Orange is the colour of the season in all it’s shades and hues, so at the moment it’s particularly on trend. Red on the other hand is what I call a classic colour. From the deepest crimson and burgundy to the brightest tomato red, you’ll always find some form of red in retail stores. 

Remember that we are talking ALL shades of orange and red, and not just their bright colourwheel incarnations. You don’t need to actually wear a colour more frequently to prefer it, and wearing it in accessories and footwear also counts. 

I adore a dark, saturated orange like the one on my argyle jumper, and I LOVE a blindingly bright tomato red. In fact, my favourite red has a lot of orange in it (no blue undertones whatsoever). But I still prefer a bright tomato red over any shade of orange so I’m going against my national heritage (orange being the national colour of the Netherlands), and batting for Team Red.

Over to you. Are you on Team Orange or Team Red? Tell us why and no batting for both teams. 

Author Kendall Farr has a charming and succinct way of putting across her thoughts about fashion and style. I particularly liked the second chapter of Style Evolution, “Dressing Your Body Now”, where she writes that “Good fit is the equivalent of six months in the gym”.  It’s a clever way of pinpointing the true advantage of superbly fitting clothes. 

I spend a good deal of time helping clients and forum members achieve good fit because it makes a huge visual difference. It sharpens your style by making it more polished, professional, chic and sophisticated. Although you may not aspire to looking sharp in this way, good fit does above all, flatter your body and enhance the silhouette of your ensemble. 

That being said, when you browse popular fashion websites and check out the outfits of stylishly savvy fashion bloggers, you’ll also find them wearing ill-fitting garments — and pulling off the look. I’m not talking about the intentionally oversized cut of a boyfriend blazer and shirt, a poncho or a soft boxy blouse. Or slouchy trousers that are roomy at the waist because the point is that you belt them to create a pouffy effect around the hip area.

I’m talking about lasses who wear items like tweed jackets and button down shirts that are clearly two or three sizes too big, but get away with it (see this photo of Garance Doré on The Sartorialist, for example). They scrunch the sleeves, perhaps add a belt to define the waist, wear it over a pair of short shorts and finish off the look with a killer pair of peds and headgear. The fact that Garance is drowning in her ill-fitting jacket while the rest of her outfit components fit pretty well is, quite ironically, stylishly acceptable. In fact many people would aspire to replicate this cool look. The ill-fitting statement has a creative, unique and “rough around the edges” integrity that is appealing. 

The fit contradiction is food for thought. On the one hand, I am a strong advocate for good fit because it has extraordinary figure flattering advantages and it sharpens your style. I will absolutely have my own clothes altered to achieve a perfect fit. Effective tailoring is an extremely important part of my style because it helps me to achieve the crisp, strong look that I’m after.

On the other hand, I see how a garment that is ill-fitting and not (conventionally) flattering can be made to look interesting and distinctive by a style savvy dresser. 

The question is, when do ill-fitting garments look creatively cool and when do they look unstylish? Or does good fit trump the “cool factor” no matter what?

In this morning’s post about creating and maintaining positive body image, I mentioned my dream of starting a modeling agency that books women of all ages, sizes and body types. Well, it wasn’t long before we received word from reader Melanie that such a modeling agency already exists in Toronto, Canada. I am delighted to share that Ben Barry Models “is the first modeling agency in the world to represent fashion models of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, and abilities”. Rock on Ben Barry! You are doing your part to change the face of fashion.

Most women have struggled with their body image at one point or another. We compare our bodies to some sort of ideal that we believe to be the norm and the doubts begin to surface. The further away our body type is from what we perceive to be the ideal, the higher the chances of negative body image setting in. We complain about the shape of our bodies and long for a size that’s either larger, smaller, taller, shorter, straighter, curvier, narrower or broader than our own. 

Creating and maintaining a positive body image is not easy. Society bombards us with images of women who, for the most part, portray one body type: young, tall, slim and proportioned in a particular way. I’m not one to vilify the media and the fashion industry for this bias, because it is a complex issue that a rant won’t solve, but the fact remains that it affects us. If I could magically make the world of fashion and style representative, I would. In fact, I have a dream of starting a modeling agency that books women of all ages, sizes and body types. But until then, we need to find routes to positive body image despite society’s current bias.

As a fashion stylist who dresses woman of all sizes and body types, body image challenges are a huge reality in my line of work. So I’ve spent time helping women — my individual clients and women on our forum — to embrace their body so that they can move on to enjoy all the fun and reward that a style renewal or refresher has to offer. Although I have a degree in psychology, I am not a psychologist. But I have found that it helps to focus on three things when you confront your body image issues.

Style is NOT a Dress Size

Embed these six words onto your brain NOW and don’t forget them. Although people do judge our bodies, I have also found that they judge our style independently of them. I’m sure you have often found yourself looking at a woman who by the ideal standards is too old, too round, too short, or too something, but still thinking “Wow, that’s a stylish lady.” Style is a celebration of individuality. You don’t have to conform to an ideal to be recognized as stylish.

Your Body Deserves Love and Respect

The first step to a confident style is learning to love and respect your body. It is an amazing, miraculous, complex thing, and we are each so fortunate to have one. In the light of this, I find that comparisons of body shape seem petty and futile. Instead, appreciate it for what it is and work within its proportions. Enjoy its true uniqueness. This is empowering.

Becoming Stylish is Learning to Dress Your Body

Style is learned, and practiced, and refined. As your style journey progresses you will figure out how to dress your body in ways that make you feel, and look, fabulous. You will learn that you have differences, not flaws. When clothes don’t fit straight off the rack, it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with your body; it means that there is something wrong with the clothes. Continue to search for clothing that is worthy of you and that does fit your body. Alter items if necessary and enjoy the euphoric effects of a superbly fitting garment. 

The power of these three points is that they are simple truths. You probably believed all three of them before you even read them in this post. The trick is to return to them when your insecurities surface. Remind yourself that the insecurities are the fiction.

I realize that changing your mindset and maintaing a positive body image is easier said than done. If you are struggling, then reading this post probably isn’t going to immediately shift you back into a positive mindset. But in my experience these three truths cut to the core of the issue and provide a starting point. Focus on them. Acknowledge your perceptions of your body and at the same time question where they came from. Surround yourself with people, activities and clothing that help you view your body in a positive light. Like most things in life, practice makes perfect. And the more you practice positive body image, the easier it will become.