V-Style

Best Flat Black Boot by Cole Haan

Cole Haan - Air Whitley Tall Boot

Each of my clients have a unique body type, lifestyle and personal taste that requires garments individual to them, but every now and then there comes an item so flattering, timeless and comfortable, I must insert it into multiple wardrobes. This week I introduced these Cole Haan Whitley boots to three of my clients: a nine-teen year old training for a professional athletic career, a stay-at-home mom and a thirty something career woman. All of them will put the boot over skinny jeans or black leggings.  

Pictured above is a streamlined version of the boot and below is a rougher take. Personal preference will dictate which one you choose. Note though, the calf is on the slimmer said with a 14.5 circumference. Before buying it, measure the widest part of your calf. If it measures larger than 14.5, skip these boots.

Nordstrom has the tall boot in all sizes at $219, but Zappos has them in size five and five and a half at $174.95. Also, Zappos has both boots in chocolate brown.

Cole Haan - Air Whitley Buckle Boot

How To Create Unique Color Combinations

I see a sea of black in the season's fashion and, although it can be fabulous, there is no need for it. Don't think you have to wear dark shades in cooler seasons. Color is always a good idea. An even better idea is unexpected uses of color and unique combinations of said hues. Pictured on my clients are some of my favorite color pairings. The first one, pictured above, could be my all time favorite. First, I adore the use of a bold colored cardigan (Nordstrom.), as you see on some other clients below. Second, there is not one color that repeats, but it still works. Why? The colors used, pinks and purple, are all in the same section of the color wheel, but separated by many shades to ensure contrast.

Here we have navy and white, orange and yellow. Most unique pairings are done by using an equation like this.... Can you pair the orange Banana Republic belt  with navy? Yes. Can you pair navy with yellow? Yes. Can you pair orange and yellow? Yes. Can white go with each of these colors separately? Yes. If they all add up separately, generally they can add up all together as well. For shoes and accessories with this combo, we went with gold tones because although, navy and white can do both gold and silver equally well, orange and yellow do best with golds. 

The equation at work, all three colors compliment eachother. Note that we are using a cream tank and not white, to create a warmer tone to the entire outfit.

I adore pairing pink or purple with grey. It is so beautiful and unexpected. Whether the pink is bold or light, it will work, but keep in mind that the equation factor that I discussed before is not here because we are mixing odd points in the color wheel. When pairing grey with a girly color, stick with those colors. Repeat the grey and said girly color over and over in the outfit. Here we repeat grey with the belt and one of the shoe options, and repeat the pinky tone in the other shoe option.

The equation to use again. Does navy go with olive green? Yes. Does navy go with browns? Yes. Does cognac brown go with olive green? Indeed! Success. By the way, navy is far more versatile than black. You could not sub in black leggings for this outfit combination. Side note, we would add a nude tank underneath the top to hide bra show through.

These pictures were published with my client's verbal or written permission. No client photos are used without the client's permission.

Client Outfit Feature - BCBG Printed Silk Top

I adore this BCBG printed silk top, I have put it on a few of my clients... something I rarely do. Each client has their own body type, taste and lifestyle, but this item works on so many levels for so many people. For one of my clients I showed her how to sport it casually on the weekend as well in the office. For casual wear, we paired it with soft GAP pants and for work we paired it with a Classiques ruched-on-the-side pencil skirt in a ponté fabric with a Gibson blazer in the same fabric and color. By just tucking the BCBG top in, it goes from breezy tunic to sophisticated blouse.

Client Outfit Featured - Bar 111 Dress

I know I have laready beaten the horse dead about Bar 111, but I could not help but discuss one of my favorite client's 30th birthday attire. I put her in a teeny, ruched red and nude party dress that was comfortable, flattering and fabulous. We did Nordstrom earrings and ring with sparkly gold Jummi Choo peep toe heels that we had also used on her wedding day. I always say, no one-hit wonders. When you buy something, it better be able to move to other ocassions and avenues of your life.

First For Women Magazine Photo Shoot

Last month I styled the lovely Mary Jo for her feature in First Magazine For Women. Her professionalism and endurance made the shoot an absolute delight. 

Photography by Rob Andrew, Make-Up and Hair by Elaine Garcia

Client Outfit Features - Remain Caftan

You know I love a Caftan, so when I saw this Remain royal blue caftan I had to get it for my edgiest client. We paired it with Kenneth Cole mixed metal earrings and ring to add a rocking edge to the beachy vibe of the garment. 

Client Outfit Featured - Bar 111 Romper

 

I am loving Bar 111, a newer line in the impulse section of Macy's. Realtively inexpensive they have such unique prints, great fits, comfortable silhouettes and fashion now and beyond ideas. Between myself and my clients I am cleaning them out. One of my recent Bar 111 purcahses for a client is this navy and white bird print romper. Comfortable, flattering and fabulosuly adorable, I showed my client how to dress it up as well as down. 

For the dressier look, we added a feather light jacket and rose gold jewelry and sandals. For the casual look, some silver tone jewels and a light weight grey cardigan.

These pictures were published with my client's verbal permission. No client photos are used without the client's permission.

Client Photos - Outfit Combinations w/ Tan Shorts

Part of my services with my clients is the Look Book portion. Sometimes I call it the Outfit portion. This is where I show my client how to wear all her clothes and accessories, both old and new. It is a very efficient process that starts with, usually, tops. We take one top and then I ask the client, "How many outfits do you want with this top?" Some clients only want 2-3 options because too many choices can overwhelm them. Others want to get the most out of each garment and they will request 5-how ever many outfits could possibly be made with the shirt. 

For the clients that keep me in their lives indefinitely, the outfit process is a touch different. It begins with whatever is new, since we already made outfits with everything else at a previous date. If this week or month we bought four shorts, three pairs of pants, two jackets and three dresses this, then we just start with each category and move on. We make outfits with the shorts first, then the pants, then the jackets and then the dresses. This week, with my client pictured, we got her a new collection of shorts that she loved. My favorite was the tan shorts from J Crew. Pictured is the numerous combination I made with this one pair of shorts. These shorts are so versatile that I could have kept going, but my client stopped me - too many choices!

What is your favorite combination?

These pictures were published with my client's verbal permission. No client photos are used without the client's permission.

Client Photo - How To Accessorize Grey w/ Gold Accents

The color grey usually calls for silver jewelry, but when the grey garment has a bright gold zipper marching down it's front it may throw you off. The answer is quite simple, match your jewelry and shoes to the zipper. For my client pictured above, I paired gold toned jewelry and shoes to go with her Rachel Roy sweater. Basically if your zipper is gold, wear gold jewelry. If your zipper is bronze, wear bronze jewelry. If your zipper is silver, wear silver jewelry. But keep in mind, because this garment reads as two tone, two tone jewelry and shoes are a fabulous choice as well. As you can see on my client's right foot is a mixed colored wedge of gold, silver and bronze. The silver goes with the grey of the garment, the gold goes with the zipper and the bronze is the cherry on top - an extra color thrown in to wake up the simplicity of the neutral jeans and tank. 

Client Photos - Tuck In Your Shirt

It is easy to forget the many ways to wear clothing with all those manequinns in all those store windows styled the same way. Tunic after tunic you see flapping around the hips of a skinny pant can make you forget all about just tucking in a shirt. That's right, you can tuck in your shirt. You can even tuck in a tunic if it is made of light enough fabric and you are tucking it into a sturdy pant like denim, like I did with one of my client's - pictured below.

There are two ways you can tuck in a shirt. The first being tightly, as pictured on the model strutting down Bloomingdale's runway. The other way is blousy, as pictured on my client. The first method is for those with a lovely flat belly. The other is for those with a lovely belly belly or muffin top. The blouse method is a terrific way of creating the illusion of a small waist. The blouse portion hides the protruding aspect of the stomach or muffin top while still creating a thin appearance. You see, the eye is drawn to interruptions of an outfit. In this case this interruption is occurring at the thinnest part of the look - the form fitting jeans at your hips and waist. This works best with apple bodies (thin limbs, large belly) and upside triangles (narrow hips, wide waist) or any body type that battles a muffin top. This is least effective for those with large hips and a narrow waist.

To create the tightly tucked look, simply shove the entire hem of your top down your pants (Your pants will most likely need to be unbuttoned and/or unzipped to ensure all the fabric is evenly distributed down there). Make sure this is done all the way around your waist and feel free to put it into your underwear for less risk of coming out when you move around throughout the day.

To create the blouse look. Shove your top down your pants, or shorts for that matter, then slowly pull out a couple inches of fabric all around your waist. Make sure you are pulling out more in the front than in the back and do not take out too much fabric. Too much blouse is no longer flattering.