Last week I talked about a few of my favorite wardrobe pieces I’ve had and loved for many years. Unfortunately, no matter how much you love a piece sometimes a garment wears out.

This makes me sooo sad!!

This is my good friend, my linen “safari” jacket I bought on my first trip to Paris in 2008. It’s 9 years old! Dang, that’s pretty old! I’ll admit I didn’t wear it every single spring/summer for 9 years. My size changes by a few pounds fairly often, so a few seasons it was either too small or too large.

Eventually, I even had the jacket taken in.

A clothier will tell you that it’s not good for clothing to be dry cleaned very often, and I heed that advice as much as possible; however, my jacket is off white, so spots happen. As you can see below, because the fabric is relatively thin, and it’s so old, now there are holes!

So you don’t think I typically wear rumpled clothes like this, I need to add that the jacket needs to be ironed, but considering I am most likely not going to wear it again, I’m not apt to do so.

It’s very, very hard to come to terms with this! I remember the precise moment I bought the jacket at Galleries Lafayette in Paris! There is so much sentimentality attached to it. As I write, I feel as though I want to take it to my tailor to see if he knows a way to have it reweaved. Unfortunately I don’t have high hopes.

At this point you’re probably wondering (if you’re still reading,) what the point of my rambling is. It’s this—when you have a workhorse in your wardrobe that expires, put the item on your shopping list and start your search to replace it.

And that is what I’ve done! Below you see my new acquaintance.

I originally spied this jacket and put it on hold to try on when I was pre-shopping for a client at Nordstrom, Park Meadows. I liked it and it fit well, but I just wasn’t compelled enough to take the plunge and buy it full price.

A few weeks later, I was sifting through the sale rack at Nordstrom, Cherry Creek, and found the jacket again, the ONLY one in my size. This time it was on sale—a great markdown, so I absolutely knew it was meant to be.

I call it my acquaintance because it still has the tags on it, and I need to do a try on session to make outfits before it becomes a true friend. (The real reason I haven’t taken quicker action is that it’s just too hot to wear a jacket right now!)

I realize it’s not a total replacement of my Paris jacket, as it’s a pretty different animal, yet it should sub into a lot of my outfits quite well. Plus, I’m excited to create new combos with a completely different look!

Stay tuned to see the results of my outfits and see if the new jacket will be my friend!

Do you have any wardrobe “friends” you need to replace?