Posts Tagged: Style

Series: How to get a Fab Mom Style Upgrade

By IN Advice

Fab Mom Style Upgrade

When you get dressed in the morning, do you look at yourself in the full-length mirror and think “Wow, that looks great!”?

Or are you more likely to grade your look as just OK?

If you’re feeling more “meh” than “marvelous,” it’s time for a style upgrade.

This doesn’t mean you have to buy a whole new wardrobe (fun as it might be). To inject more fabulous into your everyday wear, all you need to do is turn up the volume a bit on what you already have, or look for a variation.

That’s what this series, Fab Mom Style Upgrade, is all about.

This month we’ll look at 3 key items in every working mom’s wardrobe. (You’ll notice that I picked out garments that can be worn to work and at home.) For each, we’ll talk about ways to make each one just a little more fabulous.

  • T-shirt. You live in it throughout the week, right? On the weekends for casual wear, and under a suit to work.
  • Jeans. Ditto! Denim’s the most versatile part of anyone’s wardrobe.
  • A pair of casual shoes. As much as we might dream of Louboutins, we can’t all wear heels, but everyone can wear flats or other casual shoes.

Each week I’ll give you ideas on how to choose them and wear them with examples (and even shopping links).

Ready to get a style upgrade?

See you next week!

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(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

Does your partner know your style?

By IN Advice, Style

Pencil and eraser with blank paper: Fill in this style cheat sheet to help your honey shop for youLast season on Project Runway, one of the designer challenges was to create a garment for a male client’s girlfriend or wife–based entirely on input from the man.

It was up to him to tell the designers what the woman in his life was like, and not only her aesthetic preferences, but her shape and size.

I’m sure you can guess what the results were!

Even if you’re not the subject of a TV design challenge, there will be times in your life (like Valentine’s Day, perhaps?) when your honey will go shopping for you.

Why not make it easier on him or her?

Help your partner know your style with this little cheat sheet about you:

  • My favorite designer(s):
  • My favorite clothing label(s)
  • Places I like to shop:
  • My favorite thing to wear:
  • I would never wear a:
  • My favorite colors to wear:
  • I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing these colors:
  • I’ve always dreamed of wearing this garment:
  • My style icon is:
  • I would describe my style as: __ classic __ chic __ trendy __ rocker __ bohemian __ retro
  • My measurements: shoulders __ bust __ waist __ hips __ (Don’t know? Here’s how to measure yourself.)
  • My sizes: shirts __ jeans/pants __ dresses __ bra __ panties __ swimsuit __ ring (left) __ ring (right) __

If your partner is less of a stylista than you are, he or she may not always know what some of this information means. But that’s OK–bringing this sheet with him will help your hubby when he walks, bewildered, into your favorite boutique (which you wrote down on line #3, right?).

And guess what? Now you know a little more about your style, too!

Your turn

  • What would you add to this cheat sheet?
  • Can you answer all of these questions?

Share the love

Thanks for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

[Photo credit: Shawn Campbell, Flickr]

How to keep from getting bored wearing the same clothes

By IN Advice

Yawning cheetah

Even animal prints can get boring ...

Do you ever feel like you’re wearing the same thing over and over again–and it’s just so boring?

Maybe you’re trying to shop your own closet for budgetary or environmental reasons (or both).

Or maybe you reach for the same clothes day after day because it’s easier and you don’t have to think about it.

With the new year just around the corner, there’s no better time to get out of that wardrobe rut.

Here are some ways to keep from getting bored wearing the same clothes:

  • Go deeper. Are you really shopping your whole closet? A friend of mine wore the cutest outfit the other day, pairing a rich burgundy velvet tank with a black cropped shrug cardigan. She confessed she hadn’t worn the tank in 10 years, but finally pulled it out in a moment of inspiration. What do you have hiding in the back of your closet?
  • Mix it up. Do you always wear the same garments together? Break them up. Go back to your closet and pick out a different skirt or pair of pants for that shirt. And have you ever thought of trying it with that blazer you never wear?
  • Think different. The other day I pulled out an outfit I’ve worn for over 10 years, including a navy blue maxi skirt. I love the skirt (which is why I’ve kept it so long), but I just didn’t want to wear it the same old way again. So I pulled it up on one side to create an asymmetrical hem and pinned it in place with a rhinestone brooch. Can you alter your outfits with a belt, a scarf or a pin? What if you wore a sweater over the top of a dress so it became a new skirt?
  • Stray from the season. Last week I wrote about winterizing a summer wrap dress with a turtleneck underneath. Get out your clothes you’ve put away for the season and look for pieces you could bring into what you’re wearing now.
  • Shop the other closet. If you have a husband or a boyfriend, you have a whole ‘nother closet to raid :) Could you wear one of his ties with your white button-down shirt? Or steal his white button-down to wear with your scarf?

Playing around with accessories is always a great option, too. The exact same combination of garments can look completely different by switching out the scarf, belt, jewelry and/or shoes.

Your turn

  • What are your tips for keeping things fresh from the same clothing inventory?

Share the love

Thanks for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

[Photo: Flickr user wwarby]

Fashionological: Where style meets insight

By IN Site Spotlight

Fashionological: Where style meets insight

Fashionological: Where style meets insight

Because we carry it around on our bodies all day, and all of our lives, fashion is a supremely personal topic, one with sociological implications as well.

That’s the idea behind the new Tumblr blog Fashionological, started by author Shaista Justin and “her own personal Frenchman,” Olivier Berger, who is also co-founder of the soon-to-launch Shopolate.

Posts include interviews with tastemakers of various stripes, from indie musicians to boutique owners; polls and surveys; infographics; and editorials.

And today I have the pleasure of being one of their first guest posters, what fun! I dipped into the memory banks to recall my introduction to the world of fashion, and how it all began with Andy Warhol. (A topic I first touched on last year when I talked about my “fashion story.”)

So if you’re looking for a different take on fashion, style and our relationship with our clothes, give Fashionological a read, won’t you?

Speaking of fashion + sociology

 

  • How did you first get introduced to fashion, style and designers?
  • Do you remember a first, beloved outfit?
  • What’s your favorite fashion magazine, and why?

Why you should be stylish, not fashionable

By IN Fashion, Style


Or how to be an Eddie, not a Patsy

I love fashion. It’s fun to follow it, to stay on top of the latest trends, to know what they’re wearing right off the runway.

But my goal for my closet is to fill it with style.

That doesn’t mean the two things are mutually exclusive. There is a difference, though, between focusing on fashion and focusing on style. Between a fashionista and a stylista, if you will.

Think about the characters in the classic ’90s BBC comedy “Absolutely Fabulous.” (You have seen it, right?) Eddie is obsessed with fashion and is always dressed head-to-toe in the latest trends, mixing them all together regardless of their suitability. “Lacroix, dahling,” she coos. “Lacroix!” Former model Patsy, by contrast, wears sharply cut suits, skirts and heels (though her beehive hairdo could use a little updating). Watch an episode today and Eddie’s clothing is by far the most dated.

The difference between stylish and fashionable

  • Fashionable only lasts a season, two if you’re lucky.
  • Stylish lasts year after year.
  • Fashionable ignores your body type.
  • Stylish works for your shape.
  • Fashionable doesn’t always work with what you already own.
  • Stylish blends into your wardrobe seamlessly.

So how do you avoid being an overly fashionista Eddie? The tricky part is learning how to shop for style instead of shopping (only) for fashion.

Stylish vs. fashionable shopping tips

  • Style: Look for pieces in classic shapes that have been proven again and again: the little black dress, a camel trench coat, a string of pearls.
  • Fashion: Choose the season’s trend that works best with what you already have and buy just one or two pieces. Accessories are often the best (and least expensive) way to incorporate trends into your wardrobe.
  • Style: Buy the best you can afford; you’ll own it for years.
  • Fashion: Spend as little as possible, and look for knockoffs at retailers like H&M; you’ll be throwing it out soon enough.

Your turn

  • That’s my take on fashion vs. style — what’s yours?
  • Confess: Are you an Eddie or a Patsy?

Pay attention to the frame

By IN Advice, Style

Good grooming is the foundation of any successful wardrobe. No matter how many pieces you own, whether they are the humblest of garments or the most haute of couture, your ensemble will fall flat without a proper frame.

Find a fabulous hair stylist and become a loyal customer. This may cost a bit more, but it is far better to spend more on a great haircut that is worn every day, than to waste those same dollars on clothes that will be ignored beneath an uninteresting — or, worse, unpleasant — mane.

As for cosmetics, even the most natural of women looks fresher and brighter with a little mascara, blush and lipstick. The neutral tones will do. It only takes a minute or two, but it pays off all day.

So pay attention to your “frame” and the rest will follow.