Archive for December, 2009
So often many of us find ourselves staring hopelessly into our wardrobes. Many of us commonly commence the day, helplessly starring in bewilderment at the endless abyss of clothing only to end up reaching for the same pair of trusty jeans. If this is all too familiar, like many of us you may well have fallen into a ‘fashion rut’. But fear not; there is always a way to stop the dreaded face-off with fashion before you head off to work or a formal event. Nevertheless after these easy solutions you will be reinvigorating your wardrobe in no time… perhaps making room to spoil yourself to a nice new cocktail dress.
Wardrobe clearout:
If your morning routine of putting together an outfit has fallen flat and you are left glaring at your wardrobe in frustration for lack of choices and you result in choosing the same tired garments time and time again, fret not here is the solution.
Take an evening or weekend day and dedicate it to re-organization you clothing and accessories. Re-organising does not mean spending time colour-coding your wardrobe or lining up all your shoes in a neat height-order. Instead start with a good old fashion clear out you never know what garment have been forgotten.
Start the process by pulling everything out of the wardrobe and onto the bed. Rifle through the clothing and find those items that somehow got shoved into the deep corners of you wardrobe and decide if they are worth a resurrection, this will take a few hours. Go through each item and distinguish if you have worn the piece often, in the last 6 months, or ever at all in some instances. Those items that have lived a dormant life for some time should immediately be put aside to be thrown away or donated to a charity shop. If you feel you are too indecisive a person to do it alone, ask an honest and trustworthy friend to help.
This re-organization will give you the bones of your wardrobe and show you what fabrics, cuts, and styles you favour. Now you can see what you really have to work with and what area are lacking and you therefore need consider re-stocking.
Customize the old:
If you come out of your wardrobe with items you know should be practical to your lifestyle but still can’t seem to want to use, think of ways you can update them. If there’s a slouchy cardigan that you’ve been trying to wear for ages but always end up replacing because there’s some nagging feeling telling you something’s off, change the buttons. For a skirt that shape you like but doesn’t end at the legs quite ideally, think of placing a sheer slip underneath. This way, and without any sewing, the length changes and gives an instant trendy twist.
Trusty clothing should not be your only option:
Apparently most women use 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. This is all due to the habits we create.
Have fun with accessories:
Try layering some necklaces; this will instantly spice up a scoop neck or a plain work shirt. Perhaps wear a wide belt over your jacket to change its shape, or throw some colourful tights under a neutral coloured dress. Whatever you decide remember even if you make a fashion mistake one day, you still have 364 more tries that year.
New Year’s Eve is the pinnacle of the party season and most people take part in some type of celebration to mark the end of the old year and the start of the new. Choosing an outfit for New Year can be fraught with difficulty but usually New Year is a little less formal that Christmas. With a view to this, you can really afford to have a fun and go all out with the glamour. Furthermore, New Year is essentially all about letting go of the past and welcoming the future ahead. The best way to start your new year is by wearing something that makes you feel good, presenting the new confident you.
New Year celebrations take all sorts of formats from formal events to house parties, large hall venues or even restaurants. Obviously if the event is formal then a suitable glamorous evening wear outfit would be needed but this should be an outfit that is appropriate for the wearer’s body shape and skin/hair colouring. Most high street stores have formal ranges so an outfit does not have to be hugely expensive. There are many second hand shops or charity shops that have designer formal dresses than can be bought for very little. Accessories should be kept to a minimum, but it would probably be a good idea to invest in an appointment at the hairstylists before the event.
For house parties the dress code may be a lot more casual, but this can still mean fashionable and trendy. Most store on the highstreet carry ranges of party, cocktail and evening dresses or outfits to suit. Something black or something sparkly with lots of bling accessories is always a good look. Usually New Year celebrations allow people to experiment fully, to try new daring looks they may have not had the confidence to do before. Try wearing shoes that are higher than you are used to, but make sure they fit well and that you walk with confidence. Try wearing you chosen heels for an hour around the house, if you can climb stairs and stay comfortable on all the different surfaces throughout the house then you will be able to last the evening in them. When your shoes are chosen pair them with brightly coloured tights. This particular look is very on-trend for this time of year.
Dressy evening trousers are very fashionable and can look great when teamed with a sparkly top. Evening trousers can be worn by most body shapes and the wearer will look good and feel comfortable throughout the evening. Some New Year celebrations may take place outdoors so trousers can help the partygoer to keep warm and also look good. A warm jacket or coat and even gloves may be essential items if there is a chance that the party will start or even move outdoors later on.
Having fun, feeling comfortable and confident is part of the New Years Eve fun. New Year is a time for having fun so it is important not to worry about spending too much on a new year’s outfit, an outfit may be picked up quite cheaply in the sales after Christmas, it is difficult to go wrong with black and sparkles.
The invitations for after-work holiday events are piling up and you have absolutely nothing to wear, well at least nothing that is both office and party appropriate. If you find yourself agreeing to this statement, fret not you are not alone. Nevertheless if you consider the fashion tips and tricks below, the process of finding the perfect office party outfit will become a whole lot easier.
Double-duty dresses:
For a holiday party, it’s always fun to get festive with red. Diane von Furstenberg’s Peyton Poplin Wrap Dress (which also comes in black) is the perfect office-to-party frock. Wear opaque tights and a contrasting tank underneath while at the office, then ditch both before heading out for the night.
A touch of sparkle:
This season is all about sequins, but a sparkly dress can be bit too ostentatious during the day. Instead, opt for a sequined top and evening trousers or even a well fitted skirt. Wear the top under a business suit jacket during the day, then trade the jacket for a beautiful wrap.
Clutch bags:
Nothing is worse than heaving an overstuffed shoulder bag to an office cocktail party. Nevertheless you can get away with an over sized clutch bag. A clutch bag is so easily transferable from day to night and you still have room for all your must-have items. Again a clutch with satin lining gives an instant old Hollywood feel.
Holiday Heel:
Throw on a pretty pair of heels and you will instantly glam up the chosen outfit. Satin will always have a glamorous modern feel. Pair the heels with thick dark tights for the day in the office, but then trade them in for brighter more daring tights for party after-hours.
Must-Have Makeup:
Finally remember to freshen up your make-up. Nevertheless, the smoky eyes look won’t be very appropriate during the day at the office. Nevertheless, with a touch of forward thinking you can pack all your make-up essentials in your trusty clutch bag, making sure you have everything you need to glam up your day look without even leave your desk. Remember to pack a small mirror, a good concealer, a complimentary blusher, a cream eye shadow, good mascara, lip gloss. Lastly, always always always remember a hair brush, hair pins and your favourite perfume.
1. Shorten your trouser lengths
Initially this may be a strange thought. However, the latest fashion trends have actually witnessed casual day and even chic evening trousers being shortened. This is the single easiest route to modernising existing trousers. It works best on straight legs and with heels. Try an inch or two above the ankle but no more or it will look more like a pair of crops!
2. Alter your coat sleeve length
Alter the length of you coat sleeves at the elbow or, if you’re daring, at the upper arm, and wear over thick sweaters. If you are doing it yourself, pin first to see how it looks. If in doubt, take it to your local drycleaners to get a professional alteration done.
3. It’s a cinch
Take your favourite coat, jacket or even cardigan and wrap a belt around it. This is great for accentuating your waist and appears instantly chic.
4. Revive an old skirt
Experiment with skirt lengths. Always bear in mind that an inch added or deducted can give something a new lease of life, but remember you body type and where your person assets lie.
5. Layer it on
Layering is great for the winter months. However try and layer finer garment, for example try layering different shades of neutral vests under a cardigan for an urban casual update.
6. Salvage summer’s frock
Dig out your trusty polo neck and thick pair of tights and team them with a summer day dress.
7. Add military buttons
Customising your clothing it a great money saving trick. Replace the buttons on your coat with kind gold, silver or bronze effect buttons. This will most defiantly bring a tired looking coat up-to-date and bang on trend this winter!
8. Wrap up with a scarf
A nice soft scarf need not be expensive and it can add an instant cosy look and feel to a classic winter outfit.
9. Get a haircut
A good haircut can cost a fortune nowadays, however when you take into consideration cost per wear, it is a good investment.
10. Finish accessories
If money is a touch tight as we approach the festive season, perhaps opt for accessories rather than clothing. Accessories can reinvent a look time and time again!
Choosing the appropriate women’s evening outfitdepends on many different things. Most importantly, your outfit must suit the occasion. Some occasions demand dress-code and others are more casual with no special requirements.
If the event you are invited to has a dress code, it is usually mentioned on the invitation.
It might sound unusual but it still is the men`s clothing that determines an event`s dress code. Men are told how to dress, and women have to know how to dress accordingly. Notably, evening dresses should flatter a woman`s figure and fit the body well. This can only result in a feeling of sheer comfort that will no doubtable last for the entire evening.
The key to a perfect evening wear outfits are the fit. There are some key factor that evening woman should consider for the very best fit, especially if hoping for the very best evening dress.
Firstly, never guess your size. Always measure yourself carefully before you purchase. It is important to note that many of us are likely to wear a different size in formal wear than our everyday clothing. Also women commonly believe that their bra size is actually their bust size, this is wrong. To get the right measurements, it is worth using a cloth to measure, and then measures the clothes against a normal tape measure. Got a step further for the perfect fit by finding someone you are comfortable with and ask them to measure you. In getting someone else to help you are able to obtain the most accurate measurements possible. When using a tailor’s cloth tape measure, keep the tape taut but comfortable; you should be able to just slip a finger under the tape.
When measuring your bust, wear the bra that you will likely be wearing with the dress on the evening. Remember your full bust measurement, is NOT your bra size. For the waist, measure around the thinnest part of the waist, that should be 1 inch above the tummy button. Finally For the hips, measure around the fullest part of the bottom, this will be around 7-10 inches below the natural waistline.
If it’s a special evening out, then you deserve the perfect evening wear outfit for you. It is absolutely imperative for you not only look elegant, chic and stylish but that you are also completely confident and comfortable with you outfit. Once you have the right evening outfit, look to choose the perfect accessories and makeup to round off the outfit to perfection.