Knitted blazers are extra comfortable because of their soft and stretchy integrity, but they can also stretch out and look sloppy. The Ponte Academy Blazer from the Gap feels and looks better than most knitted blazers because it’s very structured AND fully lined. At the price, I was blown away with the quality of this topper.  

It comes in a variety of colours with contrast piping, more than what’s online, so check out brick and mortar stores too. It’s available up to size 20, in petite, regular and tall. I found it to run large, so you might need to size down. 

It’s a shrunken blazer to start off with, so regular sizes tend to fit petites. The sleeves are very long though, and shortening them is not an easy alteration because of the lining and binding. But you can roll them up “boyfriend style”, scrunch them, or both, which is what all the models are doing below.

Thanks to Diana on the YLF forum for alerting us to this fab find.

A list of items and outfit combinations that you should not wear past a certain age is a dated concept. It doesn’t make sense that you’ll look fab wearing a particular item at age 39, but that the very next day you’re too old to wear it at age 40. Things aren’t that cut and dried. 

That said, age appropriateness is still relevant. Age is like any other factor that influences your overall style. If we all looked equally fab wearing everything, regardless of the factors that impacted our personal style, then the concept of style itself wouldn’t exist. It is how people wear what, when, and where that gives them their stylish individuality. 

So as unpopular as it may be, I believe that certain looks are best suited to those with youth on their side. But I do not believe in attaching a universal, set-in-stone age limit to items and looks, beyond which wearing them becomes taboo. That way of thinking needs to be modernized. Whether an item, the fit of an item, or an outfit combination is age appropriate is best evaluated on a case by case basis. Some women, for a myriad of reasons, will just pull off a look better than others. Furthermore, context is key. Some so-called age inappropriate looks are appropriate within a particular setting.

I actually find myself encouraging women to wear looks that they feel are age inappropriate much more frequently than the other way round. That’s because it’s HOW you wear an item or trend that makes the difference. When my 75 year old client excitedly pointed to a pair of eggplant, straight-leg waxed jeans a few weeks ago, I was all for it. By adding a sophisticated element to the item, we could make it look fabulous despite it being an ultra trendy and “young” look. The jeans were sleek but not at all skin tight. We matched them up with dressy flats, an elegant and roomy silk untucked long sleeved blouse, arty jewelry, and a very chic handbag. My client ended up not purchasing the waxed jeans because we found a normal pair of straight leg eggplant jeans that were even more comfortable. But the fact is that she could have pulled off a pair of waxed jeans with style. 

This very same client also purchased the mixed media leather and ponte knit black skirt that Phoebe modeled for us last month. She rocks hers with a tailored brocade teal jacket, sheer black hose and dressy flats. And looks just as fab as younger Phoebe. 

How do you decide whether something is age appropriate or not? I wish I had a neat set of bullet points to break it down, but I don’t. It is so subjective and situational that I don’t think I will ever come up with a universal set of guidelines. But there is one question that always pops into my head when someone asks the question. A forum member recently wondered whether a particular look was age appropriate at age 42. In my response I said that at age 42 (and I’m 42) I believe you need to look like a grown-up. And that’s the simple principle that most helps me to evaluate whether my own look, or my clients looks, are age appropriate. 

At this point you might be thinking that I’ve just switched the question from “is this age appropriate?” to “do I look like a grown-up in this?”. That’s true of course, but the second question is just less theoretical, at least it is for me. And yes, it is subjective. What’s important is your answer to the question, and the answer of people whose opinion you care about. That will determine whether you will feel confident in the item or look, and therefore, whether you can pull it off effortlessly. 

I’m not saying that anything goes. I have strong opinions and I don’t hesitate to share them with my clients. What I am saying is that my opinion is just that — an opinion — not a fundamental truth. Also, my opinion varies a lot depending on the specifics of the situation. The bottom line is that a universal formula for age-appropriateness isn’t practical. 

“Stylish dressing can be highly individual, friendly to all figures, and deliciously creative. When women are taught to dress expressively and personally, they link looking good in their clothing to feeling good about their bodies. Style should highlight the aspects of your physical form that make you swell with pride. Style should be accessible to all women. Style should empower all women. And it absolutely can! Clothes are vehicles for self-expression, and there is no wrong way to express yourself.”

This quote from Sally McGraw’s first book, Already Pretty: Learning to Love Your Body by Learning to Dress It Well, sums up Sally’s body-positive, inclusive and highly encouraging style philosophy. In six roll-up-your-sleeves chapters she illustrates how cultivating personal style can foster self-love and self-respect. She offers tools and exercises to help you dress for the woman you are right now and create a style that is unique and truly your own. I liked that the “fundamentals of figure flattery” chapter has many tips on how to highlight or downplay every aspect of your figure, but also emphasizes that you’re the one in charge. After all, conventional figure flattery rules are not the be-all and end-all of personal style. The book also features outfit pictures of many fashion bloggers representing a broad range of ages, shapes, sizes, heights and ethnicities. With their help, Sally demonstrates how to make your clothes work for you, and not the other way around.

Sally, who created the Already Pretty blog, is one of several successful style bloggers and street style photographers who are now also publishing their work in the form of a traditional book. It’s a growing trend in the blogosphere that is undoubtedly here to stay. In September Tavi Gevinson from Style Rookie has her first book coming out, and next year we can look forward to a collection of essays by The Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine. In the meantime here’s a round-up of seven other bloggers who are bringing their blogs to our bookshelves.

• How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less  by Kathryn Finney from The Budget Fashionista.
• Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen from Advanced Style.
• What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style by Jessica Quirk from What I Wore.
• Facehunter by Yvan Rodic from the blog of the same name.
• The Sartorialist and his brand new book The Sartorialist: Closer, to be released on 29 August, by Scott Schuman, creator of the The Sartorialist blog.
• Tomboy Style by Lizzie Garrett Mettler from the blog of the same name. 
• Style Yourself with Jane Aldridge from Sea of Shoes as the main contributor.

We are adding a new category to YLF Books for books by style bloggers and you will notice these titles starting to appear. 

What do you think of the move from blog to book?

I am attracted to “opposites”. I enjoy wearing classic items as much as sporting hot off the press trends. I like fitted clothing, but I also like voluminous items. I have a big thing for both ladylike styles and tomboy styles. I love my Kate Spade stilettos as much as I love my 20 eyelet Dr. Martens boots. I’m just as happy wearing a romantic, soft lace blouse as I am wearing a stiff, masculine button down shirt. I enjoy sporting a neutral outfit as much as I do wearing hectic colours. I love black as much as I love white. Bring on the patterns and the solids! The retro and the modern. 

I realize that I sound like I’m suffering from style schizophrenia, but I believe you CAN integrate opposites into a single cohesive style. In fact, marrying my opposing style preferences is one of my style goals. Here are some of the things I do to make it all work.

• Classic Grounding: I mix crisp classic wardrobe items in with the rest. That way the ensemble feels grounded. I also enjoy the style consistency that is created by wearing classic items several times a week. I miss the classics when I omit them from my ensembles.
• Minimal Balance: I create cohesion by not wearing jewelry and keeping my outfits minimal. 
• Simple Statements: I generally choose simple designs that don’t have complex styling details. The cleaner the look and the more simple the cut, the more I like it. This allows the luxurious fabrication and colour to do the talking. 
• Colour Discipline: I create cohesion by sticking to well defined colour palettes. I wear black, white, cream, ink blue, grey and saturated warm sour brights. 

So instead of being a specific set of style preferences, my signature look is more about the recurring themes in the outfits I wear. Modern, classic, crisp, minimal, simple and bold.

Are you attracted to opposites?