Our time and our budgets are finite, so it is seldom possible to buy everything on our shopping list. We need to prioritize the items and try to ensure that we buy the most urgent and important ones first. But deciding which items to prioritize is quite the trick. It is very much dependent on your specific situation: What wardrobe holes do you have? How much do you like to follow the trends? Have you recently experienced weight gain or loss? And how much of a change do you crave on this leg of your style journey? These and many other questions will factor into your priorities.

That said, I have seen some patterns emerge when I have worked with clients to prioritize the items on their shopping lists.

Bra, Hairstyle and Specs Take Top Priority 

Although your bras are invisible to most of the world, the support and shape that they create is very visible and important. It’s especially important to be refitted for a bra after weight loss or gain, particularly when you are large in the bust. 

When people interact with you they spend most of the time looking at your face, so your hairstyle and specs (when you wear them daily) are your most important accessories.

Outerwear is Important if Your Climate Demands It

When you live in a climate that regularly puts coats and jackets through their stylish paces, they become a high priority. 

The Important Occasion Outfit

An occasion outfit, such as a party dress, wedding dress, interview outfit, funeral attire or any other outfit that is necessary to look the part at an important event, will often take priority over other wardrobe items when you can’t shop your closet for the look. 

After Weight Loss or Gain, Shop for Bottoms First

For both comfort and visual reasons, prioritize getting new bottoms after weight loss or gain, even when its just a size up or down. A too tight waistband is just as annoying as bottoms that keep sliding off. Tops are a little more forgiving with weight fluctuations because of fluid and oversized fits, and the genius semi-tuck. 

That said, unless you have the right sizes in a holding zone, you’ll be looking to update most of your wardrobe after significant weight loss or gain. Build a small versatile mix-and-match capsule to begin with and take it one well-fitting outfit at a time. 

Footwear & Handbag for Maximum Impact

Shoes and handbags have the ability to refresh your style more successfully than any other item because they set the mood for the outfit. It’s amazing how well these pieces can change up the landscape of your wardrobe, especially when you enjoy sporting the trends. When your budget is tight, make these your shopping priority. 

Jeans as a Staple

Updating your denim capsule becomes a priority when you wear jeans daily and lead a casual or smart casual lifestyle. You make a statement with your jeans, so keep them the most current versions of what you can afford each season. 

Wardrobe Essentials to Maximize Your Wardrobe

Sometimes you have a closet full of killer items that you love and that fit well, but they don’t work together to create complete outfits. You’re missing the wardrobe essentials that glue the items together to create a pulled together look. Think about what those items are, and make those your shopping priority if they are missing from your wardrobe.

Trendy Items & Wild Cards 

We make wild cards and trendier pieces the shopping priority when my clients are looking to change up their style more significantly. This takes more time, courage and patience since it’s easier and less risky to refresh our wardrobes with items that are within our comfort zone. But if you desperately want a change, hang in there because high risk can yield high return.  

I’ve prioritized all of these items on my own shopping list at different points along my style journey. Last year I made a concerted effort to choose the right wild cards, change my hairstyle, and update my jeans capsule — and those were good decisions. I always make footwear and handbags a shopping priority because the items make a significant visual difference in my outfits, and handbags in particular spark great joy. 

Over to you. How do you prioritize the items on your shopping list?

Following this morning’s post on the appeal of Spring tweed jackets, here’s a collection of my favourite examples currently in stores across an assortment of silhouettes and neutral colours. Many of this year’s styles will work well for a curvy figure and a larger bust, which has not been the case in the past for this type of jacket.

• Nic + Zoe 'Mixed Moto' Jacket: This item works very well for REGULAR height ladies despite the petite sizing. It's actually too long for petites! Soft, tailored and conventionally flattering. Excellent on a curvy figure with a regular or fuller bust.
• Striped Woven Blazer, Caviar/Porcelain: A good shape for a curvy petite with a shorter neck. Great with skirts and dresses.
• J.Crew Tweed jacket with zippers: Very Chanel-esque. Gorgeous quality and fun zipper hardware which you cannot see in the photo. The neckline comes up high and it's quite shaped despite looking boxy in the picture. Beautiful fringe detailing and fun colour palette (there's a little neon orange in the tweed). Too short for tall gals.
• Truth & Pride 'Nocturnal' Tweed: A surprisingly good shape on straighter and curvier body types. Streamlined and too long for petites.
• Tory Burch Knit Moto Jacket: A fun non-leather Spring moto. Crisp. Good on apple shapes and rectangular figures.
• J.Crew Tweed motorcycle jacket with fringe: A Chanel-esque moto hybrid. Good on apple shapes, moderately curvy figures and rectangular figures.
• KARL LAGERFELD Karl Little cotton-blend tweed jacket: A Chanel-esque bomber hybrid. Love the vertical back fringe detail. Great on both a curvier and straight body type. Quite cropped so good on petites.
• Rebecca Taylor Plaid Tweed Jacket: An intricate and very ladylike version with subtle puffy sleeves and peplum hem. Good on narrower shoulders. Very soft and drapey. Interesting back band detailing.
• Vince Drape Front Bouclé Jacket: Draped and piped. Excellent on apple shapes and inverted triangle body types. Quite good on curvier figures with a round bottom because of the subtle peplum effect at the back.
• Halogen Textured One-Button Blazer (Regular & Petite): Tailored, classic and sharp. Best on a curvy hourglass or pear shaped body type with a regular size bust. Shortens a long waist.
• Michael Fringe Trim Tweed Notch Collar Jacket (Plus Size): Relaxed yet adequately structured. Soft yet sharp and crisp. Nicely made. Fun picket dealing. Good length for taller gals. Not good on petite plus sizes.
• Classiques Entier Asymmetrical Crop Tweed Jacket (Regular & Petite): A slightly harder tweed that looks incredibly sharp because the silhouette drapes to perfection. Gorgeous green and white tweed. Works surprisingly well on a larger bust. Cropped and works well for petites too. A great jacket to wear over dresses.

You can also see the pictures alongside my descriptions on the collection page.

Nordstrom

Nic + Zoe 'Mixed Moto' Jacket

$218.00 $130.80

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2

Neiman Marcus Last Call

Striped Woven Blazer, Caviar/Porcelain

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1

J.Crew

Tweed jacket with zippers

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29

Nordstrom

Truth & Pride 'Nocturnal' Tweed

$268.00 $107.20

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10

Nordstrom

Tory Burch Knit Moto Jacket

$495.00 $197.98

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6

J.Crew

Tweed motorcycle jacket with fringe

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8

Net-A-Porter

KARL LAGERFELD Karl Little cotton-blend tweed jacket

$445.00 $267.00

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6

Nordstrom

Rebecca Taylor Plaid Tweed Jacket

$550.00 $219.98

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2

Nordstrom

Vince Drape Front Bouclé Jacket

$395.00 $159.97

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5

Nordstrom

Halogen Textured One-Button Blazer (Regular & Petite)

$98.00 $58.80

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6

Nordstrom

Michael by Michael Kors Fringe Trim Tweed Notch Collar Jacket (Plus Size)

$205.00 $149.99

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5

Nordstrom

Classiques Entier Asymmetrical Crop Tweed Jacket (Regular & Petite)

$298.00 $118.97

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2

Spring tweed jackets are textured, cotton-rich, lightweight and interesting. And you can wear them well into Summer in air-conditioned settings. As often happens, the item is a modern classic having its trendy moment. It’s fun when that happens. 

A Spring and Summer tweed jacket is often easier to fit and wear than a Fall and Winter version because it’s softer, lighter and drapier. Spring tweed usually follows the contour of the body making the silhouette work for all sorts of body types. Of course, some styles are softer and draper than others, and you have to choose your silhouette quite carefully. You probably don’t want a very cropped, stiff, button-through and boxy version because those don’t seem to make any of my clients happy. Ideally, you’re after a slightly longer silhouette with some shape in a SOFT tweed. That said, the longer and boxier versions work well in moto silhouettes, while the shorter lengths work well in fitted silhouettes. Again, good drape is key in this silhouette, so look for that above everything else. 

Many of the styles are collarless, although some have revere collars, shawl collars and drape-front collars. I like Spring tweed jackets best in light neutrals, but they can work in any colour. Many of the styles have fringe detailing, which is what makes them particularly fashionable at the moment. Some are lined and others not. Some are patterned and others are solid. The Chanel-esque silhouettes look extra ladylike, while the moto styles look more masculine. Spring tweed in a fitted blazer silhouette looks the most classic to my eye. 

Remember that irregular outfit juxtaposition is an ongoing theme in modern fashion, so the Spring tweed jacket needn’t look precious and overly girly. You don’t need to wear it with a dressy pair of trousers or skirt, although that’s a beautiful look too. Check out these street style examples that put Spring tweed through their stylish paces.

• Boyfriend jeans, blouse and pumps. 
• Olive jeans and statement wedges. 
• Red trousers and a denim shirt. 
• Shredded jeans, cropped top and sneakers. 
• Tee, jeans and statement bag. 
• Khaki shorts with Chanel. 
• A column of black and ankle straps. 
• Trousers, pearls and rockstuds. 

The weather is only just beginning to warm up here in Seattle, but many of my clients have been drawn to the semi-fitted and fitted Spring tweed jacket both for smart casual and business casual dress codes. I guess they are craving structure and tailoring after seasons of baggy and relaxed fits.

J.Crew

Tweed jacket with zippers

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I was drawn to the Spring tweed jacket right away because it looks Soft, Pretty and Modern Retro to my eye, which is in line with my current style goals. It also looks FRESH.

I went for one from J.Crew with an ink blue zipper down the centre front. The zipper makes a statement when the jacket is left open, and this is how I will wear it most often. Great with white and blue cropped straight leg jeans and silver belt and footwear. A roundup of Spring tweed jackets will follow later today with some suggestions about the silhouettes that work for different body types.

Will you wear a Spring tweed jacket? 

You can think of garment fit and outfit proportions as running along a continuum with conventionally flattering proportions on one end and so-called unflattering proportions on the other. The thing about trends is that they are often unconventional and therefore not conventionally flattering. Over time, our collective eyes will adjust and what we view as conventionally flattering will change. But in the meantime, exploring the trends, having fun with fashion, and wearing what feels most comfortable, is often about pushing this boundary.

Conventionally flattering proportions create a streamlined silhouette with a long neck and leg line. They celebrate the female form by accentuating the curve on the bust and hip, and defining the waist. Fits are neither too tight nor too loose, but beautifully tailored. Outfits are structured with few or no horizontally cutting lines. The idea is that these outfit proportions accentuate your “assets” and make your body look its best. 

On the other end of the continuum, fits are either too tight or too loose by conventional standards. Outfits are often unstructured in the extreme, surrendering the waist and ignoring the curve on the bust and the hip. The neck and leg line are usually severely shortened, and there are many horizontally cutting lines in the outfit. 

It used to be that conventionally flattering proportions were the way to look stylish. Outfit proportions that strayed from the benchmark were deemed less flattering, or even unflattering. Things have changed. The wonderful thing about our current fashion era is that we’re becoming more tolerant than ever of outfits that defy conventional figure flattery. It is an era that accepts and even encourages all sorts of outfit juxtapositions and silhouettes. Often the edgier and more fashion-forward the outfit, the less conventionally flattering the proportions. 

This is wonderful, but it is also means that the tried-and-true guidelines associated with conventional figure flattery are less useful than they used to be. So I have found it very useful to think in terms of outfits that are just flattering enough. These are outfits that sacrifice some conventional figure flattery to be more fashion-forward, or more comfortable, but they keep just enough of the traditional guidelines to make us feel confident. Typically by adding a little structure or elongating the lines in just the right places. These little tweaks make all the difference, taking the outfit out of unflattering territory.

This is the modern approach to creating outfits. The results are more interesting, and allow us to feel more comfortable and creative in our outfit choices. And as our eyes adjust to outfits that are just flattering enough, they will become conventionally flattering. We will be able to push the boundaries even further. This shifting of the figure flattery goal posts is inevitable, and I’m curious to see where fashion, outfit proportions and figure flattery will be ten years from now.

Of course, figure flattery is in the eye of the beholder, and we all have different thresholds that define when an outfit is just flattering enough. That’s why dressing according to your own figure flattering priorities is the best guideline that I can offer. Whether you prefer conventionally flattering proportions or veer much further up the continuum to create outfits that are just flattering enough, it’s all good. The most important thing is to listen to how you FEEL in an outfit.