Green Boucle Coat Styled 2 Ways

Last month I ordered a bunch of new arrivals from Express to try on for a collaboration, and ended up liking two rather different looks! I was torn between fleeced jeans vs a faux leather skirt – the jeans are much more practical for my current mom life, but the pencil skirt looked fiery on and is just a “feel good” piece. I did a mini poll on Instagram and the jeans won, but by a slim margin, so I kept those and also snapped some fit photos of the skirt to share!

Boucle Cocoon Coat (regular & petite)

But first, lets talk outerwear. Stylish coats available in smaller petite sizing are limited in general, but there are three classic options at Express right now including this belted black coat (very office-appropriate) and this belted long puffer. The one that really caught my eye though is this boucle cocoon coat in a striking jewel toned green, that would also look professional over workwear. If you’re not familiar with boucle, it has a thick nubbly yarn texture, and cocoon style usually indicates straighter cut along both sides. The coat is medium weight (requires layering in very cold winters) and the fit of my usual size was good, leaving enough room for a thick sweater underneath. Measurements of size xxs petite: 15″ across the shoulders, 17″ across the underarms, 21″ sleeve length, 33.5″ total length.

Faux Leather Pencil Skirt (regular & petite)

I wish I had more occasions to wear something like this! The faux leather material (unlined) paired with a slightly longer waist-to-knee length looks fabulous on … a little va-va-voom yet tailored and edgy. It can also be worn throughout winter with black or dark colored tights. Sizing starts in 00 petite and it stretches, which is nice since leather usually looks best when worn snugly. I’m trying on a size 0 petite – measurements are 12.5″ across the waist, 15.75″ across the hips, and 23.25″ length with stretch.

Mid-Rise Fleeced jeans (regular, short, tall & petite)

These are your everyday dark blue jeans, updated with a soft interior. I’m calling these “fleeced” instead of “fleece-lined,” since fleece-lined jeans usually have a separate flannel layer along the inside, which add warmth but also bulk. The jeans I’m featuring here feel like regular denim except the inside has a soft fleeced texture – no separate lining.

These jeans are labeled mid-rise, which in general gap a little bit for me at the waist (a belt helps) compared to Express’ high-rise jeans. The fit is true to size for their denim (size 0 fits like a 25 in other brands). If you’re debating between Short vs Petite, in my experience, Express denim in Short usually runs about half an inch shorter than the same numerical size in Petite. See how these look un-cuffed on me in the picture below! Measurements of my jeans in size 0 short when lying flat: 13″ across the waist, 9″ rise, 26″ inseam.

D’Orsay Heels

The flattering d’orsay cut of these heels look great on the feet, but FYI the 4″ heel and pitch is very high! Unless you’re an expert high heels wearer, I’d say these are for special occasions where you’ll be driving or uber-ing door to door and not on your feet the entire time. Express also has a lower heeled version that should be more comfortable for longer periods of wear.