While I was pondering the subject of ways petites can wear oversized styles, I had this blazer hanging on my clothes rack while I decided its fate. With a chunky herringbone and a review affirming my suspicions that it was almost an exact dupe of an Isabel Marant jacket from a few seasons back, I ordered with high hopes. When it arrived, my first impression was it was huge! But every time I put it on, I kept liking what I saw in the mirror. I knew it wasn’t ideal for me…those drop shoulders (18″ from shoulder to shoulder!! I nitpick over 14″!), those wide sleeves, that roomy boxy torso…I shouldn’t have liked it, but it was just so cozy and I thought maybe, just maybe I can pull this off. But then I got scared. I returned it.
The next day, I immediately regretted it. I started looking at Isabel Marant blazers and oversized coats on Pinterest and knew I screwed up. As you can see, I reordered it immediately.
If you are a fan of Isabel Marant (as I am), then you’ll like this blazer. As I mentioned, its almost an exact dupe of one of her designs from a few seasons ago. All it’s missing is the chest pocket (I so wish it had one!), buttons at the sleeve cuffs, a back vent, and more expensive fabric. Aside from that, the shape and herringbone pattern are pretty much identical.
Also from Gap is the cotton/modal tee I’m wearing underneath the blazer. I ordered a few petite and non-petite tees last week, and this one is a keeper! I see it’s now available in a long sleeve version, so you can bet I’ll be picking that up as well.
UPDATE: If you like this general idea but prefer a softer look in your outerwear, LOFT just posted a really cozy looking cardigan in a similar texture & style. And then, there’s always the White House | Black Market petite herringbone coat I wore here (now on sale!)
For those interested in this blazer, the approximate measurements of size petite xs (laid flat) are below:
Shoulder: 18″
Bust: 19.5″
Waist: 18.5″
Length: 26.5″
Sleeve: 19.75″
Bicep: 6.5″
— Details —
Blazer Gap
Tee Gap
Jeans Banana Republic
Shoes Gianvito Rossi (super similar & way cheaper)
Bag Sophie Hulme partially thanks to Shopbop (also here!)
Belt Ada (similar & customizable!)
Necklaces vintage & Downtown L.A.
Watch Larsson and Jennings
Bracelet Frye
Lapel Pin Club Monaco
— Altered —
nothing ;)
Kelly, you did it again with the ultimate casual chic. I just noticed your reflection and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Haha!
Thank you, Faith! You’re the first person to notice that! Hehe.
This blazer does look very good on you despite the oversized measurements for petite! Beautiful bucket bag too!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.com
Thank you, Prudence! =)
You made the right choice in re-ordering this jacket. It looks great on you….very IM’ish.
Thank you, Deb! =)
Hi Kelly,
Do you plan on altering that jacket in the future? I also got the same jacket a few weeks ago but actually returned it for good. I have a similar frame/build as you do and can see you have the same problem in that the dropped shoulders were clearly too large, even for an “oversized” fit (that was the deal-breaker for me).
It looks really fantastic as you styled it here since the cinched waist and rolled sleeves nicely balance out the shoulders. But I was thinking that it wouldn’t be as versatile as the original Etoile coat if it’s left as is. You are probably more creative at styling than I am though :P
Hi Lynn,
No, I don’t plan to alter. I do plan to take an iron to the shoulder seams and see if I can flatten them down a little bit, but that’s all I’d do. Altering the shoulders would cost way too much, and I’d just buy the Isabel Marant version on the second hand market for that price. I got this blazer on a good promo, and figure it’ll be a fun, low price piece to play around with. I’d love to run into the Isabel version at a great price one day though. =)