Zara, stylish and affordable ladies' blouson jackets.
By taking direct inspiration from haute couture runways, Zara took a gamble: putting sharp, refined styles within the reach of everyone's purse strings. It has certainly paid off. With a finger in every pie but choosing to stay within the realms of fashion and design, the Spanish giant's reputation has been won on its feminine ready-to-wear more than anything else and its lines of blouson jackets in particular, ranging from biker jackets with a rock 'n' roll vibe to jackets in damask wool fabrics.
Luxury ready-to-wear everyone can afford.
Amancio Ortega Gaona, the founder of Zara, made his first foray into the world of fashion in the 1960s. Initially specialising in the confection of pyjamas and dressing gowns, the businessman quickly broadened the focus of his attention, opening his first Zara ready-to-wear boutique in La Coruña in 1975. The brand's concept is as simple as it is appealing: to propose articles inspired by the designs of the leading couture houses at affordable prices. Fifteen years later, the brand opened its first boutique in Paris on Place de l'Opéra and the capital's fashion mavens took the premises by storm, looking for copies of pieces from the latest catwalk shows. With models that are renewed every month, and no restocking, Zara guarantees a certain form of exclusivity, a privilege usually reserved for luxury ready-to-wear customers.
With almost 3,000 boutiques in 80 countries throughout the world, Zara has definitely taken on an international dimension. Since 1999, the Spanish label has also widened the range of products it carries, now proposing perfumes, beauty products and a line of interior design items called Zara Home. The muses it chooses are the young top models of the day, like Freja Beha and Cara Delevingne, which demonstrates Zara's intention of staying close to the latest haute couture trends. Never far either from fans of fashion, in 2015 the brand called on New Yorker Leandra Medine, behind the famous blog Man Repeller, to present its collections, in particular its blouson jackets. It can also boast of counting among its many ambassadors Princess Kate Middleton, who particularly likes Zara's women's ready-to-wear ranges.
The blouson jacket, a constantly revisited must-have.
With contemporary cuts and generally muted colours, Zara's women's clothing collections have cemented their appeal. As for the blouson jackets, the label has a preference for classic models, like biker jackets, bomber jackets and short military-style jackets, but tends to revisit lines and materials. So, leather may still be as popular, especially for biker jackets, but Zara blouson jackets also come in versions in less predictable materials, like fake fur or wool. As for denim, it takes pride of place through the scores of denim jackets proposed by the brand.
Zara takes inspiration from the clothes racks of the leading luxury fashion houses, but has also succeeded in creating its own identity with each passing collection. Often enhanced with small touches to add originality, its modern, understated designs are sometimes chic, sometimes casual, but always easy to wear. Zara's leather jackets are happy to adopt unconventional colours, and floral embroidery sets off the bomber jackets a treat. Of all the iconic women's jackets by the fashion giant, the following are worth a mention :