Finding Your Fit: Dress Coats and Down Jackets
Hello, lovelies!
If you’re mourning the end of summer like me, here’s another reason to love fall and winter: these are seasons when we wear coats. Between the zillions of style and fabric options along with the fact that I am always cold (except in the middle of the night, oh the joys of being 45!), coats are second only to dresses when it comes to my favorite articles of clothing. My husband jokes that I need my own coat closet because mine are taking over our joint coat closet in the entryway. Today I’m showing you two coats for nicer and more casual looks: a dress coat and a down jacket.
Dress coats go by many names, including walking coats. I wear my dress coats with dresses or skirts, but they also work well with pants. I bought this ivory coat when we were supposed to be shopping for my sister (not the first time one of us shopping turned into both of us shopping!). She was hunting for an ivory coat and spotted this one in my size. I thought it was so pretty that I made a spontaneous purchase of what ended up being the dress coat I wore most often last year. Style Vault Complete Insiders, you can shop this coat, which also comes in black, in my fall coats collection along with more dress coats in a variety of colors and sizes, including petite and plus options.
When you’re looking at dress coats, be sure they taper in at the waist before they flare out at the bottom. Sometimes as a petite person, clothes that flare, such as coats and dresses, can be too wide at the bottom on me. This can be easily fixed by an alterations person, who will take out some of the fabric along the side seams. Also, make sure you hem your dress coat to just above your kneecaps if you are height-challenged.
As you’ve probably figured out from my other posts, ivory is a color I wear often. I know many people are scared of wearing white and ivory, but I want to encourage you to put aside this fear if you are one of them. While I am generally a clumsy person, I rarely spill things on my ivory clothing. The odds are on your side! Just to be safe, you can keep a stain stick in your purse and suitcase. By the way, did you notice I’m wearing my favorite type of dress under this coat? I'll be writing more about wrap dresses and why they work well for so many body types soon. Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss it!
A down jacket is great for keeping warm; however, many down jackets are not flattering. Down has volume that can appear to widen your figure, and you don’t want to make that worse with a boxy fit or large horizontal stripes. No woman wants to look like the Michelin Man or Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! Cut is important for all clothing but especially styles that can easily be unflattering if you don't know how to buy the right ones.
You want to choose a down jacket that clearly shows that you have a waist. The overall shape of the jacket needs to taper at the middle. Additional details at the waist, such as angled stitching and a belt, can further accentuate your hourglass shape and keep the coat flattering. My fall coats collection has a number of down jacket options, including some in petite and plus sizes.
Most of my coats are neutral colors with a few more vibrant ones, like this down jacket. I wear a lot of neutral-colored clothing so it is easy to mix brighter coats in with my outfits. I highly recommend having coats in a mix of neutral and brighter shades. You just want to think about what else is in your wardrobe when choosing what coat color to buy. Everything doesn’t have to match, but you do want colors that coordinate. Speaking of neutrals, isn’t this such a pretty necklace? Style Vault Insiders, I’ve put it in my fall coats collection for you. You can shop my collection and all our must-haves inside Your Style Vault's Insider membership. Try it for 5 days for free here.
These are two coats that I’ll be wearing frequently this fall. What about you? Please tag me on Instagram so I can see your favorites.
Until next time,
Francie
