There are many things to love about Once Upon a Time’s hero Emma Swan. She is brave and fierce, while also showing moments of vulnerability. She has gone through an incredible journey over the show’s 5 seasons and is a character that is very real and relatable. She is not only a Savior and a hero, a sheriff and a princess, a mother, friend and lover. She is woman of beauty inside and out that provides a great source of inspiration. Besides these many wonderful attributes, another thing I also love is her style, which often times is a reflection and extension to what her character is feeling or represents. Her most iconic style is that of her red leather jacket, and that along with her yellow bug reflects what Emma’s character represents to the town of Storybrooke. She brought color into the gray, dreary town where every day was exactly the same. But when Emma arrived things finally begun to change and the town came alive again. Of course the style is sometimes just style and merely nice wardrobe, but they do often reflect her journey- she can wear white to reflect her goodness, or a pink dress to reflect her feeling comfortable enough with someone to show the softer side of her. Her everyday style has become pretty synonymous with her character: jeans, boots, a simple shirt or sweater, and a leather jacket. It is classic, simple and comfortable, yet very beautiful and chic. This is the style I will be highlighting in this inspiration post, with examples of some of my own pieces and ones you can look for on your own.
Emma’s most iconic look is with her red leather jacket. She does not wear it all the time, but it is an important iconographic part of her character, representing her armor, and is one she has worn the most consistently over the course of the series.
Achieving this look is very simple to do, and affordably so. All you need is a red jacket, simple shirt, jeans or legging, or boots. She mostly wears tall riding boots, but in Season 5 wore shorter ones. This is what I put together from my own wardrobe: a faux red leather cropped jacket from Modcloth, (a second option is also pictured from Nordstrom), Merona black tank from Target, Jessica Simpson jeans from Macy’s, Clarks riding boots from QVC, and a delicate circle necklace from Charming Charlie.
There are options out there for the red leather jacket. There are two available on Amazon. One is a little pricier at $159 because it is real leather, with a more affordable faux leather option at $59.
Once Upon A Time Jacket – Emma Swan Red Leather Jacket $159
Emma Swan Red Once Upon a Time Women Jacket $59
I also found very pretty necklace options on the Etsy Store FishesGiveKisses. One has Emma’s silver circle plus signature Swan pendant which you can buy either separately or as a layered necklace ($13.95-$19.95). The same store has a hammered silver circle necklace for $14.95.
Once Upon a Time Fairy Tale Swan, Emma Necklace $13.95+
Hammered Circle Necklace $14.95+
Another beloved look of Emma’s has become known as her “Beanstalk” outfit, because she wore it when she and Killian had their adventure up the beanstalk in Season 2. But she has also worn variations of this outfit with the brown/maroon jacket in Seasons 3 and 4.
I achieved this outfit in much the same way. This jacket is actually from Forever 21– so very affordable- and it is almost a dead ringer for Emma’s, complete with zippers on the sleeves. The swan necklace is from Etsy and I love it. And I was having fun adding the compass (much like the enchanted one they used to return to Storybrooke). That is from a little store called Globe Imports. They have a lot of beautiful compasses available and other nautical decor.
I found a very cute Plus size jacket option form Forever 21 for $37.90
Quilted Moto Jacket $37.90
My Swan necklace is from the Etsy Shop BelieveinGoodKarma and was only $9
This last look is one of my favorites. In Season 4 Emma wore a few white/cream cable knit sweaters that were definitely a reflection of her light. My favorite is the one she wore in the Season 4 finale when she became the Dark One, certainly symbolic of her heroic act being the Savior. I found a very similar pretty and comfy sweater from Old Navy that is very similar to Emma’s. This is a classic style that can always be found and is always in fashion.
I found a very similar option from Cabela’s
Cabela’s Women’s Classic Cable-Knit Sweater $55.88
Achieving the Emma Swan look is easy, fun, and can definitely be affordable. You can be inspired by your favorite character, while still retaining your own sense of style as well as simply looking fabulous. Many will not even know that the looks are like Emma’s, and that is part of the fun. What are some of your favorite outfits of Emma’s? Any other looks you would like me to highlight? Let me know in the comments.