Pins and patches make the jacket

By Sol Chase

Just throwing on an outfit is not an option when, like Shannon Homan, you’ve spent years working on a single jacket.

“I would say I probably change my outfit a minimum of three times a day,” said Homan, a sophomore at the University of Texas.

When interviewed recently at the Flawn Academic Center, Homan had recently swapped out the sweater she wore to her morning classes for a personalized denim jacket that’s been a side project of hers since high school. Although the jacket started out as plain, off-white denim, Homan has added hand-sewn patches and pins to every inch of fabric.

The patches don’t have any particular theme, Homan said.

“I just bought one patch one day and I’ve accumulated a lot more over time,” she said, adding she prefers bright, primary colors that stand out against the white background.

Homan received the jacket from her stepmother when she was 14, but her biological mother sewed on the patches. Each one represents a different moment in their family history.

Although she said it was very hard to pick a favorite, she’s especially fond of a small Pink Panther patch affixed to the right pocket. It’s an inch-wide relic of the 1980s that her mother had kept around the house since her own childhood.

In addition to family heirlooms the jacket also features a variety of artwork from Homan’s hometown of Fort Worth.

“Because I’m an art student, I like to support local artists,” Homan said. She is a theater major and specializes in contemporary plays, especially those nominated for Pulitzer Prizes. Although the eclectic jacket looks a lot like a costume that might appear in one of these works, she said she’s never worn it during a performance or to any theater-related events.

Because she has so many clothes to choose from, Homan said she only wears the jacket about once a month. It had been a long time since it last left her closet. Although she said she was happy with the choice to wear it on this day, she admitted being a little cold.

It’s not a warm jacket, she said: “It’s mainly for the aesthetic.”

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