Author name: Pearl Fontaine

A puffer jacket is the warmest thing in most winter closets — and the easiest to style badly. In winter

A wool coat is the most expensive-looking thing most closets own — and the one most often undermined by what

A denim jacket is the layer everyone owns and almost everyone styles on autopilot — thrown over whatever, sleeves unconsidered,

A leather jacket is the hardest-working third piece in a fall wardrobe — and the easiest to make look like

A cardigan is the easiest layer to reach for and the easiest one to get wrong. Worn open and shapeless

A blazer is the piece that promises polish and so often delivers “I have a meeting at nine.” The difference

A trench coat is the hardest-working layer in a fall wardrobe — it finishes office looks, dresses up jeans, and

A sweater dress is the easiest fall outfit there is — one piece, no matching, out the door. It is