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How to Style a Shacket (Women): Fit, Five Outfits and Wearing It Under a Coat

“A shacket looks styled the moment you stop treating it like a big shirt and start treating it like a jacket. That means something underneath it, something structured on your legs, and a fit that has room for a jumper.”Her take

What is a shacket, and how should it fit?

A shacket, or shirt jacket, is cut like a shirt but made from a heavier fabric: wool blends, brushed check, corduroy, moleskin, quilted cotton or faux suede. It is meant to be worn as an outer layer in mild weather and as a mid layer in the cold.

Try it on over the thickest jumper you plan to wear with it. The shoulder seam can sit 2-3cm past your natural shoulder, the sleeves should reach your wrist bone with your arms bent, and you should be able to button it without the fabric pulling across your chest. If it is tight over a knit, size up.

Five outfits that work

Start with a neutral or check shacket and these combinations cover most of the week.

• Weekend: a white T-shirt, straight-leg jeans, the shacket open, and loafers or trainers.
• Cold day: a fine roll-neck, dark jeans tucked into knee boots, the shacket open with a wool scarf.
• Smart-casual: a cream knit, wide-leg tailored trousers, the shacket belted at the waist with a leather belt.
• With a dress: a knitted midi dress, the shacket open over it, ankle boots and opaque tights.
• Off-duty: black leggings, a long-line jumper, the shacket open over it and chunky trainers or boots.

How to wear a shacket with leggings

Leggings need length on top. Choose a shacket that falls to mid-thigh, and wear it over a long top or jumper so the layers cover your hips. Thick, matt leggings look more deliberate than thin or shiny ones.

Finish with substantial footwear: chunky trainers, lug-sole ankle boots or knee-high boots. Ballet flats tend to make the outfit look as though you were heading to the gym and changed your mind.

Can you wear a shacket for work?

Yes, if the office is smart-casual and the shacket is in a plain, refined fabric: wool blend in camel, navy, grey or chocolate, rather than a loud check or quilting. Wear it like a blazer over a fine knit or silky blouse with tailored trousers and loafers.

Keep the collar flat and the cuffs neat, and leave the front open or button it fully. Half-buttoned looks undone in an office.

How to wear a shacket under a coat in winter

From late November, a shacket becomes a mid layer. Wear it over a thin knit and under a long, straight wool coat or a parka. Check that your coat sleeves have room: thick shacket cuffs can bunch inside a slim coat sleeve.

Let a few centimetres of the shacket show below a cropped jacket, or keep it fully hidden under a long coat. Matching the colour of the shacket to your scarf ties the layers together.

Styling a shacket on a curvy figure

Wear it open, so it creates a long vertical line down the front, and pick a length that stops either at the high hip or at mid-thigh, rather than at the widest point of your hips. A belt at your natural waist, worn over a buttoned shacket, adds shape.

Choose softer, flatter fabrics such as brushed wool or fine cord over thick quilting, and avoid oversized chest pockets with flaps if you are full-busted.

Questions people ask

The takeaway

Size it for a jumper, wear it like a jacket, keep the hem at the hip or mid-thigh, and move it under a coat when winter arrives.

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