A country road, a rail of high fences, the muted call of a bugle, the rustling of leaves, the yipping of hounds, the panting of a fox, the clopping of horse hooves and the sound of a thud after landing a high jump are some mental images usually associated with tweed. Like a fine timepiece and good bones, tweed fabric is a time honored classic that never goes out of style. Price wise, a tweed jacket will cost as much as someone wants to invest into it. The tighter woven fabric in brown and or black and white herringbone works well with solid color skirts and a tailored pair of dress pants. While, a looser woven tweed jacket in pink and purple, red and white or green and white has a way of dressing up a pair of denim or black jeans. A single strand of pearls or a jeweled pin, pearl studs or small gold hoop earrings and a classic styled wrist-watch are just the right accessories for an eye pleasing effect.

Body type is very important when choosing a tweed jacket length to wear. A form fitting short tweed jacket in a body hugging style is better for a small sized frame, while a semi-fitted tailored one works better with a medium sized body and a boxy style of tweed jacket is geared towards the larger sizes for a more relaxed and a comfortable fit. After measuring the chest under the arms and around the fullest part, the waist at the indention in the middle of the body. The hips are measured at the top of the leg and around the fullest part of them using a cloth tape for a more accurate body measurement.Average sizes are small, thirty-four to thirty-six, medium, thirty-eight to forty and large, forty-two to forty-four. From the large size add two inches for the extra large and four inches for the plus sizes for a correct tweed jacket fit.

Tweed is a rough textured fabric originally made in the U.K. It was weaved for comfort and warmth and worn by women entering the workforce during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. Coco Chanel was the first designer to take the tweed fabric and revolutionize the way a tweed jacket was to be worn. A collarless boxy jacket lined with silk the same color as the silk blouse and underneath it and weighted down with gold chains, she had updated the look so well that it is still a popular style today.

Matched with a tailored cotton blouse, a silk or cotton tee shirt and paired with accents of leather such as; a leather belt, a good pair of leather shoes and a leather handbag will add even more style to a tweed jacket. Dry cleaning is the best method for keeping the tweed fabric wearable for years to come.

For ten years, the author sold skin care, custom undergarments, and fragrance.