Going to my parent’s house has become more like a shopping trip than a family visit. On Sunday my husband and I went over there for dinner, and we ended up leaving with a pair of motorcycle boots (for my husband), a vintage Salvatore Ferragamo clutch, a few tacky but cool 80s cotton sweaters, a belt, some mohair scarves, and an old Celine bag. Plus, the piece de resistance, which was my sister’s 1992 Roots jacket.
You would need to be Canadian to understand how this ultra-tacky baseball jacket could possibly be an exciting acquisition compared to a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch and a Celine bag. These jackets were very fashionable when I was in my teens, and anything from your teens is either horrifically embarrassing, “totally awesome”, or a mixture of both. It makes me feel very old, discovering fashion items that were super-desirable to me in my teens which are now (in my eyes) cool again.
It says 1992 on the sleeve!
Here’s a few photos of the jacket. I’m not sure how I will wear it yet, the fit is terrible. The body is quite big, and the sleeves are too short. And its hideous, but in a good way (I think.)
Here are the new versions, available at Roots now. It’s obvious that the only way this jacket can be fashionable is if you are wearing a very old one, sort of like the Club Monaco sweatshirts I talked about a few weeks ago.
The old one is definitely cooler.
Roots is a very Canadian brand, and, like most Canadian fashion, has enourmous potential but fails to deliver. OK, the clothing and branded merchandise sucks, but the leather goods are super good quality and extremely durable. I have this wallet, from Roots, and I got tons of compliments on it. Its nicer and rougher than the Comme des Garcons wallets, and much more durable. So why can’t they make a decent handbag?
I’d love to give Roots’ leather products a makeover, in fact, I am offering my services to them. The leather is great, the product is very high quality, and its extremely durable. But they need to improve their designs, and what better time to do it. People are sick of paying $2000 for a handbag, let’s make some great ones for $300. Plus, I like the fact that they don’t blatantly brand their bags (like Coach…ugh.) Here are some designer brands that they should take inspiration from… Roots people: call me.
All Roots images from their website, all designer bag images from and available on Net A Porter.
