Camouflage patterns are shown every season, and this year is no different. We usually see them represented in clothing items like military jackets and parka jackets, button down shirts, t-shirts, knitted tops, casual pants, shorts, jeans, and less frequently in skirts, dresses and blouses. You’ll also find camouflage printed bags, shoes and belts. 

I have never owned an item in camouflage print. I’m just not attracted to patterns that consist of shades of olive, tan and brown enough to purchase them. Other colour palettes always excite me more when the time comes to forking out fashion dollars. So it’s more to do with the colour composition of authentic camouflage patterns, than the pattern itself. 

I almost bought a camouflage blazer in shades of orange, watermelon, pink and citron, but decided against it because it was too loud. I’m partial to the monochromatic grey versions of camouflage print when worn as jeans or casual pants, and would wear those. I also like camouflage print, in its earthy incarnations, when worn by others. I definitely like the pattern best worn as jeans and pants as opposed to a top or topper. I also like camouflage prints on blokes and kids. So I’m a yay vote for others, but a nay vote for my own style unless the pattern is in atypical colours and preferably as a bottom.  

Most of my clients don’t like camouflage print, although I have a handful who absolutely love it, both in authentic and atypical colours. Most find the pattern overly masculine, too “young”, and quite ugly. Some also find it distasteful to sport a pattern that is associated with armed conflict. What’s your verdict?

Hi. My name is Jessica Gold Newman and I’m the CEO and Co-Founder of Dobbin Clothing, a new womenswear online-only brand based in New York City. We founded the company in April of 2012 and are currently in the midst of producing our third season (Spring 2013) and developing our fourth (Fall 2013).

Dobbin is an old English word for workhorse; we want Dobbin’s clothing to be the workhorses of women’s wardrobes. My co-founder Catherine Doyle and I met while working at Liz Lange Maternity; she was the Design Director, I was the Marketing Director. There, we had the chance to collaborate in the many places our duties overlapped, whether merchandising our stores, planning Fashion Week runway shows, or dressing celebrity customers. 

After Liz Lange sold, Catherine went on to design for a large retailer, while I ran a strategy consulting business for small fashion brands. We decided to launch Dobbin in Spring 2012 because we felt that there was a place in the market for high-end basics, made of luxury European and American fabrics that are primarily stretch and washable, fit for real women of all ages (using a size 8 fit model as opposed to the industry standard size 2), manufactured 100% in the USA, and sold exclusively online to cut out the middlemen and keep our prices under $200.

We would like to take you along as we design, fit, manufacture and sell our Spring ‘13 Collection. Many sites focus on fashion and personal style, but few show you how your favorite clothes actually get produced. As clothing budgets have tightened over the past few years, we think it’s helpful to understand how clothes are made and priced, so that you’re better equipped to shop wisely. We’re really excited to bring this series to you courtesy of YLF, one of our favorite fashion and shopping sites.

I had never heard the term “SexyFace” until one of our forum members mentioned it and linked to this article on Jezebel. Ah-hah! The penny dropped. SexyFace is when models and celebs pose with their mouths open to appear more sexy, like in the photos below. As Jezebel puts it, “the mouth is supposed to turn people on, the look is supposed to make people feel like they are intruding on a private moment “. 

As soon as the phenomenon had a name, I started noticing it everywhere. In magazines, on billboards, in posters, on fashion blogs and even on the red carpet. SexyFace makes me laugh because, to me, it looks so contrived and self involved. It also reminds me of my kindergarten days when a child with blank stare and mouth wide open would be asked “Are you trying to catch a fly?”. “No”, we would reply before the teacher gave a stern “Well then. Close your mouth!”

I’m attracted to people who smile, so I like to see models smile when I’m browsing through clothes online. If they aren’t smiling, I prefer models to look neutral or expressionless, because that seems more natural. Of course, all the shots are posed, but for some reason expressionless looks less contrived than SexyFace.

There is nothing about the SexyFace pose that will make me like the photo or the outfit of the wearer more. Smiling on the other hand, captivates me instantly. My vote: bring back the models who smile. 

On the contrary. Repeating great outfits from head to toe simplifies your life and increases the cost per wear of the items. It also reinforces the fact that you can feel fab with fewer wardrobe items. There is no need to sport something new to feel your best. 

I firmly believe that if you feel great in an outfit combination, repeat it. Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. Of course, I also love remixing to create different combinations. But there is no need to constantly feel the need to re-mix wardrobe items to create different outfit combinations just for the sake of it. 

Fashion bloggers who post their outfits daily, or almost daily, seldom repeat exactly the same outfit in fear of boring their readers. That’s why they place a strong emphasis on remixing wardrobe items, which is understandable. A repeated outfit would probably not evoke the same amount of traffic or commentary as a new combination. But in real life, this is not the case. People will not hold it against you if you repeat the same outfit combination from time to time. 

I also understand the pressure to NOT want to wear the same outfit combination to work, or amongst the same group of friends, until a certain amount of time has passed. I guess the right amount of time is up to you. For some it’s a week, and for others it’s a fortnight, a month or even longer than that. 

I often repeat the same outfit. If I feel extra great in a particular combination, I will wear it as soon as a few days later, provided the items are clean and I’m not seeing the same client or friends. If I was going to see the same people I would be happy to repeat the same combination a few weeks later. And when I’m traveling, I wear the same outfits more frequently regardless of whether I’m seeing the same people or not. 

Do you repeat the same outfits? If so, how much time do you leave in-between the repetitions? Or do you feel better when you’ve tweaked an outfit just a little.