An ode to… the baseball jacket

In another installment of An Ode To… I am bringing you the good old baseball jacket. I wore this jacket to much: it had been with me through thick and thin and eventually had to decide to let it go. Despite the sports lux trend being hot and happening at the moment, I decided to let go of this beloved baseball jacket after a good couple of years of wear. But I cannot say goodbye to it, without giving it a proper send off.

H&M Baseball Jacket

Let me give a bit of a history lesson first. I bought this jacket after lusting after such a jacket for years. I always spotted them in the men’s section, but never in a women’s size. Then suddenly H&M started doing these and I snatched one up the moment it became available. I loved the blue & white color scheme and the red M emblem on the chest (which was very much applicable as it is my initial).

I literally wore this with so many outfits. My favorite combination being a jeans and t-shirt. I am wearing it here, in one of my first weekly outfit overviews. I listed it as being a perfect piece to tap into the sports’ trend last year, and also featured it in a blog post where I showed different items and how to make them more dressy or more casual. In short, this jacket got a lot of love, both on the blog and in real life.

Apart from the colors, I also really liked the fit. I liked the button down front, I liked the white piping along the pockets, but mostly I loved how comfortable this was. It was just one of those pieces I could throw on and make any outfit look cool in an instant. I wore this especially a lot during a period in my life that I now look back on as not being one of the best and so when I decluttered my wardrobe last spring, I decided this had to go.

So why throw out a piece you love so much? One reason is simple: it has simply worn out. After 2+ years of regular wear, this jacket has definitely seen better days. The white just wasn’t as white any more, some of the seams had started to come loose and the paint on the buttons had started to chip off.

What bothered me most was that the fit, once a comfy but fairly structured looking jacket, was completely lost. From all of the washing and hanging and wearing and washing again, the jacket had started to lose its shape. Instead of fitted and cool it was starting to look slouchy and drab. More hobo than jockey.

But I had one other reason to no longer want to have this jacket in my closet. The blue and white varsity look just doesn’t really go with my style anymore. I’m finding myself opting much more for accent colors rather than a very flamboyant color scheme. In a dress, yes, in an outfit consisting of separates: not so much. I am finding myself gearing towards a slightly more polished look and I found the perfect replacement in this ZARA bomber jacket.

What is one of your favorite, more special pieces in your wardrobe?