one because the hardware on this one is pretty tarnished now, but everything else is still good. Should I just embrace the patina? If I do get a new one (maybe something like this simple Barbour?), I’ll probably go with navy again. I’m tempted by olive but I do think navy is more versatile.

If you’re looking for a field jacket, focus on getting the fit right (per usual) and consider the variations in detail. Belt or no belt? Quilted or unquilted? Contrast corduroy collar or not? Find the details you love and the jacket will be one that you reach for over and over. And it will feel like your own even when everyone else has a field jacket too.

Left: The ultimate expression of this shirt lol. (2019) | Right: Layering fun. (2020)

Now, for the plant shirt… it’s just easy! Easy way to make an outfit visually interesting. Easy to wear because it’s loose and soft. Easy to pair casually with jeans or dressier with pants and a blazer (one core memory with this shirt is wearing it under a camel blazer for a job interview — I didn’t get the job but felt sharp!). It’s kind of sheer which is usually a red flag for me in terms of practicality but given that I’m pretty much always wearing a black or nude heattech base layer from October to May 😬… it’s not an issue. 

A deep green isn’t the easiest color to wear, but this pattern isn’t just green. Look closely and you can see a bit of blue, some beige, some leaves that are filled in, some with hash lines. It’s this subtle range in colors and opacity that makes the whole pattern feel less one-dimensional, more alive, more complementary to a larger variety of pieces. The funny thing is, I think shortly after I got this shirt, houseplants became really, really trendy, so this shirt also felt zeitgeisty. But I think botanical designs will always be in. Nature is timeless! 

’Til next time, 

– Jenny 

And yes sometimes I’ll wear them together. (2024)

Previously…

The 10 Year Closet 001 | A houndstooth puffer vest

1. Quick backstory: I sort of accidentally signed up for the Gap credit card in college. They totally got me with the "Wanna save 10% today?" and I didn't realize it was a real credit card. But I kept the card all these years because the Gap brands have all the things I care about: 1. Good staples 2. Good sales 3. Petite sizing! I shop way less at the Gap brands these days but recently started regularly buying babyGap. Circle of life?!