Mo thought that these fashion tips to help you look younger from Real Simple were helpful. 

Annagybe says that although this article on the scientific reason why you’re a hipster is about music, the thoughts can also be applied to fashion trends.  

Diana enjoyed Cynthia’s post, “Stacking: a biochemical guide to posing”, where she explains in great detail how to pose in a flattering and natural way for outfit photographs. 

After looking at Lauren Bush’s wedding dress, MaryK hopes that wedding gowns with actual tops and sleeves make a comeback. 

Stripe lovers will be inspired by the ensembles on La Mariniere, says qfbrenda, a lover of stripes herself. 

Laurinda directs us to a cool style-defining tool from The Vivienne Files. 

Nancy says that you can check out the red carpet looks of this years Golden Globes Awards Ceremony via this Harpers Bazaar slideshow, just in case you missed the show on Sunday. 

Inge wants to know what you think of actors like Tim Roth, Gary Oldman and Adrien Brody strutting their stuff on a catwalk runway. Check out Prada’s 2012 Fall Collection via Fashionista and let us know whether you think these blokes are fabulous.  

Kate enjoyed Cupcake Caramel’s post, “French Friday, 44”, which is about the power of being confident, well dressed, and having good table manners. 

Legacy of Pearl was delighted to find out that sneakers derived their name from the word “sneaky”. Read more of the stories behind your favorite fashions like pumps, mary janes and stilettos. 

Gingko liked these 6 steps to an effortlessly chic wardrobe because it inspired her to dress her best sans the shopping frenzy. 

AJ is excited about Jason Wu For Target’s lookbook as seen on The Looks For Less. A great collaboration for sure. 

Designers are showing heeled sneakers, bags with punch-out detailing, sweat pants and sweat shirts in their collections. These sporty items were extremely fringe a few years ago, but the vibe is growing in popularity. The point is NOT to wear this look from head to toe. One, or at most two sporty items per outfit is how the designers envisioned it.

Here are the four main items in the trend and my thoughts on each of them. 

Sweatpants

These sweatpants are supposed to be worn with somewhat dressy heels just like in the photos. The tops can either be smart casual or dressy. The grey pair on the right seems much easier to match up with a top and structured blazer than the lemon pair on the left.  A forum member recently pulled together a very structured neutral blazer look with booties and “trendy sweatpants” and I really liked the outfit. She also pulled up the hems for a scrunched look on the leg, which added significantly to the look.

Sweatshirts

So far, the sweatshirts don’t make it through my style filter because they look too much like loungewear. Matching them with dressy bottoms seems off, and wearing them with jeans is the type of combination that we are trying to avoid. To my eye, making them high fashion is a bit of stretch at the moment. But perhaps someone will surprise me and wear a “trendy sweatshirt” in a killer way. 

Bags

I love the bags that are part of this trend. They can work with casual and smart casual outfits quite effortlessly. They’ll look dressier in dark neutral colours, but I also like the pastels and the brights.

Sneakers

I’ve never had a problem with this type of heeled sneaker and have previously drawn attention to similar styles in 2008 and 2011. If you want to wear sneakers but can’t wear flats because of feet with really high arches, these are a great solution. For some women, low to mid heels can actually be more comfortable. They look great with skinnies, straight leg jeans and trousers, or short shorts if you have youth and a great set of gams on your side. 

Wearing sweats and sneakers has become a fashion statement. The look is by no means sloppy, but it’s still pretty fringe. So ladies, how does this sporty trend grab you?

I’m late to this party. Fleece lined tights have been out for a while. I debuted a Plush pair a few days ago when it was below freezing and snowing all day. I wore them under a tight charcoal denim knee-length pencil skirt with 20 eyelet Dr. Martens, a black shirt, grey and red argyle pullover and black biker jacket. For outside, I finished off the look with long charcoal coat, gloves and cream beret. I was toasty all day. The fleece lined tights are extremely cozy, robust, warm and I can’t see them laddering.

I initially had reservations about the tights last year because their opaque effect is just not my thing. But I LOVE to feel warm, so I have found ways to make them work with my style. I will also be wearing them under my trousers like long underwear. 

I ordered a size up because, according to the reviews on Amazon, this was the right thing to do. Well, the size up is okay, but my regular size would have been better, so I think that they run true to size for me.

Have you tried fleece tights? 

When describing your style persona it’s perfectly fine to mix things up. You should never feel that you have to box yourself into one fashion persona exactly as it is defined. After all, these fashion personas are just approximations of our own making. And since style preferences will vary a lot from person to person, you should expect to describe yours using more than one. It could be several, or just two. 

To avoid confusion I should be specific about what I mean by fashion personas and style persona. Fashion personas are the ones that we’ve given names, like “bohemian hippy”, “trendy fashionista” or “modern classic”. Your style persona, on the other hand, describes your own personal style. It is probably a mix of many components, some of which you might describe as fashion personas.

I narrow my own preferences into three main categories, which have been pretty consistent since the ’80s. First, there’s my adoration for pearls, and impeccably crisp, tailored garments with clean lines. Then there’s my love for iconic Dr. Marten boots, biker jackets and distressed leather. Lastly, I have a thing for menswear inspired clothing. 

So to summarize that in terms of fashion personas, my style persona combines Modern Classic, Punk and Androgynous tendencies. I am also drawn to Retro and Preppy looks, but those preferences are not nearly as strong as the first three categories. 

In some respects these components of my style are related. For example, it is easy to see classic minimal elements being part of an androgynous look. But they can also be opposing. A friend recently told she found it interesting that I like a flared, ladylike skirt with patent shoes and hose as much as I enjoy bright tartan skinnies with a black biker jacket. There seem to be many such contradictions in my ensembles. I can’t tell you why I am drawn to Kate Spade and 20 eyelet Docs. Or why I love black as much as white, neutrals as much as brights, soft fabrics as much as rigid ones, and Carolina Herrera as much as Gwen Stefani.

Like everyone else, my style persona is a melting pot for many different preferences and influences. What I aspire to do is combine all of these different components into an overall style persona that is cohesive. To me, this cohesion is extremely important because it makes my style feel stronger and more focused. I want all my outfits to look and feel clean, simple, modern and bold no matter what. Even when I add new trendy pieces, I create cohesion by combining them with classic pieces. The classic pieces are the magic glue that brings my ensemble together. 

Over to you. How do you combine the different components of your style persona? How do the different elements relate to and play off of each other?  Do you think it is important to have a cohesive style?