Coverups are cropping up, in more ways than one, across chic shops in Chicago.
As capes beget capelets, sweaters shrink into shrugs and ponchos of summer give rise to pixie versions for fall, Q asks:
Can grown women wear them without looking ridiculous? Are they worthy of the wind in the city we live in?
“Without a doubt,” answers Gregg Andrews, Midwest fashion director of Nordstrom, to both questions.
“This whole trend toward shoulder coverings is the evolution of the pashmina,” he said.
They work on women of any size, any age. They’re an instant update and don’t have a lot fit involved, and they come in a huge variety styles, prices and fabrications.”
These aren’t going to replace a coat for Big winters–“No one’s going to wear these to football games,” Elle magazine’s fashion news editor Nicole Phelps allowed.
But a shrink-wrap is more versatile than a Windy City-dweller might think.
“A lot of people think for Chicago weather, it’s just a transition [piece],” said Marlene Burton, owner of Sweet William in Hinsdale.
But you can extend capelets’ mileage by subbing them for a muffler over a coat when winter comes, she said. Once inside, you can check the coat but keep the accessory–for fashion and for insulation.
For those who like warm-and-fuzzy fur or faux fur, Phelps said, a capelet is a much less expensive way to get it than a full coat or jacket.
Bonus points if you buy a capelet or shrug with a detachable brooch. It can migrate to other pieces such as cardi-wraps, satin blouses and shrunken jackets, all of which are hot items for the long, cold season ahead.
– – –
A fall guide
The more volume on top, the leaner your bottom half should be, Nordstrom’s Gregg Andrews suggests. Avoid pairing a voluminous poncho with one of the season’s fuller skirts, he cautions. Think lean jeans.
The shrug, on the other hand, works with everything from jeans to full skirts, Andrews says. “A faux fur shrug would add a lot of ver-satility. Ditch your cardigan and replace it with a shrug.”
A glossary of shopping terms/trends follows.
– Capelet: A mini-cape that falls anywhere from shoulders to waist, with an opening fastened by a brooch or button. (Once it dips below the hipbone, it’s a cape.)
– Poncho: A rectangle of various lengths with a generous hole cut in the center for the head and usually one shoulder. Still trendy for fall.
– Shrug: “It’s like a shrunken cardigan that has a bolero cut,” Andrews said, “so it curves around and under.”
– Stole: A rectangular piece of fabric or fur. Elle’s Nicole Phelps thinks “Mamie Eisenhower.” “The term feels a little dated to me,” she said.
Andrews agrees that stoles fall into the classic category.
“If you’re looking for an update, going into holiday, the capelet is a great alternative to a traditional wrap.”
