Arm candy is especially on trend as necklaces take a back seat for a while, so today I’m going to focus on the part of your outfit from the forearm down. 

I like the concept of “arm candy” for a few reasons. First, it’s refreshing to showcase your hands, wrists and forearms instead of the more typical focus on neck, waistline, bottom, bust line or legs. One of the reasons I scrunch my sleeves is because I like to bare the skin on my wrists and forearms.

Second, you can forego all other jewelry and accessories and just sport the arm candy formula. Easy!

And third, it’s a great way to amplify your style if you “talk with your hands”. My client Fernanda, who is frequently in front of the camera as a TV personality, talks with her hands. So we’ve made a point of adorning her wrists and fingers with bracelets, a watch, the odd cocktail ring, and always fun fingernail polish. Her neck and ears are bare while her audience focus on her face and hands. It’s worked like a charm and Fernanda’s arm candy has become a signature look.

The three eBay items in this ensemble are the gold Nixon woman’s watch, the Opi Glitter nail polish, and the Joie clutch . Note that the links on these items go to eBay product searches and not to individual products.

You can interpret arm candy in a maximal or minimal way. Bare forearms allow you to showcase more candy, but aren’t essential if you would prefer to sport fewer items from this list.

1. Wristwatch: This one is for Team Watch! Wearing an oversized watch is like wearing a bracelet and makes for a great substitute if bracelets aren’t for you. They also look great when worn alongside bracelets. 
2. Bracelets: This is the fashion era of the bracelet and cuff in all its incarnations. Wear them with your watch, on both wrists, or only on one wrist without the watch. Stick to just one cuff or bracelet, or stack them up your arm in any combination that tickles your fancy. Mix or match your metals. Choose fitted bracelets that do not move, or styles that jangle as you walk. The possibilities are endless.
3. Ring: It’s fun to wear a ring on the hand with the bracelets and watch, that also carries the clutch. That way you maximize the arm candy impact. It’s also a cute idea to pick up the colour of the ring with fingernail polish. Wedding rings also count as rings! 
4. Fingernail Polish: Nail art has never been as big as it is right now. Choose a colour, a pattern, or go French. Match up the colour to the rest of the arm candy, or stick to a neutral tone. 
5. Clutch: Clutches are carried in your hand so they finish off the formula. Choose one that works with your outfit overall, and your arm candy in particular. Both small or oversized can work. 

Choose items to suit YOUR style. Go bold and oversized, or stick to daintier pieces. Go colourful or neutral. Wear many items on this list or stick to a few. 

I sport a minimal version of this look daily, and often expose my wrists and forearms. I always wear an oversized watch and match it to one of my wedding rings on the same hand. Occasionally I wear one of my late Mum’s oversized vintage rings too. I do not wear bracelets or fingernail polish, but I’m often sporting a clutch both during the day and at night.

How do you sport your arm candy?

We attended the Westfield Style Tour at Seattle’s Southcenter over the weekend to check out the event and meet Stacy London of “What Not To Wear” fame. Stacy is fabulous and what a treat it was to meet and chat with her. With the help of her team and Westfield Style, Stacy has put together Style Tours and Style Lounges at select Westfield Shopping Centers in the US.

The Style Tours happen twice a year, in Spring and in Fall. A designated area in the center is set up where Style For Hire stylists, who were trained by Stacy, will work with clients of all sizes and ages for 15 to 20 minutes for free. They will show you how to put a few seasonal looks together with items that they have chosen from an assortment of stores in the mall. The stylists share dressing tips and concepts that flatter your figure and colouring, using the merchandise that they have on hand as examples. You do not fit on the items in the Style Tour area because it has no dressing room facilities or size options. The idea is that you leave with outfit inspiration for the coming season and style tips on how to dress for your body type. After you’ve finished with a stylist, you can head on over to the Beauty Bar where you can have your make-up done for free too. 

The Westfield Style Lounge works in much the same way as the tour, but on a smaller scale and more permanent basis. You can book an appointment with a Stacy London trained stylist at one of the lounges, and they’ll take 15 to 20 minutes to help you with your dressing challenges at no charge. If you don’t finish in that session, you can book extra time with the stylist at their hourly rate. 

I enjoyed seeing the Style Tour in action because their fundamental message is one that I believe in. Style can be learned, and we can ALL look and feel fabulous. The stylists were friendly and helpful, and Westfield did a super job organizing the event. But the highlight of the morning was the time I spent with the very bubbly, warm, expressive and ever so cute Stacy London. She had a lot to share and I will be posting the interview in a couple of weeks.

Did you wear high top sneakers as a fashion statement in the late ’80s? I did, in white, with belted, acid wash paper bag waist jeans and a bright tucked in pullover. Then I discovered Dr. Martens and wore those with Levi’s 501s until the cows came home, leaving my high tops orphaned at the back of the closet. As the years went by, I became dressier and dressier, vowing that I would never wear high top sneakers again. I’m about to eat my words because I’ve fallen for the high top sneaker trend big time. 

As part of the sporty trend, high end designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Isabel Marant, Rick Owens, Jimmy Choo and Alexander Wang are showing high top sneakers in their collections at the moment. And Stella McCartney, who designs a line for Adidas, has been on the high top sneaker kick for several seasons. Although these sneakers are intended to be worn as a fashion statement, many of them are surprisingly athletic looking. Some have heeled wedges while others are flat. There is lots of colour, fabric and style assortment. 

The trick is to wear high tops in a fashion forward way, as shown in the photos below. The outfits incorporate on-trend pieces, like leather skirts and pants, short flouncy skirts, burgundy skinnies, printed skinnies, leather jackets, striped tees, sassy sweatshirts, oversized knitwear and cuffed jeans. I can also see high tops worn with the right midi skirt, slouchy trousers, boyfriend jeans, faux fur vests and short shorts. With a certain amount of sophistication AND the right pieces to match the right kicks, I think this look can be pulled off at any age.

It was an outfit on Northern Light a few months ago that first got me thinking about high tops. At first glance I thought that the blogger was wearing white booties, but they’re the Ash Bowie Wedge Sneaker. So fab!

The street style at recent New York and London fashion weeks was the additional inspiration I needed to seal the deal.

I don’t know how I’m going to work this trend into my style just yet. It might be for Fall with a darker pair of kicks, or for Spring with a pair of Marimekko high tops, like this pair in white with the fun flowers. I’d like to wear them with a skirt or dress as well as jeans and trousers. I’ll be doing the flat version instead of the wedge, and not investing too much in the look. I’m excited to give it a bash, just for fun. 

Over to you. What’s your take on the the fashion forward high top sneaker look? Would you wear it?

I have no qualms about repeating outfits. If I feel confident and fab in a particular ensemble, I’ll happily wear it over and over again. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but I’m also that way with books and movies. I love to revisit old favourites. It’s true that you lose most of the suspense the second time around. There are no more unexpected twists around every corner, no new characters to meet, but that leaves more room to home in on the details. The first time, I’m usually very focussed on plot. Eager to find out what is going to happen next, busy digesting all the story lines and getting to know the characters. Rewatching allows me to savour the story more slowly, and suddenly I notice all kinds of things I had missed before, the smirk on an actor’s face, a cool turn of phrase, a designer chair in the background.

This Fall I plan to watch season 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey again. I do love a good period drama, and this series set in post-Edwardian England has all the right ingredients: wonderful acting, drama, romance, intrigue, an unprincipled scoundrel everyone loves to hate… And then there’s the costumes, of course. I thought that Lady Mary and Lavinia’s wardrobes were especially divine. Plus it’s fascinating to see how much effort has gone into creating clothes that accurately capture the period. From the ornate evening frocks of the dowager countess, and the white tea gowns of the young ladies to the servants’ liveries, each outfit reflects rigid social rank and the changing sartorial customs, such as the shift towards more simple designs and fabrics during the First World War. You bet I’ll be studying every single outfit even more closely this time.

Do you also like to revisit favourite books and movies, or do you prefer to always explore new titles without looking back?

Now in YLF Books

Downton Abbey, a period drama set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of  the same name, follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. In this grand home, the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their three daughters of marriageable age live under the watchful eye of the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith). Their secure and ordered world, and the social hierarchy are rocked as their lives are shaped by the great events in history, romance, heartbreak and ambition. The first series spans the two years before World War I beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The second series covers the years 1916 to 1919.