Back in the spring, I was bitten hard by the Elizabeth Suzann bug. Heck, I’ve liked their stuff since I was first introduced to the brand in 2015 by my fellow blogger and friend Lee. The pieces are timeless, unique and the functionality strongly appeals to me. But in April, my affinity for the brand spiked when I was hanging out with my friend Allison, who just happened to be wearing her Elizabeth Suzann Clyde Trench (among a few other key ES pieces). After admiring the jacket from a distance, I finally begged her for a chance to try it on. It was love at first wear.
Fast forward to today, I’m the proud owner of my very own Clyde Trench. I’ve had it for a few months now and, before putting together this post, I’d been feeling totally… intimidated by it. I had only worn it a few times, with careful planning. When I decided to invest in the jacket, this was not what I had in mind. I was hoping it would be more of a natural go-to item.
In order to solve the problem of ‘getting to know my garment’ I knew a style challenge was in order.
I decided to wear and style the jacket for a week straight, in an exercise to help me better understand what it works with in my closet, and how to style it in a pinch. The goal: bring it from the periphery of my closet to the well-used and well-loved circle of my closet.
I’ve done this exercise before with previous new items, and it works really well. It’s a breaking-in of sorts, but for styling instead of garment comfort.
Day 1: The high was slated for the upper 80’s so I knew I wouldn’t be wearing this jacket very long. But I wanted to experiment with styling it for an outfit that would be true to hot weather. The structure and polish are a nice contrast to the distressed shorts. Overall the jacket elevated the shorts from super casual to a little bit fancy.
Wearing: Clyde Trench (S), Elizabeth Suzann | U-Neck Tee, no longer available (similar, size up for loose fit) | cut offs, from thrifted Levi’s, (very similar) | Huaraches (9.5), Nisolo | Form Bag, c/o Everlane
Day 2: I really like the combination of white and cream, it’s one of my favorites. Here, the cognac accessories add just the right amount of color. However, sans purse and shoes, I felt a little lacking in color.
I really, really like the combination of this purse and jacket. The slung purse sort of holds the jacket closed, and makes me feel hands-free, a little bundled up, and ready to take on anything.
Wearing: Clyde Trench (S), Elizabeth Suzann | Air Dolman Tee (M), c/o Everlane | Jeans, Vintage Levi’s (501) (similar) | Clogs, No.6 (similar) | Form Bag, c/o Everlane (review coming soon!)
Day 3: I like how crisp this outfit looks with the jacket and shoes. It feels decidedly modern. However, wearing the jacket with a dress isn’t my favorite because it hits my legs at the widest part of my calves and makes my legs look short.
Wearing: Clyde Trench (S), Elizabeth Suzann | Black Linen Dress, c/o Ode to Sunday | Sneakers (41), Veja
Day 4: I love the slight a-line shape this jacket makes. And this outfit? Sooo good. The jacket finishes the outfit with that ‘third piece’ interest.
Wearing: Clyde Trench (S), Elizabeth Suzann | Striped Long Sleeve Tee (M), Everlane | Cheeky Jean in washed black (27R), Everlane | Clogs, No.6 (similar)
Day 5: On Saturday we headed to the coast where the temps were in the low 60’s and windy. This jacket does great in the wind! It’s a nice, nearly full-body barrier. This color palette has my heart melting.
Wearing: Clyde Trench (S), Elizabeth Suzann | Cotton Crewneck (M), c/o Everlane | Cheeky Jean in washed black (27R), Everlane | Madrid Sandal, Birkenstock | Form Bag, c/o Everlane
Day 6: I didn’t end up wearing the jacket outside of the house because the combination felt a little ‘too much’ for me. But I wanted to share a sense of how this jacket would style with a longer skirt or dress. To me the jacket is the statement, and it competes too much with the bold skirt. A simpler skirt (in color and/or shape) would have worked better.
Wearing: Clyde Trench (S), Elizabeth Suzann | Chambray, old J.Crew (similar in relaxed fit) | Painter Skirt, c/o HDH, sold out (very similar w/buttons) | Sneakers (41), Veja
CONCLUSION
The jacket is a statement item. // It kind of takes over an outfit. I thought cream would be super subtle, but that almost emboldens the piece because it is a whole lot of light fabric. The tan might be a little more subtle. Sometimes it feels a little lab coat-ish because the cream is pretty light. But that doesn’t really bug me too much.
Light garments give pause to this wearer. // I did find myself ‘babying’ it quite a bit at first because of the light color. Toward the end of my week, I was feeling a little braver. The jacket is made from a thick, textured fabric, and I think it would be forgiving to spills and stains, but I don’t want to test that theory if I don’t have to.
It works best with simple outfits. // I found the jacket paired best with clean lines, and soft shirts. When paired with too bold of items, the jacket and other items compete. I really liked the way it looked with my straight black jeans. When I tried to wear structured shirts underneath this jacket (like my Alta tops) it was too hard to keep everything in the right place. For me, this jacket works best with soft, jersey shirts or sweaters.
The underneath layers are really important to make this jacket work well. // If I want to be warm enough, my layers need to be cozy. If I don’t want to be washed out, I need to add some color underneath.
The bracelet sleeves are amazing. // I think this is why I fell so hard for the Clyde Trench. The sleeves are slim, and end about 2-3 inches above my wrist bone. So often this style of jacket has wide sleeves, which doesn’t work for me, because it makes me look too ‘top heavy.’ On this jacket, the fitted, cropped sleeves make me look balanced when wearing this voluminous piece.
The pockets are amazing. // This one is pretty much a given! They can fit all the things!!
Overall it’s cozy, warm and comfortable. It will probably take on my shape more with wear. If I can learn to stop babying it because of the light color, it may see me through lots of wear and outfits! It works really well to throw over most t-shirts and jeans or sweaters and jeans combination bringing the overall look from basic/plain to interesting and stylish.
If you’re an Elizabeth Suzann fan girl, do share! What is your favorite piece?
This post is not sponsored, nor was the featured jacket gifted. This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I will make a small commission. Thank you for supporting this blog!
This is helpful! The jacket is much longer IRL (and you’re tall – certainly taller than I am!) than I expected. I think it’s really cute with the black dress, but agree you get a bit lost in the trench + midi skirt. From the photos, the dress/trench hit at your knee and you can see your legs get slimmer at that part – I think it’s quite flattering! It’s very different to observe an outfit while wearing (when we look down) – I have the hardest time assessing hem/dress/skirt length when I’m wearing things – I think outfit photos are so helpful at assisting me in evaluating if I like the fit and structure of an outfit or item.
I think the jacket with your shorts is my favorite – unexpected! The turtleneck makes me so ready for fall. It’ll be warm here for several weeks yet.
Thanks for weighing in Rebecca, it’s an interesting piece for sure. I agree, I learned so much from photographing and documenting these looks. It would have taken me much longer without this exercise!
Good luck getting creative with your outfits as the warm temps continue.
Thanks so much for an honest overview of the trench!
I think I’m in the same boat as you – I find it overwhelming when my pants or long jackets are light like this ivory colour. The only exception is if the material is thin and drapes nicely without being bulky. Skirts seem to work ok but definitely don’t feel right wearing light pants!
I think a trench like this would be great in a darker tone, like umber or navy… but black would also be too overwhelming for me!
I think this trench would work well with all light neutral colors with darker accessories. Or if you wore most things in neutral light with a bit of color in the top and shoes.
Hi Nat, yes, it would be beautiful in Navy! I think the Tan would be cute too, though that might make it more dressy looking. It’s all so hard to gauge without trying on! I love your styling tips. <3
For what it’s worth, I find my Clay Clyde trench a classic enough neutral that it goes with damn near everything, and it’s dark enough that I don’t worry about getting it a bit dirty. That said, a navy one would be gorgeous!
Brandi, I totally stalked out your feed when writing this post. I love that clay color so much! I think it works really well on you because you have that dark, pretty hair color. So much of my coloring is in the midtone range – my hair, my eyes, even my skin a bit, that I worry that jacket color would just look off on me. But I love it on you!!!
If you ever want to take it for a test drive to see if the coloring will work for you, let me know and I’ll be totally willing to send to up to you for a visit :)
You are ridiculously kind!!!!! Thank you Brandi!! I am currently photoshopping the jacket from the model pic on the website onto a pic of myself, haha. BUT, trying to be SLOW. Maybe it will be a spring addition?? I’ll let you know!! ;)
I was wondering how the sleeves on this compare to the Cardiff work jacket from Only Child. (Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe you have that in the camel cotton canvas) I am torn between the Clyde and the Cardiff jackets but am leaning towards the Cardiff because I prefer the style of the collar on it. If the Cardiff has really wide/open/short sleeves though, that would sway my decision towards the Clyde. If you could give any similarities/differences between the two styles that would be super helpful! Especially in terms of which one has longer sleeves and how wide the sleeves are on the Cardiff! Thanks!
Hi Annette, great question!I have not tried the Cardiff Trench, but I can speak to the Cardiff Work Jacket. (I recently gave mine to a friend, because the color was too saturated/bright for my coloring.) The Cardiff has full length sleeves, that are slightly wide. The Clyde Trench has bracelet sleeves that are more of a standard (slimmer) width. I found the collar to be similar on both! I hope this helps! Let me know if you think of any other questions!
This is such a great post! This jacket is definitely a statement, and I love how it looks with simple outfits like a striped tee and jeans. I wonder if it would also work with a longer dress or jumpsuit for a special event or wedding?
I think it would be totally awesome! Those are both great ideas.
Yes!!! Like Annette, I too would love a comparison post between the Clyde and the Cardiff because I am pondering both!! It’s a gorgeous jacket, I’m wondering if you could wear it in the winter on a warmer day, but with a belt to keep it closed..?
Hi Brenda! I like both jackets! I had the Cardiff (recently gave it to a friend because the color is too saturated for my natural coloring) in the shorter, work coat length, and I have the Clyde in the longer, trench length. So it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. (See my other comment reply about the sleeves though!) The Clyde could be warm on a warmer winter day because there is a lot of coverage with the long length, and the fabric is pretty thick. Do you have any other questions about the two??
Do you find that you constantly have to shift or pull at this jacket to get it to drape properly? I had the Harper Jacket in clay. Love the color. Loved the style, but only when standing straight with no bags or purses. Once I started living in it, I found that I constantly had to readjust it. I also could sit in in without feeling that I was being shrouded in a tarp. Part of the problem was the dolman sleeves, but the real issue was the stiffness of the cotton canvas with the overall shape of the jacket. I had to part with the jacket, but the color is exactly what I want and I do love the quality of ES pieces. I am thinking of getting a Clyde Jacket or Trench as my replacement, but fear I will have the same problem. Hoping the cut of the Clyde will be better in this fabric.
Hi Melissa, I do find myself adjusting the collar a little bit, but not too much. I like it rolled back, so that might be why. The sleeves are great. I love that they are tapered and shorter, it’s a nice balance to the substantial jacket. I like it so much I kind of wish I had the clay color too. My guess is that you’ll have better luck with the Clyde. I do think it is longer than the Harper though.