Every week a different FADER staff member will pick a clothing item or accessory that he or she has lately been spending a lot of time with—or would like to—and write a little love letter to it. We would’ve done a column on who we’re dating but that seemed a little bit much. This week Olivia talks about The Frank Jacket.
I've never been much of an athlete. My school sports career culminated with the Village Community School 7th/8th grade basketball team, during which I presumably spent more time on the bench listening to blink-182 and Sublime than catching rebounds. Ten years later I'm an avid fan of the NBA and Friday Night Lights, but strictly a watcher and still not a player. My affinity for athletic-inspired clothing likely stems from this; I think I have organized sports Stockholm syndrome. For a while I exclusively shopped at a huge vintage clothing warehouse in New Jersey where everything is grouped by item into cardboard boxes labeled in Sharpie. The "team jackets" bin was my go-to. I love a men's varsity jacket, especially once monogrammed with my initials (OG) in big terry cloth letters.
It's hard to find a summer jacket that makes sense, but it seems like Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast designed this one for me. The name sums it up: a ladies' varsity jacket called "The Frank." It's made from airy vintage fabrics and is a perfect foil to my hot-weather uniform of crop tops and high waisted shorts. The neutral color with purple detail makes it wearable with pretty much anything, but best with a good pair of gold door-knocker earrings. It may even inspire a game of Knockout in the near future.
