Link Love: Transitioning into Fall

Now that temperatures are dropping, and Autumn has officially started, it’s time to start thinking about layering and how to incorporate some of our lighter-weight pieces into Fall outfits that keep us cosy and warm. Here are some ideas: 

Fab Links from Our Members

Sally’s recent post on the relationship between shame and body image reminds us that shame is a bad motivator, and that we should consider love instead. Angie agrees with Sally that body love may be a slow and hard process, but it DOES work out, and often too.

Annagybe enjoyed browsing Harper’s Bazaar roundup of this season’s smartest buys.

The New Yorker did an interesting report on plus size fashion. Anne likes red thought it was fun to read, and compare it to the more recent New York Fashion Week.

Viva loves these inspirational street style photos from Milan Fashion Week. The overalls with the bicycle, the red flowers with the grey, the men…

Laurinda came across a handy solution for “the modern gentlemen in your life”: the Suitsy, the suit that lets you get to work in a onesie.

Deborah and Sparlingo both recommend Sally’s two-part series on her recent style shift

Angie’s Star Wars T-Shirt post inspired LadyLilac to share a blog about men’s fashion. She’s found Dappered very helpful on a variety of topics, like wardrobe building, fit, clothing reviews, and so on.

Weekly Roundup: Fun Wool Coats

For a few years now, it’s been more about coats than jackets. That’s why there’s an enormous assortment of coats in all sorts of colours, lengths, patterns, silhouettes and thicknesses in retail stores. Lightweight coats for Fall and Spring, and heavier coats for Winter. Their silhouettes vary considerably because of the fluid and oversized bumper knitwear trend. You need a fluid or oversized coat to wear over fashionable chunky and roomy sweaters, while tailored coat styles are best worn over tailored underlayers. 

Here’s a selection of fun coats, many of which I’ve fitted onto clients or tried on myself. Most of them come in an assortment of colours and patterns, but some are available in black. Styles are both Classic and Trendy, and in both cases thoroughly Modern. 

  • Dalia Double-Breast Hidden-Placket Coat: Inge tried on this cocoon coat in sage green and took my breath away. WOW. It was absolutely stunning and impeccable quality. It has a back neck zipper detail which is perfect with short hair. Great on tall gals with long arms and a regular to long neck. Pricey, but an incredible piece that will not date because the cocoon silhouette is subtle and the lines are very clean.
  • Exclusive For Intermix Single Breasted Plaid Coat: A short man coat in soft pink, grey and white plaid. I found it a little itchy, but I'm very sensitive to scratchy wool. A piece that is as pretty as it is masculine.
  • Karen Millen Indigo textured biker coat: Polished, sleek and very professional. Angular drape with immaculate straight lines. Looks great worn open. Runs small.
  • J.Crew Majesty peacoat: J.Crew's repeat style majesty peacoat has been a winner for five seasons. I bought one in citron four years ago and it looks new. I vote the chestnut colourway. Fresh and unique. Gorgeous with black and ink blue.
  • J.Crew Stadium-cloth cocoon coat: J.Crew's repeat style cocoon coat is a well-made beauty. The solid gold two-way zipper is divine. It's cut straight through the side seams and isn't overly round, which makes it a more timeless piece. Best on a longer neck. Excellent deep side entry pockets too. I liked this coat best in sandstone, which looked heathered and rich.
  • J.Crew Wool pinstripe topcoat: A new style man coat from J.Crew in navy with a white pinstripe. Gangster Fabness. It's on its way to me in my size, but I saw it in stores and the drape is incredible. Boxy, yet streamlined and a great length. Best on a straighter body type.
  • Boden Lottie Coat: A fun Retro style in a very happy colour. Fab over frocks and skirts.
  • Topshop Double Breasted Pea Coat: An oversized peacoat in a bold plaid. Dramatic and very trendy. The quality is not impeccable, but it's not bad at all.
  • Gallery Basket Weave Walking Coat (Plus Size): The texture of this coat makes it unique. Ladylike, tailored and flattering on a curvy hourglass. The pockets are in a very flattering position on the waist.
  • Free People 'Long & Lean' Overcoat: A very bold coat. It's oversized, fuzzy and loud. This might be what you need to brighten up a cold and dull grey day.
  • Rebecca Minkoff 'Ford' Plaid Coat: A bold window pane plaid cocoon coat in tomato red. Dramatic and daring. It has a particularly structured revere collar, which makes quite the statement.
  • Lands' End Women's Plus Size Luxe Wool Walker Coat: Modern Classic, elegant, streamlined and refined. Well made, and on sale. Both the berry and the burnt orange are delicious shades for Fall and Winter.
  • J.Crew Double-cloth lady day coat with Thinsulate: A J.Crew repeat style Modern Classic tailored single-breasted coat with lots of waist definition. It looks extremely fresh in bittersweet chocolate. Beautifully made with a high longevity factor.
  • Banana Republic Plaid Cropped Coat: Inge modeled this short cheeky coat for me yesterday and the sales assistants complimented her left, right and centre. It was absolutely smashing on her, and best worn open like the model. Might run a little large.
  • Lands' End Women's Plus Size Luxe Wool Double Breasted Coat: An excellent long tailored coat for plus sizes, and especially great to wear over dresses and skirts. Its elegant V-neck revere collar makes it work flawlessly on a shorter neck and larger bust. Works well worn buttoned and unbuttoned. The garnet is as gorgeous as the rich forest green.
  • Boden Kate Coat: Retro, bold, a true classic, and with a dash of Royal British flair. Well made and striking with the contrast piping.
  • AllSaints City Monument Coat: An avant-garde coat with a hard edge. Dramatic, drapey, heavy and fabulous in aubergine.
  • Wilfred COCOON WOOL COAT: An excellent funnel style for a long neck. Slightly cocoon and drapes to perfection. I love the straight silhouette from the side.
  • Boden Ingrid Coat: A cocoon coat in a gorgeous mid-tone blue with ample length. Subtle side entry pockets and quite slimming. The single-breasted style creates a strong vertical line down the front of the body. Neither overly boxy nor waist defining.
  • Ellen Tracy Fly Front Wool Blend Topper (Plus Size): A warm yet fairly lightweight coat with a statement collar. I vote plum or brown sugar.
  • Madewell City Grid Coat: An oversized moto coat in mixed media olive and black. It's very boxy so consider yourself warned. Hard edge and quite masculine.
  • Babaton BRYAN WOOL COAT: A Modern Classic in silver grey with bright gold buttons and plenty of length. Hangs as beautifully when worn unbuttoned.
  • AllSaints Klein Contrast Coat: An extra round cocoon coat in dark burgundy. This style of coat works particularly well on an apple shaped body type. Heavy and well made.
  • Babaton PEARCE WOOL COAT: A hooded wool coat can be very practical. Casual, semi-fitted, and a nice length. The toggle detail on the neck and bodice panelling are fab. I like the refined integrity of this relaxed style.

Make sure your coat fits over ALL appropriate layers. I also like to wear a lighter weight jacket with finer gauge knitwear and thermal underwear under my coats for extra insulation when it’s really cold. Therefore I prefer them to fit on the roomier side so that I can comfortably drive wearing my hectic layers. 

Personally, I’m all over the coat trend. I’ve preferred wearing coats to jackets for three seasons, and my coat capsule has grown because of it. Fortunately I live in a climate where my wool coats across various thicknesses get a lot of wear.

Boden
Lottie Coat
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Boden
Kate Coat
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Boden
Ingrid Coat
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Madewell
City Grid Coat
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4

Pair Black Ankle Pants with Black Booties

I previously talked about pairing black ankle pants with black ankle straps for Spring and Summer. Going into Autumn or a mild Winter, pairing black ankle pants with black booties is the seasonal update of this look. Feel free to wear heeled or flat booties in casual or dressy renditions. Pointy toe, round toe, almond toe and peep-toe styles are all good. 

From what I see coming down the runway at fashion week, there is no stopping ankle length pants, still one of the biggest trends in bottoms. Ankle pant silhouettes vary from skinnies, straight legs and more relaxed styles with tapered hems, to shapes with wide hem widths like culottes.

Ankle pants can be visually leg shortening, and are therefore not a conventionally flattering look. But wearing booties in the same colour as the ankle pants lengthens the leg line and offsets this effect. Of course, the combination is not as elongating as wearing regular length black bottoms with black booties because of the horizontal lines that are created at the hem of the pants and the top of the bootie. But the self-colour bootie does help to draw the eye up and down, thereby creating more of a vertical line. 

The narrower the hem width of the pants and the ankle opening of the booties, the more leg lengthening the effect. Wider hem widths and bootie openings tend to create a slightly stronger horizontal line on the ankle or lower leg. 

Furthermore, a smaller gap between the hem of the pants and the top of the booties creates a visually longer line. 

Wearing a black ankle boot with a taller shaft is one way to create a smaller gap between the pants and the booties. A larger gap that reveals more skin tone is dramatic, but slightly less conventionally flattering. 

Wearing invisible short ankle socks, footies, or nude for you knee-highs is what I usually suggest for foot covering. Personally, I’m comfortable without socks if it’s an extra comfy pair of booties and the weather is mild. You could also wear black socks and scrunch them down over the booties for a maximal, textural and deliberately RATE (rough around the edges) effect.

Rag & Bone/JEAN Aberdeen Coated TrousersBLK DNM Stretch Leather Biker Pants 1Theory Savile Row Item Cropped PantsAG Adriano Goldschmied The Kelsey Track Pants

Madewell Pieced Ponte PantsJames Jeans Slouchy Fit Utility Cargo Pants

Elizabeth and James Trenton TrousersDKNY Pure DKNY Wide Leg Wrap Pants

Abella High Low Shirttail Hem Poplin Blouse

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Karen’s Summer Style: Sweatshirt & Sandals

This is the third outfit in our series about client Karen’s Summer style. Be sure to catch Karen’s first and second outfits if you missed them. Today’s example is a very casual outfit that Karen would wear on a hot Summer’s day when she’s running errands, pottering around at home, or looking after grandchildren. It combines a pair of faded skinnies that are rolled at the hems with a roomy upscale sweatshirt, flat sandals and large tote. Earrings, watch, and wedding ring are the finishing touches. 

For Karen, covering certain areas of the body is non-negotiable. She is uncomfortable exposing her arms and will not wear sleeves that are shorter than elbow length. The sleeves on this sweatshirt are the shortest she will sport. She is also uncomfortable exposing her legs from the calves up, with the exception of the occasional knee-covering pencil skirt. That’s why fashionable hem rolling of pants and jeans has been a revelation over the last few seasons. The styling trick allows Karen to expose more of her legs for breezy comfort, while adding structure to the outfit. The style of the jeans can be fitted, as long as most of her leg is covered. 

Casual Stripes - Full

Casual Stripes - Close

Karen had to get used to fluid and oversized tops because she was convinced that they made her look bigger and less polished. But that has changed and these days Karen feels strange in a tailored top! It’s amazing how current fashions can drastically change your style preferences. Karen is especially taken with the upscale sweatshirt trend because of the versatility, coverage, and comfort factor of the silhouette. Wearing one in a brown zebra pattern is her nod to the brown trend. The boxy fit and high-low hemline offsets the formfitting shape of the skinny jeans.

Casual Stripes - Playground

Karen likes Paul Green footwear because they go the distance, look fashionable and are very comfortable. She bought their Venice Gladiators both in taupe and black, and wears them in very casual outfits with painted toenails. Both colours bookend the dark and lights shades in her hair, so they work with most Summer outfits. 

Casual Stripes - Side Close

Casual Stripes - Side

Each season we cherry pick the trends that tickle Karen’s fancy and incorporate them into her look. Yes, Karen is a beautiful lady with an innate sense of grace and polish. She’s wearing a sweatshirt with jeans and looks as gorgeous as ever. But the fact that she styles her hair, wears makeup daily, and sports current pieces in flattering silhouettes amps up her chic factor. Having fun with fashion at any age is the message I want to shout from the rooftops every day. But actions speak louder than words, which makes Karen all the more special and inspiring.

Casual Stripes - With Angie

The Shirt and Shell Top Combination

Layering a sleeveless knit pullover or “shell top” over a button-down shirt was an extremely popular combination ten years ago. Just to be clear, I mean layering something like the Chelsea28 Textured Mixed Knit Shell below over the white poplin shirt. The visual effect is boyish and preppy. 

I think the drop in popularity might have been related to the shell tops and shirts being a lot more fitted back then than they are today. This caused a little discomfort. And the tightness of the shell top made the shirt creep up, which is annoying. You often found yourself pulling the whole lot down. 

With today’s fashionable fluid and oversized fits, the combination is a LOT more comfortable to wear. First, you don’t need to wear a button-down shirt that is tailored at the waist. And second, the boxier cut of the shell top makes the layers looser and more forgiving all over. The updated combination looks and feels fresh.

Furthermore, you can use all sorts of items as the shell top layer. A leather shell top like the one here is a great option, as is the peplum version of that style. The V-neck is especially flattering on a shorter neck and larger bust. And don’t feel that you have to stick to a high contrast white shirt for the under layer. By all means throw in a blue shirt, a patterned shirt, or create a low contrast with a black, grey or ink shirt. Using softer blouses instead of crisp, stiff shirts is another way to go.

The three combinations below show more variations on the shell top, all of which are layered over a fluid white shirt. The first is a chunky cowl neck cropped sweater shell. The second a loosely knitted and distressed muscle style sweater shell. And the third, a roomy diagonal sleeve sweater. A sequined or lace shell top are more fun options.

Sleeveless Cowl Neck SweaterRodarte Knit Shell TopEsprit Soft Floral Sleeveless Sweater

Many of my clients are wearing the updated shirt and shell top combination and enjoying the increased comfort factor. They might not wear a button-down shirt on its own, but are happy to wear it with the additional layer of a shell top. Using soft silky blouses are equally popular for the underlayer.

It’s a super combination to wear to the office with trousers, leather pants, or with jeans for a more casual vibe. It looks fab over a pencil skirt with heels too. The wrinkles of the shirt don’t show through to the roomier fit shell top, and it’s brilliant not to have to wear a tailored button-down shirt. The best part of all: no more tugging to pull the layers straight. 

I used to wear the fitted version of the shirt and shell top combination many years ago, but tired of the look. Now that fits are fluid, I’m back to wearing it. The Chelsea28 Textured Mixed Knit Shell was a recent purchase at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and I enjoy wearing it over a fluid white shirt with relaxed blue boyfriend jeans, white skinnies, black cigarette pants, or a black lace pencil skirt. The combination feels fresh for my style, and is excellent for our current mild Fall weather. 

Over to you. Do you enjoy layering shell tops over shirts? Have you tried using different pieces as the shell top? Do you use a shirt or a blouse as the soft layer? Or is this combination too preppy for your liking.