Fashion Tips For Women - Get Blazers

Tips For Blazer Shopping

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

I recently heard that the biggest trend in women's clothing is blazers. I don't own any blazers so if they're really as popular as I'm hearing, I guess I better go out and get one! Why are they so popular? And can you give me any tips for blazer shopping?

Sincerely,

Buy Me a Blazer

A:

Dear Buy Me a Blazer,

The best thing about a blazer is that it immediately dresses up an outfit and changes the entire demeanor of an outfit. A skirt and blouse is immediately much more professional when a blazer is added. The same is true with a pair of trousers and a top -- when a blazer is added, the look goes from casual to impressive. You can get away without a suit if you have a good blazer, and you can pair it with skirts, trousers, and even a pair of jeans for a party or a date or a day of shopping.

Tips for shopping for blazers:

Fit is the most important rule for blazer shopping. A good blazer and one that will win you the impression you're looking to make will fit in the shoulders, waist, across the chest and tummy (without bunching or pulling) and will be the correct length at the wrists in the sleeve length and the correct length at the hips.

A double breasted blazer is less fashionable now, but it is very flattering -- more so than the single breasted blazer. If you're going for a single breasted blazer, fit is even more important, because there is no draping. Make sure the lapels are not too wide or narrow.

Fabric should be seasonal. Wool is great for fall and winter. Linen is perfect for summer. Corduroy is only good in fall and winter, and is less popular in urbane settings than it is on campus. Do not ever attempt to machine wash your blazer. Splurge for the dry cleaner. You'll get a lot more life and good wear out of a blazer that is well cared for.

No matter what you’re wearing, and whether it’s dressy or casual, there are some basic rules that make sense to adhere to.

Basic rules when wearing blazers:

* Clothes must fit well. If they don’t, don’t buy them or get to a tailor, pronto.

* Never wear dirty clothes.

* Wrinkled clothes look sloppy–iron them or get them professionally pressed.

* Maintain your wardrobe and keep clothing in good repair (no holes, frayed seems, unraveling hems, etc.).

Trends in blazers:

Paris Hilton set a big blazer trend when she left jail, and was photographed wearing jeans, high heels and a short sleeved, green blazer, with her hair pulled back and no makeup. That blazer she wore told the world, THIS is what I want to wear the second I get to have my freedom and dump that lousy orange jumpsuit! I mean, that woman could have worn anything she wanted from an evening gown to a bikini -- she had the resources to wear anything -- and what she wore told the world that blazers were respectable, youthful, and her first choice of attire upon attaining freedom.

Watch for more young people than ever wearing blazers in more fabrics and colors than ever. The blazer has hit the big time among the Generations X, Y and Z.

Blazers in and out of the workplace:

The blazer is a fashion staple. How you wear it and with what you wear it will take your blazer from casual to board room. A navy blazer with a crisp white blouse and pearls will admit you to any White House function on the Hill. A yellow wool blazer that is well made and well fitted with a pair of great jeans, terrific heels and good makeup, will get you into a night club with a velvet rope. The blazer spells serious business -- whether it's boardroom business or important person in society business -- more quickly than any title or income level can be quoted.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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