There is only ONE rule in fashion, and that’s to have fun with your style and enjoy the journey. Don’t take it too seriously, learn from the mistakes, and laugh a lot. Everything else is a guideline that you can take or leave at your discretion. There is no right or wrong in fashion and style. Only your own set of preferences that are subjective and personal.

In that spirit here’s a set of do’s and don’ts for skirt and dresses that my clients and friends have found helpful and somewhat empowering, and you might too:

Do’s

• Do wear skirts and dresses with diagonal hems and lines because they create a flattering visual effect.
• Do wear skirts and dresses with casual flats and sneakers.
• Do wear corporate skirts and dresses sans hosiery. Bare legs are just fine unless your dress code states otherwise.
• Do wear midi skirts and dresses when you’re petite, and by all means pair them with flats.
• Do wear casual skirts and dresses for casual wear.
• Do wear skirts and dresses if you don’t feel good in shorts.
• Do wear shapewear under dresses and skirts if you prefer the visual effect of the contouring. Shapewear is a lot more comfortable than it used to be.
• Do wear skirts and dresses that aren’t black because there is style life after black.
• Do wear dresses and skirts when you find pants and jeans hard to fit.
• Do wear dresses over pants to create a tunic vibe.
• Do wear skirts and dresses in Winter with hosiery, tall boots, and a coat. Throw in the thermal layers too.

Don’ts

• Don’t purchase a skirt without purchasing a top to wear with it, unless you have a suitable top at home. There are too many orphaned skirts in the world.
• Don’t purchase a beautiful dress just to cover it up with a topper because it’s sleeveless or too cold to wear for an occasion.
• Don’t ignore an ill-fitting dress or skirt if it can be easily altered to create a perfect fit.
• Don’t feel that you have to wear skirts and dresses with dressy heels.
• Don’t allow skin imperfections to stop you from wearing skirts and dresses.
• Don’t wear skirt and dress lengths that make you feel uncomfortable.
• Don’t rule out polyester or polyester-rich skirts and dresses because they’re affordable, crease-resistant, easy to launder, robust, and can drape like a dream.
• Don’t eliminate skirts and dresses from your style because they’re fussy. They’re not. TRY THEM.

This list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to add your own do’s and don’t’s in the comments section. Go Team Dresses & Skirts.

The intuitive way to create flattering outfit proportions with wide crops or culottes is to wear them with a cropped top or fitted top that defines the waist, and a low-vamped heel to lengthen the leg line. The outfit below throws those styling strategies out the window with a roomy longer top and high-vamped flats, but to my eye the proportions work well.

Here’s why.

The wide crops are shorter than two inches above the ankle bone, which lengthens the leg line from the calves upwards and tempers their volume. The voluminous top has a structured shoulder line and is sleeveless (remember that showcasing skin creates structure because you’re highlighting the natural contour of the body.) The length of the top hides the waist, but the handkerchief hem draws subtle attention to it because it’s shorter in front. The shorter hem also lifts the eye upward, which shortens the torso and thereby lengthens the leg line. Flat pointy toed footwear further elongates the lower leg line without wearing heels. The low contrast between the wide crops, model’s skin tone, and footwear add further vertical integrity.

Granted, the top is muumuu on the midsection and makes your body look wider than it is from any angle. The wideness is accentuated by the high-contrast colour-blocked pattern. Things would look more streamlined if the pattern were a dark colour too. Either way, you have to be good with surrendering the waist.

It’s fun to create outfit proportions that are just flattering enough because they don’t limit your creativity or restrict your comfort. They also make the items in your wardrobe a lot more wearable. As long as you adhere to your personal figure flattering priorities, you’re good to go because YOU have to feel fab in your outfit.

Over to you. What do you think of these outfit proportions?

My darling Dad is 86 and lives on his own in a very quaint little town called Velp, in the Netherlands. It’s a five minute drive from Arnhem, which played a crucial role in World War Two because it was headquarters for Operation Market Garden. If you’ve seen the movie, “A Bridge Too Far”, you’ll know what I’m talking about, and see how my Dad grew up during the extremely hard war years. Papa moved back to his hometown when my Mum died eighteen years ago in Cape Town. My Dad loves his hometown and is very happy there.

I’m close to my Dad and enjoy a special bond with him. Our bond grows stronger each year, which is something that I nurture and cherish.

As far as my Dad’s style goes, Mama sorted that out because Papa finds shopping tortuous and tedious. Since Mama loved to shop, she happily took over that part of his life. I’ve taken on the role of sorting out my Dad’s wardrobe and style since Mama died, and am happy to do it. With my Dad’s blessing on what he likes and dislikes, I’ve chosen everything in his wardrobe for almost two decades.

Papa likes to keep his wardrobe VERY minimal, simple and classic for maximal versatility and ease. He wears the same undertees, shirts, jeans, socks, belts and shoes all year round. He simply layers over the lot with knitwear, jackets, coats, scarves and hats when the weather is cold. The formula works extremely well for him.

Papa only wears short-sleeved button down shirts, because he finds long sleeves fussy. He has eight shirts. He wears black, blue and brown jeans, and has one in each colour. He has an assortment of cashmere and cotton pullovers for varying weather — about eight in total. He has a black and brown belt, one to match each pair of lace-up shoes. He has one jacket, one coat, two scarves, and three hats. Apart from wardrobe basics like undies, socks, sleepwear and Birkenstock type slippers for at home — that is it. He does not wear shorts, sneakers, tees, sweats, hoodies, blazers, sandals or trousers. It’s easy fitting my Dad’s very small wardrobe into his very small Euro closet.

My Dad’s wardrobe may be minimal, but it’s colour-rich. He’s worn shades of orange and red for as long as I can remember. His specs are burgundy, which he chose himself! He likes most shades of blue, brown and green. He does not like black or grey, but enjoys his one pair of black jeans. Papa’s shirts are from the Gap and his jeans are Levis. His knitwear and belts are from J.Crew and Banana Republic. His outerwear, scarves, hats and shoes are from Nordstrom. Both pairs of shoes are Ecco.

I’m thankful to have a wonderful Dad who is a role model to me. He’s soft-spoken, introverted, gentle, generous, intelligent, good with numbers (he’s an accountant), a very hard worker, extremely independent, smiley, headstrong, and has busloads of grit. Papa is one of the most charming people I know, a gentleman, and utterly adorable. I’m grateful to be able to visit him three to four times a year (he stopped travelling to Seattle at 82.) These are the moments in life that count.

We at YLF wish you, your Dads, including Dads who are no longer with us, a happy and peaceful Father’s Day.

Last week’s outfit formula was a Summer column of black, which was more popular than I expected it to be. This week I’m talking about its polar opposite — a column of white. 

First, I’d like to debunk a few myths about wearing white:

1. ANY size and height can wear white. The fit and the fabric of an item play a bigger role in making an item flattering than its colour. My size US16/18 clients rock white jeans, pants and tops. So does my 4ft 9” size US000 friend.
2. Everyone looks good in a shade of white. It’s a question of choosing YOUR white. Bright optical white, off-white, ivory, cream, champagne, oatmeal, bone or a very light tan can be your white. Sometimes an extremely pale pearl grey can be your version of white.
3. No need to match your whites exactly. Mismatching them looks better than you might think.
4. White is not that impractical. Black and dark colours can show as many stains as white, depending on the cause of the stain.
5. Pale-skinned people can successfully wear white, and so can blondes. Wear a little more eye make-up, add some blush, and define your lips because it’s that easy to look bright in white.

Here are four ways to create a column of white to get you started.

1. White Separates & Cognac

A chic and dressy combination with cream pants and blouse, and cognac belt and bag. The shoes are white, but feel free to throw in cognac footwear. White tops can be see-through, which means wearing a white, cream or tan camisole and nude-for-you bra. Ankle-strapped footwear is perfect with cropped pants, and they don’t need to be heeled.

2. White Jeans & Oatmeal

This is the easiest combination. Pair white jeans with a white top and layer a tan, oatmeal, bone or cream cardi over the top. Feel free to layer an optical white cardi for a full-on column of white. Add cognac, tan, white or metallic footwear and bag. A belt to match is optional.

3. White Dress & High-Contrast Support Act

A casual and pretty white dress is beautiful. I love how this one has been combined with casually elegant flat sandals, and a bag to match which pulls together the look and amps up the polish. Here, a black bag and shoes create a high contrast with the white. It’s especially effective bookending with black hair.

4. Avant-Garde Cream

Create avant-garde, fluid and somewhat oversized layers with lots of drape in shades of white. Here, the shorter length of the culottes and shorter asymmetrical hem make the silhouettes just flattering enough by providing structure. Black shoes effectively bookend the outfit. Metallic, pearl grey, white, tan or cream footwear will work too.

White is my favourite neutral, and I can wear warm and cool tones of it. I therefore have lots of white in my wardrobe and will wear a column of white before a column of black. I don’t have a white dress yet, but can pull together many combinations with white jeans. How about you?