“The one that got away” for me last fall was a short COS wool swing jacket hanging on the sale rack. I tried it on a few times (it was a little roomy) and ultimately passed, not realizing what a unicorn piece it was!
Fast forward a year later, I come across this cropped swingy jacket on Amazon (FYI: shipping time now looks pretty long) and order it with low expectations. While it’s no COS jacket, it definitely scratches my itch for this look I’ve been admiring on European fashionistas! See my review below, and I’d still love to find a wool blend version that’s higher quality and petite friendly, so let me know if you have any recs!
For this particular look, I wanted to show how to subtly transform budget-friendly basics into an outfit that feels current and chic. Starting with a simple tee shirt and trouser combo:
1. Start with good basics
Looking at cut, fabric, and color, these Uniqlo trousers remain an excellent basic for the price point. The cut is classic, the fabric is pretty good and not very wrinkle prone, and it comes in a variety of versatile neutral colors. Importantly for petites, I also took advantage of the optional free hemming online and in-store.
The waist sizing runs a little smaller than brands like Ann Taylor / LOFT – my waist measures ~25″ around and the xxs is very snug on me, while the xs is a bit loose. I went with the xs for comfort! The original inseam was about 28,” and I got these hemmed to a 27” inseam to wear with mid heels.
2. Sandwich Style
When undecided about shoes and accessories, my default is the stylist favorite “sandwich method” where you match a component from the top and bottom of your outfit. Here, I did a darker neutral tee and shoes as the sandwich “bread,” and a contrast lighter colored pant in…
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