Whether you’re at Macy’s or your favorite consignment shop, always remember to check the fit in these critical areas:
Shoulder line. The shoulder line of any jacket should meet the edge of your shoulders. For the most accurate gauge of overall fit, wear a top of the same weight you’ll wear underneath most often. Be sure to look for tailored features such as a nipped waist, vertical seams, or panels that shape the jacket and give a skimming fit.
Reach. Can you raise your arms without tightness through the shoulders and back? If not, go up a size. If a jacket pitches forward or rolls back on your shoulders as you move, put it back on the rack. The fit will never be right--you‘ll look like you‘re wearing a sack.
Stance. Stance is a tailoring term for the meeting point of the lapel and buttons. Most women of average height or taller look fabulous in a one or two-button jacket because it creates a longer line. The deep “V” draws the eye up and down and flatters a full bustline. Shorter women and petites appear taller in a higher stance--at mid-chest--with small or medium width lapels and with three- or four-button styles.
Length. Universally flattering jacket lengths include cropped (not shrunken) at or just below the waist, at the high hip to hipbone, at an inch below your bottom, and at fingertip length, meaning where your fingertips rest on your thigh when you stand with your arms relaxed and straight at your side. Any jacket that ends at the widest point of your hips should go back on the rack regardless how flattering the color or how much of a bargain. The jacket hem will draw the eye to that point and visually expand the area.
Now you've got the info you need to choose a jacket that will add to your chic-ness. Go forth and pick a topper as pretty as the first blossoms of the season. You'll look marvelous!
