If you like the trapeze jacket look, but you’re battling to find a shape that’s flattering, you might find these guidelines helpful:

• Length – it’s extremely important to get the length of this jacket right. The style is best when it grazes your hipbone. Going shorter can also work, but going longer can be tricky unless you have the body type (hour-glass, inverted-triangle or rectangle). If this style hits you on the wrong part of your thighs, it’s going to look dumpy. If you’re short waisted, try the petites department even if you don’t usually shop there.
• Tailoring – swing jackets have to fit snugly on the shoulders. You’ll end up with a sloppy shoulder if they don’t. Strong shoulder lines are essential for a flattering A-line silhouette.
• Sleeve width – opt for a sleeve that’s three quarter length and not as voluminous. This will add structure to your frame.
• Slightly swing – choose a style that swings out subtly and is not as wide at the torso.
• Keep it plain – select a fairly streamlined and basic version instead of a style that’s yoked, gathered and printed.

The trapeze jacket is not the best style for women with large bust lines. Well endowed woman still look best when they maximize the shape of their waistlines. I have been able to make A-line jackets work for this body type if I adhere to the guidelines above and keep the style unbuttoned to emphasize a long vertical line. Busty ladies can also opt for trapeze styles with V or scooped necklines (Icy hit the nail on the head with her suggestion yesterday).

All three of these Trapeze jacket styles are hipbone-grazing or shorter, streamlined and tailored. I can personally vouch for the yellow style on the left, which I own and is particularly flattering.

A-line trapeze jackets (or swing jackets) were fringe fashion a year ago, but today they’re mainstream. After an unflattering 80’s shoulder-pads plus boxy-jacket phase, designers and style gurus reverted back to glamour and encouraged ultra-feminine, body skimming looks instead. For two decades our eyes re-adapted to this forever flattering hour-glass silhouette. Until recently, that is, when swingy jackets flooded the retail market and caught us by surprise.

The new style is compared to a classic tailored jacket in the pictures below. Trapeze jackets can be described as “boxy” because they don’t cinch in at the waist, but they’re not what I’d call “bad 80’s boxy”. This is still a tailored jacket, which makes the look more reminiscent of the elegant 40’s decade. It’s a nice new style if you can find the right jacket for your body type. For many, the new boxy style is unappealing because it’s more flattering to wear a jacket that’s tailored at the waist (especially if you’re well endowed).

I will write more on the selection criteria soon, but in the meantime it would be great to hear your thoughts. Which style do you prefer? Has your eye adapted to the new look? Are you wearing it?

A roomy, emerald green trapeze jacket (left) and a tailored grey, polka dot style (right) represent your new and classic jacket silhouettes this season (both from Tulle). If you love the new trapeze style, there is certainly room for both in your wardrobe.

Look no further because you have excellent and affordable options. Wide Widths boasts the largest selection of wide calf boot styles on the Internet. The knee-high and calf-high boots on this site are especially good for women whose calf measurements are from 16 to 18 inches. They ship internationally, stock up to a size 13 and carry extra-wide foot sizes. They don’t offer a Zappos-like breadth of styles, but their focused choices are timeless, tasteful and current. Thank you Moviegirlerica for sharing this information. It’s nice to know that you were happy with their helpful and efficient service. I’ve popped a few of my favourite styles below.

Cube, Grant. Kiersten and Jerry - wide styles from Wide Widths.

You may have heard of a British online clothing site called Boden. The Euro brand specializes in clean-cut casual and smart casual clothing with a playful twist, for men, women, children and babies. The collections are usually colourful, somewhat sophisticated and a dash sporty. Boden ships directly from the UK to America and you’re able to get most of what they sell online. Shipping is at a flat rate of $10 and returns are handled through their Florida office (so you won’t need to ship back to the UK). The sizes are British and they take about 2 weeks to deliver. Their prices and quality are in line with Banana Republic, which makes their catalog well worth a look.

Euro-brand Boden is sure to offer you a feast of colour each season.

The bright colours that we were promised in Spring and Summer seem to have found their way through to Autumn. Albeit a little late, I’m not complaining. Fuchsia, raspberry, magenta and good old shocking pink are back with a vengeance this season. Pink is another 80’s flashback that you’re either going to embrace or abhor. The bright hue is beautiful with basics like black, grey and winter white.

I’m personally a little off pink matched with brown. It’s looking a dash tired, but a pretty combination nonetheless. Try hot pink matched with purple, burnt orange or one of the other jewel tones instead if you’re after a bold and daring look. Two brights don’t make a wrong. If you can’t go head to toe in the colour, then punctuate an outfit with a fuchsia accent instead. It’s the perfect way of adding the fashion element to a modern classic style.

Apart from a handful of ultra-high fashion and cutting edge styles, it’s all about 3 mainstream denim silhouettes this season:

1. Wide-legs: also known as “un-skinnies”, these jeans are dramatic and elegant. They’re good for tall pretty pears and are best worn with a heel if you don’t have height. Trouser versions of wide-legged jeans are particularly classy and versatile. They’re most flattering when they’re slim on the thigh and flared at the hem. Ultra-wide styles that are wide on the thigh tend to make you look wider. Remember that you need to keep it fitted on top if you add volume on the bottom. If you don’t, you’ll loose that long lean line.
2. Skinnies: stove pipes and straighter legs remain a favourite for tunics and longer length tops. They’re the best option when adding volume on top with sack dresses and trapeze silhouettes.
3. Bootcuts: this forever flattering denim style has become a classic. You’ll still look fab wearing a great pair of bootcuts if skinnies and wide-legs don’t tickle your fancy. Don’t believe what the magazines tell you, bootcuts aren’t out.

Pick and choose the jeans that work best for your body type and look. If you’re a denim girl at heart, you’ll enjoy the different moods that all 3 denim styles provide.

Wide-legs, skinnies and bootcuts. The perfect complement for denim girls this season.

It’s hard to find comfortable shoes, and even harder to find stylish casual flats that aren’t “athletically inspired”. Finding practical and sweet looking shoes that work for situations like looking after small children, commuting on foot, running errands, sight-seeing and shopping, remains a challenge. While there are an abundance of fancy flats and casual flats around, only a handful end up being truly comfortable. Below is an assortment of flat “8-hour” Autumn shoes that have been put through their paces by either myself or my clients. The styles are closed and therefore perfect for crisp Autumn days.

The items come in an assortment of colours so be sure to follow the links if these shades don’t tickle your fancy. Natural Comfort is now available at Nordstrom and right now the Naturalizers are on sale at Macy’s in a whole slew of colours.

Choosing the correct transitional accessories for your ensemble as your wardrobe moves from Summer to Autumn is a quick and inexpensive route to go. Some ideas:

• Scarf: This was the most popular bridging item that I saw people wearing when we lived in France. I was amazed at how the scarf (worn in the same manner as in the picture below) was the first “clothing item” that you’d see adorning outfits as temperatures started to cool. While I would gravitate towards a cardigan or jacket, in Paris it’s all about wearing the scarf before you wear the cardigan or jacket. Add a beautiful bulky scarf to a fairly plain ensemble and look like a Parisian.
• Hat: Headgear is particularly popular in Europe and is often worn together with a scarf before the addition of a jacket. Sporting a scarf along with the hat is not a necessity – hats can make quite a statement on their own.
• Closed shoes: Storing your sandals and adding closed shoes to your outfits (like the new Oxford) is an easy change. However, adding hose to peep-toe shoes is also a trendy look and good for Autumn.
• Hose: Whether it’s hose or leggings, add them to existing skirts and dresses and change the mood of your outfit. Ribbed, patterned, coloured, opaque or sheer, they’ll all work depending on the level of drama that you want to create. It’s very fashionable to add black opaque tights and heels to a Summery dress at the moment.
• Handbag: Switch back to your “cold weather” bag if you chose to keep your handbag selection to a complement of 3. Structured bags are a good choice for Autumn because they denote a level of seriousness that somehow works with the turning of the season. Away with whimsical wicker and onto solemn fun.

I can’t stress enough how “accessories” make the outfit. They remain one of the most effective ways to accomplish a stylish appearance.

Scarfs and hats are ideal ways of adding the Autumn touch to an existing outfit.

I giggle every time I hear the word “vest”. Where I come from a vest is an undergarment, and the thing I’m talking about in this post is called a “waistcoat”. (Of course, this isn’t quite as funny as the time in France when I told my hairdresser that I loved her pants, only to discover after much hilarity in the salon that thanks to my broken French, I had complimented her underwear.)

Waistcoats, or vests, traditionally make up the third piece in a mens three-piece suit and are once again all the rage for women this season. This androgynous trend was rampant in the ‘80’s, popular last year, and is even bigger right now. Waistcoats are absolutely perfect over a white shirt, matched with wide-leg pinstripe slacks and Oxford shoes. But funk things up little and wear a waistcoat over all sorts of Summer blouses, collared shirts and knitted tops. They’ll even work over the odd Summer dress. Think laterally with your outfits and add an eclectic edge to your Summer look with a Winter waistcoat.

Tailored waistcoats or vests with crisp white shirts make for a sassy business casual look. Short sleeved shirts and blouses will work just as well.

Adding a cardigan is one way of layering up Summer dresses, but there are more interesting options if you have the right pieces. Here’s how to create the look:

• Pop a shirt, blouse or better-end knitted T-shirt under a plain-ish dress (sheath, A-line, sack or empire). I’ve used a black sack dress to illustrate below, but you could experiment with a subtle pattern. Jersey dresses will also work if they stand away from the body from the waist down. Dresses that cling will show through the extra layer which is not ideal.
• Add the right jacket. This is a little trickier then you might expect. An ultra cropped jacket (like a bolero) or knee–length trench will work over most dress styles and won’t look frumpy. Anything else you’ll need to test buttoned and unbuttoned and judge whether it works.
• Cinch in your waist with a wide belt for an extra bit of shape and sass.
• Finish it off with leggings and you’ll have an updated look for Autumn.

These versatile layering options are the perfect way of adding a new dimension to your office look if you’re stuck in a pants rut. They can be interpreted in a modern-classic or trendy manner depending on your fashion persona.

A black of-the-moment sack dress and various layering options – blouses, a shirt and a knitted top.