THINGS I LOVE vol.28

The item I will be introducing this time is the Dior Homme Napoleon blouson that I purchased during the 2003-2004 AW. It is interesting that Napoleon jackets appear at regular intervals in collection brands presented in Paris, Milan, London, New York, etc. I think there are signs of a revival again recently.

The first time I saw a Napoleon jacket was in 1981 at a women's clothing store where I worked part-time during my third year of high school. The aesthetic and flamboyant movement of artists like Roxy Music and David Bowie that emerged as a reaction to the punk boom of the late 1970s was called the ``New Romantic'' and had a major influence not only on music but also on fashion. I was also deeply moved by the androgynous stage costumes of the musicians, who wore make-up. What I particularly remember is Bryan Ferry's stage costume at Roxy Music. Around the same time, a Ralph Lauren ad featured a photo of a model wearing a Napoleon jacket. For me as a high school student, a Napoleon jacket was nothing more than a stage costume, and it was an item that made me wonder, ``When, who, and where would you wear it?'' However, 20 years later, I saw Hedi Slimane's Napoleon blouson in Paris. At that time, without hesitation, I simply thought, ``I want to wear it.'' It was made of shiny material and had ribbed sleeves, so I bought it like I was buying a sukajan.
When I bought it, I wore it with super skinny white jeans from Dior Homme. For shoes, Dior Homme sneakers were the norm. Now, 20 years later, when I try wearing it again, the silhouette is so tight that I find it difficult to lift the front zip. I was wearing this with a zip up, so I realized that I must have been thin when I was younger. The inner is ``Lanvin'' I paired it with a Godard T-shirt made in 2024 from the Men's Collection. Slim jeans are from Burberry in 2024. Side gore boots are Tom Ford.

The Napoleon jacket has the presence of a stage costume. It will look great if you wear it to a fashion brand event or party. However, if you were to ask me how many times I've worn this blouson, the number would be more than one can count. Therefore, it still maintains the quality of a new product. I think the last time I wore it was in 2003 or 2004 at a New York art book party called "Visionaire" at Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. When I went out wearing this, Mr. Steven Gunn complimented me and said, ``You're wearing a nice outfit.'' Gunn was close friends with Hedi Slimane, so I think he knew the jacket was from Dior Homme. Immediately after that, I received a request to work on his magazine ``VMAN'' and created a page with a Tokyo theme. nostalgic. When you think about it, it's amazing that a piece of clothing has the name "Napoleon" jacket. It's interesting that a jacket named after a person from 200 years ago is still being worn by people living today. I think it would be interesting if Japan had something like a ``Nobunaga jacket'' or ``Ryoma coat.''

This blouson was created with music scenes such as glam rock and mod in mind, and would definitely look great on a rock musician even today. Come to think of it, Napoleon's life was also quite rock-and-roll.
Another good thing about this Napoleon blouson is that it's not as exaggerated as a jacket, and can be worn casually like a major league jumper. Without a doubt, this is Hedi Slimane's Dior Homme masterpiece.

　

■Tomoki Yuma (@stsukezane）
Born in Kyoto City in 1965. Started his career as an editor in the editorial department of Magazine House ``POPEYE''. Currently, in addition to planning and styling fashion pages for magazines, she also designs advertising costumes for artists and musicians. Before the coronavirus, he covered men's collections in Paris and Milan for over 35 years.

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