It’s that time of year when we begin to head off from spring into the heat.  It’s a shame that we don’t have long springs anymore.  Spring and Autumn are fleeting and it’s the Winter/Summer mix that goes to the extreme.

Yeah.  What does this tell you about our extreme weather?

And when it comes to outwear for the warmer weather….well, I’m not much of a cardigan sweater wearer because they feel cumbersome over a shirt and if I wear a cardigan only over my bra, the buttons gap and it isn’t very attractive.

The J. Crew Jackie Cardigan.  I have this and it is packed away to donate.  As much as I wanted to love this and other lady-like cardigan sweaters, they do nothing for me. NOTHING!  I’m confinced that one needs to be between 80 and 90 pounds and 5 feet ten to wear a cardigan successfully over a button down or any shirt.  And my 36 C’s aren’t huge but they aren’t cardigan-wearing friendly either.  This is a no-no for me!

When I traveled to Cincinnati two weeks ago, it dawned on me that it could have very well been the last time I wore my navy wool Schoolboy blazer until the arrival of crisp weather come October.

What I wore at work before leaving for Cincy from Philly.  Quite possibly the last wool blazer day until commencing next October!  

Ok..so I’m not wearing a sweater and the wool blazer will be hanging up for a while.

If a chill is in the air—or if the weather is a bit drizzly what’s the solution?

The Denim Jacket!

That’s right!  The Denim Jacket to the rescue!

Yes!  The Denim Jacket is the perfect choice of outwear for those early autumn/spring days when the temperature is warm but not hot.  And yes.  I wear a trench coat for those rainy office days but otherwise, the denim jacket is my outerwear of choice.

In my varied collection of clothing, I have two denim jackets.  Both have been staples for a few years now.

The first one, a dark denim number by G.H. Bass was purchased some years back at the G.H. Bass Factory Outlet in Limerick.  While my intent was finding a pair of cordovan loafers, I ended up drawn to a cute, fitted number hanging on a rack.  At the sale price of $29.99 it was a great choice and has pockets!

The darker-wash denim jacket.  And with pockets no less!  This was a great price at the G.H. Bass Factory Outlet and it’s worn on a regular basis.

The second one, lighter in both color and fabric, is a great denim jacket by Kut From the Kloth.  This jacket was introduced to me by my daughter, Oona maybe three or four years back.  She found out about it from a blogger she follows and I was fortunate enough to find it on sale at Nordstrom!

This jacket has stretch which makes it flattering as all get-out and the light weight truly makes it an all-season beauty.

The second, a lighter version by Kut From the Kloth.  While it lacks pockets it makes up for a perfect fit and the stretch gives it an incredibly flattering fit!

Let’s take a look at a few ways I style these jackets—shall we?

First of all, some styling advice.  It’s my unprofessional opinion if you are going to invest in a denim jacket–invest in two.  One darker and one in a lighter wash.  You’ll see what I mean as you scroll down.  The other.  I never wear denim-on-denim.  No denim jacket with a pair of denim jeans.  My only exception is a blue denim jacket with white denim shorts or a skirt.  I’m even a bit iffy on white denim jeans.  So here goes it…

Beginning this time of year, later spring into summer,  the jeans and pants go into hibernation and the dresses come out.  Here’s a cute sleeveless dress.  It’s a cotton/linen blend by Cynthia Rowley that I picked up at TJ Maxx for less than $25.  But it’s too early to go sleeveless and not hot enough to wear sleeveless on its own.  Thus the beauty of a denim jacket.  This dress with the darker jacket, a pair of wedges and a cross-body bag make a perfect look for casual days or evenings.  Running errands,  a lunch date ..or what have you.  I love the look.  AND…I like the darker denim with the lighter colored dress…

Same dress.  Same jacket but a slightly dressier look.  Going out to dinner but want to dress the look up a bit more?  Take off the wedges, change into heels and carry a bag to match.  The casual vibe of the jacket is there but with a dressier and edgier look. I LOVE this and the Nine West shoes match the Nat et Nin bag I picked up in Paris years ago!

Another casual look.  Ummm Chippy wouldn’t leave the dress alone.  I figured out that I hadn’t washed it since last summer and I didn’t wash it when I unpacked it from storage so it smelled like me (I’m so full of myself to think this..right?) and that’s why he wouldn’t leave it.  Or…he was hungry and he loves to munch on fabric!  ANYWAY….the lighter jacket is worn with a darker dress.  This dress is my favorite summer dress.  Purchased at Old Navy maybe three years ago for ten bucks. It’s been worn on constant rotation, washed tons of times and still looks great!  I paired the dress with a darker wedge heel.

A darker wedge than the ones in the photo of the lighter dress.  I’m coming around to wearing wedge heels–I’ve found a couple that are narrow-foot friendly!

The summer office-casual.  The office that I work in is pretty casual and during the summer, the A/C is at full blast–making a denim jacket a near-necessity!  Here I have the Kut From the Kloth jacket over a  J. Crew Factory shift dress that’s..OMG..maybe six or seven years old!  As the dress is short, I wear it with flat sandals..a great casual office look!

Here we have some casual suiting!  A white tee,  the dark denim GH Bass jacket worn with navy J. Crew Cameron pants and pointy-toed heels make this a good choice for a casual office look for early Spring/early Autumn.  Too warm for a wool blazer but too cool to not wear something.  Somehow this evokes a casual professional look–dontja think?

It is no secret that I’m a fan of the maxi dress.  I call it lazy dressing because if you didn’t shave your legs or fake-tan.  Here’s your answer.  And the dark maxi with the lighter jacket and wedge heels really give a great look without trying too hard.  Effortless casual!

Here we go!  A light gray maxi with the dark jacket.  See what I mean?  The contrast is attractive! And the jackets stand out against a constrasting fabric.  It’s not what you are wearing but it’s HOW you are wearing it!

So that’s it.  And one thing I would like to add.  Do NOT, and I repeat–DO NOT allow anyone to tell you that wearing a denim jacket is not age-appropriate.  You are pro-aging.  The denim jacket is as classic as that wool blazer.  And have fun mixing it up a bit!

How do YOU style your denim jacket?  Let’s start a conversation about this–add to the comments!

Today’s look!  A Flat lay come to life!  J. Crew pixie pants, a white tee, a polka-dotted scarf and the dark denim!  It’s perfect for this rainy day!