Blowing the dust off my Franklin & Marshall Varsity Jacket, circa 2014

A jacket I bought partly on impulse. And also around the time of a break-up. Go figure. These particular jackets were available through those little independent stores on the high street that mass import items from the US and various parts of Europe. The same stores also rarely have any item cheaper than about £100.

This set me back about £150 that I didn't really have - and may have even been on sale. I also have a feeling it was one of the last in its colour, as I opted for a L, when I'm normally a size S/M.

Admittedly, I just liked the look of it as it was unlike anything in my wardrobe at the time. I didn't own any American-looking varsity jackets. Given I was heavy into that when I was in my teens, I'm surprised it passed me by.

When I bought it, I took for credit how warm this jacket could actually be and also how easy it was to wear. I would always beef it out with a hooded jacket underneath for extra measure, surprisingly never feeling overly heated. And whilst a Large, it's a jacket that I never felt swallowed up in.

Whilst not a jacket I wear often, it is both practical for harsher weather conditions and trendy in that classic, All-American way. It used to be my car jacket, which, when my partner and I first used to date, she'd throw on when it got too cold (she's not really one for jackets). She loved the snug design of it, with its fleeced inner lining and comfortable fit. I loved being able to look at her in my jacket. There's always something both comforting and sexy about that.

Love of American varsity jackets aside, this is never one I'd ever deemed as being "my kind of style". Whilst still true of today, I found myself throwing it on yesterday. Warm as ever and effortless to just throw on with a hoody and pair of chinos.

Wearing it took me back to darker, colder days driving around in my 3rd hand, ten-year-old Ford Fiesta Zetec. The car didn't survive long, but the jacket did. I plan to remix it into other looks.

Let's see what comes out of it.