Every year when March rolls around, I am so glad to be living back in Texas and no longer in NYC. I loved so much about NYC, but March was not one of those things. Every March, I’d see posts of my friends venturing back onto Lake Travis or enjoying the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo or taking in SXSW… but regardless of what fun they were having, one thing was missing – a winter coat.
Nope, it was onto the best time of year to be in Texas – days when you can have a cool breeze in the morning or evening but warm enough to lay by the pool or lake mid-day… and all you needed was at most a light jacket…
I think spring layering is my favorite. I love the mix of light and airy colors with a denim jacket or, better yet, my all time favorite, an army green utility jacket. Army green has always been a favorite color of mine to wear. For me, it’s a permanent neutral but it seems to go in waves on the trend scene. Lucky for me, these jackets are having a moment yet again and it comes at perfect timing since my old jacket is about due for a refresh. I’ve rounded up my favorites and now it’s onto deciding which one I am going to pull the trigger on. Here are my finalist:
Nordstrom | Thread & Supply | Utility Jacket | Reg: $60, Now: $35.98
Okay, so given the amazing steal of a price this one currently is, I was pretty sure that this was my no brainer replacement… until I saw that it is sherpa lined. Which would be great if I was still in NYC and needed another month or so of warmth. But given that the lows in Texas right now are more like 55, this won’t be my new spring go-to… But I may just have to purchase it and hold onto it for next winter…
Banana Republic | Twill Utility Jacket | $129
So I feel like this is one of those styles that I would LOVE on someone else – every detail is so tailored and beautifully done… but that is almost the hiccup for me personally. I feel like for my laid-back, slightly tousled style, this would feel a little too polished. Especially since I really love to toss a utility jacket over more polish pieces to add some irreverence… But that said, I do love this jacket and so I had to include it in my round up…
ShopBop | Anine Bing | Army Jacket | $349
Style wise, I think this one may be at the very top for me. I love the boxy shirt style cut and the mandarin collar. Seriously perfection for me… but it is about double (or more) the cost of some of these… Granted, I would definitely the the wear per cost value out of it, but the higher cost is definitely why I have not already pulled the trigger… yet…
ShopBop | DL 1961 | Beekman Military Jacket | $198
Okay, so this is definitely a front runner for my next utility jacket… it’s 3/4 sleeve, which is perfect for me since I always scrunch the sleeves on my current jacket (like in the photo above) and all of the cut and pocket details are spot on for me. The one review on ShopBob said that it was too thin and wrinkled easily… these are actually pluses for me in the Houston climate – it means I can layer it heavier or lighter and wear it longer into the spring, and earlier next fall… I love that I can cinch the waist more or less depending on how I style it that day… It’s not a steal, but also not a splurge to me… just all around really good…
Revolve | Pistola | Ashton Jacket | $148
Y’all. I mean, how freakin’ cute is this jacket. I 100% thought I wanted a longer length utility jacket until I saw this one… I can fully see this looking amazing with jeans of over a dress. I love all the pockets. The only question mark on this one for me is that when the sleeves are down, they look a little boxy for me… Like I said above, I generally push the sleeves up but I worry a little that if I wanted to wear them down, this one may not look as good that way… But the price it pretty dang good so maybe I need to bring it home to try…
Revolve | Alpha Industries | M-65 Defender W Parka | $180
Hello, my name is Lauren, and I love camo… Y’all, I seriously love camo. This jacket is SO not as versatile as the rest so I am not sure that I can go for it… but if I still lived in NYC where jackets were a more critical wardrobe piece, this one would 100% be on it’s way to my closet and in rotation for casual days… I really do love the style with denim but somehow, I don’t see this one with a dress so much, and for me, I need it to work with both… But, I still super want this jacket…
Free People | Not Your Brother’s Surplus Jacket | $148
I fully thought I was in the market for a green jacket until I saw this one… I hadn’t even considered another hue… But y’all, this deep sea, as Free People has dubbed it, is 100% in “my colors” and might just be perfection for me. Yes, it’s a little more casual even for a utility jacket, but knowing the Free People brand, I can almost feel how soft it is through my computer screen… I love that it feels like a combined update to both my utility jacket and my denim jacket. And with Free People, I am confident it will hold up and wash and wear very well…
So, that is my favorites round up… I think I have narrowed it down to getting both the Ashton by Pistola and the Free People jackets home for some try ons… I’ll let you know where I land…
Did I miss any? Let me know
XOXO
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