As a passionate fashion professional who dresses women of all shapes and sizes, I would LOVE to see a fashion and style world that is accepting of all body types. I’m sure that you share this wish.

Although the fashion world is nowhere near to being adequately representative of all body types, things are changing for the better. In my opinion we have the blogosphere to thank for a lot of that. Fashion bloggers of all shapes and sizes showcase their fabulous outfits and look beautiful each day. I love that and it’s extremely encouraging.

You don’t need a model’s body to be stylish, because style is not a dress size. This is a common mantra in the blogosphere and long may it continue! If you’re caught referring to someone as unstylish because they are not model-thin then the blogosphere will put you in your place pretty darn quickly. This is a good thing. After all, women who are shorter and larger than regular sized models represent the majority of the population.

So here’s the thing I’m not happy with: Somehow, amid all the talk about body acceptance, it has become acceptable to discriminate against skinny women. It is so common to hear comments like “who wears size 0 and 2 anyway?”, and to hear people making assumptions about eating disorders when someone is slim. I often hear average sized women making a comment along the lines of “wow, do you eat?” to a skinny friend, but imagine the consequences of asking one of your larger friends, “wow, do you eat a lot?”. It is a double standard.

Sure, the fashion industry may be projecting skinny as an unrealistic ideal, but that doesn’t make it acceptable to make snide comments about someone who is thinner than average. After all, skinny women are not all part of a secret society that is conspiring to keep the fashion industry obsessed with their body type. They are mostly just women who are naturally thin. Body types have a distribution, just like most things in nature, and there will be examples at both ends of the spectrum.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing is the phrase “real woman”, used to describe women with body types that you don’t see on the runway. Skinny women may not be the average size, but they aren’t freaks of nature either. They are just as real as the most curvy woman among us. Yet this phrase is used frequently in the media and the blogosphere. Even by me! When I was writing this post I looked back at old posts and found myself using it once or twice. I can’t remember the exact moment, but at some point in the last couple of years it occurred to me that this wasn’t ok.

I really don’t want to sound judgmental of people who use this phrase today. In fact, many of my favourite writers and bloggers do so all the time. I’m absolutely certain that the last thing they would want to do is make offense. On the other hand, I do know women on the thinner end of the distribution who are taking offense. So I think it is worth raising the point that whenever one uses the phrase “real woman”, one is implying that if you aren’t in the body shape majority, you aren’t real. We need to find a different way to talk about fashion that doesn’t only target the runway ideal.

All women are real and that includes skinny models and slim women who wear really small sizes. There is no such thing as a ridiculous size. Size 0, 8, 16, 24, or whichever size fits, that’s the reality of the body you’re in. Style is beyond all sizes, which is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about what I do. And as I far as I can I will protect all women from unkind comments as far as their size is concerned.

A pullover is any style of knitwear with a single neck opening. It has no front or back opening and is often referred to as “a sweater” in the US and Canada. A cardigan, on the other hand, is any style of knitwear with a center front opening. Sometimes the opening has no closures and sometimes there are button, snap, zipper or hook closures.

I feel the cold quickly so I have lots of knitwear. I have more pullovers than cardigans because I love turtle necks (polo necks) and cowl necked sweaters. Cardigans definitely earn their keep in my wardrobe, but pullovers win hands down. I am Team Pullover.

Over to you. Are you Team Cardigan or Team Pullover? Tell us why. Absolutely no batting for both Teams. I predict that there will be an even split between the Teams in this game.

Today’s post is written by fabulous Kat from Corporette, a successful fashion and lifestyle blog for over achieving chicks. Kat is a NYC attorney who understands what it takes to dress appropriately and effectively for a professional environment. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her corporate jacket wisdom as much as I did.

I started my blog, Corporette, when I was working as a lawyer on Wall Street. I was trying to look professional and earn respect — but at the same time I didn’t want to just give up and wear frumpy clothes. One of my favorite wardrobe pieces is the blazer. It instantly lends an air of authority and competence, but it also can add versatility and personality. It can “grow” an outfit up for a young woman, make an older woman’s outfit more youthful, and add oomph to more casual outfits for everyone. There are a ton of basic types of blazers, though, and each one can work in a slightly different way. I’ve listed some of the classics below: Picture each with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt — and then with a simple sheath dress — and you’ll start to find a blazer personality that works fro you.

The Suit Blazer. This is the kind of jacket that is meant to be worn with a matching skirt or pant. You can also wear it with jeans or a dress (so long as you avoid a suiting material) and attain a more laid-back — but still very authoritative — look. This says that you’re uber-competent, in control, and ready for business. This particular blazer is $375 at Nordstrom.

The Non-Suiting Blazer. Whether in canvas, denim, corduroy, tweed, ponte knit, boucle, or velvet, this jacket obviously has no matching bottom — which means you can wear it with suiting materials as well as with everything else. This can be a fun way to bring color into your work wardrobe, but these kinds of jackets can also make great fall/spring outerwear as well. They’re a bit more casual than a full-on suit jacket, but they maintain a conservative vibe. This particular blazer is $495 at Saks.com.

The Sweater Jacket. This is one of my personal favorites — it’s warmer and more comfortable than a blazer, but almost as authoritative. Wear it to the office with trouser pants, with skirts, or with dresses – but it also translates to the weekend with jeans or cords. Depending on the jacket, it may look nice with a decorative top beneath it for a night out, or be a handy fall/spring jacket as well. This particular jacket is $109.99 at Macy’s (was $159).

The Artsy Jacket. Maybe it has a vintage look — or a romantic mood — or just a general “oh, that’s interesting” appeal to it.” Either way, the artsy jacket says, “I have personality and am not afraid to show it.” Depending on the rest of the outfit and your accessories, it can be a dramatic, sophisticated look — or an easy-going-but-pulled-together look. This particular jacket is $148 at Anthropologie (sizes 0-12).

The Boxy Tweed Jacket. In my opinion, this is the most difficult blazer look to pull off, but it is such a classic that I would be remiss not to mention it: the tweed jacket. This one says, “I like to think like Coco Chanel.” It’s best accessorized with a high-end bag and/or jewelry, but the rest of your outfit can be anything from jeans with an ironic tee, to wide black trousers and a white tank. This particular jacket is on sale at Bloomingdale’s — was $218, now $174.40.

Do you wear jackets in a professional environment? If so, tell us about your jacket style in the comments.

Be sure to visit Kat at Corporette.com.

There was a time when it was considered rude to wear a hat indoors. These days, things have definitely relaxed on this front.

I’m generally fine with people wearing hats indoors, but there are settings where I find it a little off putting. Context is all important. A bloke having a drink at a casual bar in his baseball cap is okay in my book. A lass who wears a cute wool beret in a casual office environment is also good. Wearing hats while you’ll doing errands, shopping, or out for casual lunch is also not a problem. I also don’t mind theatrical hats worn by those with dramatic style at large indoor functions.

But when you visit our home – hats off please. When you’re having fancy dinner at a restaurant – hats off please. In a formal professional environment – hats off please.

I guess I equate hat wearing with out and about hustle and bustle. Sometimes you’re inside, sometimes you’re outside and keeping hats on during the course of the day is completely acceptable. But I like to see hats removed when you settle into a quiet or formal environment where you will spend a few hours.

What’s your view on hat etiquette? Is there really a right and wrong here? Should hat wearers remove their hats when indoors?