A Letter From Michelle: The Ariana
A Letter From Michelle
The buttons are the easy part.
On the seams you cannot see in a photograph, the five raised bars between the buttons, the one thing I will tell you not to wear it over, and why the Ariana is $64.95.
A military jacket sells faster than almost anything else I put out, and it comes back to the counter faster too.
It is never the buttons. The buttons are what made her pick it up.
What sends it to the back of the closet is that underneath all the braid and buttons it is a straight box. And a straight box with decoration down the front is a costume, which you figure out the second time you put it on.
The Ariana is not cut that way, and the whole difference is in seams you cannot see from across a room.
Six things I would not give up on.
Seams through the body, not just at the sides
Look along the side of it. The seams run down through the front and back panels, not only under the arm, and that is what brings the jacket in above the hip and lets it out again below.
That is shaping you can see from the side, and it is the one thing on the Ariana that is not decoration.
“Most of my jackets are loose, so I wanted something with a little shape through the waist. The Ariana gives me that more tailored look. I like it best over a simple cream top. The olive shade works with my brown boots, too. It’s a nice change when I feel like dressing up my everyday clothes.”
Carolyn F., OlympiaThere is something between the two rows
Each pair of buttons is joined by a raised bar of the same corduroy, sitting proud of the surface. Five of them, down the front.
Buttons alone, in two lines on flat cloth, are decoration. The bars are what make the same arrangement read as tailoring.
“I’ve always liked military-inspired jackets, especially the two rows of buttons. This one has that character without being difficult to pair with my clothes. I wore it with black pants for lunch last week and was very pleased with the combination.”
Diane W., Sioux FallsThe olive is not one flat color
It is lighter along the raised ribs of the corduroy, lighter again at the seams and the edges, and deeper in the valleys between. Look at the sleeves in any of these photographs.
That is the difference between a jacket that looks new and one that looks as though you have had it a while, and it is why this olive sits down next to denim and cream instead of standing apart from everything.
“The corduroy texture is my favorite part. Makes a simple jeans-and-shirt outfit feel a little more finished.”
Judith A., ManhattanThe parts nobody asks about
An epaulette on each shoulder with a button of its own. Three small buttons at each cuff. Flap pockets at the hip for the small things you want close at hand, and a stand collar that holds its shape instead of folding over.
None of it is why you would buy the jacket. All of it is why you would keep it.
“I bought this for a weekend trip where we had dinner reservations but mostly casual plans. With dark jeans and boots, it felt right for both. I particularly like the stand collar and the detail on the shoulders. There’s enough going on that I keep my shirt plain. It was an easy piece to build a couple of outfits around.”
Nancy G., AshevilleThe jacket does the work, so the outfit does not have to
It comes in the one olive, and that is enough. Denim and a cream top. Black pants. Brown boots. Whatever is already folded in the drawer goes underneath it, and the shirt you put on can stay plain, because there is enough happening across the front of this jacket already. You are not building an outfit around it. You are putting it over the one you have.
“The olive color is lovely with cream and denim. Those metallic buttons give it just enough detail.”
Deborah P., CorvallisSix sizes, and the one thing I will tell you first
S through 3XL, one price. And the honest part, before you choose a size. It is cut fitted, with very little give in the cloth. It is lovely open over a thin top, and it is not the jacket to pull over a thick sweater. One of the women below says it in her own words, which is why I am saying it in mine.
“I wanted a jacket with a more defined shape, and the Ariana caught my attention. I wear it open over a thin top rather than a bulky sweater. The fitted cut is exactly the look I was after.”
Frances L., CarlisleThe Ariana, against what else $65 buys
| Most $65 jackets | The Ariana | |
|---|---|---|
| The cut | Straight from the shoulder to the hem, so it hangs off you | Seams run down through the front and back panels, bringing it in above the hip |
| Between the rows | Two lines of buttons on flat cloth, which reads as trim | Five raised bars of the same corduroy, each one joining a pair of buttons |
| The color | One flat olive, so it sits apart from the rest of the outfit | Lighter along the ribs and at the seams, deeper in the valleys between |
| Shoulders and cuffs | Left plain, so there is nothing there when you look closer | An epaulette with a button of its own, and three small buttons at each cuff |
| The fit note | None given, so you find out what it is when it arrives | Fitted, with very little give — and I say so before you buy |
| Sizing | Stops at XL, if you are lucky | S through 3XL, every size the same price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Ariana was $219.95, and that number was for cotton-blend corduroy, seams run through the body rather than only at the sides, two rows of metallic buttons joined by raised bars, and epaulettes with three buttons at each cuff. I am not going to stand here and tell you that is a small amount of money for a jacket. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so it is going out at a little under a third of what it was.
I will give you the honest reasoning too. A jacket with decoration on the front is only ever as good as the shape underneath it, which is the whole reason the seams matter more than the buttons do. This is the one you buy before the weather turns. If it is the one you reach for because it actually fits, then $64.95 was never the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$219.95$64.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 70%
- Cotton-blend corduroy
- Seamed through the body — shaped at the waist
- Two rows of metallic buttons, joined by raised bars
- Structured stand collar
- Epaulettes, each with its own button
- Three buttons at each cuff · flap pockets at the hip
- Fitted, with low stretch — wear it over a thin top
- Sizes S through 3XL, one price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
If you have a jacket with decoration on the front that you never wear, take it out and look at it from the side. See whether there is a seam running down through the body, or whether it goes straight from the shoulder to the hem.
If it goes straight down, that is your answer, and it was never the buttons.
So look along the side of the Ariana the day the box arrives. If it is not what I have described, send it back within thirty days and we will refund you.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
FIND YOUR SIZE — $64.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.