Posts Tagged: how to

Core Wardrobe outfit idea: How to wear a blazer

By IN Personal Style, Work It Wednesdays

Core Wardrobe working mom outfit idea: How to wear a blazer

The Core Wardrobe is a list of essential pieces that form the building blocks from which you can create outfits for any occasion. Today’s outfit features one of the Core Wardrobe items, a blazer.

One of the attributes most of the items in the Core Wardrobe have in common is their versatility; they work with most of the other pieces in your closet to create outfits across a range of levels and situations.

Work It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosNot only is the blazer versatile, but it’s like a wardrobe superhero. You put it on and it instantly takes whatever you’re wearing up a notch.

T-shirt + jeans = Weekend casual. T-shirt + jeans + blazer = Weekend chic.

And of course if you wear it with something that’s already dressier, like a skirt, you’ve got one of the easiest ways ever to look put-together in the office.

I’ve worn this blazer several times before, most recently in a winter-weather ensemble. This time I paired it with a sleeveless lace tank top and a new faux suede pencil skirt for a spring-into-summer Client Meeting outfit.

  • Fab mamas: How many ways do you wear your blazers?

Blazer: Calvin Klein [similar]
Skirt: Chico’s [here]
Tank Top: Banana Republic [similar]
Shoes: Nine West [similar]
Working Mom Outfit Level:4/Client Meeting

Get the full Core Wardrobe checklist and learn how to build outfits with it in Step 6 of “No More Yoga Pants: How to Dress Better, Shop Smarter and Reclaim Your Style,” the fun, easy-to-follow style transformation system. Join the Style List to be the first to hear when it launches (and get a discount code, too).

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Try these quick fixes to make shoes fit (and feel) better

By IN Less Frantic Mondays

Foot Petals - Tip Toes 6-Pair Pack Combo (Combo And Safari) - Accessories

Have you ever bought a pair of shoes that felt fine when you tried them on in the store, but discovered that they weren’t quite comfortable–after you’d worn them and could no longer return them?

Less Frantic Mondays: Tips and tricks for getting dressed and creating working mom outfits with less hassle and more fun.Don’t give up yet! Before you toss them in the giveaway pile, try these quick fixes to make uncomfortable or loose shoes fit and feel better:

  • Moleskin. If your shoes are rubbing against part of your foot, try easing the spot with moleskin, found in any drugstore. Moleskin is a soft felt-like material on one side, and super sticky tape on the other.
  • Heel inserts. If your heels are sliding up out of the back of your shoe, make the fit a little tighter with a heel grip. (These helped me keep a pair of pumps that seemed OK when I bought them, but started slipping off my foot once I really walked in them.)
  • Insoles. If your shoes aren’t comfortable to walk in after a few hours, try slip-in insoles with padding or arch supports. They can extend the wearability of many types of shoes.
  • Ball of foot pads. If you find that your feet slide forward with every step you take in a pair of heels, stop the slipping (and reduce the friction on the ball of your foot) with pads that stick on at the front of the shoe, like the TipToes cushions from Foot Petals (above).

Where to get them: You can find these products online or in any drugstore, and often in shoe stores, too (I’ve seen them at Payless and DSW).

  • Fab mamas: How do you keep your feet happy?

Get fabulous. Be fabulous. Declare your right to discover and manifest your personal style with the Fab Mama Style Manifesto.

[Affiliate links disclosure]

The Core Wardrobe: How to build your wardrobe foundation

By IN How-To Tuesdays, Personal Style

The Core Wardrobe: Essential garment building blocks for every wardrobe
“Core wardrobe.” “Wardrobe essentials.” “10 (or 15 or 20) items every woman must own.”

These phrases are talking about the same thing: your wardrobe foundation. After all, the foundation is the best place to start building something new, including your wardrobe.

This foundation, or Core Wardrobe, is a list of the classic, fundamental clothes around which you can build outfits for any occasion.

Think of it like a set of basic building blocks for style.

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsSome lists include only a few items, while others are more expansive. The Frantic But Fabulous Core Wardrobe identifies foundational pieces for different types of clothing because we fab mamas often need to create outfits at a range of Working Mom Levels.

For this series, we’re going to look at the Core Wardrobe for selected categories:

In each category, we’ll look at the shapes and styles to start with — and talk about how to vary them for your own personal style and preference.

  • Fab mamas: What are your wardrobe essentials?

Learn more about the Core Wardrobe and get a detailed, comprehensive checklist of what to buy in “No More Yoga Pants: How To Dress Better, Shop Smarter and Reclaim Your Style,” the step-by-step personal style transformation system. Join the Style List and be the first to get a sneak preview (and an early discount code, too)!

2 quick ways to get your skin ready for spring (and summer, too)

By IN Less Frantic Mondays

18'' Detachable Long Handle Natural Boar Bristle Brush

Warmer weather–whether it reaches you in spring or the start of summer–means more bare skin. And more bare skin means more lotion and sunscreen.

Less Frantic Mondays: Tips and tricks for getting dressed and creating working mom outfits with less hassle and more fun.Even though the air isn’t as dry as it was in winter, exfoliating first can help lotions and creams sink in better.

These 2 quick tips will get your skin ready for spring (and summer, too)

  • Dry brush your body. Have you heard of this yet? It first came across my radar from Smart, Pretty and Awkward. You use a body brush to exfoliate before you get in the shower. It’s quick, it’s easy and devotees say it clears up skin problems, too.
  • Use a washcloth on your lips. Sounds weird, I know. But if you have rough or chapped lips, just give them a rub with a dry washcloth or even a damp one and voila, your kisser is much smoother.

I’ve used the second method, but not the first so I’m curious to hear what your experiences are with either of them.

  • Fab mamas: How do you get your skin ready for warm weather? Have you tried either of these ways?

Get fabulous. Be fabulous. Declare your right to discover and manifest your personal style with the Fab Mama Style Manifesto.

[Affiliate links disclosure]

It’s OK to wear the rainbow: How to add (more) color to your wardrobe

By IN Advice, How-To Tuesdays

How to add (more) color to your wardrobe
Iris & Ink cashmere sweater / Ballet shoes [similar] / Les Néréides red necklace / Emanuel Ungaro vintage scarf / Brooks Brothers silk scarf /
Red obi belt [similar]

If you’re used to “safer” palettes, like lots of black or the standard neutrals–navy, tan, white, gray–wearing color might seem daunting. (Or you might have a case of All Black Syndrome.)

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsMaybe you’re unsure what colors work with what you already own.

Maybe you’re unsure if you’re supposed to wear certain colors.

Maybe you’re unsure about wearing color because you’re afraid it’s too noticeable.

Fear not, mamas!

Adding color to what you wear is easier than you think.

Here’s how to add (more) color to your wardrobe

  • Pick one color first. It can be your favorite color (yes, you can wear it!) or one that complements what’s already in your wardrobe.
  • Start small. If you want to wear more red, say, that doesn’t mean you have to start wearing it head to toe. What about a top? A scarf? A belt?
  • Use patterns. A patterned piece is a great way to incorporate multiple colors at once. Plus patterns work well with both your existing neutrals and any pieces you’ve now acquired in your new color.
  • Build up. Go from a belt to a whole top. Try an entire dress in a pattern. Add another color that works with your first color, or one of your patterned pieces.
  • Have fun. Yes, there are lots of rules out there about color. But your first rule should be to have fun. It goes back to the Frantic But Fabulous mantra: if it doesn’t make you feel fabulous, don’t wear it!

Before you know it, you’ll be sporting brighter hues, and maybe feeling a little brighter, too.

  • Fab mamas: How do you incorporate color into your outfits? What’s your favorite color to wear?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

Ease into spring: How to brighten your winter wardrobe with color

By IN Advice, How-To Tuesdays, Style

How to add color to your winter wardrobe

Last week we were talking about how to incorporate a specific color–Emerald, the 2013 Pantone Color of the Year–into your wardrobe.

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsAnd what better time to add color than the tail end of winter, when we’re longing for spring but it isn’t quite here, no matter what the groundhog says?

Adding some new color will also freshen up the cold weather clothes you’re growing weary of wearing.

Here’s how to brighten your winter wardrobe with color

  • Accessorize brightly. If your scarves and mittens and hats are all in shades of grey and black and tan, trade them in for brights! Bonus: red gloves are easier to spot when you drop them in the snow.
  • Make a statement. Ditto for inside accessories, like necklaces and belts. Find a color that makes you happy and find a way to wear it, whether it’s a chunky bead necklace or a shirt under your cardigan.
  • Sneak in spring. Who says your scarves have to be wool? When temperatures moderate in late winter, ease into your spring things: a cotton scarf in pastels, a lighter weight shirt worn as a layer, something in florals.

Just think of it as wearing your own sunshine!

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find many winter items on deep discount. If the mall shops have cleared the coats away to make room for swimsuits, look online. Seasonal sales tend to last longer there.

  • Fab mamas: How do you wear color in winter? What are your tips for getting through the late-season doldrums?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Join the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: “7 Days to Better Shopping,” a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

How to wear Emerald, 2013’s Color of the Year

By IN Fashion, How-To Tuesdays

How to wear Emerald, 2013 Color of the Year
BCBG Max Azria silk top / Hudson Jeans / Nine West slip on shoes /

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsEvery year the hue gurus at the Pantone Color Institute choose a Color of the Year. Last year was Tangerine Tango, a frothy reddish orange.

For 2013, the Color of the Year is Emerald, a jewel tone that Pantone describes as “lively, radiant and lush.”

Here’s how to incorporate emerald green into your wardrobe

  • Try a little. As with any color trend, if you don’t want to invest too heavily in a hue that may be gone in a year–or if it’s not a color that works for you in big amounts–go small. Try accessories, like scarves, belts and costume jewelry. (Easier on the wallet, too.)
  • Choose wisely. If you’d like to add something a bit more substantial, like a garment, think strategically. What do you already own, such as a neutral or complementary color, that would work with a jewel-tone green? If most of these items are pants and skirts, for example, then you’ll look for an emerald green top.
  • Want to fully embrace Emerald? Look through Pantone’s Pinterest board for Emerald-incorporating outfit ideas and inspiration. Color-blocking fans will find they can pair green with many items in their closet today.

Can’t get enough Emerald? Here are some more 2013 Color of the Year trend reports from Refinery 29, VentureMom, and stylist Bridgette Raes.

And Fab Over Fifty tells you which shades of green–including emerald–work best for different hair/skin tones.

  • Fab mamas: Are you on board with the Emerald trend? What’s your favorite way to wear it?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.