Archive for January, 2010
In today’s retail environment many brands have shied away from developing a true professional work wear collection for women. Many brands today find it difficult to find womens suits that balance femininity and professionalism. Instead a lot of designers focus on sportswear and casual clothing in hopes of accommodating the masses and in turn avoid providing for the growing trend of women in the work place. This leaves a hole for many women within jobs such as lawyers, accountants, and investment managers etc. who do not have the option to go work dresses casual. Many women in fact need a strong working wardrobe either trouser suits or skirt suits.
Putting together the right work wardrobe can be difficult and a lot of the time it comes down to knowing the tricks to maximize your clothing investment and knowing you body type.
Here are some tips:
- Nothing worse than an ill fitting suit. Therefore find a great tailor or seamstress that can alter your suit if it doesn’t quite fit as well as you hoped.
- Branch out and try buying a suit other than a solid black power suit. There are some fabulous suits with various patterns, texture and shapely styles that will soften your look.
- Perhaps mix and match your suits. Match your patterned and textured jackets with solid trousers and skirts.
- Invest in a full range of colourful shirts in order to refresh your day to day look.
- Investing in a selection of shirts will give the illusion of a much bigger wardrobe.
- Invest in accessories. Another great way to vary you work wear wardrobe is with accessories.
- For the biggest effect, invest in contrasting accessories. Colours such as tan, navy, red look great with a grey pencil skirt suit. While a dark suit with a white blouse paired with silver accessories can be a completely different look to the same black suit paired with a bright blouse and gold accessories.
- Lastly it is so very important to take care of your suits. Suits can be expensive as they are seen as an investment. Therefore, taking proper care, with the likes of regular dry cleaning will ensure your suits last for years.
Finding appropriate attire for a formal evening event with appropriate accessories can be problematic for many of us. Normally gloves, mittens, woolly hats and chunky knit scarves serve the purpose to keep you warm during the cold winter months. All the same, these garments do not exactly compliment a formal evening outfit. So what should be worn to keep you warm at a winter evening event without compromising the desired impact of an elegant outfit?
Most women today believe that being fashionable during winter, actually ironically means being cold. Although this is a rather bizarre concept, it is in fact an all too common occurrence. Many women believe the only way to keep warm in these months is by sacrificing all fashion sense and dress up in bulky layers, which is not a desirable look especially for formal winter events. It is true that layers are needed to keep you warm, but it is the choice of layers and the materials they are made from that can provide warmth without sacrificing evening wear dress code or fashion sense.
There are some principle investments every lady must make to stay warm and stylish during the winter months. Some winter staples that will translate from day to evening include leggings, tights, and knee-high boots, suitably warm under garments and a token winter coat. The added extras such as flattering woollen dresses, a tweed jacket or blazer and plain evening knitwear mean that you will not be faced with the problem of having to dress an elegant evening wear outfit down with a bulky winter coat.
Winters can be tough when it comes to dressing up for an evening event. Although, we want to look our best, many of us feel that the bulk of warm clothes will hide our style attempts. It is true and very important that you stay warm against the chill of the winter months, nevertheless with a little thought; you can add a hint of style to your attire. For example, chic boleros or long slim line cardigans are great winter evening cover ups.
Regardless the safest and never-fail-you items are your trustworthy pair of dark jeans or dark trousers and a crisp shirt. Colourful thick tights and leggings are also a great purchase and very on trends this winter 2010.
Everyone loves a winter wedding, especially if it is a white winter wedding and the chances of that are almost certain with the current climate! For many of us, we receive invitations for a friends’ wedding, we happily circled the date on the calendar and started shopping for appropriate gifts. Nevertheless, for many there is a big task of finding appropriate clothing to suit the special occasion. The etiquette for wedding guest attire can vary greatly depending on the style of the wedding and of course the time of year. Many of us have to become detectives when figuring out what to wear, unless it is clearly stated on the invitation it’s self. If it is not stated fear not, there are clues to be found everywhere.
Starting off with the invitation, if the invitation has for example, flowing engraved black script on a heavy cream paper with formal language, there is a probability that the wedding itself will also be formal, therefore chic evening wear is appropriate. Language can also be very suggestive. If the language description on the invitation is fairly casual then wedding guests should look to wear smart-casual attire. If you are lucky on the other hand, it may tell you directly on the invitation what the dress code is. For example the invitation my state: Black tie or casual attire and some may even take the choice to have a themed wedding. Believe it or not, themed wedding are becoming increasingly popular.
Regardless, it is far better to be over dress than under dress for weddings. Unless black-tie is stated clearly on the invitation, for men suits are perfect, no tie is acceptable but only really during summer time, also lighter colours and fabrics that breathe is a good summer option. For women it can be a little harder to decide what to wear. Nevertheless there are a few key elements to consider, making the indefinite decision a lot easier to finalise.
Firstly, consider dressing as you would if you were going out to the theatre or to a celebratory dinner. Therefore, a cocktail dress is acceptable, however avoid beads, sequins, or going for anything that is too glitzy. Furthermore, your chosen outfit should never be too revealing nor too restricting as their will most likely be a meal and dancing involved later in the day. Contrary to popular belief, black is an entirely acceptable colour choice for winter wedding, white on the other hand is not! The last thing a woman wants to do is compete with bride! Whatever your final decision might be, always bear in mind that is far better to be over dressed at a wedding than under dressed. Consequently, opting for extravagant accessories such as hats and gloves are a great choice, just so long you feeling comfortable and confidence wearing them.
With snow showers and icy conditions currently causing travel chaos in many parts of the United Kingdom, for many the appeal of simply refusing to venture outside and staying at home is strong. Nevertheless, for many this just is not a plausible option, the only alternative is to wrap up warm and continue the daily routines.
Come the cold winter months our priority is to keep as warm as possible, with attempts are made to insulate the body from the cold outside. The way to effectively battle the cold is to layer and layer and just when you thought it might be enough layers, add another just to be safe. The base layers of winter clothing must be effective, and remember to leave the style factor last. Base layers in an outfit must be made from materials that allow the skin to breathe easily, the top layer however can be a little trendier and stylish fur shrugs and bolero’s for example can finish it off nicely.
The mid thermal layer can be considered is the second line of defence. Light weight cardigans, polo necks or T-shirts are always good choices. It is however, imperative to ensure that these layers are not too tight but not too loose either. Tight clothing apart from restricting movement does not insulate the body properly and loose clothes allow the warm air to escape; a comfortable balance is essential.
Clothing should still allow proper ventilation during the winter months. Therefore, choosing items that allow heat to escape if it gets too hot or seal heat in if it gets too cold is paramount. If you decide on item that are made from high quality materials and good designs, they should achieved suitable comfort without having the hassle of taking off any layers. Apertures in garments in the form of buttons or zippers will help achieve suitable ventilation. Naturally of course your decision on how many layers or what level of insulation required depends entirely on the outside weather conditions. If the temperature conditions are extremely low, heavier item will be better. Nevertheless, if variable conditions are a potential, which with the current environmental climate issue is extremely likely for many, going for multiple layers that are not too heavy yet easily removable is probably the most beneficial option.
Consider the key factors listed below and you are sure to find the perfect little black dress (LBD) for 2010 in no time!
Shoulders:
The seams on any good fitted dress should lie flat on your shoulders. If there is any pulling on your shoulders when you sit, the dress is too small. If you have a dress with shoulder straps, they should also lie flat on the shoulder. If you sit down, the straps should stay tight so they cannot slip from your shoulder.
Neckline:
When you are standing, the neckline should lie flat. If you sit down and you feel pressure on your throat when wearing a high neckline style dress, the dress is too small. Sequentially, if the neckline does not lie flat and there is a gap, the dress is too big.
Chest:
Stand up straight to make sure there is not any pressure against the chest area or pulling through the back. Sit down and check again to see if you feel comfortable, especially at the chest and the back areas. Pressure in these areas will cause increasing discomfort as the day goes on.
Back:
There should be no pulling or gaping on the back. Furthermore, if the dress has a zip at the back, make sure there is no tension around it.
Armholes:
Armholes should close around the arms without any gaps however there should not be too much pressure either. Take an evening dress as a good example, with evening dresses you must ensure that the chosen bra matches the colour of the dress and that the bra straps are not visible at the sides or the back of the dress.
Side seams:
Side seams should lie flat and run in a smooth, straight line without any puckering.
Hem:
Look at the hem from the sides. The hemline of the dress should have a smooth, straight line all around (except on styles with an asymmetric hemline). See that the hem does not roll outside on the front, back, or on the side seam. The length of the hem is entirely up to personal preference, just so long as when you bend and stretch the dress covers you comfortably.