Santa Monica Safari

As the weather in Santa Monica has been rather gloomy lately and can stay gloomy even through the early summer months given the proximity to the ocean, this Zara safari jacket with leather sleeves is the perfect lightweight jacket for the transitional weather. Zara has a few versions of this jacket, all of which I tried on, but I like this version the best; I prefer the longer length and I like the added structure of the lapels and epaulettes. I find it to be the most streamlined and cleanest of the three versions currently in the stores. The safari / utility jacket look is nothing new and has been popular for a couple of seasons, but I hadn't found the perfect jacket until this one. I like the army green color and the real leather sleeves just make it a little more unique. There's enough details like pockets, zippers on the sleeves and cinchable ties, without going overboard and fussy. It's pretty versatile and should be able to match a variety of colors and styles from jeans to shorts and dresses.

Image from Zara