Fashion Q&A

On the "Today" show the other morning, Meredith Vieira was wearing a shapely little khaki jacket over a crisp white shirt. She looked very chic when she was sitting behind her desk. But when she stood up, it was obvious her shirttails were hanging out below the hem of her jacket. Shouldn't someone check to see the news anchors don't make mistakes like that?

A decade ago, that may have been considered a fashion faux pas. Now, it's part of the popular layered look, which usually featured a shrunken jacket, sweater or vest over one or more longer, fitted pieces. The long sleeves of the bottom layer may also peek out beyond the cuffs of the top layer.

Worn by men as well as women, it's a casual or dressy-casual look. Had Vieira been wearing a tailored suit, she probably would have tucked in her shirttails - or worn a shorter blouse.

It does take a while for the eye to adjust to a new way of wearing clothes. I expect once you've seen enough untucked shirttails, the look won't seem so jarring.

My girlfriend was telling me about some kind of harness you wear over a bra to give the bust extra lift. She saw it on TV, but couldn't remember the name or where to buy it. Have you heard of any such thing?

It sounds like the OverBra, which is rather like a bra without cups. It fits over a regular bra, and when the halter-style straps are shortened, the bust gets a boost.

It comes in four styles and four sizes (S, M, L and XL). Available in black, nude or pink, and priced from $25-$50, it can be purchased at jcpenney.com and selected JCPenney stores. For details, visit theoverbra.com.