Ask Mary Lou

Each month, Mary Lou answers (and we post!) a fashion question from one of our site visitors. If you have something you want to know to help pull together your wardrobe with style and confidence, ask away!

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For April, 2004:

Q: I recently purchased a lovely Burberry trench coat that is pretty short in length (the new Spring style!). It hits just above my knee and when belted, slightly shorter. When I put it on to go to work one day, I noticed that the skirt I was wearing peeked out and was about an inch longer than the coat when it was tied. Is this fashionably acceptable? I ended up quickly changing into a pair of pants before stepping out the door, because I wasn't sure if it was ok.

A: It's hard to give a "100%" opinion without seeing the outfit. However, it sounds fine to me as long as all the pieces work together. If your shoes, bag, hosiery and skirt are as fresh and new as the coat (and the colors match) you should be fine. Skirts are the rage right now — short style coats actually are most modern with them.

Extra Tip: If you are wearing a black trench coat with a lighter colored skirt, try pinning a flower pin in the same color as the skirt as a way to brighter your trench and connect your pin to the outfit. I just did that on Easter Sunday and it worked great!