Winter Jackets- The Right Fit with Classic Kennedy

As much as I love fashion, giving advice on how a person should dress for their Body Type, this is not my expertise and I will never claim it to be. However Kayla Kennedy from ClassicKennedy, is just that person and that’s why I wanted you all to meet her! Kayla’s expertise is fashion and showing us how to bring out our inner lady. Her taste is sophisticated, fun and modern and not to mention she is gorgeous with poise and confidence that reminds me a bit of Joan Harris’s character from Mad Men.

So with that introduction, Kayla is going to be helping out the readers of C&C dress for both their specific body types and that evolving style that seems to happen as we mature. Today we’re talking winter coats and how to find just the right fit for your body type, but make sure you check back in the following weeks because this girl has some great tips and pointers! So without further adieu, let’s talk outerwear…

“Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.”

~Coco Chanel

If you think about it we live in our coats in Canada from October to April. That’s about 210 days! If your coat is the only thing people see you in for seven months of the year, don’t be forgettable and boring. It’s about first impressions so why not wow everyone in a memorable coat loaded with personality? I say bring on the colour, the shine, the pattern, and the drama! A fashion coat doesn’t just make your outfit; it is your outfit!

I believe that having just one coat these days is as sad as having just one bra! Multiple coats are essential for the grown-up wardrobe. The trick when it comes to buying a coat is making sure it makes you look fit and not fat. So I say be picky when shopping for a coat. (Fabrics, shape, cut, length, colour etc.)

If you’re unsure where to start looking, almost all women look best in a knee-length coat, so start there! When picking out the shape, fit and structure of your coat, choose a style that fits your widest area and your smallest, too. For example, women with a large chest who are small in the shoulders don’t need extra shoulder width. Or women with a big booty need the ease of a back vent or a coat that has volume at the bottom, but they may not need that volume on top.  Let your coat do the work for you. The right one should shape you into an hourglass and give you a longer and leaner look.

If you are a classic pear shape body (A shape), then your hips and thighs are larger than your shoulders and your bust. So the mission is to create a sense of balance between your lower and upper half.  You can do this two ways. 1) By increasing the width of your upper half so it becomes as wide as your bottom half. 2) compress your lower half so it’s as trim as your top half. (What one you choose really depends on your size.)

If you are an O Body Shape~ get rid of your oversized, big-shouldered jackets that you’ve been storing away in your closet since the 80’s. Not only do these jackets date you, they make you look big, baggy and shapeless. Throughout the years the jacket category in fashion has exploded with so many variations on classics and a lot more feminine styles have come into play. Try to avoid cropped jackets, you will find jackets that fall no shorter than the hip bone flatter most a 3/4 length can really work.

For a V body type defined by where your shoulders are wider than your hips,  jackets can end at the hip bone or below. Collarless jackets or a modified collar such as mandarin style work well with a V shape.

And for those with an X body type (hourglass figure),  coats should end above the knee if you don’t have long legs. Look for ones with discrete pockets in the seams of the jacket and are fitted at the waist to accentuate proportion on the top and bottom.

Thanks so much to Kayla for her fantastic post! To follow her or get in touch you can find her lovely website and facebook page here:

~Website: www.classickennedy.com

~Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ClassicKennedy