Link Love: 3 Fashion Industry Trends

Racked reports that returnable underwear is the future of retail, with companies like ThirdLove and MeUndies offering generous return policies as part of their marketing plan.

Designer socks are being hailed as “fashion’s newest secret weapon”, because they allow customers to buy a runway piece without the hefty price tag.

Consignment startups are winning at fashion by breaking the rules of retail.

Fab Links from Our Members

Ledonna N. loves this article that shows a colourful view of traditional dress from around the globe.

Lozz_oz reports that buttons are having a moment.

Lisa W finds Stella McCartney’s new endeavour, creating silk from yeast, very interesting.

Joy has been a fan of the Ask Teri column in the Wall Street Journal for some time. She has retired but is still out there.

L’Abeille came across a long-read article that exposes the so-popular myth of “French girl style”.

She also points us to the Vintage Patterns Wikia, an online database containing 83,500 vintage sewing patterns. A veritable treasure trove!

Jaileen wanted to share two articles that discuss work dress codes.

Angie refers us to Sally’s post with great suggestions on how to create balance within an outfit, especially when you like to temper volume with a good amount of structure.

Sunscreen Without the Greasy

On the recommendation of an aesthetician, I’m trying iS Clinical Eclipse SPF 50 Plus Sunscreen because it has gentle ingredients and is suited to sensitive skin. It’s extremely light and non-greasy. It’s unscented, and also acts as a foundation primer. It rubs into the skin a lot more easily than a regular sunscreen that can take forever to absorb and disappear. Feels lovely on the dermis. 

I like the iS Clinical Eclipse sunscreen, but will probably go back to using Neutrogena’s Broad Spectrum SPF 60 Plus Sensitive Skin Sunscreen because I prefer its greasy texture. After all, I have dry skin that enjoys that extra bit of oil. But if you’re after a sunscreen that’s light, doesn’t leave a greasy residue, and is easily absorbed into the skin, you might like to try it. 

Over to you. What’s your favourite sunscreen?

Outstanding Outfit Bloggers

Playful Style with Exuberant Curls

46-year old Diane Capozzi is an Entertainment Agency Office Administrator who documents her outfits over at Fashion on the 4th Floor. Her exuberant curls are the first thing I noticed when I found her blog, and they are an integral part of her casual and playful style. Diane has no trouble switching between feminine outfits and Tomboy or Sporty Luxe looks. She rocks a suit, and firmly believes that age shouldn’t define what you should or should not be wearing.

“Even though I’ve stayed pretty stubborn and rooted in my tomboy aesthetic, over the past five years, I’ve experimented with more girly and sexy pieces with my looks. I’ve added ruffles, plunging necklines, vibrant floral patterns, frilly off-the-shoulder tops and yes, heels. I’ve just found a way to incorporate those into ensembles that feel more like me versus getting sucked into mimicking a trend head to toe.”

Diane Capozzi - 1

This is a marvelous example of Angie’s dress over flared crops formula. Diane is wearing an elegant denim fit-and-flare dress over white cropped kick flare jeans. The dress hits her just above the knee, a length that works well here for our 5’ 9 1/2″ blogger. The short sleeves and faux belted panel on the dress create structure, while the dark denim makes the white jeans look extra crisp. Dainty ankle strap sandals with a block heel help lengthen the leg line, should you need it. Opting for pastel pink footwear instead of white or metallic is a little unexpected and adds a subtle touch of colour. A white watch, silver bracelets, and Diane’s gorgeous curls are all that’s needed to finish off the look.

Diane Capozzi - 2

Black leather over-the-knee boots are the centre piece of this polished casual look. Diane is wearing them over mid-blue skinny jeans. This creates a low contrast between the jeans and boots and eliminates horizontal lines on the leg. She’s paired the jeans with a pale blue ribbed top with black piping on the sleeves and a faux leather moto jacket with faux fur collar. The boots together with the jacket bring soft edge to the outfit. The short top and jacket make our blogger’s gams go on for miles. The textured jacket, faux fur collar and ribbing on the top add great textural interest. Her blue satchel matches the top and works beautifully with the black and dark blue. Sunnies in the same icy blue are the quirky finishing touch.

Diane Capozzi - 3

Doesn’t this marvelous plaid suit make you smile! Going with a large check pattern in grey and purple makes for a playful dressy look. The cropped tailored pants and tailored blazer create a streamlined silhouette. Diane wears them with a feminine flared sleeved top in a matching purple. The swingy silhouette and gauzy material with see-through detailing around the neckline and frilly stand-up collar add girly softness. Pairing the suit with silver metallic flat loafers amps up the dressy factor. The floral brooch in silver with complementary pink echoes the silver shoes. Soft pink lipstick and nail polish complete the look.

Diane Capozzi - 4

For this breezy Summer look, Diane has paired black shorts with a printed tunic. The tunic is a poncho style in a lightweight fabric with abstract floral pattern accentuated with a double striped detail along the hemline. To create structure and to not obscure the short shorts, our blogger has cinched the waist with a studded skinny belt. The faux leather shorts are perforated, which adds textural interest. High-heeled studded cage sandals toughen up the look. The pretty floral pattern and flowy tunic silhouette offset the hard-edged vibe of the shorts and footwear. Silver rings and thin silver bracelets complement the black and white colour palette.

Diane Capozzi - 5

Diane elevates a simple shirt and jeans outfit by adding a bustier top. Our blogger is wearing the crisp white button-down untucked over on trend cropped kick flare jeans. Popping over the bustier corset top with flirty bow detail creates gentle curves and works well with her dark curls. The high-heeled pointy toe booties in dove grey are low contrast against the mid-blue jeans and lengthen the leg line. Diane wears her hair up to showcase glam silver earrings. A compact and playful Iris Apfel satchel is an unexpected way to add some pattern into the mix.

Diane Capozzi - 6

Marigold with pastel pink, white and light gold makes for a delightful colour combo! I haven’t seen many knit tunics lately, and this is a good one. The tailored fit, ribbed knit and short sleeves create a streamlined yet comfortable silhouette over the white ankle length skinny jeans. Braided ankle strap clog sandals in light gold add a touch of shimmery polish. Diane’s soft pink scarf adds pretty flourish and amps up the dressy casual vibe. As always, our blogger’s fabulous curls are the gorgeous cherry on top.

What do you think of Diane’s playful style? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of her wonderful outfits on her blog, Fashion on the 4th Floor.

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Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Hat Solutions for Sized Out Heads

Most hats come in one size, and some over a few sizes, which makes pickings slim for women who don’t have a head circumference of around 56  cm or 22 inches. 

My head is 52 cm or 20 inches in circumference and I battle to find a hat that fits me. One potential solution is to look in the children’s department. This works quite well with casual Winter hats like beanies and berets. But it’s hard to get dressier hats, or hats that look “grown-up” because the styles are designed for children. 

Petite Sized Hat

Every so often, a ladies hat company makes a hat in a “petite” size. The Wallaroo Hat Company did just that, and I bought the tan straw hat shown in the collection below. It has a drawstring on the inside that you can pull even tighter to fit an extra petite head. It’s very lightweight, packable, and comfortable. I’ve been wearing it daily on walks with Sam our Yorkie.

If you need a hat to fit a larger head, try shopping in the men’s department. You probably won’t find anything girly or ultra feminine, but there are lots of fabulous fedoras, trilbies, Panama hats, berets, beanies, caps, newsboys, Western hats, and straw hats to choose from. 

Every so often, you’ll also find a hat company that makes larger hat sizes for ladies. Hat company Sun Grubbies for example, offers a sun hat for a 59 to 61 cm head circumference. 

Finally, you can have hats made to fit if you have time and it’s not an urgent purchase. It’s a pricier option, but a fun one nonetheless. Feel free to share hat resources for heads that are smaller or larger than what is typically offered in retail in the comments section.

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My Favourite Eye Make-Up Products

I wear eye make-up daily because I love the visual effect. It makes my eyes look brighter, enhances the shape of my eyes and makes my arched brows look more pronounced. A strong brow line frames the face, and adds high contrast to my low-contrast complexion. I wear specs daily, and since a strong brow line works particularly well with eyewear, I pay close attention to the shape of my brows.  

For someone who adores the look of eye make-up and wears it no matter what – I am quite minimal with its application. I also stick to using the same products for a very long time, replenishing them regularly.

I currently use three eye make-up products: mascara, eyeliner, and eyebrow pencil. The exact items are in the collection below.

I use YSL’s Volume Effet Faux Cils’ Mascara in blue because blue mascara makes my green eyes look greener. I tightline the top lids with blue Laura Mercier’s Tightline Cake Eyeliner to match the mascara. I fill in the rest of my brows with brown Anastasia’s Perfect Brow Pencil. I prefer brow pencil above all other brow products because it looks the most natural on my brows. I’m not a fan of brow powder or gel. 

I don’t use eyeshadow because I think it’s too much going on with my specs, big eyes and a relatively small face. By the time I put on my bold specs, there is no room for eyeshadow. 

And last, I follow the old yet effective make-up guideline of accentuating either your eyes or your lips. Since I wear dark eye make-up, I always wear light lipstick. The fact that hubby Greg doesn’t like me in dark lipstick plays a role too. 

Over to you. Do you wear eye make-up daily like I do, and how different is your routine from mine?