7 Ways to Style a Denim Jacket
Finding a jacket that goes with everything is no small task.
Your beloved pink cardigan may not go with your t-shirt, and your sleek leather jacket may not complement your romantic eyelet dress. One of our writers took one denim jacket on her trip to Vietnam and wore it every single day.
Here are seven different outfits, all styled with the same versatile H&M denim jacket.
1. To the hair salon
We didn’t check in to the hotel until late the first evening. We were stuck at immigration because we had some issues with my son’s visa. When we finally got that sorted, we collapsed into bed because the next day because I had a hair appointment first thing in the morning.
Since I was getting some balayage highlights, I had to wear black (just in case the colorist dropped any chemicals on my clothes). Here’s the black maxi dress with a zebra waist belt, paired with some neutral brown leather sandals and that signature denim jacket.
2. Around the hotel
After our busy day at the hair salon, we took it slow the next day and lounged around the hotel. So, naturally, I had to get some pictures of their gorgeous library in the lobby.
For our whimsical lounge day, I wore a blue dress from Gap and paired it with red espadrilles from H&M and dressed it down with the denim jacket.
3. Sightseeing in the French Quarter
We spent day 3 touring the French Quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon. This is my absolute favorite area. The buildings and architecture were stunning. I couldn’t believe that I wanted to live in these giant government buildings — especially when I compare it to the DMV in the states.
It was really hard to take pictures this day. There were so many bloggers? influencers? models? But boy, were they dedicated. Some traveled with suitcases of clothes and accessories, others had a team with them where one girl’s sole job was to carry a flash reflector, and a few Instagrammers who spent an obscene amount of time getting “the shot.”
And here I was with my husband and 3-year-old in a stroller. I feel oddly proud to say that this photo was taken on an iPhone 7 Plus. (Anyone else remember those ads?)
4. To the best local joint
I had a food checklist of local Vietnamese dishes I wanted to try. There are great Vietnamese restaurants in NYC, but less-than-stellar options in Nashville and in Taipei. So, my entire goal from this trip was to see whether or not the Vietnamese food that I loved in NYC was authentic.
We had:
phở bò (Vietnamese beef noodle soup)
chả giò (fried spring rolls)
gỏi cuốn (summer rolls)
bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancakes)
bún thịt nướng chả giò (rice noodles with grilled pork and fried spring rolls)
I found a local place where my husband and I shared one Vietnamese pancake and one bowl of rice noodles with pork and spring rolls for less than $2.75 USD. They didn’t speak any English and didn’t have any menus. So, I ordered by pointing to a picture of an old menu that someone posted on Google. Thank you, Internet!
After the restaurant, we went to Highlands Coffee, aka the Starbucks of Vietnam, to cool down with some air condition and iced coffee. And here’s that shot.
5. To a French restaurant & shopping
And we’re back in the French Quarter to go to a French restaurant, obvs. And I wanted to check out the Zara store here and find a new bathing suit in H&M.
Zara surprisingly still had their winter sale going on. But a lot of the clothes were damaged and dirty.
Despite being 90+ degrees in Vietnam, H&M did not have a lot of swimsuit options. So, I ended up not buying anything.
But we did enjoy a nice French restaurant, tucked away in The Manufactured Courtyard. It felt good to waltz into a restaurant with a white, embroidered eyelet dress. But I tried to play it cool, so I threw on my denim jacket. Yep, I’m trying but not trying too hard. *insert sunglasses emoji
6. In the hotel courtyard
On the last day of Vietnam, we were finally able to enjoy the courtyard of the Alcove Library Hotel. We had four bottles of fresh mango smoothies delivered to our hotel. (Yes, my family REALLY likes mangos, they’re currently out of season in Taiwan, there was a promotion, and delivery is $0.50 USD.)
Here’s my favorite J.Crew slim perfect t-shirt with a Marc Jacobs day skirt, topped with the iconic denim jacket and my trusty blush pink leather Zara sandals.
7. To the most important meal
The great debate of whether NYC phó is as good as Vietnam phó has been solved. It is…comparable. I learned that there are different types of phó (like northern-style vs. southern-style). But, all in all, Vietnam has lived up to my expectations. Basically, NYC phó is a great option if you can’t live in Vietnam.
We had a few different bowls of phó during our visit, but I wore this outfit (white cotton eyelet shirt, green Gap Bermuda shorts, and my rockstar denim jacket) to eat at the same restaurant that Bill Clinton ate at. The restaurant even changed its logo to say, “Phó for the President.” So, if it’s good enough for the president, then it’s good enough for me.
But I loved it mostly because:
It was delicious.
It had the best spring rolls in the world.
It had fresh mango smoothies.
They understood enough English that they didn’t put onions in my noodles.
This blog quickly turned into a food post. Sorry about that. If you’ve made it this far, you can see that I get dressed to go eat. Now, I’m not Vietnamese and I am not claiming to be an expert in Vietnamese cuisine. I’m just a girl, in love with phó and Vietnamese iced coffee.