Piggybacking on Darlene’s last post about the big bust dress find, I have a casual blazer to discuss. I say “casual” because it’s made of jersey fabric, so it’s not really a “work” garment. The pattern also presents an issue:

Here is the blazer from the front, back, and side (click for larger view):

I found it at the store Necessary Clothing. I’m always a sucker for stripes, and I have a thing for striped blazers in particular, though I don’t actually own one. I always try them on, but as with most blazers they’re usually very ill-fitting.

This one, as kooky as it is, actually fit perfectly! You can’t tell on the model since it’s unbuttoned, but it was nicely nipped-in at my actual waist, and the buttons closed about halfway between my boobs and my belly button. The double button mean there’s no danger of it popping open or pulling at that location. And I love the slightly skewed details—the lapel is all one piece, not two separate flaps; and the shoulder bits give it a touch of unexpected structure without the linebacker look of real shoulder pads. The subtle mix of vertical and horizontal panels (as you can see in the side view) is also neat.

And it fit perfectly!

However, much like Darlene’s dress, I’m just not sold on its usefulness. I’m no fan of the model’s outfit. Black and white and neon pink is a color combination that’s just too young and “goth princess” for my taste. So what would I wear it with?

But I’m still debating whether to go back to the store and get it purely because it fit so well (and at $27.99, it’s also so cheap). I feel like this is a trap a lot of us fall into. It’s such a hassle finding clothes that fit and flatter, that when you do find a garment that fulfills the criteria you want to snatch it up regardless of its practicality. Since a perfect fit is such a rarity, there’s a fear that you’ll never find something that fits this way ever again.

I’ve purchased a lot of items through the years simply because I was excited that they fit—only to wear them a scant few times, and finally ending up donating or selling them a couple years later. It’s a waste of money, resources, and closet space. There’s no question that if this jacket came in a solid color, I would have purchased it immediately. And even though I like striped blazers, the extra details are pushing this one into impractical territory. So do I buy it or not?

How do you decide whether to buy a garment if it fits your body, but maybe not your lifestyle?