Frockadvisor: revere the jacket

I have a favourite black jacket that I need to replace, what’s the best one out there?

Firstly, sit down; Frockadvisor wants to have a little chat. You love your favourite jacket, that’s why it’s now threadbare and bin-bound. You love the shape and the little details; you love how it fits your body while accepting that, stylistically, it belies its years of service. Now, let it go. So many times we try to replicate our experiences, to the stitch, looking in vain for the twin of a previous love. We know it doesn’t work that way, not with a lover, not with a jacket.

So, let’s build it up again. What makes a perfect black jacket? It is a true friend and a multi-tasking wardrobe superstar. What we’re looking for is a strong and uncompromising silhouette. Teamed with a killer pencil skirt, the shoulder line will trump at boardroom level or, worn with jeans, a school-gate diva as she reverses her monstrosity into your personal space.

What of the sleeve? It should be delicately moulded around the arm, not too much fabric, and yet not too little. Irish women hate the feeling of restriction on their upper arms, but remember to go as neat as you can bear as it creates a more slender silhouette and sidesteps the risk of looking like your wearing your man’s jacket. The fabric should have movement, lightness and strength.

Frockadvisor brings you two schools of thought when it comes to styling. For the classic approach, the revere should be deep and lengthening, maximum two buttons, preferably one. For an alternative, yet corporately acceptable option, choose a sharp, grown-up take on a biker jacket, like the Karin jacket by Fenn Wright Manson, €285, from Kilkenny Shop. The zip can be lowered to create the deep revere effect.

Think about how it can accentuate your waist and lengthen your legs. So, the hem should stop at the natural hipbone; see Christian Dior AW13 for optimum proportions. Avoid any embellishment; keep appliqué for soft furnishings. Your jacket should be an exercise in puritanical chic. Imagine a world where you could just photograph your old jacket and ask your favourite stores to find something similar. Be patient, the frockadvisor app is coming.
Stripes seem to a big accent this season. Are they for pre-teens and children's television presenters only?

Two big historical (with a small ‘h’) moments in mainstream fashion stand out as misuse of the stripe. The 1980s, when, inspired by punk, every leg was Pippi Longstockinged, and more recently during the middle-class genocide of the Breton stripe top.

Now don’t get us wrong, everything has its place in a moderate world. The damage is done during the stampede of what Frockadvisor calls a “trend rush”. You know you’re in the grip of a trend rush when you look around the room and at least five other women are adopting what amounts to a standard issue uniform.

But stripes have licked their wounds and re-emerged triumphant.

What we now see is a sophisticated offering that ranges from luxurious broadband stripes at Burberry to a power pinstripe at Stella McCartney.

Frockadvisor loves when trends collide. Pinstripe washes over the mannish trend with ease, creating a fresh look, not bordered by traditional suiting but finding itself planted on shirts and accessories also.

Pinstripe is intrinsically sober and requires its natural stripy counterpart. This comes in the form of the larger than life iconoclastic stripe that turned autumn/winter catwalks into a big top affair. You won’t all have the stomach for these bold excesses. A natural entry point is, as ever, the accessory, sunglasses, shoes, handbags and even linings provide an irreverent accent and a great conversation starter.

Just remember to look around the room and check you’re not in the grip of a trend rush.

For more, see frockadvisor.com