Five ways to wear it - Charleston Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Avoiding a fashion rut can be challenging, especially when you purchase a signature piece outside of your normal repertoire. This could be a jacket in a nontraditional cut or a pair of trousers in one of the bright, new seasonal colors.

It is easy to walk into a store and buy a pre-assembled look, carefully styled by a salesclerk on a mannequin to match a ubiquitous look sent down from headquarters.

The challenge comes in how to work that piece into your regular wardrobe when you get home. Do you leave it as a one-outfit wonder, or do you try to get your money's worth by working the piece into your regular rotation?

Everyone knows how to make a pair of black slacks work in several different looks, but lots of people become stymied when the wardrobe piece is outside of their standard core look. That leaves many great pieces of clothing relegated to the monotony of only one look.

This week, the WV Style Team has taken on the challenge of helping women break out of the fashion box. With one piece, five women -- and the patient staff of South Charleston's Target store -- set out on a mission: Take one of this season's hot new jackets and make it work on five women with very different tastes and distinct body types.

The piece chosen was Xhilaration's blood-red faux leather jacket, $39.99 at Target. The goal was to build an outfit from the ground up that incorporated the jacket and reflected each person's personal style.

Here's how five members of the WV Style Team chose to wear the Xhilaration jacket.

First up, Jen Wood Cunningham. Jen called her look "fiercely casual." She dressed up the jacket with a pair of skinny, printed jeans and a pair of bright mustard-color heels from the clearance rack at Target.

Jen said, "This look is a bit pricey if you purchase all of the items at once. But I might purchase the jacket and jeans with the clearance shoes in one trip, and pair it with a camisole and jewelry that I have at home. If you already own a great fall-color bag, you wouldn't need the yellow cross-body purse. It is great to buy things in phases and/or pair them with things you already have in your closet."