A few months ago I mentioned starting a new series here as a tribute to my obsession with Chanel jackets, having been particularly inspired by this The Little Black Jacket book/exhibit that’s been touring the world:

There’s probably a story or a memory associated with each of my Chanel jackets, hanging sometimes in order of season and other times by color…

but most preferably over my shoulders, whether I have a special occasion to attend or just a brutal day that requires a little sartorial/moral support. We sometimes forget that in our daily battles out in the real world, we can stand just a little braver in our armor of a favorite pair of finally-broken-in-but-still-looks-newish shoes (I know you know what I’m talking about!) or a bracelet inscribed with the date you went into remission or a dress worn to your child’s baptism. Sentimentality sometimes inspires courage. At least that’s my excuse for collecting these jackets for so many years now.

The Chanel Jacket Diaries, Part 1: As much as I tell myself that the road to enlightenment is properly littered with materials things that you shed, it is difficult to adhere to the practice of less is more when each season the clever hands at Chanel deliver yet another stellar collection. The first jacket in this series is from the 2012 Pre-fall Paris Bombay collection, one of my favorites. OK, OK, so I say that a lot. A LOT, like possibly each season, but truly this collection blew my mind. I probably would have even traded enlightenment for this crazy beautiful runway jacket in a size 34…

but luckily I did not have to sell my soul for Chanel because I did land this more practical, watered-down version in my size:

Hang on, I’ve got a visual going on in my head right now. I’m skipping down the yellow brick road to enlightenment and there are Chanel jackets strewn all over the ground. Where I once thought Nirvana was the archives at 31 rue Cambon in Paris, I now know detachment from material possessions is the true gold standard. But I must say, a tiny part of me still thinks when you finally arrive at the gates of Nirvana, you should be in your best tweed jacket. And then you can check it at the door.