Oooh, Sheryl, that GAP sweater looks great. I will check it out. Thank you.

Sal, I can try it with black...and with navy. Maybe a column underneath, as KKards suggested.

Smittie, I just ordered a berry dress to try with it. We'll see. I am thinking of consigning the Vince dress/ tunic because I find it so difficult to wear; this would be more practical in my daily life than a sheer silk diaphonous mini!

Dianna, good tip. I will look. Canada is usually about twice again as expensive as US for most things, but I might get lucky.

Marilyn, I'll check out those shoes - thanks for the reminder.

Krish -- that is amazing you had a similar jacket! It would look lovely with your colouring I think! But it does seem a bit tricky to style well. Maybe if I had brown hair it would be easier. Hmmm.

Jenni, so true, I dislike tunics! Although this is a bit easier for me to imagine because it's so long and the pants are toned in to it. But I still probably wouldn't enjoy wearing it!

Just saw these:

Thanks, Angie! Do you think taupe or burgundy are a better bet? I suspect I would wear either.

You really don't need any help styling this great jacket and you know I love everything about this post. Consignment shopping, surprise powerhouse, testing warm colors with new hair color! This is my jam as they say. I like it especially with the burgundy top as in 5. Yay Vancouver fun options!
p.s. I like the idea of taupe shoes to go with your new mini-warm colored capsule.

I could see the right shade of blush with this lovely jacket. My favorites from your stylings are the leopard, the berry top, white, and the print dress.

Wow, I am speechless, all are amazing , you styled them extraordinary. The blazer is fantastic, so versatile. I especially love #5 , #8 and #18.

So great to see your style lab for this great jacket. It looks so much better when you got the jacket home and paired with the right support acts.

Great jacket Suz. I like the burgundy and berry colours best with it. I think the rich colours show off the jacket. You have such a great wardrobe to work with the jacket.

Suz, I don’t have much to add about the blazer. It’s lovely, and you have done a wonderful job with styling.

As an outside observer, this move has seemed so positive for you. Your new haircut looks great. You have attended what seems like relevant professional conferences and hopefully you made contacts and are developing a network of friends. You have been adding lovely pieces to your wardrobe, and it’s clear that you have more shopping options in Vancouver than you had around here. (I say that because we really weren’t that far from each other). Moving is very stressful, and you seem to be handling it with grace.

I have the Blondo Boots you added as a possibility. They run big, and are probably best for a high volume foot. I need to wear them with a thick sock. I almost returned them but they are a nice pinky taupe color, which plays well with my wardrobe, and they have that nice fleece lining that keeps Blondo boots warm and toasty when it’s cold outside.

I agree it works with a lot of things!

Even so, your combinations with burgundies and plums really stand out. For some reason that brings both the jacket and your hair color into great focus. Another advantage is that it does work with denim.

Suz, I see what you mean about the hair and jacket. It does look wonderful on you. You do have many matching pieces in the plum shades and done such an excellent job for the jacket. It should hire you as its stylist. It's lucky to have found you in this consignment store.

But it seems to me that right now, you, Suz, are somewhere else in your style journey. You want to rock your grey hair, make the most of it, and this jacket forces you to get distracted from that goal. Am I wrong? If that is the case, I would put it aside a little and revisit later. Because it does suit you so well. It could also look very funky (like a quirky side of the ultra-traditional blazer) with oranges or soft sage.

Here is something interesting I discovered studying your pics: I find the taupe-pink shade suddenly takes on a totally different vibe when paired with light denim (compare14 and 15). Suddenly, the jacket is not center stage anymore, but rather supporting act.

I have some items I value a lot but that specifically look good with denim and nothing else. This might be the direction you would take with this piece. In this case try to match your footwear to it (or a light taupe), and make the jeans central to the outfit. Or try the jacket with a denim shirt and a pale blue scarf. Or try a taupey or lighter cognac colot belt over it. Or under.

Chiming in to say I love 5-7 and 15-16. It looks great with plum and bright red, which makes me think you could put most shades of burgundy under it as well. And tan and light wash denim is so pretty. Perfect springtime combo! I like the idea of burgundy boots for you -- build a compliment with that gorgeous burgundy hobo bag.

Great deal! I really like it on you. I prefer it with the berry and burgundy tones the best. The red seems a little strong and I’m not as keen on the pattern mixes with the dress because I’d prefer to see a lower contrast in the accompanying pattern (ie without the black). But YMMV, I’m not a big pattern mixer! It looks fab.

15 and 16 are gorg! Do you need taupe booties to make it work? I love it with both the burgundy and the white. Don’t you have some metallic footwear as well that might work? You have such a great eye and sense of style. Everything you choose reads as totally authentic to you. Love that.

Is it the same jacket nr 1-4 and from 5 on???? OMG what a diff lighting makes! Anyway I loved it both ways-but second color in from nr 5-is perfect on your cool self and palette. The unusual pattern & texture makes it a fab maximal item on it's own- but love all your stylings here.. The white jeans are also fab!

What a score. You look great in all versions. I love 5 and 10 most - column of burgundy. How would it look with a column of navy?

Thanks again, all. I'm going to try it with soft denim, as Krish suggests, and also with a column of navy as several of you mentioned. (That one's easy-peasy for me). The trick will be tying the jacket in to my overall look. As Krish astutely mentioned, I'm very much about focussing attention on the silver hair and usually everything I wear these days works to that end. This jacket is the kind of piece I would have worn very easily as a blonde, when taupe was one of my key neutrals (with taupe booties to bookend the look with hair) but it definitely takes a bit more work right now, given what's in my closet. I do think it's worth playing around with, though (at this quality and price!). That's precisely what a wild card is for -- to stretch one's style -- and I will make sure that whatever I buy is workable with the rest of my wardrobe. I could easily incorporate taupe and/or burgundy booties if I buy practical weather proof ones. And any additional item I buy in berry or plum tones or mauve will work really easily into my overall palette of ink, navy, denim blues, white, grey, so it won't be "wasted" on the jacket alone. It's basically a process of creating a small complement for the jacket, while ensuring that it also works with other items in my closet.

I agree that it becomes less "statement" like with lighter blue denim, Krish. I think that is because the soft tones harmonize. Light blue denim and taupes were made for each other.

Lyn, doesn't the lighting make a difference? Huge, I know! I wouldn't have bought it if I thought it was as yellow as in the first photos. It must have looked better IRL though because people were remarking on it positively in the store. Partly due to the fit, I am sure. You don't always get such a great fit in a consignment store.

Kyle, thank you! What sweet things to say. My metallic footwear is now all silver (to work with my hair) and that is too cool toned (I think). But maybe with some experimentation I can get it to work. We'll see.

Janet, I felt like you about the black with the dress...but weirdly, when I had it on, it seemed to work in an intentionally crazy way. IRL the blush tones in the dress harmonize somehow with the pinks and brown.

LaPed -- I'm really torn. I think taupe booties would bookend the jacket better but burgundy would indeed build a complement! Hmmm....I don't think I can justify both at this point, but we'll see.

Staysfit, thank you for those kind words. The move has been a good one for our family. It is easier than it might be because we didn't move our furniture or things -- we rented a furnished place and rented out our own home with furnishings. Also, we have lived in this city before so I already have a circle of friends here. And I do have more professional opportunities in this area also. I miss some friends back in Kingston and my husband and I miss family in Montreal, but apart from that it is all good.

Thank you for the info on those Blondo boots -- that is SUPER helpful.

Suz, I think taupe - MILK the light footwear while you can on the West Coast.

Btw, has it rained all weekend? The sun only JUST came out here. But it will rain again....

Angie, it rained all day yesterday but Friday was GORGEOUS and I was outside for hours. Sun's out now...supposed to hide again soon.

And look what I just ordered! I love the Blondo Elvira bootie so much in black. I discovered it also comes in a taupe suede. So I'm duplicating in that colour. It's the perfect heel height for me, very stable, waterproof, and easy to wear with jeans and with casual skirts/ dresses. I love the pointy toe. I also like the height which is neither tall like my sock booties, nor super short. It works with full length or cuffed or cropped pants. It's hard to judge the exact colour but it looks like a medium toned soft greige, which will work with the jacket and maybe even tie the jacket to my hair. Crossing fingers.

What a great find! The jacket is gorgeous.

I like it best with the denim and the plum tones. My least fave was with the black-and-white dress--the color palettes seemed too different or something?

I hope the new booties work. If not, maybe wear the jacket to a large shoe store (like a DSW) to try on various colors of shoe, even if you dislike the styles. Then you might get an idea for what color looks best, and you can go from there.

It's funny how sometimes the color of a particular item can require a whole new color of shoes, etc. But that can make the item extra fun and different.

Suz I was just going to suggest taupe Blondos!! I LOVE my Blondos, and they are spot on for the west coast climate. I have a taupe pair I rarely wear; I wish I could give them to you, what size are you?
I love the jacket with the denim shirt. The scarf looks great too. These are all gorgeous though.

Helena, that's so sweet. But I just ordered. For future reference...Shoe size 6.5 or 7 -- best is an EU 37. I usually buy a 7 in boots if buying US sizes, just so I can put an insole or thick sock more easily if needed.

Gigi, good plan. If these ones don't work, I can go to a store with the jacket on, or in hand.

Thanks everyone for help!

Love that jacket and it looks great on you! You definitely have the styling down. Wondering if you tried an animal print or stripe?

I am late to this post but love the jacket! So fun to find a great item at a thrift store that fits so beautifully. My favorites are the berry looks and the blue denim. I definitely think taupe booties will expand the possibilities too.

I have also been reining in loose tunics with fitted blazers—you get a waist without the discomfort. Love it over pants. And Sheila also thriftshops successfully on your coast: http://sheilaephemera.blogspot.com/. What a treat!

I love dresses and florals, so I would go for outfit 18 and 19. However, I think outfit 14 and 15 look best on you. Simplicity is always beauty.