I'm a French Writer and Editor—the Best Mid-Season Jackets, According to Your Silhouette

Eugénie Trochu is a Who What Wear editor in residence known for her transformative work at Vogue France and her Substack newsletter, where she documents and shares new trends, her no-nonsense approach to fashion and style, plus other musings. She's also working on her upcoming first book that explores fashion as a space of memory, projection, and reinvention.

Spring is finally here. We already feel like slipping into dresses, pretending the air is warm, throwing the windows wide open. But it’s still a little too soon. Mornings remain crisp, evenings decidedly uncertain. So rather than stubbornly shivering with conviction, it makes sense to turn to the piece that rescues every seasonal transition: the mid-season jacket. I’ve broken them down here by silhouette, for a more personal—and above all more realistic—approach.

If You're Petite

When you don’t have many centimeters to spare, the risk is a jacket that tells a completely different story than you do. Too long, too oversize, too conceptual and suddenly you disappear inside it, like in a very chic tent. Short or slightly cropped jackets are usually the safest choice. They reveal the waist and give rhythm to the silhouette. A soft leather jacket, a fitted polka-dot blazer, a clean, almost graphic denim jacket. Nothing too heavy, nothing too wide. The point isn’t to stand out but to remain legible. A short jacket structures everything else.

If You're Tall

Good news: You can get away with almost any length. The only challenge is sometimes resisting the temptation to make it dramatic. Long, fluid jackets are particularly beautiful on a tall frame: a supple trench, a lightweight coat, a masculine blazer worn open. You can play with volume, layering, vertical lines. An oversize shirt-jacket style, a slightly bohemian suede piece, a very simple straight blouson—almost everything works, as long as a certain nonchalance remains.

If You're Slim

Here the issue is less about length than about severity. A jacket that is too strict can create an almost adolescent look or, conversely, one that feels overly severe. It helps to choose fabrics that bring presence: lightweight tweed, worn-in leather, thick cotton, suede. Slightly oversize jackets, soft bombers, blazers with subtly broadened shoulders immediately create a more embodied silhouette. The goal isn’t to add volume to correct anything. Simply to give the outfit room to breathe.

If You Have Curves

The instinct is often to hide. Yet the right jacket does the opposite: It highlights without confining. Straight, gently structured cuts work beautifully. An open belted trench, a fluid blazer, a modernized kimono jacket that follows the body’s movement without restricting it. Avoid fabrics that are too stiff or cuts that are too short and interrupt the line in the wrong place.