Recently, my sister was packing up to move from their family home and asked if I wanted Ivaan's black leather jacket back. I'd actually forgotten it even existed but she reminded me that her younger son, Ivor, had brought it home from one of his visits to Toronto. Ivor was the longtime Vice President of Atelier Ivaan, and he used to come to Toronto frequently to assess our operations and implement new business improvement strategies. He was also front-of-house in the store quite often, with his own clientele who would come in asking for him, long after he'd gone back home. He was extremely popular, and I was always confident leaving the store in his hands. He was tall, calm, authoritative, and very capable.
Ivor went on to study Engineering at university, fell in love with a beautiful fellow student, and when they graduated, the two of them bought a house together in Ottawa and started renovating it themselves. They seem to have boundless energy, the pair of them. They've sought out new employment opportunities, travelled extensively, made good friends, moved up the career ladder and established themselves in a settled neighbourhood, all while still in their twenties. By this time, the leather jacket was a bit too short for Ivor, so it remained in the closet of the family home for years.
Frankly, when my sister mentioned it, I imagined it would be in rough shape, but actually it's perfect. The lining is completely intact, the leather is nicely broken in but in excellent shape. Ivor's brother, Angus, brought it home to Toronto for me, and I offered it to my other nephew, Philippe, even offering to take the chenille crest off the back of the jacket. Philippe gladly accepted the jacket, but firmly declined to have the crest removed. He's going to wear it "as is", he says.
I'm just waiting for someone to tap him on the shoulder and ask him to enlarge their Ivaan ring or make them a new Ivaan bracelet or belt buckle or something....because the jacket features Ivaan's unique signature in red chenille across the shoulders.
