Don't get rid of Nana's evening jackets

Notes on styling them in a modern way, and a few dozen to shop.

Jan 13, 2025

There is something about an evening jacket (buttoned to the top, svp), styled in a pared down, modern, non-stuffy, less buttoned up (but still buttoned up per the above, stay with me now) way, that lights up my brain in an inexplicable way. It’s classic and Ladylike–I always think of Lee Radziwill, CBK, and Catherine Deneuve–but styled with, say, a pair of great jeans and a heel, a loafer, or even a combat boot, gives me the sort-of subversive, high-low contrast I am always craving in an outfit. It’s less prim and proper or “ladies who lunch”, and more high-priestess or naughty-Victorian woman letting her hair down a little bit, ready to get her hands dirty. Or the love child of Alessandro Michele and Patti Smith–a fictional woman, of course, but one I always aspire to be.

Armani, YSL, and Ralph Lauren circa the 1990s, Dior, Chanel, and present-day Khaite and Liberowe, are a few brands that come to mind when I think of beautifully-tailored evening jackets. Bonus points are given for a stand collar and elegant buttons, particularly frog closures, tassels, or other types of understated embroidery.

A wonderful little treasure I found on Etsy last spring.

Mostly for my own enjoyment, I am constantly searching for and saving pieces that undoubtedly meet their fate in my The RealReal and Etsy graveyards. But if you’re nimble, you can grab them before they find a home in another woman’s closet.

Below, I’ve included an edit of both new (including two made-to-order options from the zero-waste, Rome-based Le Tre Sarte, and Laginini Studio) and pre-loved jackets I adore. Enjoy!