My Perry Ellis jacket

All this month I’m pulling out and wearing vintage items with special meaning to me. This jacket fits that category. I made it from a Perry Ellis Vogue pattern in 1985.

When I first saw them in a Vogue Pattern magazine, I fell absolutely in love with the somewhat austere, somewhat 1920s-vibe of Perry Ellis's fashions. Here are some pages from Vogue Patterns Spring 1985, photos by Eric Boman, modeled by Paulina Porizkova.

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I made my jacket using silk blend fabric and Christian Dior lining (there was no “PE”-print lining fabric, so I settled for “CD”). The buttons are leather, which unfortunately attracted my pup to chew one once. That makes me love the jacket more, frankly.

Here was the jacket in 1987 (with me proudly holding my then-new Lawson French horn)

...and here it is today

I have always loved that low slung back belt!

Perry Ellis did not even begin to fulfill his legacy in his brief life but I remain convinced that if he were still living, his work would still be cream floating on the surface of fashion. He was such a creative force, imagining so well what women would love to wear in the manner of the best American sportswear designers.