Windbreaker, cont'd [Liam]

Here's the first thing about owning a weatherproof or semi-weatherproof jacket: it's way too easy to write one into the coordination-exempt category otherwise exclusively occupied by jeans.
Logically that exception seems like it should fly, and there are totally excusable situations-- "I'm a kid and my parents buy my soon-to-be-outgrown wardrobe" heads the list; but circumstance aside there's no aesthetic support whatsoever for the "windbreaker smash" move when assembling an outfit. Jeans are an anomaly both in their general uniformity of color and texture, and their overwhelming prevalence in the American wardrobe. In the subjective realm of one's own closet it might seem that the "go-to jacket" constitutes a similar backbone-- but visually, to the world outside, it's just a big over-shirt that doesn't match anything else you're wearing.

Having recently re-welcomed a waterproof jacket back into my life, I'm quite familiar with the pulls of such a garment. For one, it has zippered pockets for EVERYTHING. This thing I bought is iPod and Cellphone ready, with a little hole to run my headphones through, in case I couldn't manage with the traditional all-purpose single opening for my pocket. There's cool plastic shit hanging off all the zippers, and the designer's own name is readable on the metal part instead of "YKK." In addition, if I were suddenly rained upon, peed upon or attacked with a garden hose wearing any jacket from my closet, this would be the most impervious to damage. It looks quite good sitting on a hanger by itself, where the light blue of the inner collar and the dark navy of the outer shell can contrast one another beautifully, free of human entanglements. As a stand-alone display piece, it's a beautifully coordinated and craftily designed thing. It glows with promise coming off the rack, and while being wrapped up and hung up in the closet. During the honeymoon phase of garment ownership, it may even receive the benefit of being paired up with the cream of the laundry crop-- select shirts, sweaters and/or sweatshirts that when available do complement it perfectly.
So what's the problem? The problem doesn't happen until later on when you're the owner of such a jacket, you're rushing out the door, it's (stop!) hampertime in the laundry department, and the practicality of the windbreaker supercedes locating a piece of outerwear that can mitigate some of the discrediting effects of your bright red highschool-era band shirt. Just like that you're one step away from a plastic lunchbox and a pair of L.A. Gears, and the lynchpin for the entire fiasco is that sleek and practical wind-breaking jacket.