V-Style

Five Tips To Looking Your Best in 2010

Each year numerous women say they are going to change their look for the next year, but most give up and resort to unstylish habits again because they don’t know where to start…or finish. You need some help and I have the five tips that will help you look fabulous 365 days in a row a whole a lot easier…

Tip One: Everything In Your Closet Should Be Attractive

Eliminate every “ugly” item in your wardrobe. Toss those clothes that are only for sleeping that you end up running errands in because you don’t feel like changing. Replace these items with attractive colors, prints and shapes that make you look and feel good. You don’t have to give up the comfort, there are PLENTY of casual comfy clothes out there that will actually flatter your body and make you feel cute.

Hint: Monrow is a great brand for casual clothing that looks good.

Hint: You only need one shirt and jeans for painting, not eight.

Tip Two: The Fit

Those odd items in your closet that just don’t fit well? Tailor them or toss them. Every item in your closet needs to fit you well.

This starts with the shopping process… you see this gorgeous dress you have to have even thought it fits weird in the hips, but you buy it anyways. Surprise, surprise every time you try it on it disappoints you and end up never wearing it. So, from now on do not buy anything that does not fit you perfectly unless you know a tailor can easily fix it – and you are the type of person who will actually take it to said tailor.

Tip Three: Skip the Sales

It doesn’t matter what a shirt used to cost, what does it cost now and is it worth it? There are only three things that matter when you are shopping: can you afford it, do you look good in it and do you love it? Labels, sales, trends, retail associates and men should not be on your mind when you are adding clothing to your wardrobe.

Tip Four: What Do You Need?

Look in your closet after eliminating all the ugly and ill-fitting clothes. What do you need? Where do you find you have the hardest time? Do you need more day dresses, light weight jackets, work dresses, slacks, jeans, shorts, interesting tops? Ask yourself what you need and then shop specifically for these items versus shopping randomly and adding more useless bulk. When you shop specifically for one item at a time it is easier to find the best of what you want while price comparing.

Tip Five: Take a day…or Two

Everyone dreams of a world where they are able to make a new stylish outfit everyday in five minutes. In reality people either spend five minutes putting together the outfit they wore yesterday or spend an hour putting together an offbeat look. The solution? Take a day and experiment with your wardrobe while taking notes or pictures to remember for the future. Find out ahead of time what looks great together and what doesn’t without the pressure of having to be somewhere.

Handmade Clutches By Loulou Bontemps

When I go out on the town my carryon of choice is the clutch, small in size and big on style. I own as many clutches as a I do shoes because, you know, each outfit calls for a different one of both.

My most recent clutch is from Loulou Bontemps, a UK line of handmade purses made from vintage pieces. I have the sleek clutch made from an 80’s swatch pictured above. Paired with a modern day outfit I love the untraceable hint the clutch gives my look.

“There is something in the history behind these fabrics that bring each bag to life,” explains the designer, Loulou, a single mum following her dream of making purses and accessories. Besides the Loulou Bontemps shop, she has two other online boutiques, My Vintage and Jewelry Box. These sites are for the items she discovers at the markets in France and the UK that are so gorgeous on their own she decided not to fuss with them.

Reasonably priced and fantastically chic, I am excited about a new resource to get unique hand décor for my next evening out.

Best Blogs This Week!

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Gift the gift of a fabulous bag at Bag Snob.

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Stay dry in the rain with these fashionable raincoats from Coquette.

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StyleBakery.com put together some perfect party looks to take you through the holidays

The Beauty Stop details how to get Kristen Stewart's new hairstyle.

The Fashion Bomb takes a look at The Top Five Fashionistas of 2009.

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How To Wear A Cropped Leather Jacket

Every season, it can be difficult to know what to buy and what to skip – especially when it comes to jackets. To make it easier, you have to ask yourself certain questions: Does this flatter my body? Will this go with what I already own? How will it go with what I already own?

Well, this season, a short leather jacket is your best bet. This essential cover up will exude the sexy bad-girl-gone-chic look that is both modern and timeless. It is also one of the most versatile jackets you will get this fall. The cardigan can be too delicate, the coat can be too bulky and other cropped jackets may not have the edge you are looking for. For those who are vegans, there are many alternatives to leather that will look just like it. As you can see, you can wear it with everything and for practically any occasion.

On a date – If you are heading out to a nice dinner or cocktails with your fella, slip into that structured dress you have stowed in your closet then throw on this sleek Topshop motorcycle-esque jacket. Now, you are not only warm, but edgy too, at a reasonable price.

Running errands – Who doesn’t want to feel cute while grocery shopping, lunching with friends or walking the dog? This also works for casual nights out. Spice up that t-shirt and jeans uniform with this black Belstaff leather goodie. This is the epitome of casual cool.

Out & About – This legging and tank combination can go casual or dressy depending on the shoes. Flats will say stylish day attire while heels, booties or boots scream party. Whether its out with the girls or a cool event, this look will get you noticed in that wonderful way a girl loves.

Plus Size Woman in Glamour Magazine

Were you able to snag the Glamour issue with the plus size model and her sweet belly? I didn't - it sold out. It got editors thinking. As the sales of magazines decline due to the Internet and the recession taking risks for readership is becoming more attractive... Sad that showing a woman's belly is risky. I never thought it a big deal to see a pooch in a magazine, but then I realized... Do you ever see a size 12 woman in Cosmo? InStyle? Vogue!? I think not. The closest we get to it is Queen Latifa in Covergirl ads.

I consulted with Lucia Moses of Media Week with her opinions on the matter: Will real women start appearing more often in our magazines?

"I think other magazines can’t help but take note of the strong, positive response Glamour got when it featured plus-sized models in two issues this fall. I can see other mass magazines that purport to celebrate healthy lifestyles and real women like Self and Women’s Health jumping on the bandwagon. Dove apparently had at least a short-term bump in sales when it launched its Real Beauty campaign featuring “real” women, which helps support the idea that women want to see images that make them feel better about themselves."

It gives women hope that perhaps they will start seeing more plus size women in magazines. Personally I am a size 6, but beyond that I want to see some diversity. Show me size 2, 6, and 18. Show me Chinese, African, French and Spanish models. I want it all, but I don't think we are there yet and neither does Lucia Moses... "I see this as more of a one-off and don’t think that you’re going to see any wholesale change in the use of pencil-thin models in magazines or on the runways because of the aspirational nature of these images and the fact that (as I often hear) clothes “hang” better on skinny models."

She has a point, but every step towards showing all walks of life in the fashion world excites me. What is fashion if not an expression of our culture and guess what, the average size of our culture is 14.

Michelle Obama Wears J. Crew

 

J. Crew is an interesting brand for women. It has always been a little overpriced and boring, with an odd fit. Nowadays though, it seems to have a real handle on the stylish vibe with some timeless on-trend items and fabulous accessories... although I must say the fit is still odd. How many times have you walked into J. Crew, tried a pair of pants on, stood in front of the mirror and stared horrified at the unflattering reflection. Seemingly supposed to be for a more full-bottomed woman, I find their pants, slacks and sometimes dresses seem to add weight to a woman's lower half, instead of slimming them. I have only been able to find one style of J. Crew pant for my "hippy" clients that actually flattered instead of fattened.

One person who is loving J. Crew is Michelle Obama. (I am guessing she has tailored many items since J. Crew skirts tend to fall straight at the knees instead of coming in slightly like a flattering skirt should.) She has been photographed looking absolutely fabulous while wearing many of J. Crew's pencil skirts, cardigans and tees this year... which may be why this odd brand is doing so well.

J. Crew Group Inc. announced this month that its profit more than doubled in the third quarter as sales rose by a double-digit percentage. The results sent its stock surging in after-hours trading after the retailer beat Wall Street consensus estimates for profit and revenue. The Associated Press said its gross margin grew to 48.4 percent of revenue from 41.6 percent a year ago. CEO Millard Drexler gives credit to doing simple things well. "It's about product, it's about quality, it's about design, it's about creativity." I suppose, but I think it has more to do with Michelle Obama and the brand's relatively recent lean towards on-trend styles.

Either way, here are a few items that I am loving from J. Crew: (Notice there are no pants pictured)

The Statement Necklace

 

The Sequined Tank

 

The Wow Bracelet

 

The Watercolor Leopard Cardigan

Giveaway! Black Tote by Serena Signature

This month we are giving away a Serena Williams handbag! I know, you are thinking Serena is just a tennis player. Turns out fashion, designing, and acting are a few of Serena’s passions too, perhaps that is why People Magazine named her one of the 25 Most Intriguing People.

Either way this stylish patent python-embossed tote by Ms. Williams is fabulous and you can get it for free. Simply comment below your thoughts on Serena as a designer and you are entered to win this tote by Serena Signature.

With plenty of interior pockets to keep you organized the bag is available in gray, purple, green, blue, red, and cognac (brown), but black is the giveaway color of choice. Retails at HSN for $39.95.

Winner will be announced Jan 2, 2010. Contest is closed. Congrats Heather!

Zac Posen To Design For Target

Would you pay $78 for a t-shirt? It would have to be one slapping fine tee. For those in the money, if you like it, buy it; but for the rest of consumers price is number one priority and $78 for a cotton short sleeve something is unreasonable.

So, Zac Posen has decided to give a girl a break. Posen is going to try to reach an even wider consumer base than he might with the $78 T-shirts from his lower-priced "urban hipster" Z Spoke line. He announced last month that he will join the ranks of high-end designers for Target.

Nothing makes me happier, but we have to wait until next Spring before you get even get a peak of what's to hit Target stores with Posen's name on it.

Hervé Léger by Max Azria Does Tie Dye

I am going to tell you something. I love tie-dye. I have always loved it and apparently so do a couple of other people. I am happy to announce that tie-dye has gone high-end. What do you think about it?

Peter Pilotto

Tibi

Ports 1961

Hervé Léger by Max Azria

How To Dress Formal As A Plus Size Woman

I recently styled Allison Trent, Miss Irvine, to compete for the Miss California Pageant. She was the first plus size model to compete for the title and although she did not get into the top 15 (Boo, Judges, Boo!) I thought I would share my knowledge with my full figured readers.

As a personal stylist I dress various body types that include women size 0 to size 16+. Allison is a size 12 with wonderful proportions making my job quite easy. You see your body shape has so much more to do with how long and lean you look than your size. A size 2 with a big bum is going to have a harder time then a size 16 with smooth proportions. Either way I can make a woman look wonderful with some tricks and a tailor, but you must start with slimming lines. 

For Allison I brought in Gordana Gehlhausen from Project Runway Season Six to custom make a bold red dress. We chose this rich red because this hue flatters fair skin and symbolizes the colors of the charity that Allison works with, Girls Inc. From there Gordana and I discussed the focus to be on her décolletage with a strapless gown.

From there we know we wanted a floor length gown that grazed her torso and widened to the floor to ensure no fake weight was added to her form. Close to the body is always more slimming then voluminous dresses with pleats and such. Gordana also added a slimming effect with an interesting and long center.

For back up, I called in JS Boutique. Sold in Nordstrom, JS boutique is reasonably priced and knows how to make any woman look slim, including fuller women. They have both a plus size line as well as a petite line that focuses on rich colors and details that flatter many skin tones and figures.