Haul out your jeans and trousers with wider hems. The outfit on the right is dressier and great for business casual. The outfit on the left is more casual, but might work in a relaxed work setting. The tops are key to refreshing the look of flared trousers and jeans. Sure, you can match them with tailored knitwear and knitted tops and look fabulous. But lets go trendy and change things up. Try the following top options instead: 

• Fluid or oversized cropped knitwear with a welt that is not midriff-baring so that you can semi or faux tuck by adding in a belt for polish and outfit interest. 

• Fluid or oversized high-low knitwear in a refined and soft fabrication. Because you’re wearing “volume on top of volume” in this version, the high-low hemline is essential for structure as is the drape of the top to ensure that it collapses back onto the body. That way you won’t feel like you’re wearing a shapeless sack. 

Choose any colour palette, in patterns or solids. Here are the components: 

Jeans or Trousers: You’re after flared leg wool trousers, jeans, or trouser jeans. Think streamlined wide legs, or roomy bootcuts if you prefer more structure on the thigh. 

Trendy Top: Choose roomy cropped knitwear, upscale sweatshirts, or high-low knitwear. Cropped knitwear can be chunky or fine gauge. I’ve chosen a chunky style because chunky knits are particularly trendy at the moment. Upscale sweatshirts can be made of mixed media, fleece, or neoprene. High-low knitwear that’s worn at a regular length is best in a soft and fine gauge knit. 

Footwear: I prefer a pointy or almond toe with wide hems so that’s what I’ve chosen in booties. Pumps are also great. Of course, round toes are just fine if pointy toes are not your thing.  

Outerwear: I vote peacoat because many bat for that team. Virtually flop-proof. But a tailored trench coat or wool coat is just as fab. A man coat would work pretty well too, creating nice straight lines against the flared hems of the jeans or trousers. 

Accessories: Finish off the outfit with a belt when wearing cropped knitwear. That way it’s as if you’ve tucked the top, which creates a polished effect. Add jewellery, eyewear, and watch as desired. I’ve thrown in an ink bag to remind you that navy tones with black are a modern combination.  

I have all the components for the dressier outfit on the right, and will be sporting it when I don’t have to traipse around in the rain. Who else is feeling their wider hemmed jeans and trousers this season?

Now that the days of going sockless are over in my neck of the woods, I had fun browsing Refinery 29’s roundup of cute socks for Fall.

What is the etiquette of wearing tights to work in 2013? Some still believe that “the more skin you show at work, the less influence you have”.

According to the Guardian, showing the toe gussets of hosiery is considered edgy and fashion forward again, just like in the mid-’90s. At least, the way Carine Roitfeld has styled them for a Harper’s Bazaar shoot.

Fab Links from Our Members

Deb wishes she could go see the “Suffragettes under Surveillance at Art Under Attack” exhibition at the Tate Britain. At the same time she was shocked to hear that “of the 2,300 works of art in the National Gallery in London, only eleven of the artists are women”.

Angie loved browsing Tommy Ton’s final shortlist of street style shots across New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks for Spring 2014. Lots of fun and over the top outfits to peruse.

This blog posts explains how the Dress Spot works, a search engine for your colour palette. Vildy especially likes the feature that shows you an additional colour palette that is close to what you are looking for, so that you can refine your choice further with more “off shades”. 

Laurinda likes Kate Spade’s library-themed accessories, but is a bit downhearted that the common items of her schooldays are already fashionably retro.

This article really resonated with MaryK because her body image and self-esteem skyrocketed once she started taking daily WIW photos and got used to seeing herself in pictures. Plus, the point that Mums should get out from behind the camera and be in those family photos, can’t be made often enough.

“Women’s Fashion Turns to Menswear for Tips“. Pil found this article very interesting, especially after Angie’s post about the man coat trend.

MsMaven recommends reading this San Jose Mercury News article about harmful substances in cosmetics, a topic of concern to most women.

L’Abeille thought this survey of the history of eyebrow fashion, demonstrated via Loretta Young, was riveting.

A sweater with a sequined Santa Claus, and another one with sequined holiday baubles. CocoLion is in a state of semi-shock that the holiday sweater is now a high fashion statement. Would you wear them?

The man coat is a subtle way to wear an oversized coat because although shapeless and straight through the back and torso, it’s structured on the shoulder and hip. Other fashion forward and trendy coat styles are a lot more oversized. Dropped shoulder seams, waist surrendering cocoon silhouettes, round shoulders, roomy sleeves, low stances and generally huge lapels. Some styles are collarless, and lengths vary from mid-thigh to below the knee. Most styles taper at the hems for structure, but some styles are wide from the armholes down. 

I am a cautious yay on the oversized coat trend. I love some of the styles, but others seem a little too oversized to be attractive, like the Zara example below (bottom, left). The styles that look fab to my eye are sufficiently structured. They are less oversized because there is less fabric, the silhouettes taper at the hips, and to some extent the sleeves taper too. I especially like the versions with the more tapered sleeves. For those reasons, I like the Vintage Asos, Kai Aakmann, Kaelen and Reality Studio best of the selection below. 

It’s hard for an oversized fit not to be mistaken for poor fit, and therein lies the challenge. An oversized coat has to look intentional, fashion forward, drape in just the right way, and be worn with a structured support act. You also have to feel great in the shape of the coat, and not like it completely overwhelms your frame.

Here are runway outfits with oversized coats from Fall 2013 collections that work well: 

• Celine’s soft blush boiled wool coat worn over equally soft separates.
• Issey Miyake’s magical double-breasted mango coat worn open with a slim column of colour.
• Carven’s hectically oversized light blue coat. Its shorter length gives it structure, as does the leg skin on the model, streamlined turtleneck and tonal outfit. Very clever.
• Cedric Charlier’s shocking pink coat with super straight lines and tapered hem. Gorgeous architectural drape.
• Paul Smith’s opera coat over slouchy separates. The structure is created by wearing the coat open. And the sleeves look scrunched because the model’s hands are in her pockets. Not very practical in real life, but these details are effective on the runway.

I don’t think you need to be tall to wear an oversized coat. I have petite clients in cocoon and other oversized coat styles that have just enough structure to pull off the silhouette with panache. They also wear them shorter than knee-length. A broad shoulder line does help “carry the coat”, but is not essential. 

The oversized coat is ideal to wear over chunky knitwear and extra layers, like a jacket and huge scarf. It provides ample room on the arms and shoulders, which for some is the only way to feel comfortable in a coat. It’s also a great idea for those who want to draw attention away from their midriff. So while you may feel chunky in an oversized coat, it has its practical advantages. 

Over to you. What’s your take on the oversized coat? Would you wear one, or do you prefer a tailored fit.

A cropped sweater or sweatshirt in a fine gauge, chunky knit, mixed media silk blend, or sweatshirt fabric is what I call a cheeky pullover. The fit is fluid or oversized, and in most cases has a welt or high-low hemline. I particularly like the styles with raglan sleeves. 

• Topshop Embroidered Sweater: A versatile and sleek cropped pullover with a retro flavour. 
• Rebecca Taylor Embellished Sweatshirt: Texture rich and oversized. 
• Topshop Floral Sweater: You’ll look pretty and huggable in this little darling. 
• Halogen Leather & Cashmere Sweater: A mixed media and slightly edgy option for Team Grey. 
• Leith Fuzzy Crop Pullover: Cute and cuddly. A major lint warning must accompany this style if you intend to wear it with dark bottoms. 
• Topshop Angora Sweater: A little more cropped and fitted. Also retro. Great on a short-waisted lass, but might be itchy if you’re sensitive to wool. 
• Rag & Bone Mariah Merino Wool Sweater: A super way to pattern mix with other geometric patterns. Fab with slouchy bottoms.  
• Pink Tartan Two-Tone Sweater: Nice with fluid black bottoms. Winter white looks fresh throughout the cold weather season. 
• Milly Colourblock Turtleneck: I have my eye on this one. 
• Rubbish Embroidered Marled Sweater (Juniors): V-necks are perfect on a larger bust line while the roomy fit across the torso is forgiving on the midriff. The lightweight nature of the sweater creates a flattering drape against the contour of the body. 
• Theory Kuno Yuno Sweater: Chunky, round-shouldered, and very short in front. Trendy deluxe and great with a high-waisted skirt. 
• Jessica Simpson Bellis Intarsia Sweater (Plus Size): Graphic Mary Quant fun and really flattering. 

In the online pictures many of these pullovers are matched with body-con skinnies and jeggings, which I don’t think is the most attractive way to wear them because of their short length. To my eye, short cheeky pullovers look best with less tight bottoms like tulip and full skirts, fluid or slouchy trousers, roomy bootcuts and straight legs, boyfriend jeans, or wide leg jeans. Faux tuck the top with a belt if desired. That said, I do like a cheeky pullover worn over a tight pencil skirt because skirts and shorter tops are generally a great pairing.