in partnership with Zappos
LAZER CUT PEACH DRESS | CREAM LEATHER JACKET | SIMILAR FRINGE SANDALS
I love getting dressed up in something fancy for a nice dinner date or event. Now that the nights are starting to cool off, that means that I’ll also have to throw on a jacket at some point in the evening. I’m usually sweating in my bedroom trying to get ready for a date and always hesitate about bringing a jacket. I’ve tried so many times to go out without a jacket on a fall night (especially when we lived up in Utah), and I always ended up cold and miserable. But sometimes it’s hard to have to cover up a pretty dress! Now there is nothing that kills a great dress faster than the wrong jacket. If they aren’t paired correctly, that pretty dress could end up getting hidden or take a back seat to the jacket.
I’m obviously not suggesting to get a jacket to wear specifically for one dress, but I do have a few tips on things to look for when pairing a jacket with a nice dress.
- Let one piece do the talking: If your dress is patterned (or has intricate detail like my dress), pair a solid colored jacket with it. If you have a gorgeous bright jacket or one that demands attention, opt for a simple black dress to wear under it. Either way, make it clear who the hero piece of the look is. If they aren’t properly balanced, both the dress and the jacket could end up looking over the top and loud instead of understated and sophisticated.
- Mimic the scale of the jacket to the scale of the dress: If you are wearing a loose shift dress, pair it with a knee length pea coat or looser trench coat. If it’s a body-con dress, go for a shorter leather jacket, or something that fits a little more snug so that your curves are still accentuated.
- Think about fabric quality: I always try and pair a jacket that has similar quality fabric to my dress. If the dress is made out of higher quality fabric like silk, I opt for a wool pea coat so that the fabrics match in quality. A black leather jacket would pair perfectly with a thick Ponte knit dress, and a lighter casual cotton voile dress would pair best with a casual denim jacket. If you wouldn’t wear sneakers with your cocktail dress, remember to bump up your jacket quality too!
I searched for a while on Zappos for the right jacket to pair with this dress. I ended up ordering 2 jackets to try on with the dress. The free fast shipping and returns always make it well worth it for me to place a quick order online and send back any items that don’t end up working.
Here’s to warm jackets and cool autumn nights!
