Dressing for your shape – the pear
March 12th 2010 by Sally | Filed in accessories, fashion advice, women fashion, womens clothing
Each one of us is different, unique and beautiful in our own way. We all have different body shapes and how good you look is partly to do with choosing the right clothes to suit your body shape. By choosing clothes that help to flatter and balance your proportions and highlight your best bits, you can ensure that you are always looking your best.
The pear shape is the most common body shape in the UK. Whilst perhaps classifying body shapes is a huge over generalisation as each person is completely different, it is a useful way to find clothes that look good. The classic pear shaped women tends to carry weight around her hips and thighs, have a narrower waist and proportionally smaller top half.
Dressing a pear shape is all about balancing the hips and thigh area with other parts of the body and drawing the attention away from these areas or cleverly disguising them. There are a number of ways that you can do this:
Boot cut trousers - the width at the bottom of the trousers balances out the hips and the thighs making them appear narrower. details such as pinstripes are also a great leg slimmer.
A line skirt - the best every day skirts for pear shapes are the a line skirt, the a line hides the hips and thighs with a cut that skims over them. The relatively wide width of the hem also cleverly balances them making them appear narrower.
Wide neck top- a scoop, slash or boat neck top helps to provide the appearance of width around the neckline, again balancing the wider hips.
Detailed necklines – The perfect way to draw attention away from larger hips is to wear a dark colour on the bottom half and bright colours or detail around the neckline.
Fitted tops or jackets – by drawing attention to your more slender upper half, you will divert attention away from your lower half. Wear fitted tops or tailored jackets that have a fitted waist that sits just above or below your natural waist. Avoid tops or jackets that finish on the widest part of your hips.
Belts – one of the best features of a pear shaped women is their slim waist. You can ensure that your waist is defined and draw attention to it by cinching in slightly baggy tops with a belt.
Heels – High or medium heeled shoes are a great way to add length to legs which in turn makes the appear thinner. If wearing a skirt wearing dark coloured tights and shoes also works well.
Jewellery or scarfs – accessories are a great way of drawing peoples attention to a particular area. Accessories on the upper half of the body such as scarves, necklaces and earrings will all draw attention upwards and away from the hips. Bracelets and bangles should be avoided as they will tend to draw attention to hip level.
Dark colours on the bottom – it is always a good idea for pear shaped woman to wear dark colours on the bottom half. This will help to slim your hips and thighs (visually) and make your overall shape appear balanced.
If you keep these points in mind when shopping for a pear shape, you will always look in proportion, no matter what your size or weight.
Don’t forget that you can sign up to Roman News for the chance to win £250 Roman Originals vouchers.
Lady in Red
March 11th 2010 by Sally | Filed in fashion advice, women fashion, womens clothing
The 1986 ballad ‘Lady in Red’ by Chris De Burgh is a huge favourite among so many people, it is so romantic and meaningful. There is something about the colour red that seems to have an effect on people causing a mixture of emotions. Red clothes are very symbollic and send out a message about the wearer. It is a bright colour that gains you instant attention when you wear it. It is also a very strong and bold colour that can send out messages of passion, power, happiness, anger or love.
Depending on the style, shade and combination with other colours red can look racy, corporate, sophisticated, cute and fun, preppy or ethnic. It usually has quite a warm feel about it and exactly how it looks in an outfit will also depend on the colouring of the person. The darker the colour of the hair, the more contrast there will be with the colour red and the stronger it will appear.
Red dresses have come to also have a another significance with the Red Dress Collection which is shown at New York Fashion Week. The annual event is held by the Heart Truth Organisation to raise awareness of women’s heart disease and involves some of the best known designers and celebrities. The Red Dress Collection 2010 included Bethenny Frankel in Isabella Oliver, Elisabeth Hasselbeck in Donna Karan, Felicity Huffman in Oscar de la Renta, Dara Torres in Rachel Roy, Estelle in Zac Posen, Heidi Klum in John Galliano, Joan Collins in Stephane Rolland, Jordin Sparks in Badgley Mischka, Kim Kardashian in Marchesa to name but a few! All very beautiful examples of how red can be worn for maximum effect.
Different shades of red - You will notice from trying to choose just the right shade of red lipstick, that there are plenty of different shades of red. Picking just the right shade of red for you is key to looking good in red. Deeper reds often looking better on those with dark hair and lighter or more scarlet reds looking best on those with lighter or blond hair.
Red combined with other colours - As with combining red with different hair colours and skin tones, combining red with clothes in other colours also completely changes its look. Generally the bolder and more contrasting the colour it is combined with, the bolder and stronger the red will appear. Try combining a red top with a black skirt, navy skirt and white skirt or trousers and see how different it looks. Red and black are probably the strongest and boldest combination that you can get but combining red with other primary colours can also give a strong but fun look. Another great way to wear red is by combining with a patterned piece. This red triple layer skirt (pictured above) looks feminine and happy when combined with this colourful floral frill front top.
Styles in red - If you love to wear red but don’t want it to look too racy, choose styles that are not too clingy or revealing. For a more subtle effect choose patterns with red in or red accessories to add some colour to a more conservative neutral coloured outfit.
Oscar and red carpet style evening wear
March 10th 2010 by Sally | Filed in evening wear, fashion advice, women fashion, womens clothing
The Oscars is always a big event in terms of films and fashion. Everyone wants to know what each of the stars will choose to wear, who will look and the best and who will look the worst. The Oscars are a major occasions when every body attending gets the chance to get really dressed up and what they wear will often become a key inspiration for prom and evening dresses over the coming year.
The Oscars or the Academy awards are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. Oscars are awarded in a variety of categories including best picture, best actress and actor, writing, costume and many other areas involved with film.
Each year there is always one dress that catches everyone’s eye and makes the wearer the centre of attention. There are also always some dresses that don’t look so good but usually get just as much attention. Fashion designers fall over themselves to provide the Oscar nominees with the most beautiful dresses from their collections or bespoke couture pieces. Most of us dream of wearing a beautiful Oscar gown that is just the perfect shape, colour and fit. A ball or formal evening event is the perfect opportunity to get dressed up Oscar style in a dress that is fit for the red carpet. But without the designer dress and stylist to help pick it out, how can you ensure that you look perfect in your evening wear?
Looking at the dresses chosen by the celebrities is a great way to get inspiration and ideas of what to wear. Some of the highlights of this years Oscars dresses were Cameron Diaz in a bejewelled and sparkling nude gold Oscar De La Renta gown, Jennifer Lopez worked a Sculpted Armani Privee dress, Kate Winslet in stunning silver strapless Yves St Laurent, Demi Moore in a blush, tiered Atelier Versace gown and Anna Kendrick in a blush pink draped Elie Saab couture gown. Matt metallic, nude, peache and pale pink were all popular choices this year with a scattering of traditional black, navy and even some bright jewel colours.
We can also learn from the sucesses and mistakes of the celebrities when they dress for the red carpet. Here are some of our top celebrity red carpet stylist tips:
- Do pick a dress that compliments your colour and body shape perfectly. It is not so much about finding the right dress as finding the right dress for you.
- Do think about the overall package. Hair, make up, shoes, jewellery and bag are almost as important as the dress.
- Don’t under dress. If you are attending a very formal event , then a knee length shift dress will not be dressy enough, a full length gown will look much more appropriate and glamorous.
- Don’t over accessorise. If you have an elaborate dress it only needs very simple accessories. If you have a very simple dress, then you can choose one statement accessory, perhaps a stunning necklace or earrings.
- Do consider choosing something slightly unusual (but always flattering), that way you will avoiding looking like everyone else.
- Consider alternatives to an evening dress. Evening skirts and tops can look just as amazing.
- Sometimes less is more and the most stylish dresses are the most simple
- Don’t expose too much flesh, the best Oscar dresses leave a little (or a lot) to the imagination
- Choose the right underwear – shape wear will help to give a streamlined appearance and the right bra is vital for a strappy, strapless or low cut dress.
Deciding What to Wear to a Special Occasion!
by Rachael | Filed in evening wear
Spring is edging closer and closer and with it brings a growing number of invitations to social occasions such as weddings. Such occasions often leave women feeling somewhat apprehensive about what the correct attire to wear is and further if they have anything appropriate in their wardrobe. However, such occasions should be seen as a time of celebration rather than a time of anxiety and there are few simple tips which should be followed at all times which should inevitably help simplify the decision about what to wear.
First and foremost it is important to read the invitation carefully and find out whether the event is taking placing during the day or in the evening. This should help to give an insight into how formal the occasion is. In general those events taking place during the day require a less formal outfit, whilst those events held in the evening require much more formal attire. For those day events it is perhaps advisable to opt for a well tailored suit meanwhile for an evening event evening wear is much more suited. Furthermore it may even be appropriate to wear dressy flat pumps to a day event whilst it is much more appropriate to wear high heels to an evening event, especially if evening wear is to be worn.
Secondly, it is important to look at the invitation in order to ascertain where the event is being held, as this undoubtedly will have an impact on a person’s choice of outfit. For example it is likely that a woman will choose to wear a different outfit to an event held in a prestigious hotel as opposed to an event in a local hall. Generally it is more appropriate to wear formal evening wear to a high class establishment such as a four star hotel. When invited to such occasions there are a range of options available to women, it is possible to opt for a cocktail dress or even a floor length gown, the choice is ultimately up to the wearer and whatever she feels more comfortable in.
Finally, it is very important to check that there is no mention of dress code on the invitation as often work events specify that the event is black tie. This of course means that evening wear is the only option available and ultimately limits the choices available to women and makes the process much simpler. Moreover, there is a growing trend amongst brides and grooms to set a dress code at their wedding. Some will send out invitations stating that the dress code is black tie, or formal whilst others will state the theme is white in which case a white dress should be chosen. It is important in such instances not to ignore the wishes of the hosts and rather embrace their requests and find an outfit which is in keeping with the theme.
So remember the next time an invitation to an event arrives to read the information contained within it carefully as this can provide a great number of clues about how formal the event is likely to be and what’s more what type of outfit a woman should opt for.
Dresses perfect for Spring
by Jill | Filed in fashion advice, womens clothing
It’s time to rid of your winter woollies and step into spring with style – from prints, to florals, to block colour styles, there’s a dress for every taste.
The floral dress is a big hit again this spring; whether you’re into bold floral prints or slightly more demure floral embellishments, flowers are blossoming in all styles this season. Floral dresses are effortless and an easy yet fashionable statement. Teaming floral numbers with a pretty piece of jewellery can easily convert practical day dresses into elegant evening dresses.
Printed dresses, not just the floral kind, are also big this spring. Our border print shift is a beautiful dress perfect for spring frolicking, and its overlapping capped sleeves fit in well with this season’s key trends – layered dresses are all over the spring/summer catwalks.
Animal print dresses are also in popular demand this season, our zebra print dress features a flattering v-neckline and shoulder tucks – and we’ve got similar tops and skirts if you’re willing to give the feisty animal print a whirl.
Another key trend, which was popular last spring, is the maxi dress. They are comfortable enough for casual wear – a picnic on a beautiful day or perhaps lunch with a friend and can look charmingly elegant for a few drinks on a balmy evening. Maxi dresses look effortlessly chic with flat sandals but you could always glam yourself up with a pair of killer heels. By mixing prints and florals our maxi dress is bang on trend this season.
Pretty spring dresses are perfect pieces for daytime to evening transitions and with such a vast collection to choose from we’ll leave you with the decision to pick your favourite. Why not leave a comment on your dress of choice?
Paris Fashion Week and chic French style
March 9th 2010 by Sally | Filed in everyday coat, women fashion, womens clothing
As Paris Fashion Week rumbles on, it is great to see what chic and stylish delights the designers have for us this year. The autumn winter 2010 collections shown at Paris are a preview for buyers and journalists and won’t even be available to buy for months, but they give us a sneak preview of what is to come for the seasons ahead. Paris Fashion Week always has its own unique style. Where London is known for it’s innovative and Avant Garde designs, Milan for its pure luxury, Paris is all about understated elegance and that chic French style.
French women are known for their elegant chic style, what ever their age. Whilst their outfit choices are often not the most exciting and perhaps not the most ground breaking, they know how to choose styles of clothes that compliment their body shape and look great. By avoiding the really high fashion and not following the latest trends in a sheep like manner, they avoid those ‘fashion mistakes’ and sacrifice quirky individualism for classic style. When it comes to French style icons, there are so many to choose from including Fannie Ardent, Jane Birkin,Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Adjani and Bridget Bardot. There are also countless books and articles on how to get that chic French style. But just sometimes I wonder if it is possible to get that ‘je ne sais quois’ of French style by reading a book or if it is just part of the culture.
For this Paris Fashion Week, there was classic and chic French style by the bucket load. With British designer Phoebe Philo proving she can do French chic to perfection for the established French brand Celine, perhaps it isn’t just the French who are super stylish after all. Phoebe, who has also worked with Stella McCartney at Chloe, managed to hit just the right balance of youthful sophistication with her collection of sharp minimalism. To get this look wear a simple sleeveless shift dress in neutral shades of black, navy, camel or beige.
Celine wasn’t the only label to continue with spring’s minimalism for the winter collections. Stella McCartney, another British designer, who can work that French chic almost as well as the French themselves showed plenty of classic and very stylish pieces. Her collection was all about understated elegance and quality with a really desirable mix of nude, blacks and greys with the odd flash of neon. It featured mini dresses, classic coats with a twist and beautifully cut trouser suits.
For more examples of minimalism from Paris Fashion Week, Lanvin was another key show to look at. Clean silhouettes and neutral stretchy fabrics accessorised with rock crystal jewellery were pure glamour as only Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz can do in this way .
But Paris was not just about minimalism, as always there were the theatrical shows which included Jean Paul Gaultier, Victor & Rolf and Cacharel. Vivienne Westwood brought along plenty of her usual quirky British style with over sized blankets and high top trainers and John Galliano had an equestrian theme for his Dior collection which included brown leather capes, pink chiffon dresses and knee high boots.
The Perfect Work Wardrobe
March 8th 2010 by Sally | Filed in accessories, fashion advice, women fashion, womens clothing
Dressing for work is all about feeling comfortable and creating the right impression. Whether your job involves dealing with customers or colleagues in the office, it is vital for your career that you dress in an appropriate way and follow any unwritten (as well as written) dress codes, but you will probably want to show a bit of your personality and individuality. The perfect work wardrobe will be versatile and perfectly suited to your job or work role. It will contain pieces that can easily be mixed and matched to create different outfits and accessories to give the finishing touch to each outfit.
Your HR department or line manager should provide you with dress code information when you first start working with a company. This may be important often for health and safety reasons as well as presenting the right company image. Unless you have to wear a company uniform though, there will usually be some amount of flexibility over the colour and style of clothes that you wear.
Generally classic styles of clothes are the best investments for a work wardrobe. They will last for year after year and never really go out of fashion. You can also be sure that a classic style of suit will be considered appropriate dress for even the smartest of offices.
Trouser suits and skirt suits are both really versatile. You can choose just the right style of trousers, skirts and jackets to suit your shape and colours to suit your skin, eye and hair colour. Depending on your work, you may not have to wear a full suit, trousers or a skirt with a blouse or a tailored dress can look smart and stylish. For some offices it is also quite acceptable to wear a smart looking cardigan.
Once you have the basics of your work wardrobe, you can add some colour with blouses or tops and accessories. If your work requires you to wear dark coloured suits, a brightly coloured scarf is a great way to add some colour or pattern. Coloured or patterned blouses also look great under a neutral coloured suit. For the ultimate in classic work wear a crisp white shirt always works perfectly, looking incredibly stylish and fitting the most conservative of dress codes. A bold statement handbag is also a great way to make yourself stand out from the crowd but still keep a professional image. You can also brighten up a skirt suit with a brightly coloured pair of tights for an original work outfit.
Footwear is a key part of your work wardrobe. When it comes to shoes, comfort is just as important as how they look. Unless you are an expert at walking in high heeled shoes, low to medium heels are usually the most practical for work. You can get some very smart looking ballets flats or sandals for the summer that will complement your work wardrobe. It is usually best to choose a good pair of neutral shoes for summer and perhaps ankle boots for winter that will go with all of your work wear. Always keep your work shoes really clean and polished as this attention to detail will ensure that you present yourself well at work.
Consider Your Choice of Underwear Carefully
by Rachael | Filed in womens underwear
All too often women neglect to consider their choice of underwear as part of their overall outfit, which is ultimately a huge mistake. It is extremely important that when deciding upon what to wear at any given time that careful consideration is given to the choice of underwear which is also to be worn.
Nowadays there is a growing abundance of options when it comes to womens underwear and this should be kept in mind at all times. In the not too distant past there was little choice when it came to shopping for underwear and women settled for what they could find. Although this situation has changed dramatically in recent times in the respect that women are no longer faced with a limited choice of underwear some things still remain unchanged. For instance a large majority of women continue to simply settle for the first type of underwear that they can get their hands on. However, this is thought to be a big mistake as nowadays a person’s choice of women’s underwear can simply make or break an outfit.
When attending a formal event where evening wear is the norm it is important that an adequate amount of time is dedicated to considering which underwear to team with the chosen ensemble. For example if the chosen piece of evening wear is meant to huge one’s curves then it might be advisable to opt for shapewear underwear.
The range of shapewear available nowadays is extremely vast and can help women with a whole host of problems. Whether the women in question is worried that her stomach is not flat enough or whether she feels her bottom needs a lift to carry off her choice of dress then there is certainly shapewear to solve each of these problems. Moreover shapewear should be given much consideration if the dress to be worn is made of chiffon or other similar clingy materials as such materials can be quite unforgiving.
At such formal events women to want to look their very best so it is consequently important that all women consider the underwear they intend to wear. It is surprising the difference that such a choice can make and how much a woman’s confidence can be affected.
What is your style?
March 7th 2010 by Sally | Filed in fashion advice, women fashion, womens clothing
Everyone has there own unique and individual style which is defined by what they wear and how they wear it. What is your style? If you are not quite sure or feel in a bit of a style rut, then it is time to develop you own unique and individual style. Your style is all about you and what you love to wear. It should communicate what you want it to communicate about you. Your style should reflect your personality and suit your shape, colouring and lifestyle. Developing your style can be both fun and confidence building, it is all about finding what is right for you and what makes you look and feel great.
If you are bold and outgoing, then your clothes can reflect that with bright colours, bold prints and designs. If you are quiet and subtle, you may prefer to wear a stylish combination of neutral colours. If your lifestyle requires practical clothing, you may prefer to wear casual jackets with jeans, if you need to dress more formally for work perhaps a black suit with a few brightly coloured accessories.
What is stylish and each persons perception of it is different so there is no need to copy anyone else, you are unique so just be yourself and wear what you feel happy in. A great way to start developing your own style and looking fabulous is to work out what shapes of clothing look great on your body shape. There are plenty of books and magazine articles that can give you lots of ideas on what styles suit which body shapes. Once you have worked this out, you can begin to build the base of your outfits by finding pieces in these styles.
You will find plenty of rules on what to wear and how to wear it if you look hard enough. But it is not all about following rules, some of the most stylish looks are made when people break all the rules, perhaps by putting together colours that shouldn’t really go or mixing two contrasting styles. It is great when people make the effort to do things slightly differently perhaps by mixing tailoring with a more causal pieces or a floaty feminine dress with a more structured jacket. Look for colour, texture and pattern to add interest to our look and really show off your personality. Perhaps you don’t like too many bright colours but an all black outfit can be interesting and stylish if put together well. Try mixing lace, velvet, satin and textured tights.
You can gain inspiration for your outfits from all sorts of places. Try looking at what people that you pass in the street are wearing, look at celebrities, magazines and even cultural or historical outfits. Pick out the bits that you like and combine them in your own way to create your own individual look or style.
Accessories are the perfect way to finish an outfit off and stamp your own style on it. Unique one off pieces that you have picked up on your travels are always a great way to add your own twist to an outfit. Jewellery is one of the easiest accessories to wear, go big and bold or small and interesting. Don’t forget belts, bags, shoes and scarves all great ways to show off your style and make an outfit your own.
Abstract, animal and polka dot prints for spring and summer 2010
March 6th 2010 by Sally | Filed in fashion advice, women fashion, womens clothing
If you don’t fancy this summers trend for nineties minimalism, then fear not, there will plenty of bright bold and eye catching prints to satisfy almost any desire for colour and pattern. For those that like to get noticed, these prints can be worn all over in a real attention grabbing statement. For those that are a little more shy and retiring when it comes to clothes, an accessory, patterned trim or scarf is the perfect way to work this trend. The catwalks were awash with the most amazing and attention grabbing of prints but it is really up to you whether you opt for bright and bold or small and subtle.
For the really brave, there is another big trend emerging for the summer- mixing patterns. There really is no science behind it, just give it a go and see how it looks. Try clashing colours and clashing patterns or missing two very similar patterns. If you don’t feel confident in your own pattern mixing ability, try buying clothes with more than one pattern. Perhaps a striped top with a floral collar or a patchwork effect.
Here are some of the patterns and prints that will be be big for this season:
Abstract Prints
The term abstract means ‘of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another’. In terms of prints abstract covers a huge variety of different patterns from the bold geometric to the delicate speckled. The great thing about abstract prints is that they don’t represent anything they are just colour and shapes for the sake of colour and shapes. On the catwalks for spring and summer 2010, there were all sorts of abstract prints. Mary Katrantzou who is becoming recognised for her eye catching prints used abstract patterns to enhance the shape – a great trick of the eye. Versace featured geometric circle prints in eye popping colours and Nicole Fahri, swirling patterns in blues and greens.
Animal Prints
Animal prints were seen at Paul Smith, Giambatista Valli and Alexander McQueen. There were leopard spots, zebra stripes and snake skins. This can be a difficult look to wear all over with style, but it can easily be toned down by wearing in small doses combined with neutral colours. Mixing animal prints with other prints like the animal print top pictured above or even other animal prints (as seen on this amazing animal print skirt) is a great way to wear this look in a fresh and up to date way.
Spots
Spots and dots are always a popular summer choice for clothes. There is something a bit retro about a polka dot dress and polka dots always hit just the right note between smart and cute. Designer Caroline Herrera is well known for her use of polka dots on her very desirable dresses in the eighties and nineties. For those are looking for a change from the traditional polka dot pattern, different sized dots are a great alternative. For a really flattering and slimming effect opt for fairly small dots on a dark background.