ON TOP OF EVERYTHING : Bright or Neutral, Long or Short, It’s the Jacket That Really Counts

WHEN DISCUSSING summer wardrobes, designers in Milan, Paris, New York and Southern California agree: Keep the underpinnings basic (a unitard will do), and make the jacket exciting.

Whether chartreuse, orange, chrome yellow or warm white, today’s jackets are colorful. They’re also roomy and relaxed but not sloppy. Armani shows long, East-Indian-inspired, tissue-weight jackets, while Chanel’s are shorter and gently shaped. Donna Karan has designed sleek, fluid styles, and those by California designers range from short and boxy to long and lean.

Detailing is important: Waists may be nipped in with belts, shirring and curvy seaming; buttons are often decorative, and collar and pocket treatments create subtle novelty touches.

This jacket wardrobe is exceptional in every way except price--each jacket is under $300.

Model: Holly Kimsey/Mary Webb Davis.