Bolero
This is a light, extremely cropped jacket meant to be worn open. The styles are varied enough so that some can be paired with a dressy evening gown, others with a casual top.
Chanel-Style Jacket
A boxy-cut, button-up jacket, most recognizable in tweed.
Corseted Blazer
The bodice of this blazer contains a torso-hugging band often reinforced with boning inserted into the stiff fabric. When closed, the blazer helps define the waist.
Denim-Style Jacket
Usually made from cotton denim, this style, hemmed to hit at the waist, features two front-buttoned pockets on the chest and two slanted pockets above the hip area.
Cropped Jacket
This jacket's hem hits just above your natural waist.
High-Stance Blazer
A blazer in which the top closure fastens around the bust or higher.
Low-Stance Blazer
A blazer in which the top closure fastens below the bust or lower.
Mandarin Collar
Like the Asian collar from which the style is adapted, this is a short band collar that runs an inch or two straight up the neck, with a notch in the center that may or may not close with a button.
Military Jacket
This casual jacket can take on a variety of military-inspired embellishments, such as epaulets, oversize buttons and pockets.
Peacoat
This is a hip-length jacket with a wide-notch collar featuring a double-breasted closure, in which one flap of fabric completely crosses over another and attaches with a double row of buttons on the front of the coat.
Peplum Jacket
This style tapers in snugly to waist, with a flounce flaring out toward the hips.
Princess-Seam Blazer
These seams are curved, form-fitting seams running down the right and left sides of the coat, mimicking the hourglass shape.
Shawl Collar
Instead of using a separate piece of fabric for the collar, this style features one continuous piece of fabric that folds over at the neck in one elegant line.
Bradley Bayou's guide to skirts
